Getting Stronger!!!!!!!!

So with just over 7 weeks to go before the big ride, the Med Men are pumping Iron, legs and tyres to turn them selves into real athletes. Its always difficult to try and arrange a suitable day or time for us all to meet up for a training run so you can end up doing solo runs. Jeff has been cycling home from work which is some 20 miles away, which is a hard thing to do at the end of the day considering thats going to be a 3rd of our daily mileage. Mr K is continuing with his rides into work and back and getting the odd ride into the Shropshire Hills, hang on Shropshire doesn't have hills!!!!!!!
Jeff and I went for a ride accross North wales over the weekend putting 36 miles under our belt and although North Wales is not supposed to be anything like France, the weather was so hot 28C in the mid day sun, so it gave us a taste of what could be the Med Heat!!! Me thinks we'll do Siesta if that happens in France.

Eccleshall Loop

Just got back from an early morning ride, started at 6, wanted to get a few miles in as the weekend is really hectic. I've created an extra dimention to the Norbury junction loop by going north from Eccleshall, and then doing a loop to take in the Norbury loop. Good bit of 'C' roads a few climbs going to loggerheads/Ashley. Tea stops on the way everything for a good ride. It takes about 4 hrs to do plus tea breaks and makes nearly 40 miles.If you were to come from Stone you would probably hit the 55 mile mark so in a way its a days ride.

Resource for campsite finding.

http://en.camping.info/campsites

A variant to the plan would be to drop a little further south from Bergerac, west of Villeneuve to Agen and pick up the canal du midi through Montauban and Toulouse to Carcassonne. Anyhoo, here's a handy campsite finder I've just discovered.

OK chaps, here we go. Jeff can get scouting for camp sites within a 20 mile radius of the following:
From St Malo:

1: Janze (62 miles)
2: Ancenis (47)
3: Breissure (55)
4: Ruffec (73)
5: Riberac (62)
6: Villeneuve Sur Lot (70)
7: Bruniquel (63)
8: Castelnaudury (64)
9: St Paul de Fennouillet - via Carcassonne - (65)
10: Argeles-Sur-Mer (38)

knock around for a day and head back to Narbonne/perpignan for the sleeper train? have a look and let me know what you think. I've heard Argeles is a lot nice than towns further north, and we get a look at the Pyrenees! having said this, we could pick up the gentle canal du midi west of Carcassonne if we're in heatwave territory and head for either Bezier or Montpellier instead.

The Journey - version 2

With thanks to Rich, here is the second draft of his original plan, designed to save the med-men from a huge climb at the end. I think we could maybe drop down a little to Carcassone and then
wind through the Pyrenees Orientales to hit the coast at Argele sur Mer (where there is a lovely camp site!) I've had some feedback from the CTC site suggesting we could pick up a little canal path by skipping over the river east of St malo which woud take us into Rennes, but can't find it on this mapping system.

Next step is to chunk it out into 55 - 70 mile portions?

http://www.routeyou.com/route/view/173269/randonnee-a-velo-hero-coast-to-coast.fr?utm_source=http%3A//www.routeyou.com/location/bike/47230101/charras-en-bicicleta-llistat-de-totes-les-rutes-amb-bicicleta.ca&utm_medium=Route%20Link&utm_campaign=Search%20Plugin

Problems with Bikebus?

Richard has checked and our nearest date for coming back is..er..the 1st of August! Looked into hiring a car for the 3 returnees one way to Calais - which was £179 for a Kangoo on this site (2 days). Not sure if it's be big enough? As ou fare for the bus was 330 all in, this would seem an OK alternative? Obviously we'd have fares for Calais/dover and back up to Stafford.

http://www.europ
car.co.uk/EBE/module/booking/FirstStepPromotion.do;jsessionid=LgMmnth3vyzDdL95d8l2PkNQ92LkDfL1QSll25y7qFVhLxDgwRr0!-1470558765

Something to think about ahead of our (now) proposed meet next Saturday, my house at 3. Nice ride to Cheswardine, turn round, pint/chat in Eccleshall and home?