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#Ldn2Bdx Day Five: La Rochelle to Royan
A much shorter (65 miles) but similarly flat stage awaits the riders today. Initially, as they leave La Rochelle, they pick up where they left off yesterday, hugging the coast as they head towards Châtelaillon-Plage.
However on arrival at the popular beach resort the riders will turn their backs on the Bay of Biscay and head back in land to Ciré-d’Aunis where they take a sharp right hand turn and begin once more heading south.
They begin making our way gradually back towards the coast and in the process they’ll make two river crossings via a couple of impressive modern bridges, both of which have designated cycle lanes.
The first is as they leave the naval port town of Rochefort crossing the Charente river and the second, and larger of the two, crosses the Seudre as they pass through the coastal town of Marennes.
Situated approximately half way between these two towns is the tiny Ville Fortifiée de Brouage, which, as the name suggests, is a small town set inside an old fortress. It is here that the riders shall have lunch, hopefully with enough time set aside to spend a few minutes wandering around the cobbled high street and exploring the ramparts.
After lunch they’ll continue and soon arrive back at the coast to enjoy clear views of the beautiful Ile d’Oleron and the impressive causeway that connects it to the mainland.
Once over the Seudre river they’ll follow the coastal road all the way to Royan, the last 20 km of which takes them through the Coubre la Tremblade Forest.
The #Ldn2Bdx cyclists will spend their evening in Royan, a surfy seaside resort popular with French tourists since the early 1800s when the local authorities passed a law to make the washing of “pigs, horses and other cattle in the sea” illegal for the benefit of those who wished to bathe in the waters of the Atlantic.
Check back tomorrow for the final stage of the group’s trip and join in the conversation on Twitter with #Ldn2Bdx.
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