Bédoin - 30 September 2019
Lidl shop and then onto Bédoin. There was a market that was in the throws of packing up blocking the road that we needed to take so we parked up just outside and had some lunch. Had a wander around the town that has numerous bike shops, never realised how expensive cycling clothing was. Sat and rea
30 September
Another peaceful night’s sleep last night. Around 9am today we had a knock on the door, was just a man collecting €3 for parking. There is no sign saying this would happen, but at the service station you used to have to get a ‘jeton’ (token) for €2 to pay for water - this is now free. Not sure it’s really in the town’s interest to have a person collect only from people who stay the night, we saw lots of mohos come and go yesterday to use the facilities for free.
Went for a walk into the town, really not worth it! Very run down and dismal, but strange that where we were parked there were tennis courts, the BMX bike course across the road and a campsite behind us - all generally looking well kept.
Drove a couple of minutes to a Lidl. And what a Lidl it was! About the cleanest, best stocked one to date! We weren’t going to buy much, but of course bought more than intended. The only thing they didn’t have was fresh milk, so as I was putting the shopping away, Tintin went across the road to an Intermarché and bought some there. We both struggle with the UHT stuff!
Tintin drove today, only 30 minutes to Bédoin. We couldn’t park where we wanted to at first, as the Monday morning market was still in the road and just packing up. Luckily there was parking nearby, so had lunch before moving. Baguette was described as rustic, think industrial would be more suitable!
Went for a walk into the town. Bédoin (population 3,300) is described in my book as peppy, the most upbeat of the gateways (to Mont Ventoux), chock-a-block with cafes and shops. It’s geographic position diminishes the mistral. Well, it certainly wasn’t chock-a-block full with people today! Looked in a few bike shops, and were surprised at how expensive cycling gear for the Lycra clad is. Just a vest was €99! Picked up a map from the tourist information office.
Back to Dave, and just sat outside and read again. Has been really windy today, dare I say it, a bit chilly in the shade! Was very pleasant until two dogs came running up, one of them did a big, runny💩near us, of course the owner didn’t come anywhere near to even know, let alone clear up. The smell was so bad we moved ours chairs to the top of the field!
The only other people here in a moho are a French couple. They take their dog out on their motorbike with sidecar - very cute. The border collie is only one, and bounds around - really silky black coat!
They were happy when we said we were staying the night - safety in numbers and all that, recent reviews for here were for more break-ins, even during the day on mohos...
So, tomorrow’s mission is to cycle up the legendary summit of Mont Ventoux, which has been a regular feature of the Tour de France. There are 3 routes, my husband has kindly chosen the best known and most demanding route starting from Bédoin. It involves a 21km climb with an average gradient of 7.5%, with a maximum of 12% in some places and a 1,600m elevation gain!
Even with our electric motors, we’re not expecting it to be easy - and will probably take about 2 solid hours climbing uphill! The things my husband thinks will be fun! Think the descent if we make it up will be more scary - brakes on the whole way down! Watch out for tomorrow’s blog!
Not really many photos today as we haven’t done much.
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