Cycle Tour 2022 – Day 8: By train, bike, and foot.

This morning, we bid farewell to Bordeaux. We were out of the apartment by 9 am and heading toward Bordeaux's train station, Gare de Saint-Jean, less than 2 kilometres away, to catch the 10:04 train to Arcachon. We could have ridden out to the Bassin d'Arcachon, a wide, shallow bay southwest of Bordeaux formed by Cap Ferret, but, to stay on bike paths, it would have meant travelling quite far north and east before heading back south toward north end of the bay. That would have taken a whole day in itself, and then another to get around the bay, and by all accounts, that particular path is somewhat boring. So we decided to simply take the train and save ourselves two days. 

The whole of Baie d'Arcachon is a big-time beach area, and even in early May, the train to the town of Arcachon filled up pretty quickly before the train even left Bordeaux. But as is our habit, we were there early and so were among the first on the train and got a good spot for our bikes. But as the train approached its terminus, it got quite full. I can only imagine what it must be like on summer weekends!

We got off at La Hume, a few stops before Arcachon, shortly before 11 and went in search of a snack, coffee, and some information at the tourist office. These tasks accomplished, we cycled to the beach and waited a half an hour before our appointed noon rendezvous with our Airbnb host, who gave us a very warm welcome, that included four croissants, a baguette, and a beer in the fridge! 

After settling in, we hopped on our bikes, light as gossamer sans panniers, and headed back east toward La Teich, where there is a lovely bird sanctuary. It was nice to be able to lock up the bikes and take a walk. The sanctuary boasts six kilometres of trails among the bay's salt marshes, along with 20 hides, lots of shade and benches, and, well, birds. Though we were in the hottest part of the day, the tide was high, so many of the waders were fairly close in. We saw quite a few interesting birds on our walk, along with a foot-long bright green lizard. We rode back to our beach house via the EV1 (locally called the Vélodessée), a bit more relaxing than the trip east along some busy roads closer to the shore. On the way, we stopped for supper provisions. 

After supper, we took a walk on the beach to watch the sun go down. Tomorrow, we turn our wheels resolutely south as we head down the Vélodyssée toward the Spanish boarder.