Sunday 25 October, Monday 26 October

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Footnote to 24 October.
When we turned up to watch the Rugby All Blacks vs South Africa, we found the bar closed that advertised the rugby games. We tried all over and everyone all said that was the place to go they just weren’t open Saturday night. In the end we sat in another bar listening to a partial commentary on the radio which cut in and out. Nerve wracking.

Sunday 25 October Moustiers-Sainte-Marie to Comps sur Artuby 55km, 1385m climbed in 3 hours climbing.

What an absolutely spectacular ride up the gorge today. We were an hour later leaving than usual as daylight saving kicked in last night so it was as well we weren’t going any further or we would have had to rush the gorge.

The road we were on was a higher steeper road than the main road on the other side of the gorge although later in the climb we could see an even higher road way up in the cliffs. It was a mostly gradual but constant climb initially of 25km then we followed the gorge up and down stopping often to look down on the huge gorge. Lunch was by the side of the road with views over the gorge. There weren’t many villages or supplies along the way.

High up over the gorge we passed through a series of 3 tunnels which were carved out of the rock then arrived at a bridge, Pont d’Artuby where they had closed one lane and were doing bungy jump into the canyon below. The puzzle was how people got back up after disembarking at the bottom.

At Balcons de la Mescla we stopped for coffee and orangina, but after that we had a slow punishing hill until we hit 10km before Comps sur Artuby a lovely gentle downhill and we rolled into the village.

It was interesting to note that we passed a herd of goats being very obviously protected by two large dogs. Apparently the dogs are brought up with the goats so naturally protect their family.

We were staying at the only hotel in town which had been a family concern since 1737. It was a nice oldie worldie place.

Dinner looked to be best at our Hotel, there was only one other option. They had a special local menu on which was extremely tasty. Field mushrooms and pastry, wild pork daube with polenta and tiramasu to finish. It was greatly relished.

Stayed Hotel Bain: Comps sur Artuby

Monday 26th October Comps sur Artuby to Castellane 30 km

An option had been to add the distance to Castellane onto our ride yesterday as finding somewhere to stop in the gorge that was open was difficult. But even though the ride to Castellane was short and easy going it was wonderful to be able to enjoy this stunning scenery of the clear turquoise river in the gorge flooded in autumn colours. A side option to the medieval village of Trigance didn’t have a high number of takers today when we saw it required some uphill work.

It was great to have a rest afternoon in Castellane which had a Monday market that ran through lunchtime and beyond. Riding into Castellane you look up and see this huge square rockface with a chapel on top and the first thing Steve thought of was that he had to go up to the top. So we set off trying to find the way up. Approaching from behind we eventually wound our way up through various tracks and got to the chapel on top which of course had spectacular views of the town. Coming down a different way we found the town very historic and much bigger than we first thought. Hot rotisserie chicken and chips from the market was our lunch choice which we ate sitting in the square.

For dinner we all went to an Italian restaurant and the winning dish was lamb shanks.

Stayed Ma Petite Auberge:Castellane

Comps to Castellane

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Today was only 22ks but it was well worth taking our time over as we hugged the river into Castellane. The river in the canyon is fresh and clear and like most rivers in rural France is not polluted. It makes you wonder how NZ can brand itself 100% pure when you look at the state of the Waikato river.
The weather was overcast when we started but fined up but rain is forecast for tomorrow. We put our spare time to good use by doing our washing.

Moustiers-STE-Marie to Comps

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The most significant stat on today’s ride was 1,385 metres we gained as we negotiated the Gorge du Verdon which is second in size to the Grand Canyon and we reached the highest point in the St Malo ride.
It was a 25k ride upwards with dramatic drops down into the canyon below. The day was perfect for climbing not to hot or cold. Once again the road was smooth and the incline easy considering the height we gained.
Last night we listened to the All Blacks on our phones as we could not find a bar that had a TV. Even the so called World Cup rugby bar was closed?
It was a bit like the old days of radio as the commentary came and went. We had a nice meal to celebrate the victory but it was nerve wracking listening to the commentary. The images of the Gorge du Verdon show how dramatic the today’s ride was.

Forcalquier to Moustiers Sainte-Marie

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We set off downhill into dazzling early morning sunstrike on a busy road, and made our way to the next village where we stocked up with choice savouries from the boulangerie for a lunch stop. Shortly beyond this village we found ourselves on a long winding climb through extensive woodlands. Eventually this topped out onto a fertile plateau of lavender fields. And lo and behold, when we looked back we could see the distant unmistakeable shape of the summit of the mighty Mt Ventoux. Further along the way we came across another village, rather conveniently at lunch time. So the picnic lunch never happened, instead we enjoyed a restaurant lunch sitting outside in the warm sunshine. As we were leaving Ron and Susan caught up with us; they had taken what was meant to have been a slightly easier route. Our departure from this village included a particularly steep slope which was not easy on a full stomach.
After another hour or so of climbing followed by a steep,descent we arrived at our B&B at the foot of the village of Moustiers Sainte-Marie. From here it was a steep climb on foot into the heart of the village. Whilst at first sight this village was little more than a jumble of houses tucked under some towering limestone cliffs, on closer inspection turned out to be the cutest village imagineable. The village is set across a major gulch in the cliff face, down which a substantial stream descends in a series of cascades. The gulch has been bridged with a number of arches, the largest of which stands about 30 metres high. Connected to these is a labyrinth of narrow alleyways with lots of tourist shops, restaurants and bars. Added to these are several large trees and well kept gardens.
We celebrated our discovery of this delightful village with a few drinks, under the setting sun, and made our way back to the B&B to have our picnic lunch for dinner.

Moustiers Sante-Marie