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Day 4
Day 4
Just leaving
Even by 10:00 am it was warming up nicely as we took the road back up to Tournon d'Agenais and hung a right towards Cahors along the D656. Just before Villesque I had planned another diversion onto minor roads and we took the D12 followed by the D27 to approach Cahors by the famous Pont Valentré. Inevitable photo stop at the bridge and we continued on our way through Cahors.
Pont Valentré
A new roundabout in heavy traffic in Cahors threw my navigation and we ended up on the N20 instead of the D911. There was no easy way to get off this so we continued along it to Frayssinet and then turned off to Gourdon on the D704 followed by the D673 out of Gourdon back to the N20 as far as Payrac. From Payrac we took the D673 to Rocamadour - this is what I joined for. This was the best road we encountered - brilliant bends and a reliable surface, a real joy to ride.
D673 to Rocamadour
At Rocamour we stopped for lunch at a café overlooking this astounding town perched on a cliff-side.
Rocamadour
Tried to get the Fiat to move for this shot
From here we travelled eastwards to the Gouffre de Padirac. I have visited the caves before. Alan decided that he was overcome with the commercialism of the place and it was probably a feature he could miss so we continued northwards to get some miles behind us for the slog up north. So onto the D11 followed by the N120 where we stopped and contemplated where we would stay that night as our itinerary
had been modified. Uzerche appeared interesting from the "Lonely Planet Guide to France" so we headed towards the A20 and our first French toll motorway. At the toll barrier I got harangued in French for not having the correct change ready so I mustered a "Pardon, je ne comprend pas" in my worst accent at which the tirade stopped. Silly system -
I'm told they don't bother charging motorcyclists on the Severn Bridge as it takes so long to take off your gloves and dig around in your suit for change.
We peeled off the A20 onto the N20 in search of accommodation in Uzerche. Whatever the guide book said about it, it wasn't very inspiring to two hot, tired and grumpy motorcyclists. We headed off into the countryside and found a hotel in Saint-Ybard - unfortunately it was closed. Some locals pointed us in the direction of another hotel near Arnac-Pompadour. The GPS proved its worth again as I scrolled across its little map display to the point they were indicating and placed a waypoint so we could follow our noses. They seemed quite enthusiastic about the place saying the food was 'trés superior'.
We pitched up at the Auberge de la Mandrie, found they had rooms and garaging for the bikes. Again we were spoilt with the menu - the problem
with having so many interesting dishes to chose from it is difficult to decide what to have. We went easy on the wines as we found that the previous night's excesses left us feeling a little jaded throughout the day.
Auberge de la Mandrie
Distance travelled this day 170 miles
Index | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | References