August 8, 2018
Leaving Quiberon behind
French drivers are generally courteous to cyclists. I attribute this to the fact that cycling is the third most popular sport after football and tennis. It is, after all, considered bad form to be rude to someone you know and here you will most certainly know a few "cyclos". So I was not particularly worried that I had to take the main road agin to get off the peninsula of Quiberon. Even so I left early enough to avoid the worst of the bouchon as the perpetual traffic jam is known. What surprised me a little was seeing this as I rode off the peninsula :
The train is not found on any schedule and in fact it only operates in July and August, the months of highest tourism. It is called locally the tire bouchon or cork-screw, and it is meant to relieve the bottleneck that the road becomes with all the tourists on holiday. The SNCF would love to see it disappear, as it loses money, but it is a virtual necessity for the peninsular population in the height of the season. I had time to stop and photograph this, too.
The peninsula is littered with them, but most have been engulfed by the sand. The Germans were fearful of an allied attempt to take the peninsula which would allow them to harass the submarine base at Lorient. That never happened, though, but the effect of the tight occupation of the terrain took a toll on the local population.
Moving along, I got back on quiet roads soon after leaving the Quiberon peninsula behind. And the back roads here are lovely, especially as one can hear something beside motors roaring and tires squelching. I passed a rather impressive dolmen.
The quiet roads soon ran out, an natural consequence of a geography punctuated by coastal inlets which can only be crossed by bridges. The road department has added bike lanes to many of the busiest routes in the area around Port Louis and Lorient to help with the problem, and they provided some comfort for the ride into the city. I was able to catch the foot ferry to Lorient, saving myself a long detour to the nearest road bridge but the ferry disgorged its passengers right into the heart of the inter-Celtic festival taking place on the quais of Lorient.
Deciding not to partake of the festival (where would I park the bike?), I headed for Hennebont by fairly well marked cycle routes. I was lucky to get a room in the only hotel what with the festival goers, but I did. The only (thankfully small) problem was the paucity of places to eat. Not wanting another galet, I had pizza and called it a day.
Today's ride: 62 km (39 miles)
Total: 385 km (239 miles)
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