Day out in M�doc

A motorbike ride to "M�doc"

Sunday, September 26th. Motorbike ride - Royan - Pointe de Grave - Phare de Richard - Chateau de la tour de By - St Est�phe - Pauillac - Chateau Beychevelle - Lamarque - Blaye - St Ciers s/Gironde - St Bonnet - St Sorlin - St Dizant du Gu� - St Fort - Mortagne .

We set out at 10.15 am for Cozes where we had arranged to meet Robina and Ian for a motorbike ride. We had planned the ride two weeks before and therefore we were not sure about the weather. Some reports predicted cold and some rain but the day before the weatherman said that the day would be sunny. So ,we decided to keep warm by wearing three layers of clothing as it was a bit chilly in the morning. We scheduled the ferry in Royan at 12.00am , at first we wanted to cross the Gironde estuary from Blaye but they had cancelled the 12.00am ferry for the season.
We hit the road at 10.45am and arrived at Royan Ferry car park at about 11.15 am we had plenty of time to kill! But we had an unexpected encounter. An American couple ( Rose and Gary) came on a weird duo bike pushing it right behind our motorbikes so we had a chat with them while waiting for the ferry. It hadn't left the "Pointe de grave" just opposite Royan when we came to the car park!
Rose and Gary explained that they decided to take a year off for touring the world on their duo-bicycle and they left Chicago in June . We enjoyed talking with them before boarding. They gave us their business card so that we can follow their adventure on their blog. They were heading for Morroco!
We pulled out of port at 12.00pm and enjoyed the smooth crossing watching the scenery , the lighthouse of St Georges de Didonne, the long sandy beach, Pointe de Suzac, the beaches of Suzac, les Vergnes, les Nonnes , the headland of Talmont featuring the church and the white limestone cliffs of Meschers, Le Caillot and Barzan.
After a 30 minute crossing we reached "la pointe de Grave" and decided to have a picnic around the lighthouse of Richard which was on our way to St Est�phe.
That was a great spot for a picnic and Robina had brought a tablecloth ! We all enjoyed relaxing in a quiet place on the Gironde bank , no big buildings to impede our view. This part of the Gironde estuary is a bit desolate compared to the opposite bank but we rode on a scenic road along the estuary and through vineyards. After a lovely lunch with good wine we headed for the Chateau de la tour de By which was a few kilometres from a village called Begadan , we rode on narrow roads through marshland and along the estuary which provided an inherent sense of freedom.
Then we arrived at the Chateau de la tour de By , the gates were wide open so we rode the motorbikes to the entrance of the chateau. The owner told us that it was closed so we couldn't visit the "chais" ( barrel cellars ) and taste wine but he let us walk to the tower called la tour de By and we climbed to the top using the flight of stairs . From the top we had a magnificent view over the vineyards and in the distance the Gironde estuary. The chateau was a beautiful 19th century well-maintained building and the tour de By was built on a former mill.
Then on the motorbikes again! We left la tour de By and headed for the famous village of St Est�phe then Pauillac and St Julien. Unfortunately "la maison des vins" ( the house of wine) in St Est�phe was closed. Although we were a bit disappointed because most of the chateaux are closed on Sundays during the" low" season we all enjoyed riding through the vineyards enjoying the magnificent chateaux and the weather was gorgeous. We stopped in Pauillac and looked round "la maison du tourisme et du vin" where Ian bought a bottle from le chateau de la tour de By and gave it to us. ( Thanks again Ian).
So after visiting the "maison du vin" in Pauillac we set out for Lamarque and stopped at the chateau of Beychevelle which was closed. On the way to Beychevelle we rode past a beautiful chateau called "Ducru-Beaucaillou" another chateau to visit next year!!
At this time of the day , we decided to ride to Lamarque to the ferry boarding area. We reached the ferry car park at about 6.00pm and had 30 minutes to wait before boarding. So we had a drink on a terrasse overlooking the estuary.
The 30 minute-crossing enable us to admire the sunset over the estuary and then we headed for Royan . We took the " Green road" and rode past St Ciers , St Bonnet, St Sorlin , St Dizant du Gu�, St Fort and our last destination Mortagne sur Gironde. It was getting dark and the temperature had dropped. We stopped at Mortagne and kissed goodbye.
It was a great motorcycling experience.