Lock, Stop and Two Smokin' Bicycles

The listing details for this cottage declared that there were two bikes that could used by those renting the property. I found them the day after we arrived in a shed at the bottom of the garden and... they're... knackered. Old enough that a white saddle has mildew gathering, tyres most certainly need pumped up, gears and brakes need... attention. Oh, and both are made for midgets, one an old steel ladies' bike (and Anquetil, so actually probably quite good in its day), the other a cheapie full-sus leadweight.

So, really, I'm quite glad we took advantage of the new car's bike-carrying capability and took our own. And with them loaded up we made for nearby Pontivy for a day without having to drive much, and with the sun coming out properly for the first time since getting here.

There's a fab tourist office on a boat on the Blavet river in the town which we went into and enquired about cycle routes on the river and the nearby canal, getting an informative booklet, and map with some added notes from our touristic-officer on exactly where the canal routes were (the river route running right past the office and therefore not necessary of notation).

Shift car to the canal route, and 30 miles to Rohan and back done. Yes, for a few minutes we were Riders of Rohan. B'dum tish. It was a lovely day, with the sun shining, and the paths mostly gloriously quiet, but with those we came across being incredibly friendly. Oh, and the small matter of about a dozen Kingfisher sightings. In truth it was probably about 5 different Kingfishers each seen a few times, but they're always great to see - though they were proving incredibly flighty and so you'e going to have to make-do without a photo. But we've got at least one more canal or river cycle planned in the area before the end of the trip, so there's always the chance of some more.

I did at least capture a couple of soaring Buzzards (there are simple loads of these about, as well as Kestrels), and a couple of lizards (one of which decided he liked Mel's bike wheel at one stop, which was presumably storing up heat from the sun).

Really lovely day out.

Monet-esque
Lock Keeper's House