After St Michel was such a success on the bike we decided to find another spot further south with some more dedicated bike paths. Tim found a campsite on a lake that was situated on a bike path that joined the towns Fougères and Vitre. It was only going to be a 45min drive so we thought we would stop off in Fougère and pick up some supplies. I needed some yarn for my crochet projects so I googled wool stores and found one in Fougère and so in I went with Tim trailing behind adamant that he was not going to help me. I am not going to say it was pretty but we bumbled through in French and I walked out with a bag full of yard super chuffed with myself.
Considering that was such a success we decided to then try and get French SIM cards as well. I must admit I had to let Tim handle this one as it was a little trickier than we thought but after a few failed attempts we found a phone shop who could sell us some and at a reasonable price! We were winning at life today! After picking up some groceries we headed out to the Fougère Château and ate our bread and cheese and pate overlooking the walls.
We only had a short drive to the campsite after that and soon were set up with views along the lake. Confident after my French exchanges with the wool lady I went off to pre-order our baguette from the lady at the front. This exchange didn’t go so well which was rather frustrating as all I wanted was 2 baguettes but we even had to get the translator app out for her to explain to me she needed my site number. Apparently this required a whole paragraph in French. So I pointed on the map as to where we were but she then proceeded to explain to me that the numbers on the map did not correspond to the numbers on the site. I think at this stage my eye roll was rather telling considering we were one of two campers in the whole place and also who has a map where the numbers don’t match. After marching back to our site, finding the correct number we eventually exchanged money and the next morning our two delicious baguettes were waiting on our outside table.
That day the weather turned and we spent our first full day hunkered down in the van. Although not the biggest space we managed it comfortably. The next day was bright and clear and we jumped on our bikes and rode the 17kms into Vitre to have a look at the old town and Château. The ride in was on an amazing gravel path that wound through farmlands and tiny villages.
On arrival in Vitre we were treated to a stunning view of the Château and decided to park our bikes and walk through the old town. The old town was amazing with every street a picturesque view. This culminated in arriving in a square with the entrance of the Château over a long dry moat. We didn’t go in as we have had our fill at the moment of internal old buildings but instead enjoyed our lunch on the château walls. We then jumped back on our bikes and road the 17kms home which was on an upward incline and with a head wind. Needless to say we were pooped when we got home and very much enjoyed our wine that night! S
