having no tent to take down, I manamged to get away at 9, but wasted a lot of time trying to bu a map (I thought it would be easier to get it here) and trying to find the cycle route. I ended up on a peaceful country lane, which took me downriver, but before it could get boring, it went occross the river and straight onto a busy main road. After only a couple of hudred metres I turned off along a track and found my way back. I crossed the road into the village to ask at the tourist information, but before I found one I saw signs for the Via Rhona. That proved to be a very pleasant ride in the hills, which went in the direction of Montelimar. Somewhere I must have missed a sign and not realising how big the town was I headed for the centre. At 12 minutes past 1 I again found a Tourist Information, which reopened after the lunchbreak at 1:15, so with the help of the young lady I was able to find my way out and back onto the route. This was REALLY beside the river and extremely pleasant until it ended at Viviers. By this time I was down to about 300 ml. of hot water, so I tied Bonny to a fence and went in search of fresh. However, when I returned to a bar where I had first been told they had no big bottles, ordering a small one to drink there, the barkeeper offered to fill me a lemonade bottle with very cool tap water! I finally arrived in Bourg to see that the campsite was my side of the village – hurrah!. However I must have misinterpreted the sign, which meant I had to go back UP through the village and down again. Eventally I was able to enjoy a beer and a swim in the pool..
After doing my laundry, putting up the tent and having a shower it was still only aroung 7, so I strolled down to the river, which is only about 200 metres from my tent. I then had an excellent meal and endd up sitting with a fellow cyclist of around my age, who as mayor of a town on the German side of lake Constance was on his way to a meeting in a twin town here in the south of France!
Tour stats for today: 78.64 km.,219 m. climb, 5:41 bike time. I have now done over 1000 km.!