Lourdes

I went to the grotto, wanted a miracle to happen, but unfortunately it didn’t.

Lourdes is a place where they thwack you down and then some. The hotels are basic and the food is appalling (sorry but that's the way it is, call me a sinner).

We enjoyed cycling the ‘Route de la Foret’. 5 million people come to Lourdes every year and the forest is empty. C’est la vie!

Route de la Foret

Lourdes is in the Pyrenees and cycling (as with skiing) means going downhill is a nightmare because my gyratory system is all out of whack. I have to get off and walk when the gradient is too steep. I use the rear brakes with my left hand, while my right hand, affected by the stroke, cannot pull on the front brakes, so I only stop with one brake. I must put both brakes on my left handle bar for the long cycle trip ahead.