Road Trip & Ride: Discovering France’s West Coast by Van and Bike | Europe Van Tour Episode 10

I begin this video in Biscarrosse, France. I go for a nice ride and visit the largest sand dunes in Europe in Arcachon. After the ride I continue to head north along the west coast, and after a failed attempt at stopping to Bordeaux, I make it to La Barre-de-Monts. I stopped at this town as it presented the opportunity for a unique ride, when the tide is all the way out a road is exposed that allows you to get out to an island, so I decided to see if I could make it there and back before the tide came back in. Once I made it back onto dry land I had another big driving day to get to a town called Falaise, one of my favourite stops of the trip. It was a beautiful town with some fascinating history, and I went for a lovely ride through the local countryside to end this video.

This video also contains the draw for the winner of the frame bag giveaway that I mentioned in the ‘Racing The Sun’ video.

This is the tenth video from my trip into Europe. I had two months free, and I deliberately embarked on this trip without any set plans of where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do, I instead just loaded up my campervan with hiking and biking gear so that I could explore the countries I visit in a variety of different ways.

Thank you for watching, if you enjoyed this video please consider subscribing.

Links

Ko-fi (If you want to support the channel): https://ko-fi.com/matryder

Arcachon ride (Komoot): https://www.komoot.com/tour/1521279074?share_token=atgnNDB2qYhWj3ch7zVKC8jGYMU26G9X8J8vrBDwggTH88zfWq&ref=wtd

Falaise ride: https://www.komoot.com/tour/1528029834?share_token=aOdJ4Radl7LUT3rLeVhcdka4NZ8He4dmM9pHaHI3aMGddZagDt&ref=wtd

good morning I’m in biscos out for a bike ride this morning up along the coast bit of a loop and then back down sort of Lollipop shaped ride it’s a nice day nice and cool Sunny I’m riding through a wood for a quick break it’s been a nice ride so far very like in a marsh land now you ever seen a man peeler t with one hand no you’re not going to either cheer up man that’s a thumbnail right there when you say Mandarin test searched sad Tangerine translation on Google I wonder if anyone has ever in the history of Google asked it to translate sad tangerine I’m fairly certain you like me were wondering when you heard that stuff about sad tangerines in that bit that Ross is never going to put in the video anyway what the difference is between the two and the answer is every Tangerine or Clementine is technically a mandarin not every Mandarin is a clementine or Tangerine so uh I am then the wiser it’s nice though oh wow now that’s what I call a hot dog and chips mhm coconut milkshake very good what a nice little town apparently there’s a tower I can see it in the distance it was designed by Gustav Eiffel I think I’ll find out when I get there you can climb it I hope you can anyway apparently it wobbles when you do but ain’t going to scare me really does wobble on the way up and when you at it very interesting reminds me of being back on the at with the fire lookout Towers cool I like that was good fun so that Tower was the building of it was assisted by Gustav Eiffel who you all would know went on to assist with the building of the Statue of Liberty see you didn’t you didn’t think I was going to say that did you you thought I was going to say the Eiffel Tower which of course he did build but he assisted with a Statue of Liberty as well a clever man the Eiffel Tower was part of that big um thing that I was talking about Exposition when I was in Barcelona in 1889 what was it called oh man I’m going to have to look it up and I can’t give you half facts remember there’s going to be a quiz the universal exposition of 1889 that was in Paris is that the same one was barcelon I don’t know anyway he helped build that nice looking cars up here that wasn’t easy I’m heading up the highest or the L largest San June in Europe now this is cool should be a lot easier to get down Billy witch that’s what we call them anyway anyway that’s the Junes done now it’s just back along this road home home to the van and then I’m going to go and get myself a couple of be is and set out in the sun sounds like the only thing that makes sense right back it was a nice ride I think about 40 miles probably a bit more cuz it was it had bits tagged on but yeah that was nice I enjoyed it um this campsite is brilliant so I’m just going to stay here tonight and there’s a shop around the corner which is where I’m going to go now and buy some stuff maybe if they do a small small bottle of wine I’m going to get a small bottle of wine but they don’t do that in France really and I can’t buy a full big bottle cuz I’ll drink it I didn’t get much I still had some of that hot dog from earlier I forgot it was in my frame bag so I’ve just eaten that got olives some crisps I bought this beer I’ve just bugged my fairy back which uh I sort of I’ve been putting off just can’t believe how quickly it’s come around I thought too months would feel like a long time but it’s gone very very quickly I’ve had a good time I know it’s not over yet but yeah I didn’t know how I was going to find it I just didn’t know I could have been bored I could have been lonely I could have been stressed and I’ve been none of those things as the trip has gone on I’ve definitely become more relaxed so I think when I do it again cuz I I will definitely be doing this again I’ll uh I’ll definitely be a bit more relaxed from the outset anyway I’m going to have my dinner and then I’m going to chill out I’m going to watch some YouTube and then tomorrow I’m going to Bordeaux for a walk and then going to continue on up the coast in preparation for quite an exciting interesting day the day after tomorrow so all good gorgeous Beach and nobody on it I have to go to the sea I have to be able to justify wearing these bloody hell that water’s cold anyone swimming in that is brave hi sorry for the interruption just a quick one to announce the winner of the frame bag giveaway that was our 5,000 subscriber giveaway competition right so here we go with the draw it’s a random comment picker let’s see who wins Thomas H 7573 congratulations Thomas you’ve won the frame bag excellent what I’ll do Thomas is I’ll pin a comment down below with my contact details thank you to everyone who entered and we’ll do another giveaway at 50,000 I imagine good morning another quiet night this has got to be one of the best campsites on the whole trip it’s fairly busy but silent so quiet right next to the beach it’s lovely I could definitely do another couple of days here but I’m not going to I’m moving on to Bordeaux today for a little walk and then going to carry on further up the coast this is the park for night suggestion think I might give this a Miss I don’t mind the trucks but the burnout Vans nah so I don’t know what to do can’t find anywhere to park too many height restrictions I’m starting to think that I don’t want to be here not feeling it not doing it so I’m going to move on I’m going to give Bordeaux a Miss I’ve tried four five different parking spaces and uh nope I’m going so 40 minutes later I’m still stuck in bordone so that was a long driving day it was a shame about Bordeaux but um I don’t know I don’t know whether there was something going on in that town the traffic was just terrible and there was you know I tried for five or six parking spaces and there’s a limit but never mind I’m here now close to an island called Barbra and no and it’s separated from the mainland Land by a uh Causeway which you can only cross at low tide and that’s mainly why I’m here um strangely Ross thought it was an interesting thing and it is it’s even got these little towers on the way over that you can climb up if you get stranded so it’s a cool thing but uh I’ve been here before I came here about 25 years ago stayed on no Muer for about four or five days I think I rode my motorbike over I had a zx7r kawazaki which I loved I love that bike and yeah so I came over I was 25 I’d say so it’s cool it’ be good to see if I remember any of it I don’t remember a lot from when I was 25 anyway I’m parked up just at one of these camping car park places which is in a perfect position I’m going to go to the shop pick up some supplies and uh tomorrow I believe about halfast 10 the tide will be sufficiently low for me to ride over and have a look on the island so I’ve just been to check out that road and it’s 4 km long low tide is about 20 11 tomorrow I’m going to ride over the bridge get there try and ride over and get back within the hour I think you’ve got a little leeway either side but it sounds interesting I mean it’s a submersible Road I mean it’s got to be a cool thing to do and um it’s certainly unique in Europe but as it is I’m going to get an early night and then it’s nice that I don’t have to rush tomorrow get out of here for about I don’t know half 10 10 something like that good morning ready to get moving it’s cold you can tell I’m further north it’s actually very cold it’s early so hopefully it’s going to warm up but got the bike ready going to go over the bridge here and then ride up to the causeway and wait for that to become open looks like the road has started to poke up out of the sea see it disappearing in the background they must have to clear this up every single day that’s what you got climb on to if you get caught out I mean you’d be up there for a long time so this Causeway is also been incorporated into the tour to France at least twice so I’m currently riding a section of the tour to France which is pretty cool on dra there you are over the other side now I’ll decide whether to find a loop back I think I just want to go back over there to be honest it’s a bit more interesting so yeah might have a little look around and then head back that was an interesting little interlude now to get back to the van and head further on up the coast not sure where I’ll tell you when I know but it’s a lot more driving today I think which suits me I said it before I like the driving here I do the non-all roads which means I get to see lots of interesting little Villages and yeah just another part of the whole experience of traveling around by Van okay so we’re headed for a place called fet there’s a shadow believed to be the birthplace of William the Conqueror so that’s going to be cool I found a an air looks like a municipal one and that’s all I need so yeah big long driving day made it to filet it’s just in a car park it’s a free park up for the night so that’s fine and it’s actually the car park of a supermarket with which is perfect I can go and get some supplies for the night and then go for a bike ride tomorrow okay we’re out started off on this nice gravel cycle path so can’t complain let see what we find today panel raisin Cafe l this feels all very Welsh to me like North Wales apart from the Sun obviously if you just imagine this view with sheets of horrific rain lashing everywhere and that’s exactly what Wales is like I’m sorry Wales I mean I do love you obviously but tell me it’s not true that van just came past me gave me loads of space but nearly gave me a heart attack because we are firmly back in the 28 Days Later version of France where nobody exists but me it’s just incredible I’ve had such a good day really enjoying this ride the best rides for me are the ones where I take my time and I don’t feel like I need to rush I never need to rush but yeah days like this so this place is a world famous stud Farm created by Marcel busac so he’s produced exceptional horses like Asis Thor toron none of which I’ve heard of and I’m not into horse racing the queen visited in 1967 so you must be pretty good at it so there we have we have it back in fet this here is shatow xalam L conquerant the birthplace of William the Conqueror and see as though it’s so early only half past 2 I think I’m going to go back drop the bike off at the van and then take a walk back and actually go inside seeing as how it’s open and this looks like a nice little town to explore as well so that’s my plan so that’s a gate 13th century gate and this is the remains of a sort of Walled fortification that surrounded the whole town was made in the 13th century so well after William the Conqueror all pretty cool was guarded by monks and they were called corders as I’ve justn Le I thought red foone boxes were unique to Britain seems out of place to me that shot not only does it cause me great pain in my shoulder but it it highlights my bald Spa so there he is William the Conqueror probably just William until he did some conquering he was the first Norman King of England famously beat Harold in the battle of Hastings in 1066 here we are I’m going to go in Ancient Graffiti cool William the Conqueror died on the 9th of September 1087 which is my birthday not the 1087 bit but I won’t forget that that could be Who Wants To Be A Millionaire question couldn’t it two problems there I would never go on it and the odds of that happening are at least 20 to1 at least I don’t want to sound like a dick or anything but just ruined it’s just full of crap I mean the walls and everything the steps are cool but I prefer the ruins I prefer them left how they were seems a shame to me and there you have it I mean that was all right like I said I don’t want to sound I don’t know but I think when they have all those exhibits and things like that it takes for me anyway it takes away any sense of history of the place but I’m also aware that it’s not for me for every person like me that thinks like that there’s probably a hundred that don’t and it’s all about education and family day out and all that stuff and there are plenty of ruins and Relics and things like that to keep me happy the best one on this trip so far was definitely that kathar Fortress just standing there knowing what had happened and how old it was just had a profound effect on me anyway still pretty cool I’m not going to moan what exactly expensive right let’s go have a look at the Town see for me this is about as busy as I want anywhere to be ever it just suits me there’s just the right amount of people which is next to none like this town it’s a great place I am sold by France I love France so there we have it another day it was a good one I enjoyed that ride it was just the right sort of length and then I liked having that walk into the town as well so it’s late I’m going to bed I shall see you in the morning and if this is the end of the video then thank you for watching thank you and I will see you in the next one goodbye