St Yrieix La Perche to Montignac, 44.2 miles 21/06/04

21/06/2004
Another amazing day. Woke to see the lake glass smooth and steaming in the dawn. Packed and away for 08:30, killer hills here, they go on forever! 5-6 km of all uphill, but worth it when you get to the top, can see for miles. All trees and farmland, then 5-6 km of gentle slope downwards, no brakes, no pedals, just glide along. Perfect at 18 mph. Then do it all again, sweating and swearing for an hour or so, then a long slide into the next valley.
Approaching Cherveuix Cubas moving south absolutly awesome!! (D704) South again across the N89 is a surreal landscape, miniature mountains seperated by tiny valleys 200 -300 feet across, the valleys have fields - ha micro! and the hills are wooded. Like "The Shire" in LOTR, with tiny houses glued to the hills!!
Onto the D706 to Montignac "Rue de Juillet", a tiny road takes all the traffic, Stopped to phone home, nice surprise.
All level ground now, following the river. Found the caves (Lascaux = "Lasscow") busy! found the booking office - busier!! queueing down the street.
Campsite is www.bleufond.com (place no 5) full almost, all nationalities again, same as Stonehenge. Group of English lads here, bike tour, graduate students, never even heard of the caves! So much for university education. Ha!
Early rise tomorrow, top of the queue for a ticket.
Got to go to "La Roque de St. Christophe" ... it looks superb in the brochures. A city (sic) carved into a soft band of limestone halfway up a cliff at around 100 feet, overlooking the river. 1km long! (climbable...... :D ) I think they would lock me up for that here.
44.20 miles recorded.
(I forgot to re-attach the counter after a supermarket visit in St Yrieix so + 4 miles)
Riding time 4 hours 36 mins was cursing on the hills, but one of the best days yet.
P.S. take the road through/above/past the Lascaux caves to the top, take the small steep turn right. Don't pay for the "neanderthal man" exhibit, is questionable! but look left at the view just before the tiny museum.
You can see why people have lived here for so long (70,000 years).
100% perfect geographical positioning, in a surreal landscape.
Route = St. Yrieix to D650 ("Shire") D67, Montignac. Turn left after end of Rue de Juillet, over bridge, immediate right turn, follow the riverbank to the site. Will come here again, dreamscape.