Big Bird

Reg and I were fully tanked this morning before we departed, that is our tanks were full as opposed to being ‘tanked up’. My late middle age spread was added to by the most amazing continental breakfast I have ever had!

Had I not been full to the brim I would’ve pulled over at the restaurant by the nearby Peña reservoir, which is obviously a favourite haunt for the local bikers as there were 40-50 bikes there, but there’s no way I could’ve even managed a bacon butty never mind a full English!

My first view of the Pyrenees brought the expected cloud with it, the forecast was drizzly at the very least. You will see in the next four shots that the pictures were photo-bombed by a ‘big bird’ (in the centre of each picture), it seems that this Big Bird has a fascination with the real things!

As the temperature was sitting about 18c I thought it best to layer up before the climb over the Col du Pourtalet to France, and a sensible choice it was too! No rain, but the temperature was nudging single figures at the top even though I thought the climb was very modest. The French side was a much better road, not just in condition but more scenic. This also seemed to have a steeper descent with more hairpins and when I eventually arrived at Laruns for lunch I was surprised that I was still at 1,800′, which immediately made me wonder how high the ‘col’ was, 5885′ apparently, no wonder it was brass monkey weather.

After showing my Covid status to the staff at the restaurant in Laruns they agreed to feed me, this is the first time I’ve had to show proof since Portugal. The temperature was now twice that at the top, and so I was able to peel off my outer layer of waterproofs for what, luckily as it turned out, to be the rest of the ride to a small village north of Pau. Once inside the rain started and is expected to remain until at least late morning tomorrow.