The next principal town I pass through is Albi. Another big tourist trap. At this point I want out of the tourist trap. As I’m not a tourist!!!! LOL 😉

After some research I decide to travel by train 🚉 from Gaillac up to Saint-Denis-lès-Martel. The train passes through a valley which I can’t access on the bicycle. My excuse! I hit the municipal campsite 🏕 in Gaillac. Near empty and quiet. I’m here for two nights as the French are on strike with their trains! How surprising!

It was worth the wait. Lovely train journey for a couple of hours. Changed trains in Figeac with a few hours to spare. Which allowed me time to mozy around town and a cafe for a nibble!.

Saint Denis was everything I was trying to get away from, no tourists … except me! 😎 The plan from here is to discover the Voie Verte V87 🚵‍♂️ route up towards Montlucon. Firstly, though, an exceptionally peaceful campsite (Les Granges campsite) on the Dordogne River. Evening cycle into Vayrac for a bloody huge kebab-pizza and beer (3)! That’s a pizza made from kebab 😋

My first snake 🐍 of the journey. Unfortunately, dead ie. back broken by an automobile! It was a decent size too. 

Called into the tourist office (it was genuinely open!) in Bretenoux, to help me locate the V87. They’d never heard of it! Tourist Office my arse 🍑 After some elimination … I discovered it! A few kilometers out of Bretenoux!

The road meandered quietly along the Dordogne River. I settled on a wild camping spot south of the river, about 10 km’s from Argentat. I only noticed a camp ground (Camping Le Vaurette) across the river while generating the Google maps for this post! My wild camping spot, would’ve been far far better. Cheaper too, with pristine flowing water from a nearby fall 🏞

Woken up by the patter of rain. Reached my 2000 km mark today.