Day 36- Nancy to Ligny

We had a longer ride today so we started early. Awake at 5.30 am, packed by 6.00am and having a light breakfast in the apartment at 6.15 am…

We were on the road shortly afterwards but had to find a bakery for coffee shortly after setting off…. Steve and I needed a coffee fix to get us going!

Steve was navigating today and the route took us out of Nancy along the canal then through a mixture of backroads and busier roads until we linked up with the canal again into Ligny.

There were 2 designated climbs which were quite okay for us now that we have our climbing legs.

We had a morning coffee stop at Pompey where I made a call back home to wish my granddaughter Mikayla a happy birthday on her 7th birthday… It is interesting that I was on the Lands End to John O’Groats ride with Chris when I got the news that Mikayla was born….and here I am again on a ride on her birthday….all the best for a great day Mikayla!

We had a lunch stop at an interesting town ( can’t remember the name) but we got a fresh baguette from a vending machine. Interesting that you can get your lunch this way.

A little later on we had a drink and a cake at about the halfway mark. The strawberry and raspberry tart really hit the spot for me ahead of the last climb….

The weather today was almost perfect for riding with virtually no wind and the temperature was in the low 20’s for most of the day. There was clouds in the sky but no rain.

We made really good progress and arrived at Ligny at 3.00 pm after being in the saddle for nearly 6 hours. The distance was 94 kms and we climbed nearly 550 metres.

Arriving at the hotel we found out with 4 beds and a large room and the owner kindly agreed to do our washing which left me off laundry duties thankfully.

I managed to get a haircut and do a bit of shopping sorted in Ligny. The town seems quite alive with people which is a far cry from some of the towns we went through today. The buildings seem well maintained which contrasts with some of the earlier towns we saw today

I am looking forward to a French meal tonight in the town square….

The pictures today are:

The route

The Moselle river

The first sighting of a field of sunflowers

An interesting WW1 monument in a place called Lucy…. We had a designated climb shortly after this. The monument seems to call out those who served in the French forces in the battle of Verdun

Celebrating Mikayla’s birthday at lunch…. Great cake!

We passed through a town called Void… I hope it is still there!

Back beside the canal in the last 10 kms of the day… the canal seemed not as well maintained in these parts

Our home for the night…