Bike ride

It's a family tradition of ours to hire bikes whenever we go away. This holiday was no exception! There were lots of beautiful cycle paths in the Vendée, so we decided to take advantage of them. 

We began in Brétignolles sur Mer. A cycle path ran through the village all the way to the coastal path, so there was no need to worry about dealing with traffic! 

We didn't run into many pedestrians either - they had a separate path too.

We admired the beautiful coastline from the top of a cliff. Hedges lined the path and the cool sea breeze ruffled our hair as we whizzed in and out of dips in the track. 

The countryside was very diverse, from cliff tops to dry, desert-like sand dunes. The smell of curry plants wafted into our nostrils and the land shimmered with heat. 

We found little forest glades - cool and shady. We freewheeled down hills, feet off the pedals as we wound our way along the track. 

By lunchtime we had made it to Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie - a very seaside-y town on all accounts. Ice cream shops and restaurants lined the streets and there was even a fun fair! 

We bought ham and cheese baguettes from an independent café and ate them sitting by the port, watching the boats out at sea. 

After a quick nap on the benches (we foreigners are very strange people) we went back to the bikes and began the journey home. As always, it felt shorter than before! 

I hadn't been on a bike for a year or so but this trip really made me think seriously about cycling more here at home. Do you have any family traditions on holidays?