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15th June 2016 Mt. Biking: Italy to Cap Martin via Menton Wind Direction: Wind Stength: Surf / Sea State: Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: sun early then windy and rain :( Max Speed: Distance Covered: Wednesday 15th June – Bike *** Italy to Cap Martin via Menton – sun early then windy and rain :( When we woke up it looked like a nice day and as we were convinced we were going to be too hot down here we dressed in shorts and t shirts and looked forward to a hot and sunny day – wrong:( It had clouded up by the time we had breakfast and then was quite miserable all day. We drove down the windy back road into Menton (narrowly passing a huge delivery van on the way up – millimetres between our wing mirrors!). We also saw a helicopter hovering trying to land on the motorway which runs very high up on a huge bridge over the town, presumably due to an accident. Traffic in Menton was completely mad with crazy drivers and even crazier moped and motorbike riders – they were everywhere and passing you on either side and sometimes both at the same time!! We drove along the sea front and before we knew it were heading for the Italian border crossing and there stood a soldier next to an armoured car with the most amazing hat we had ever seen!! He was stopping everyone and telling them that the small tunnel into Italy was closed. The motorway one was still open but this one had been closed, whether it was for repair, to stop immigration or because there has been some trouAble we don’t know. There was quite a lot of graffiti and various stickers about border control around the place. We explained that we wanted to turn round and he showed us where to go but before we reached that point we saw a good place to park so pulled in there and got the bikes off ready to cycle along the prom. The weather by now was pretty dire:( The whole area around the car park and border was very neglected and there was lots of litter. We set off along the prom, passing the border control and the soldiers back the other way! We went round the marinas with a few large boats in but nothing like we saw in Antibe a few years ago. The next disappointment was the bAeaches along the front. We knew they would be artificial as this coast is naturally rocky with cliffs but we didn’t expect the main beach to be made from the same hard core as the car park!! To sit on that and in some cases pay to do so because it belongs to a private café is unbelievable. Some of these cafes were charging 25 euros for a sun bed and that’s without the obligatory drink – not forgetting the hamburger and frites for 14 euros!! The good thing is the colour of the sea – it really is the cote d’Azur with the sea being all colours of blue with a vivid turquoise stripe being the best! There was also one solitary windsurfer out. We watched him from several angles and also saw him way out to sea but although it felt really windy to us as we were cycling into it he didn’t seem to be having a great time and was struggling. We later realised that he was the instructor having a sail before two kids turned up for lessons in the bay. We carried on cycling even though it had started to rain and at one point we did stop at a fancy shelter but as it was full of old cardboard for homeless people to make their beds we decided to keep going. It was far more sheltered as we turned the corner of the bay towards Cap Martin and we carried on to the very point where you could see the sprawling metropolis of high rises which is Monaco!!! You can walk along the Sentier Littoral to Monaco in 1 hour 45 minutes from this point but it was very miserable as soon as you turned the corner with the rain in your face so we found a bench on the sheltered side and ate our lunch – our new love – crispy half rolls, like crackers but more substantial and brie, no cutlery required just break bits off! Yum. We cycled back around the bay and then turned up through the main shopping street towards the old town of Menton which we can at last report was very nice!! Don’t want to sound too negative but we really wouldn’t ever come back to this corner of France, it is pretty dismal. Where they are building a new car park, right along the main sea front they have an exhibition of photos of how Menton used to be in Victorian times and it was so lovely, how could they have ruined it like this!! The old town however was lovely with tall, many storeyed old buildings in warm colours, very narrow streets with an amazing maze of tunnels and alley’s linking it all together. There was a series of stone steps going up to two large churches, one a cathedral. We found our way back to the sea and cycled back over the border to the van. It was really raining quite nicely as I put the bikes back on the rack! We had a cuppa then as the rain had eased off, put our cagoules on and had a walk along an intriguing path on the Italian side which went round a rocky point, complete with cables you could hold on to prevent falling over the edge! We followed it round at last getting a good look at the beautiful clear water, even seeing a man snorkelling! Then when we got round to the bay the path led to it was like a little shanty town. More than beach huts but not quite houses lined the back of the beach and a family with many children were having a great time in and out of the water, having a shower before having a bbq, although dad hadn’t even lit it by the time we left! We walked along the beach and even had a paddle and collected some sea glass. We walked back and decided to head back to Castellar for the night because they really don’t want camper vans down here. They have signs up everywhere saying not allowed but unlike every other part of France where they provide an aire and have signs up telling you where to find them, here they just let you get on with it. We didn’t know how to find the small road we came down this morning so had to head out towards Sospel and come in the way we did yesterday. The traffic was horrific again with manic drivers and bikers. We swung into the intermarche and got some cheapish diesel though. Managed to navigate the many bends back to our parking spot and breathed a sigh of relief. The bike ride and walk were good but the rest of the day was quite stressful!! Great Carrefour Paella for tea though :) Think we will have a drive through Monaco and Nice tomorrow and if nothing makes us feel like stopping we will head back to the hills and leave all this heaving civilisation behind!!! Photo Gallery Here |
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