Where in the world is David today? Poitiers

OK, so let's get this done early today so I can hopefully have a longer and better night's sleep. My neighbour on one side was up at 4.00am this morning and clattering about, which then reminded me I needed to pee, and then my neighbour's children on the other side obviously wanted to be first for breakfast. Just because I hadn't put my earplugs in!

Today's words would have to be wind (again) and rain. However, that does not mean it was a dull and depressing and meaningless day, even though the said wind was basically a 15mph headwind much of the way and there were plenty of ups and downs too. The point with all that is that I am beginning to cope with it much better. The only stops were planned stops, not stops to question my sanity. Also, rain and wind or not, there was a lot to see along the way, even if I wasn't really able to photograph it. The run out of southern Tours was easy, and quickly took me into the valley of the river Indre for a few miles. That was beautiful (and it hadn't started raining). Like all these rivers it flows powerfully, and at Pont-de-Ruan near Artannes-sur-Indre I stopped quickly when I saw a double mill wheel in motion. It turned out to be restored and fully working - see pictures - but looking around it was one of probably several mills. That reminded me that I forgot to say yesterday that the plan of the town of Meung-sur-Loire shows no less than 12 separate mills! Pont-de-Ruan was a lovely quiet spot, and not much further on I was captivated by the roadside flowers, which I had almost stopped to snap on many previous occasions.

Following the Indre brought me to Azay-le-Rideau, but on the south side of the river, and I turned away through the edge of the Foret Domaniale de Chinon. No deer or boar, yet again, but as well as the beautiful forest there were not-so-nice signs pointing out a military training area shortly afterwards warning of danger in circumstances I couldn't understand. I am still here, so I presume they didn't apply today, but I wouldn't have known. At L'Ile Bouchard I crossed yet another major river, the Vienne, and saw a large group of cyclists - which emphasized that it was Saturday today.

The wind and damp were picking up as I passed through Champigny-sur-Veude, so I was very happy to stop when I reached the town (city?) of Richelieu. Following the success of a good lunch break yesterday, I had determined to do the same today, and Richelieu was both large enough to expect success, and almost exactly half way. A 12.30pm arrival (or thereabouts) after three hours of riding was just right. Lunch was good in parts, I have to say. Good pub grub at home would have had less fat and gristle. Incidentally, in respect of Richelieu, think Cardinal, think Three Musketeers - you're there. It is a fascinating place, and would have easily taken up a day in better weather and with more time. At least I moved on refreshed as the weather worsened from there on.

Let's skip forward in time then, past a lot of very dreary pedalling through nasty headwinds and annoying fine rain, but noting that I didn't let it put me off. Poitiers was another strange city to approach - it was visible from a distance, but the major visible features were industrial or blocks of flats - nothing to lift the heart and soul in terms of spires or whatever. In fact, as I followed signs for Centre Ville and took a footbridge across into the city to avoid yet another down and up, I could only see the tip of a single spire, and I still don't know which church (if any) it belonged to. Poitiers was not well signposted, and there seemed to be more than the usual numbers of road closures, but when I got into the city centre I discovered why - a charity run was about to happen, and the police had set up all kinds of diversions. There seems to be something going on wherever I go.

I watched the start, including the man at the back who simply walked, and then tried desperately to follow the map to the labyrinth of streets to find the cathedral. Although I had arrived in good time at 4.45pm - quite impressed myself after all that wind - the time was trickling away and I was concerned about getting my 'tampon' (stamp) or 'compostelle'. The shopping centre could have really caught me - it was full of curious shops - among them a hat shop, which I would really have enjoyed, and numerous independent bookshops, each with its own specialism. Today, I just found it baffling. The first church I came upon was Notre-Dame-la-Grande, and that could have taken up a long time if I'd had the time to spend. It really is quite a remarkable building, with very unusual carvings and many curious features. Apparently the recent cleaning was made necessary by damage not from pigeon droppings, but salt from the nearby market.

A kind gentleman gave me excellent directions to the cathedral, which showed me that I had actually navigated quite well, and just lost confidence at the last minute. It was another 10 minutes walk away, however, and took me right out of the city centre bustle. That came as a real surprise. When I came upon it, the Cathedral of St Peter looked at first to be a higgledy-piggledy collection of styles. The west front was assymetric and integrated with the rest of the buildings in the square so it just looked like a funny wall with towers. It didn't stand alone, so you couldn't really walk around it like so many others. Construction started at the initiative of our own Henry II but it wasn't finished till much later.

However, what was striking was, once again, the impression of a living church. Yet again, there were preparations going on - this time for the first communion of 67 local children later this evening. It was obviously going to be quite an affair and a lot of care was being taken. A candle was being placed under every chair in the cathedral, with an order of service on the chair, so they were obviously expecting a full house. There was no reception desk, and no bookshop, but when I introduced myself to one of the helpers and explained that I wanted to get my pilgrim stamp, she dropped everything to help and fetched someone else more knowledgeable. Later, as I mooched around the cathedral, each helper in turn stopped to talk to me about my journey and ask questions. The lady who provided my stamp had to go off to get a key for the Sacristy. When she opened it, I had expected a room, but actually it was just a sheltered area on the outside of the cathedral with its own little courtyard, but the stamp was duly found and put in my credencial.

I enjoyed watching the loving care and attention that went into their preparations, and I wished I could have returned for the service, which wouldn't have been practical, but the focus on the living church rather than the historic building was very striking, and I was very taken with the set of wooden furnishings around the nave altar. They were simple, extremely expressive and aesthetically pleasing. I can say little more about them - I don't know anything about them, other than what you can see for yourself in the photostream, but they fitted with the character of the place: uplifting. O, for more time. Another time, maybe.

I left the cathedral somewhat reluctantly, but found it raining much harder for my 3.5-mile, very-uphill ride out to the hotel. However, another stop had to be made when I stumbled upon the Baptistère Saint-Jean. I had read about it, but not expected to see it, and indeed it was closed. However, it is another thing to tuck away for another day as it is very probably the oldest Christian building in France, built around 360AD by the famous Bishop Hilary of Poitiers when baptisms were moved from taking place in the river Clain, 100 metres away. It isn't a church, it is a free-standing baptistery. Fascinating. Again, it will have to go on a must-see list. Along with the church of St-Hilaire-le-Grand, which is where I should really have got my stamp today, but couldn't find. As it turns out it was quite a way from where I was, and in the opposite direction, so maybe it is as well, but as Hilary of Poitiers was mentor to Martin of Tours it would have been nice to cover both in two days. As a piece of trivia, although few of us will ever have celebrated Hilary's feast day, many more of us will have commemorated him incidentally as the timing of that feast day gave the name Hilary term to the spring academic term (or, indeed, to the early part of the year in the English and Welsh legal system).

Sadly, tomorrow promises 'pluies éparses' (occasional rain) again, but let us hope it is light and sporadic. I have a roughly 50-mile run down to Bellac, which will be a bit hilly, but hopefully not so busy with trucks as it is Sunday (that was a bonus today too). I will be meeting Stephen and Ivana Partridge there at their house, and having a rest day on Monday. Though having said that the term 'rest' doesn't usually fit with a day with Partridge - there is almost certain to be a job or two to do. Then there are several more long days to get me to the French/Spanish border - otherwise known as the Pyrenees - and then I will be almost three quarters of the way there. Pray for a good rest, and that I don't then wear myself out in the next stages.

P.S. Passed 1000 miles today!