(As in Part 1 and Part 2 all galleries are captioned.)

Day 14, Sunday 20/09/26. Vallon Pont D’Arc to Monteaux. 63 miles / 102 km. 3051 ft / 930 m ascent.

Highlights of this day: the goats, including one who found the back of John’s (presumably sweaty) knee rather tasty, a series of gorges with entertaining signs, passing through the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and, of course, sampling its wares that evening. The river at the beginning is still the Ardèche and the later images are the Rhône.

Day 15, Monday 21/09/26. Monteaux to Sault. 33 miles / 53 km. 3609 ft / 1100 m ascent.

A shorter day in linear distance but not in height: narrow roads, sometimes blasted through rock, with precipitous drops and a hotel (Le Nesk) with a bike museum! Time to explore Sault too.

Day 16, Tuesday 22/09/26. Sault to Forcalquier. 35 miles / 57 km. 2001 ft / 610 m ascent.

The figures above look easy – but this was the day of the optional climb up the 1910 m / 6266 ft Mont Ventoux which forms part of the Tour de France some years and was also included in the 2024 Olympics. Eight of the ten cyclists completed it – including, of course, John – thus adding 1212 m / 3975 ft and 32 miles / 51 km to the day’s total. What an achievement!

Day 17, Wednesday 23/09/26. Forcalquier to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. 37 miles / 61 km. 3363 ft / 1025 m ascent.

A shorter day which left time to explore the destination, the pretty village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. In the last photo, taken at dusk, you might just be able to make out a gold-painted star hanging on a 225m-long chain suspended between two cliffs. According to legend, during the Crusades the knight Bozon de Blacas was held prisoner by the Saracens and vowed to hang a star over his village if he was able to return, which he duly did. The original star and chain have been replaced several times since then – the current star is about 50 years old and was hung using a helicopter. Goodness knows how old Bozon managed in the 10th century!

Day 18, Thursday 24/09/26. Moustiers-Sainte-Marie to Castellane. 51 miles / 81 km. 5315 ft / 1620 m ascent.

Another day, another river gorge – this time the Verdon. Spot the annoying dessert photo – and that was only morning coffee!

Day 19, Friday 25/09/26. Castellane to Nice. 58 miles / 94 km. 3478 ft / 1060 m ascent.

The last stage! They reached the Med at Cagnes-sur-Mer before congregating again at the I Love Nice sign. Finally, we have a very happy Andy in the obligatory beer photo.

Day 20, Saturday 26/09/26. Time for a few shots of Nice before heading to the airport for flights to Heathrow and then Glasgow.

I was very glad to see John home in one piece and delighted that he had had such a wonderful time – such a good time that he and Andy have already booked a similar holiday in Spain next year. I’ve also enjoyed looking at all these sunny photos again while Storm Boelo rages outside. Hope everyone is staying safe!