The Adventures of Helky, Adventure Dog – Episode 1
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Some time ago I was telling you about a family of adventurers who was going to cross France from Bordeaux to Palavas les Flots, from the ocean to the sea. Chloé, Arnaud, their 2,5 year old son Eliott and Helky their dog have decided to embark on a great journey this summer.
As I promised you, all this summer, I invite you to follow the #Adventures of Helky, the family dog!
It's time to catch up with them and discover the first steps of their Wow Good journey.
The Great Departure
They all left Montpellier on July 21 by train. Helpy had packed his suitcase carefully with his leash, a ultra light bowl, harness for the bike (to avoid strangulation of the collar at the attachment), his croquettes (1kg packaging), a bandana (he wears it around his neck and on his back, wet it helps to refresh) and his backpack for the hike (Helky is 17kg, he will weigh between 1,5kg and 2kg, or about 10% of his weight). He shares a first aid kit with them and for water he drinks the water they come across on their journey and if there isn't any they share the family's bottles.
The train journey went well for everyone. For his first train experience, Helpy was very good.
The first days of the route: by bike!
Leaving Bordeaux station by bike, they rode towards Lacanau Océan to join the Vélodyssée, a cycle path that runs along the entire Atlantic coast for 1200 km (from Brittany to Spain). Helpy and his family were rewarded with a stunning beach sunset on their first evening. The exit from Bordeaux was not terrible but once they reached the sea, they thought it was magnificent. They swallowed the kilometers between magical landscapes of dunes, pine forests and the seaside towards the Basque coast to reach the Pyrenees.
Helpy travels in bike trailer. He barked a lot at the beginning, too frustrated not to be able to run freely… Finally, the more they advanced in the stages, the more he understood the system and the less he barked: phew! Every day Helpy was able to run a few miles then hop in the trailer. No way for him, despite being a great athlete, to run the 45km and more of each stage.
Activities and accommodation along the route
On the accommodation side, the family opted for the system from the bivouac for more freedom. They still slept in 2 campsites to have a little comfort, like a shower! They stopped at the famous Flots Bleus campsite aka the Dune campsite at the Dune du Pilat and the Civelle campsite in Capbreton. Helpy was able to discover the campsite from the mythical film “Camping” with Frank Dubosc.
For the beaches along the route: almost all of them are forbidden to dogs. But a lifeguard told them that it was tolerated outside the swimming area so they were able to go there a bit and in fact no one told them anything. It's hard to see the sea from your bike without wanting to throw yourself into it to enjoy it a little! Helky was therefore able to have fun in the waves to decompress a little and cool off.
They of course took advantage of being there to tread the Dune du Pilat. Helpy was of course there: dogs are accepted on a leash in this protected natural area.
The stages of this first week
- Bordeaux – Lacanau: 86 km of cycling
- Lacanau – Andernos: 45 km of cycling under the pines
- Andernos – The Dune du Pilat: 45 kms… but the rain has invited itself to the trip
- Dune du Pilat – Parentis: 50kms with a little difference in altitude but a nice break on the beach of Biscarosse
- Parentis – Cap de l'Homy: 54 kms and sardinade evening on arrival
- Cap de l'Homy – Cap-Breton: 70 km under the bread again with a stop at Lac de Vieux Boucau
- Capbreton – Bayonne: 23kms – already 370 kms in fact.
They have completed the first cycling part of their journey! This time Helky and his family continue their journey on foot. Head to the Pyrenees! I promise, next week, I'll tell you about their Pyrenean adventures.
Saturday and Sunday, I myself tested a small piece of the GR10 that they will borrow with my beautiful Musher. We made our first bivouac too! I can tell you that they are going to be hot this week. The weather forecast announces very hot weather…
I can't wait to discover the rest of their adventures! Besides, if you want to follow the adventures of Helky from day to day, join their Ocean to Sea Facebook Page!
See you next week for episode 2!
READ ALSO: Taking your dog to the beach: some precautions to take, The GR20: A Corsican adventure full of surprises