In Beaugency we took a room for two nights after over a week of camping. We’ve stayed in the town before, at the riverside Abbey Hotel, which we love, but no rooms were available, so we climbed into the town and stayed in a more modern place. The bike was tucked away in an outhouse and we spent the following day walking and relaxing.
The Abbey Hotel – our preferred stop over, but we were unable to get a room this time.The Abbey Hotel sits next to the river and at the end of the long bridge.The pretty streets of the old town of Beaugency on the river Loire.Once we were riverside, we never really had a problem with finding cafés or eateries. Beaugency was no exception with plenty of choice and, for me, lots of Trappists beers to sample.
Now we were following the river upstream there were more choices for campsites and we could usually find one that coincided with our daily distance of around 30-35 miles.At Orléans we stopped for a coffee. The bridge may have been old, but the place certainly had a modern city feel to it… for the first time in our trip. Up until now every place had felt rural and rustic.Though many of the riverside paths were well surfaced and traffic free, we still encountered to odd gate or barrier that we could not get the rig through, so there was no option but to back-track and detour around using nearby roads.Jargeau on the Loire. Presumably the barges are for tourists river trips. We’ve been on similar ones on the Dordogne. Our campsite here was riverside but without any bar etc. so we walked into town and found a hotel where we could get food, then on the way back to the campsite discovered a small bar. Stepping inside we were ported back several decades. A few old regulars were propped up at the bar or comfortably (permanently?) settled at a table. It was nice to sit with a small beer and soak up some of this very thick atmosphere.
The low river and a lovely tarmac surfaced, traffic free cycle path. We saw the odd cyclist or runner out but often were alone for much of the day once away from the urban areas.
We reached Sully-sur-Loire at lunchtime and managed to find an empty table at this busy restaurant and there was quite a view from the table…
The Chateau at Sully-sur-Loire.
Another riverside track, not tarmac, but still firm enough for a good speed on the bike. At Gien the campsite was right beside the river again and there was a small place to eat, on site. There must have been some ‘event’ going on and it seemed to be focussed on the campsite for that evening there were lots of kilts! Several nearby chalets were occupied by some pretty loud groups of drinkers and the men were all in kilts. It took a while for the party to quieten down and we eventually dropped off to sleep a little later (a lot) than usual.
Early on the 13th. Châteauneuf-sur-Loire across the river.
Château de Saint-Brisson-sur-Loire.
At Briare we crossed the river by way of the aqueduct of the Canal Latéral à la Loire for the other bank.
At Châtillon-sur-Loire we re-crossed the river and spotted this place just opening up. Perfect timing for mid-morning coffee.
More nice tarmac next to the river. Since joining the Loire we had been following EuroVelo 6 and the signs were handy but staying on track was easy anyway with the river as a guide.
Sunflowers. The further south we went, the more we saw. There was less corn and more maize.
View from the restaurant at Cosne-sur-Loire – the marks are on the plastic fly screen. There was a great buffet with loads of food to choose from, including huge prawns and some lovely cold meats etc.
A mid-morning blood-test stop beside the Canal Latéral which ran parallel with the river for a while. The towpath had a better surface than some of the riverside tracks.Sancerre above the Loire Valley. The hills were starting to get closer to the riverThis kid had managed to get through the fence but didn’t seem able to get back, so I grabbed it and lifted it over the electric fence.Not far short of our campsite Karon’s blood sugar dropped, so we stopped for some lunch with a brew.The campsite at Charité was on an island so after setting up the tent and securing the bike, we walked into town for a drink.Sat enjoying a beer and sketching this ruined archway which was part of the monastery that the community was built up around.The campsite at Charité SL with the bike locked to a tree. There was another festival taking place on the island, near the site entrance, with drink and food side-stalls which was handy.
We left the campsite at 9:35, so early-ish for us. We decided to do a longer ride today but still well within our limits, as the next campsite at Nevers was a bit close and it would mean another short day. However, the campsite at Decize is over 50 miles if you follow the Loire cycle route around a big meander into Nevers. I decided to cross the river and cut the corner into the town, bypassing the big curve. Once there we hoped to find somewhere for lunch. We’d stopped at a small supermarket and stocked up at Fourchambault before reaching Nevers. Our route bought us in through an industrial area and it all seemed a bit seedy so we made do with a beer and chicken/egg baguette sat outside a small bar. Once back across the river to the south of the town, we rode beside the Canal Latéral again, cycling all the way to Decize. Couldn’t be bothered to walk or ride in search of food after setting up camp so had a riverside picnic – fortunately our supermarket stop included a bottle of red.
Had a mechanical too… my right side pedal bearings collapsed so we had to go off in search of new pedals before finding the campsite. I spotted a large Leclerc supermarket with a sports outlet and found some half flat half SPD pedals similar to the ones I was used to. Fitted them outside the shop and binned the old ones then went off to find the campsite. It had been a longer day for us, but still well within our limits. If you set your target too far, there’s a danger the ride becomes an ordeal rather than an adventure.
At Marseilles-lès-Aubigny we rejoined the Canal Latéral after a short stretch by the river but missed the signs for the cycle path which dropped down to the road. We stayed up beside the canal and wharfs but the path ended and there was no way down to the road, other than to back track. Still, it was pleasant enough and didn’t take long.At the campsite that evening we enjoyed a picnic and bottle of red by the river. I was impressed with the chap nearby who was canoe-camping along the river.
Early morning on the Loire. It took us a while to get out of the town and back onto our route as following the Eurovelo 6 signs took us in a circle. Our intended route was on the south side of the river, but the official route is to the north. Once I realised and looked at the map instead of blindly following signs, we were fine.
We stayed on the road for the whole ride, which was more direct and still close enough to the river to be flat. Riding beside the Canal Latéral was less picturesque – long straights with hedge-restricted views over the countryside. It made a change to be on the roads. Our intended campsite at Diou was pretty poor with no-one around and no facilities. A quick look on the map and we decided to ride to ride to the Municipal campsite at Dompierre. It meant crossing a large hill, but it wasn’t steep and the campsite was so much better. There was a restaurant a short ride away in the town too.
Looking back towards Diou and the Loire Valley while climbing the hill on our way to an alternative campsite at Dompierre.While checking the bike I discovered a broken spoke.
First task of the day after leaving our alternative site was to get back over the hill and into the Loire Valley again. It proved easier than I thought it would be, and the descent back to the river was wonderful. Our route followed a mix of road and towpath.
Coffee stop in a roadside bar at Coulanges. Nice little church.Back on the Canal we spotted another Pino and stopped to chat briefly. We asked if there was a bike shop where I could get the spoke fixed and they told of one on the approaches to the town.American couple cruising the canals. We chatted while the lock adjusted levels.At Digoin we crossed the Loire for the final time, by way of the Canal du Centre aqueduct. For the next few days we’d be following this canal in a north-east dog-leg to get to the river Saône.Scrap sculptures at Digoin. We turned away from the canal and found a nice little bar for a lunch stop.The bike shop on the outskirts of Paray le Monial. Karon went in to enquire (her French is better – mine is pretty well non-existent). They said they could fix the wheel and recommended a hotel where we could stay for a ‘couple’ of nights.
Unfortunately our spoke replacement was worse than expected as the rim was split. It was then the weekend, so the shop was closed. We extended our stay at the hotel and passed the time by walking into the town and sketching. After the weekend I went back to the shop. They were struggling to get hold of a rim – I think they were trying to match it, like for like, but any robust 32 hole rim would have done. After a week they gave up but at least replaced the broken spoke and assured us that the rim would not fail in the next few days or so.
The split ‘Mavic’ rim. The shop at Paray le Monial were unable to find a replacement, which surprised me, but it took them a week to decide this. And so, we had a week’s break off the bike.Karon sketching the basilica in the town centre. My favourite little street in the town.Enjoying a riverside evening meal. The chap on the table opposite made off without paying!The 23rd July was Karon’s birthday, so we celebrated in our hotel.
