Never say Nevers. I’d originally planned to ride all the way to Nevers, sixty-ish k further up the Loire, so had accomm and my transport back home booked there. But with another terrible weather forecast, and the prospect of riding all day into a sleety headwind with no great scenic reward, I decided that a good time to stop was in Briare, not far from last night’s quirky campsite.
The town offered two key benefits: a bike path on a hugely impressive canal aqueduct over the Loire; and a railway station with fast, warm, comfy, dry services to Nevers. I’d got thoroughly soaked in the few short miles to Briare.
Nevers itself was fine to explore, and in a brief sunny spell between showers I enjoyed a quick loop round some good canal paths.
But I’m ready to go home.
CONCLUSION
So, the Loire. The path has many, many advantages, and it’s easy to see why it’s such a popular long-distance cycle route. It’s flat. It’s easy to follow. It goes through a mix of French staple images: vineyards, chateaux, historic villages, towns and cities. The surface is over 90% smooth tarmac, easily wide enough for a couple to chat side by side or a family to run free. There’s hardly any interaction with motor vehicles, even on the road sections: much of it you could do with young kids. The campsites are numerous and excellent for cyclists, and the hotels and hostels are very cyclist-friendly.
Downsides? Well, like I say, it’s flat, so there are hardly any. It’s probably not so alluring for adventurous individuals: it can be tame, there are long stretches through fairly samey woods and farmland, and many of the big-ticket chateaux and wineries are some distance off the path. If you’re after spectacular scenery, or a constantly changing odyssey through France, this isn’t it – try the St Malo to Nice route I did in 2015, or just ramble the untrafficked D roads from village to village round a part of this cycle-friendly land that takes your fancy.
But for easy-rider couples, groups and families who want a stress-free holiday that’s straightforward to get to by car or train with your bikes, with bike-friendly facilities at hand everywhere and a genuine sense of being involved with something bigger than the sum of its parts, the Loire is hard to beat. See cycle.travel’s Loire Guide for more info.
I just hope it doesn’t rain as much when you do it.
Miles today: 4
Miles Saint-Nazaire to Briare: 339