Another easy-going day of level riverside riding. The Loire route is not for seekers of thrills and spills, though I did almost spill some of my coffee this morning in a Blois cafe. (As for pastries, I’d had those back at the tent, thanks to the morning bakery delivery service that’s common at French campsites.)
Blois proved a bit less magnificent close up, in the sometimes steep lanes of the Old Town, than it did as a waterside skyline from across the river, especially in the morning sun.
Still, it was fun poking round the place, after which I was away again along the Loire’s pleasant north bank paths.
One of the pleasures of the Loire path is how it showcases so many classic French images: chateaux, vineyards, field-to-fork farms, bakeries in village squares, and nuclear power stations. The Loire has its share of those, and I cycled past the imposing cooling towers of the one at Saint-Laurent.
Soon after came the trad-French-town of Beaugency, with its narrow-streeted centre, flower-basketed stream down the main street, and handsome arched stone bridge across the river. I enjoyed ambling round. It was all very quiet and tranquil, with nobody out hustling or bustling, and everything closed for lunch, such as the cafes.
Hmm. I was quite hungry actually. I made do with a snack excavated from my panniers by the riverside, which was actually a good outcome in the sunshine. Sunshine!
In scruffy tracks after Beaugency through woods there was a fallen tree which took some manoeuvring round. Not so bad for me, but a challenge for the couple who – like quite a few Loire cycle tourers – had a large trailer, something the wide smooth flat paths normally admit much more easily than many other long-distance trails.
The path crossed over to the south bank again at Meung, which sounds like it should be in Indochina, on to more levée roads devoid of cars but pretty busy with groups of cyclists. I was particularly taken with the signs advising drivers to share the road with the words CYCLISTES FREQUENTS.
I arrived at Orléans just as the rain did, and got drenched in the time it took the hostel to buzz me in from the outside gate. Nice hostel, though the entrance feels more like the staff entrance to a low-security jail than tourist accommodation. But they were friendly, welcoming, showed me where to lay out my wet tent and gear to dry, there was safe indoor bike parking, and I had most of the hostel to myself.
Showered, clean and dry, I cycled into town to enjoy the cheap and lively food district of Rue de Bourgogne. Funny how kebabs, so greasy and sickly at home, are all so tasty here.
Miles today: 43
Miles since Saint-Nazaire: 283