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Chateau de Sully
This was just a short way past the fields where they were marking out the Jousting areas for the Joan of Arc festival- our timing was out by 2 days. Orleans to Basel
We had started our cycle up the Loire at Nantes with the idea of getting to Orleans and then deciding where to go next. It had been so good, we decided to go ‘ just a bit further, and then we will see’. Well, as you can see from the title, we made it to Switzerland!
The Loire cycle route is part of the Eurovelo 6 cycle route, from the Atlantic to the Black Sea and from the Loire valley it follows various canals, the Canal Lateral a Loire, the Central Canal, then a number of rivers (Doubs, Saone) and finally the Rhine/Rhone Canal to Mulhouse. Mulhouse was where we started our first cycle tour, from the Swiss border down the Rhine to Amsterdam, so if we made it to Mulhouse, we would (over different tours) have ridden from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic and then via Switzerland to Amsterdam!
The names of the towns are poetry in themselves, St Benoit sur Loire, Gien, Cosne Cour sur Loire, St Charite sur Loire (where Joan of Arc laid siege to the town, but suffered the defeat that lead to her martyrdom), Nevers, Bourbon-Lancy,
Poppies in a barley field.
The brilliant red of the poppies contrasted with the silky sheen of the barley. Montceau le Mines, Challon Sur Saone, Dole ( yes, we have now been to Dole, just never on the dole), Rochefort sur Nenon, Baumes les Dames, (there is a Baumes les Monsieurs, we just didn’t get there)
The smallest place we stayed in had to be Autrage, not a single shop, pub or hotel, just a couple of houses one of which was a b&b offering a couple of rooms with great views over the fields back to the canal and cycle path. The skylight offered views of the stars at night and the dawn chorus from the birds was the most musical wake-up call you could wish for. In contrast, the chambre d’hote in Charite sur Loire was in a 13th century house, with a narrow winding timber staircase, stone walls and a host who the night before had been on French National TV in a debate regarding the proposed take-over of the electrical generation system for the region involving GE and Siemens.
The red poppies, lifting their heads above the barley crop and lining the edges of the cycle path evoke memories of the first world war and the trenches. The memorials to the fallen children
La Charite sur Loire
Beautiful town, heaps of history (Joan of Arc) and really interesting conversation over breakfast. of France are in every town and city and on 8 May (Victory in Europe day) we saw memorial ceremonies that appeared similar to those held in Australia on Armistice Day in November. The season was progressing, wheat fields now have ears of wheat, heads of barley give a silken sheen to the field, trees are in full leaf and the cycle paths are shaded. The canals now have holiday boats and houseboats moving from lock to lock.
We stopped to chat when hailed by the occupants of one boat waiting for the lock keeper. Did we want to come on board for a coffee? A whisky? A beer?. They were playing poker- did Peter want to join the game? Much friendship and frivolity but we laughed farewell and rode on. We also saw a lot more cycle tourists and cyclists out on the paths- summer is just around the corner and people are out picnicking, cycling, walking, fishing and rollerblading. How to explain the myriad small acts of kindness. The waiter, who seeing the storm outside, waived the normal booking and set menu requirement for lunch on Sunday (we had already picnicked before the storm) and escorted us
Cycling heaven
Great scenery, good track, no cars, flat and a tail wind. to seats at the bar and very welcome hot coffees. Outside the rain lashed down, inside we passed the time with the waiter and the chef, discussing the working holiday one had had in Australia and our big holiday.
The biggest acts of kindness had to be those we experienced at the end of a long day riding into a headwind. Ten kilometres short of our destination my back wheel started to wobble and bang, three spokes broke in quick succession. The bike was unrideable, I couldn’t even push it. We were in the middle of nowhere. I hailed a passing (French) cyclist. He didn’t understand any English other than the “Help” I had called out. Showing him the buckled wheel we offered him the phone- could he call us a taxi? He didn’t know the number for the taxi, but with sign language indicated he would phone from the next village- and off he rode. Our hopes rested on a stranger. About 20 minutes later we saw him riding back. Sorry he said, the taxi won’t come- but the farmer will. He will be here ‘tout suite’. I thanked him and he gestured towards his bike, then towards
Transport for 2
The two little bikes have carried us and all our baggage well over 4000 km since September. ours, without words he said clearly- we are cyclists, we look after one another. Three minutes later the farmer arrived, loaded our bicycles, panniers and Peter into the back of his van. I was offered a seat at the front and off we went to Seurre, the farmer pointing out his farm and fields as we went. He took us straight to our hotel, luckily I had it written down.
The final bit of luck was finding a bicycle repair shop in the small town. I walked to Tourist information and they marked it on a map- less than 200 metres from the hotel. I went back, picked up the bike and walked/carried it to the workshop. The mechanic stopped what he was doing, looked at the bike and spent 10 minutes trying to find spokes that would fit. He had none. I explained that for emergencies I carried 4 spare spokes, 2 of each size required for the back wheel. He checked- all three broken spokes were the same size. Then he demonstrated that he could take longer spokes, cut them to size and cut new threads but it would take time. Yes, I said, please, please. Pointing
Rest day at Rochefort sur Nenon
We didn't ride because of the predicted headwinds. Look at what it was doing to the trees! at my watch, he mimed come back at 5.30 (about 45 minutes later).
Peter was astounded when I got back to the hotel and told him. What had seemed a major catastrophe just over an hour before, had, with the help of a cyclist, a farmer and a mechanic- all strangers who went out of their way to help us- become a minor hiccup. The cost? A small gift to the farmer for his help (he didn’t ask) and a 15 euro bill from the mechanic who had spent at least an hour of his time making three spokes, fitting them, re trueing the wheel and replacing it. And that is why we love cycling in France, we have had nothing but help and kindness.
Overall, the weather gods have also been kind. We have had the odd days of rain, but I can think of only three occasions since we started the trip 9 months ago when the rain has detracted from the day and we have felt cold/wet and glad to be out of it when we reached our destination. Other days we may have started in rain, then within an hour or two it
Close fit
This boat was just about to cross the Loire on a canal bridge. has stopped and we have peeled off our rain pants and tops and cycled on in comfort. Head winds, as any cyclist knows, are more of an issue than rain. Again, we have had some days when the days cycle was long and hard because of headwinds, and on two occasions we have changed plans. One day (Seurre to Rochefort sur Nenon) a planned 60 plus kilometre ride- a long day for us, we opted to catch the train as strong headwinds of over 30km/hr were forcast, gusting to 50km/hour. The next day we took a rest day as the winds were even stronger- see the trees in the photo.
We have loved our cycle touring. Tomorrow we catch the plane to Dublin (Schengen visa requirement- we have been here 88 days and the limit is 90) and will explore and cycle there for a month or so.
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