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| At Nevers the river was huge, muddy, flooded and fast-flowing |
Not
everything goes according to plan. Starting a tour along France's longest river
at a time when much of the country was flooded, when unions were organising
disruptive strikes and the country was in the grip of two major international
sporting championships - would be a challenge to the best laid plan. It could
be described as foolhardy.
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| Riding over carpets of white blossoms |
The Loire
is a big river. 1000 kilometers long. After weeks of rain, by the time it
reached our starting point at Nevers, 650km from the sea, it was already a
huge, muddy mass, flowing fast and surging over the banks. The forecast for the
next few days was for cloud but no rain.
France in
June! It should be warm and sunny. But the skies are 50 shades of grey and
panniers light because we are wearing everything we've got.
There's a
spirit of defiance among the few cyclists we meet. Those coming the other way
stop to compare notes about flooded paths and ways around the
"inondation". There are charming moments: riding over carpets of
newly fallen white blossoms, struggling to overtake a two-girl, three-skittish-packhorse,
one-wayward-dog caravan on a narrow towpath.
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| Water sports near Sancerre |
We are riding
along a clearly signposted route. The Loire à Vélo. It would be hard to make a
wrong turn. The signposting along the Loire is so good you could follow the
route without a map.
After 30
years of cycle touring on three continents, nothing would get us to join an
organised group. Part of the fun of being independent is making decisions about
when and where to go and where to spend the night. It isn't always perfect, but
the element of surprise, pleasurable or otherwise, is always there.
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| Fields, campsites, picnic areas and the trail suffered flooding |
Following
a river dictates approximately the route you will take. Finding the best way
with detailed Michelin maps over the whole distance would be a tedious
task. The tourist authorities have worked out a route which includes tiny
lanes, field tracks, parks and a campsite and generally avoids traffic. It also
includes off-beat attractions you'd never find otherwise. So sticking largely
to the signposted route is a good compromise.
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| The Loire Canal as it crosses high above the flooded river |
With
further showers brightening our days, and more and more signs of inondation and Route Barré, our maps were often in use. Being “old school” (steel frame bike, paper maps etc.) I don’t
use a satnav and don’t know how useful it would have been finding a way around
impassable trails.
Jewels in
the crown of this river are the many chateaux. You could never see them all but
the ride some of the most famous are well worth including These 500-year-old
symbols of opulence, taste, humour and style make today's mega-yachts look like
toys.
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| Chateau Chambord is bike friendly |
It's not
fair to judge the countryside at a time when fields are flooded and crops
flattened under stinking silt, when private vegetable patches have been
swamped, and when parks are pools. But the scenery is pastoral rather than
dramatic and the villages mainly functional rather than picturesque.
The flood
damage and need for diversions increased as did the number of cloudbursts that
occurred just as we were exposed in open country. A serious debate in Angers.
Carry on or call it a day? Next morning under patches of blue sky, the wettest,
muddiest, dodgiest track of all as we headed out of town. But the scent of the
sea was in our nostrils. We will complete the ride!
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| No way through this flood where a fast flowing stream rushed into the Loire |
Not
everything goes according to plan. Our next stop should be Nantes. There's not
a room to be had for 50km around the city. The Hellfest and a big basketball
tournament have filled every bed. There's no way around it other than to try a
100km ride into an area almost devoid of accommodation. Getting back to our
start at Nevers from the Atlantic coast with bikes on the dispute-ravaged rail
system was also not going to be easy at the moment.
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| The bike path at Bouchemaine near Angers |
So we call it a day. Ride to the next train station and hope for a
train. And then drive south to Provence, where the sun is shining and lavender
fields are blossoming. Not everything goes according to plan. But being
independent, being flexible means making the most of every opportunity.
Links:
Coffee:
Best coffee of the ride: Café á la Gare, Ancenis - Lavazza
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| At Bouchemaine the bike route was … unusual? |
