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Everything very sleepy and slow this morning, after the long weekend, or that's how it feels to me. I didn't find an open boulangerie until Parthenay at 11.
Really quiet route this morning, some excellent byways and tracks restricted to residents and cyclists.
At pretty Saint-Loup-sur-Thouet spotted this rose. Not much scent but what colours!
À couple of other sights
Parthenay itself is well known for a big weekly cattle market (not today) and is an attractive ancient town with a medieval centre.
Unfortunately there's a depressed air, with 2/3rds of the premises vacant. However there's quite a bit of building/refurbishment going on, so perhaps there's a regeneration programme under way?
At the Moncontour lake or "base nautique" there were a couple of events taking place on this Sunday ending a long festive weekend which for many people started on Thursday with the holiday for the Feast of the Ascension.
At the edge of the compound continued the festival of cross-country equestrianism. Horses of all shapes and sizes, some pulling carts or carriages or buggies set off into the countryside and then returned for a slap up lunch. Tonight only a few remain. When I commented on the large amount of barbecue equipment on the site I was told that - - no - - they would not be cooking horsemeat; some of the members object. I expect some of the horses might also.
The other event was a "fete d'écotourisme", a small market of local products. It's the first year in which they've done it and clearly it's hard to get the word and momentum out there to begin with. I had no sense of it at all but perhaps the unprecedented French win in the Champions' League had something to do with it?
The manager of the lakeside bar/restaurant had tipped me off that there would be a typical local snack on offer: fouée, which is like a pitta made from pizza flour, cooked in a wood-fired stove.
As I tucked into my second fouée filled with blood sausage I did feel a bit like the villainous farmer in The Fantastic Mr Fox, the one who eats only doughnuts filled with foie gras.
The restaurant was closed this evening. Getting a meal on a Sunday night is probably as hard in France as in the UK. As there were no remotely local options I put together a meal centered around d a packet of pork scratchings from the bottom of my saddlebag. Must remember to replace the emergency rations tomorrow.
A lot of noise in the night from waterfowl on the Loire, quite spectacular clucking and quacking. Apart from that the busy campsite was quiet. I'm struck by how respectful people are in campsites, despite the festive atmosphere. I guess it's mainly families or older people here, certainly no drunken oafs in evidence, they must holiday elsewhere.
It rained about 5am, but not prolonged.
A few hills to get to the stage's starting point at Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, a smart little town. The Mairie has a sign that boasts that its water supply is everlasting. True so far but will that continue, with the increasing demands of tourism, housing and agriculture?
Not wanting to disturb people as all was quiet when I got up, I waited till I found a picnic bench at Couziers before making tea.
It's not always thst obvious when to use the familiar pronoun "tu" rather than the formsl "vous". (We stopped using our equivalent "thy" a long time ago). I was a bit surprised that these instructions in a code of conduct for walkers used the familiar form. Maybe in a situation like this it's more effective to emphasise that we are all equally responsible for looking after our environment, which we hold in common, in theory. Perhaps this works better than formal directives issued from on high?
I struck up conversation with a retired cereal farmer who lived next to the ancient church. He told me that last night's campsite, the Belle Rive' was 2m under water last year in the spring. He was aghast that I wasn't spending more time in the Loire, but I explained that I'd need 3 years rather than 3 weeks to get round all the attractions. My tea was getting cold by this point. Luckily a mention of Brexit had him rolling his eyes and excusing himself: "things to do".
At Loudun I picked up another one of these buttery puff pastries with an apple filling and followed signs to the "velodrome", found up at the top of the town by the castle.
The vines gave way to wheat today. I prefer the vineyard landscape with the gnarled vines. This new landscape is less lyrical, more industrial: big fields and enormous reels of outsize hose for watering.
A hot dull slog south through to Moncontour. Enough. A sign advertising a campsite at a water park was too good to pass up, so decided to call it a day a lunchtime at the 50 km mark. Really nothing left in the tank. I think I'll take a rest day tomorrow.
Sitting by the lake watching the water skiers is very peaceful as they don't use speedboats - - instead they have a system of of overhead wire which drag the skiers along, on motorised pulleys I guess? But it's not a lame system. They have a couple of jumps and the skiers can do turns in the air etc.
Pushed on smoothly to Gennes, where a 5 min detour gets you to the Gallo-Roman amphitheatre which was small but well presented and impressive.
Thank you to two charming girls who gave me directions after laughing at me soaking my cap at the water fountain. My friend in Carcassonne who had been a school teacher gave me this advice and led me to believe that it was standard practice in schools to get the kids to soak their caps on hot days. So I don't know what was so funny.
Then on to Cunault where I stopped for a late picnic lunch across from the 11th century church. Nice nap in the shade.
By now it was hot in the sun, I really felt it when halted. After Saumur it was just a shirt diversion to see the dolmen at Bagneux.
This huge prehistoric installation has been managed by the same family for 3 generations. It fills their house's garden and in the house they have a small museum with lots of resources. Also a very tempting and fully stocked bar.
Well worth a visit. 4€. The experience would be slightly improved if the "owner" would park his car elsewhere.
Up on the hill before the day's last descent to Monsoreau on the river I found the "Clos entre les Murs" of Château de Parnay.
It's a high stone square structure which looks a bit like a cemetery from a distance. But inside is an array of high stone walls running east to west. It's a radical design built in 1894 to grow Chenin grapes with their roots planted on the cool north side of the walls and the vine trained through a hole to grow on the warmer south side.
Left at this strange building (more Adventure Time) and downhill back to the river.
Alas when I arrived at the busy town on Monsoreau I found that there was no room at the campsite. So much for what I'd been told: that a solo bike tourist is never turned away. However, 10 mins along the river at the next settlement of Can des-Saint-Martin was a more relaxed campsite the Belle Rive, very natural, right by the water, with lots of caravans, motorhomes, teepeed etc as well as a tent area. Very rustic sanitary facilities but probably the best showers so far. Good simple food was on offer. For me chicken and chips with a well dressed salad including beetroot and grated carrot. Très sympa!
This morning I crossed the Loire several times and also got a better sense of the valley at Anjou.
Within 5 mins of the campsite I was surrounded by vines all day and also passed several grand châteaux. Lots of day cyclists and cycle tourers too, as I passed along sections of the EuroVelo route.
This area is an upmarket tourist destination and there are plenty of temping restaurants along the river
Made it to Brissac Quincé before 11. After an apple pasty and a shallow quiche à la Lorraine, almost a tart, I spent a while in a fancy but very rude cafe in the Place de la République. The waiter could hardly bear to take my order. The tea turned out to be a green tea with mint, which I found to be delicious, refreshing and stimulating, so maybe I should have thanked the surly git for his choice.
Made in the Cotswolds. Published by Éditions Système D Ltd.
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