Thu 22 May 2014 Cumulative distance 858km
In the morning we were greeted by sullen skies and a dramatic cloud bank indicating a serious storm front was headed our way. Not long after we left Briare, following a well marked gravel cycle path, the rain started in earnest. A quick stop was called for to put on waterproof pants and zip up our jackets but we soon realised that none of us had had the forethought to put on our waterproof socks (Sealskins) and before long pedalling became a squelchy affair. Fortunately it was not cold and so we pushed on along the increasingly wet and muddy path, avoiding the growing puddles.
After an hour or so the rain eased and, though we looked soaked, thanks to our good equipment, we were all reasonably dry and warm (aside from our feet and hands). A pause for a warming coffee in a small restaurant seemed to break the spell and soon after the clouds cleared and the sun came out. This coincided with our arrival in Sully-sur-Loire, the site of a magnificent château - the first of several we expect to visit in the next days.
Château de Sully-sur-Loire is a château-fort, a true castle, built to control one of the few locations where the Loire can be forded; the site has perhaps been fortified since Gallo-Roman times, certainly since the beginning of the eleventh century.
Having earlier bought some bagettes, cheese, dried meat and fruit we decided that a picnic lunch in the grounds of the château would be in order and, finding a well positioned seat overlooking the castle, we basked in the sun and recovered from our damp morning. Several otters playing in the moat kept us amused.
After a relaxing hour we pushed on, across relatively flat countryside, but our progress was constantly impeded by strong gusty headwinds - the usual biker's complaint. We passed through several small villages, each with its own distinctive buildings.
By mid-afternoon we reached our goal, Chambres d'hôtes La Brillève, a B&B in Lamotte-Beuvron. We were warmly greeted and shown to our large and beautifully furnished rooms where we made ourselves comfortable. After a shower and a snooze we walked the one kilometre into town to have dinner at a restaurant highly recommended by our host. Good choice - a superb meal.
Heading to Sully-sur-Loire
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Château Sully-sur-Loire
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Onward to Lamotte-Beuvron
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Chambres d'hôtes ' La Brillève'
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Briare
Wed 21 May 2014 Cumulative distance 786km
An easy day, starting with a long downhill run from our B&B in St Amand-en-Puisaye to Neuvy-sur-Loire on the Loire River. We then cycled past one of France's many nuclear power stations with its impressive cooling towers creating their own clouds. We followed a canal that paralleled the river, heading downstream until we reached Briare. The town's main attraction is the Pont Canal de Briare, a canal bridge that crosses the Loire river and connects the Canal Lateral a la Loire with the Canal de Briare. It is an impressive structure, built with the help of engineer Eiffel (of Tower fame) and, at 662.7m, is the longest canal bridge in Europe.
There were a few showers along the way and, as a severe thunderstorm with heavy rain and high winds were predicted for the late afternoon, we decided to call it a day quite early and found a small hotel just a few hundred metres from the Pont Canal. True to the predictions the weather deteriorated rapidly and we were glad to be warm and dry inside and just watch the wild weather through our windows.
St Amand-en-Puisaye to Briare
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Pont Canal de Briare (built 1890-94)
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