CHÂTEAUX-A-Go-Go 🏰 On the LOIRE À VÉLO Voire Verte Cycle Path

Day 242. 70km (83038kms 7yrs)

Being up a small hill I hadn’t had to worry about rising water levels, only how to best to dry the tent – wet from the sodden, lush, mossy ground – in advance of another couple of warm showers stays.

Back down at the river I had one of the loveliest breakfast on the road; a slice of very good flan in the sunshine outside the picture-perfect Château de Sully-sur-Loire. Once again a morning of traffic-free cycling was delightful, leaving the Voire verte only to visit various churches and châteaux along the way.

At the Abbaye de St-Benoît-sur-Loire I was unlucky not to hear the 40 Benedictine monks Gregorian chanting their prayers which I read that they do 6 times a day. In Oratoire de Germigny-des-Prés I marvelled at the gold and silver arc of the covenant mosaic – the only one of its kind in France. And outside Châteauneuf-sur-Loire – now a museum to the navigation of the river – I ate a very good piece of flan au fromage.

I couldn’t be bothered looping south around a bend in the river so left the traffic-free Loire à vélo for 6kms of road thus cutting off the bend, and joining instead the Orléans Canal voire verte. This led me the final 10kms into Orléans, where I met my hosts Bruno & Isabelle beneath the staggering Cathédrale Ste-Croix. Together we watched the event welcoming the Orléans Olympians & Paralympians back home, before returning to their home for a meal which included an apperitivo of Aperol Spritz, chestnut soup, and rabbit terrine.

If you enjoy my vlogs, blogs, and photogs please consider joining me on Patreon 😃
https://www.patreon.com/helsonwheels?fan_landing=true

#france #cycling #travelvlog