Cycling Nevers to Montceau-les-Mines, France: Bye-bye, Loire
3 - 7 August 2019
Nevers to Bourbon-Lancy (3 August 2019, 84.8 km, 52.4 mi)
After a couple of days in Nevers, we were eager to get back on the road. For the first half of the day, we biked another 40 km along the banks of the Loire Lateral Canal.
In the vicinity of Nevers, we saw a couple more canal buildings painted with big images of colorful bugs. They’re really quite enchanting. Sermoise-sur-Loire, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
It’s pretty easy for us to bike faster than the boats can move on the canals. Not only do they motor along at a leisurely pace, but getting through the locks is a slow process. Even loaded down with gear, biking is a lot faster. Champvert, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins..
In the town of Decize, we stopped for a quick break in the shade of the towers along the old city walls.
Big, old city walls provided a bit of shade along the route. Decize, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Around the corner from the city walls, a kayaker appeared to be skimming his boat across a flower bed. We later learned that kayak rentals are popular in Decize, at the confluence of the Aron and Loire Rivers. But we’re not talking about white-water rapids. The rivers move slowly and gently here, so the boating is great for beginners.
Running the flower rapids in Decize, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Around lunchtime we happened upon a secluded grove with picnic tables, close to the Loire River. Perfect for our lunch. The site was very peaceful, reached only by a levee path, and not near any major roads. While we were setting out our food, a big flock of European Bee-eaters flew over. I got a pretty good look with the binoculars, but PedalingGuy tried to get out his camera. By the time he was ready, the Bee-eaters were gone. That was a bummer.
In other bird news, I finally saw a Green-backed Woodpecker. That may not seem like a big deal to Europeans. But it’s a species that has been eluding me all year. PedalingGuy got a photo of one near La Teste-de-Buch, France, on March 26. But I did not see that bird. I’ve been trying to get a glimpse of one ever since. Today, one flew across the road in front of us, and landed in a tree. I was able to get a good look at it, just before it flew away again. Yea!
Not long after lunch, we left the levees behind, and entered a very hilly area. Not big hills, just lots of ups and downs. By now the temperature was up to a sweltering 30C/86F, and there were very few trees to provide shade. We got pretty hot, and had to stop more often for water breaks towards the end of the ride.
The campground in Bourbon-Lancy sits right next to a large lake, surrounded by a park. The area around the lake is humming with activity. People in 2-person pedal carts went by regularly on the bike path that passed near our tent. There’s also a playground with a couple of water slides not far away. Those are very popular with the 8-12 year old set. And all of the paths around the lake have lots folks out walking, running or biking. It’s nice to see so much going on.
When we went to set up our tent, we discovered that the dirt in the campground was packed very hard. Like concrete. But we were in luck. The campground provided a mallet for people in tents to hammer in their stakes. Very thoughtful.
In the evening we walked around the lake for dinner. After grabbing some cold drinks and wraps at a supermarket, we went to a food truck by the lake. There, we ordered a large portion of home-made fries, with the skin on, to share. They were deliciously salty after a hot, sweaty day.
Having re-hydrated and re-stocked our electrolytes, we walked into the village of Bourbon-Lancy. The footpath into town led through a little park that was decorated with garden-themed art.
Garden-themed art in the Parc Saint Prix. Bourbon-Lancy, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
The village has thermal baths and spas, but that section of town was pretty quiet. Maybe the baths are more popular in colder weather? From there, we hiked up a steep hill into the old part of town. In addition to the medieval city walls, there are lots of half-timbered buildings, and a lovely cathedral.
A couple of bicycles decorating the facade of a hotel in the old city caught our eye. Bourbon-Lancy, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
As we had hoped, all the activity around the lake died down after dark. It was a tranquil night.
Bourbon-Lancy to Palinges (4 August 2019, 66.2 km, 41.1 mi)
The first 40+ km of the day’s ride were along the Loire Lateral Canal. But today we didn’t have a lot of shade because all the trees were set back from the canal. It was a good thing we got a pretty early start, because the day warmed up quickly.
Fifteen kilometers into the ride, we saw signs along the canal trail for a store and cafe in the little town of Pierrefitte-sur-Loire (pop. 508). That might not seem like a big deal, but it’s actually quite unusual to see signs for specific businesses along the canal. The ad said that the store served breakfast. Just what we were looking for.
We followed the signs about 100 m to the town square and found the store. It was tiny. The cafe did not serve any food, and the store had just run out of croissants. Shoot. But we were able to buy some yogurt and bananas. PedalingGuy also got a sweet pastry and some cokes. We enjoyed our breakfast on a bench in the town square, facing an interesting old church.
The petite store in Pierrefitte-sur-Loire, France where we bought breakfast. They were pretty savvy, and had signs advertising their presence out along the bike route. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
In the town of Digoin, the Lateral Canal crossed the Loire on another aqueduct bridge. This would be our last view of the Loire, after cycling through it’s valley for 750 km. Here, the river turns south, but we will be heading northeast towards Germany.
Our last view of the Loire River, seen from the top of the Digoin Canal Bridge. Digoin, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
We waved goodbye, and blew a farewell kiss to the Loire Valley. Au revoir, Loire!
For 10 km more, we followed flat, canal tow paths. The section through Digoin was particularly industrial, with a number of factories and warehouse stores along the way.
One of the many factories we passed that line the canal in Digoin, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
When we reached the town of Paray-le-Monial, where we had planned to camp, it was barely noon. So we looked at the map to see what our options might be down the road.
I saw a campground that had good reviews, that I calculated was 16 km down the road. The reviews said the bike camping spots had good shade, that laundry was free, and that there was a restaurant on site (important, because the campground was not near a town). We decided to go for it.
It might not have been the best decision. The first problem was that I made a mistake in calculating the distance. It was really 26 km to the campground, not 16. The second problem was that right after Paray-le-Monial, the route left the canal path and headed into the hills, slowing our progress. And the third problem was that it quickly got really hot, especially since there wasn’t a lot of shade over the roads we were on.
We pushed on, stopping as often as possible in the few shady spots to have a drink of water. Up in the hills, the route passed through some interesting farms. And it was nice to have some more varied scenery than we had gotten along the canals and Loire levees.
But by the time we arrived at the campground, the temperature had soared to 90F, and we discovered that there really wasn’t that much shade in the bike camping area. We actually considered whether we should keep going for 25 km, to the next town with a hotel (and air conditioning), but decided we’d take a campsite that had a little bit of shade from a medium-sized tree.
A nice, cold drink from the campground’s snack bar helped us feel refreshed, and we started to get our mojo back. We set up our tent in the one shady spot, showered, and did laundry. Now we were feeling even better. But the highlight of the evening was dinner at the campground restaurant. Each evening they offer one meal, and today’s menu was steak with salad and fries. But the dinner came with a unique twist: the steak was served raw, on an oven-hot lava stone. So, you cooked your own steak on the stone, as rare or well-done as you like it. Amazingly, the stone was hot enough to fully cook that big cut of beef to a nice, well-done, brown. We both got a kick out of the whole process, which seemed pretty fancy for a campground restaurant. The meal was especially appreciated since it was Sunday, and everything in the nearest town was closed. Our only alternative would have been the peanut butter and jelly on stale bread that we had with us in our panniers.
Do-it-yourself steak dinner at the campground restaurant. Palinges, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Palinges to Montceau-les-Mines (5 August 2019, 30 km, 18.6 mi)
Because we had gone so much farther than planned yesterday, today’s ride ended up being very short. We wanted to get a hotel in Montceau-les-Mines to catch up on some stuff. So, we took our time and enjoyed a leisurely bike ride.
The entire route was hilly, but it still went by fast. We passed through several, picturesque little towns, as well as many kilometers of pastures surrounded by wooded hills.
Quaint, old house along the route. Palinges, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Pastoral scenery, Les Bruyères d’Uzeliau, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Art in the park where we had our picnic breakfast. Ciry-le-Noble, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Even though we took our time, we reached Montceau-les-Mines by noon. That was a bit early to arrive at the hotel. So, we decided to stop at Burger King to have lunch before checking in. The Burger King was very modern. Sitting in the sleek dining area it really sank in how, over much of the last few weeks, we were mostly surrounded by very old towns and architecture. The vast majority of buildings along the Loire River are hundreds of years old - in many cases dating back to the 14th to 16th centuries.
Montceau-les-Mines (6-7 August 2019)
We spent our time in Montceau catching up on errands and doing some long-range planning. Originally, we thought we’d just spend just one day. But it rained all day on 7 August, so we stayed an extra day. It was pleasant to have a true rest break.
