La Loire à Vélo day 2 - 60 km from Pouilly-sur-Loire to Ousson-sur-Loire
Day two of my La Loire à Vélo itinerary took me 60 km from Pouilly-sur-Loire to Ousson-sur-Loire with stops in Sancerre and Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire.
I started the day by finding a bakery and a grocery store in the village and picking up some supplies. It can be a decent distance between places to eat, so it’s a good idea to have a few snacks to keep the energy levels up on the way. There are plenty of beautiful spots to stop and take a break, and when those come, I like to have a little nibble on something while I contemplate the world around me.
The day’s riding started with crossing the river and riding the levée on the left bank. Much of the Loire à Vélo is along the levée, which is such a good feature of the route. It’s a smooth surface with no cars allowed; all you will meet are walkers and other cyclists. As it follows the river, you have beautiful views over the river and it’s flat. No hills to struggle up, so you can maintain a good pace easily.
Sancerre came into sight in late morning, perched on its hilltop. Known for its wine, it’s a pretty medieval town and has plenty of restaurants to choose from. As I approached, I could see there would be the longest climb of the trip so far, but I knew that it would be worth it. I think it took me about thirty minutes to make my way steadily up the hill, which was hard work in the heat, but when I reached the top, I was rewarded with some gorgeous views over the nearby vineyards.
Once I was in the town, I walked the bike so that I could take my time and have a look around.
I stopped for lunch at the Auberge Joseph Mellot. They had a starter of croustillant de Chavignol, which is a crottin de Chavignol wrapped in a crispy filo pastry. The village of Chavignol is very close by and is famed for the crottin de Chavignol, a small and tasty goats cheese and one of my favourites, so I had to try it. It was delicious! I followed that with omelette and green salad. Overall, this was a perfect lunch for me on my cycle ride; plenty of protein and enough carbs without being heavy, as I still had plenty of distance to cover.
After lunch I walked to the viewpoint next to Caesar’s Gate. The height of Sancerre means that there are spectacular views across the Loire and I could see for miles along the route I had followed and the route I had yet to follow.
A short distance on from Sancerre, I joined the Canal Lateral again and followed that to the town of Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire. It’s not a town with the medieval charm of the others I had passed through, but it is a good size with a variety of shops and a cute art deco cinema. It’s a handy place to stop for supplies, as the route mostly passes through villages and smaller towns that can be limited in options.
The route rejoins the river here and passes the first of several nuclear power stations that seem to be placed at regular intervals along the Loire. I’m guessing that the Loire provides plenty of water for cooling and the position in the centre of France makes it a convenient location to transmit power across the country.
Passing near Bonny-sur-Loire, I cycled through extensive vineyards prior to a final stretch along the river into Ousson-sur-Loire where I was staying for the night at a lovely bed and breakfast called the Logis Hôtel Le Clos du Vigneron.
The owner gave me a key to the laundry room where I was able to lock up my bike securely. I then settled into my room in a small block of four rooms at the bottom of the garden. The hotel restaurant was not open that evening and looking into my options, this village didn’t have much in the way of restaurants open that evening, so I got on the bike and rode along a path next to the railway line to Le Relais de Chatillon, a nearby Relais Routier.
Effectively, this is a truck stop on a busy road, but it had a lively atmosphere with plenty of locals and drivers in there for their meal. They had a couple of options for a main course and for the starter, you could go and help yourself to a buffet of salads and crudités. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s tasty and great value.