La Loire à Vélo day 3 - 41km from Ousson-sur-Loire to Sully-sur-Loire

I began the day with a breakfast which included some wonderfully fresh pain au chocolat. During breakfast, I got chatting to a French couple in their seventies who were also cycling the Loire. They explained that they had e-bikes, which is a great way to be able to stay active and do holidays like this when the body might struggle to keep up with the demands.

Starting the ride, the first stretch of the route is along a path right next to the river with some beautiful views. It didn’t take long until I reached Briare with its famous aqueduct. It was opened in 1986 and Gustave Eiffel was responsible for parts of its construction. When built, it was the longest navigable aqueduct in the world at 662 metres in length, until the Magdeburg Water Bridge took its title in 2003. It is still very impressive to see, and entering it on this route feels passing through a gateway from the wild upper river to the region of chateaux.

Gien is another town approached by crossing an historic stone bridge across the Loire. A grand brick château looms over the town. I didn’t go inside, but being at the top of a steep climb, it is a great spot for photos. One of the issues with bikepacking is that to explore a location, I need to carry my bags around for fear of them being stolen. Conveniently in Gien, I found that in the town square, there are large cages where i could lock up my bike with all the bags attached. This meant that I could just carry my handlebar bag with valuables in it and explore the town with ease.

The town is famed for faïence pottery. I had hoped to take a look in ceramics shops, but unfortunately the only one I found was closed for the day.

Saint Gondon is a charming medieval village worth passing through. It is fulle of old half timbered houses with a Romanesque church and in the middle are the remains of a medieval feudal castle. On the way out, there was an idyllic pond that reminds me of John Constable’s painting The Hay Wain.

Arriving at the town of Sully-sur-Loire, the first thing that stands out is the impressive Château de Sully surrounded by its moat. Built in the late 14th century, it was the first grand château that I encountered on the route.

I was staying overnight at Le Grand Sully, one of the hotels that I had found on the Logis Hotels website. They class it as a “cosy” hotel with a “restaurant savoureux” and the food was indeed excellent. As with many the Logis Hotels group, the hotel restaurant offers a set three course menu for (if I remember right) about €45. Not a cheap meal, but great value for the quality of what was served.