La Loire à Vélo day 4 - 30km from Sully-sur-Loire to Jargeau

Once again, the included breakfast was bread, pastries, yoghurt, juice, and coffee. I was looking forward to a relatively easy 30 km of riding.

The first stop of the day was to see the Romanesque abbey at St-Benoît-sur-Loire which is a short detour away from the cycle path but well worth a visit. The abbey was founded between 630 and 650. Building work on the basilica started in 1067 and took until 1218 to finish. In the crypt of the building, a reliquary box contains remains of Saint Benoît (Saint Benedict).

I stopped at the gift shop before leaving to purchase some honey sweets. The monks working in there were very friendly and entertaining.

Passing through Germigny-des-Prés I wanted to stop at the Carolingian Oratory. One of the oldest churches in France, it dates back to 806 in the time of Charlemagne (hence Carolingian). At the end of the church on the dome of the vaulted ceiling is a beautiful mosaic depicting the Ark of the Covenant.

The riverfront of Châteauneuf-sur-Loire was stunning. I was fascinated to see a couple of small riverboats with men in costume of some sort being prepared to sail. I wasn’t planning to stay long though. I had a quick look around the outside of the château, found somewhere for a drink, then continued on my journey.

Finally, I arrived in Jargeau. I was a bit early, so I headed to the beach, took my shoes off, and paddled in the shallow water for a while. It was a hot day (as they all were on this trip!), so it was incredibly pleasurable to feel the cold water of the Loire river covering my feet.

Jargeau is a medieval town and from a culinary perspective is famed for andouillette (tripe/chitterlings sausage). I keep trying it, but so far, I still haven’t found a tripe dish that I enjoy.

I was staying at a chambre d’hôtes (private B&B) called Evasion de Loire. It is very well placed on the riverfront. The room I had was actually an apartment, so I had heaps of room.

I walked across the river to explore the town on the other side. It was a relaxing evening in the twilight, visiting a group of goats grazing on the bank and watching men standing in waders and fishing.