May 20th twelfth stage Blain to La
Possoniere. 98 kms
What a day! Up before dawn to take down the tent and grab
some breakfast before what looked like an enormous storm arrived. I was away by
7am on the last twenty kilometres of the Nantes Brest canal which took me to
Nort sur Erdre. I was very sorry to say goodbye to the canal which had been a
loyal and handsome friend for nearly 350 kilometres. I had started at lock 334
and finished at lock 4. A signpost in the town to Nort’s twinned town in
Romania read 2500 kilometres, which gave me hope; I had thought it further than
that. The D164 provided a swift link between the canal and the Loire and on
early Sunday morning, with little or no traffic, the 30 kilometres passed
quickly, even in the heavy rain and the February temperatures. Katherine’s steaming hot soup, 10 kilometres
before Ancenis, was extremely welcome.
And
so to the Loire valley where everywhere you looked there was water. The river
is huge, frequently splitting into three wide waterways, each linked by
impressive iron bridges. The rain was now coming down in torrents and I wasn’t
surprised to learn that these islands in the river that I was, in effect, leapfrogging, are
frequently flooded. I just hoped that it wasn’t going to happen today.
The cycle route through these open meadows and hidden
villages along very secluded lanes is, fortunately, exceptionally
well-signposted but there are gems en route that seem to be mentioned only in
the Dutch guide books. I say this because
at the extraordinary Lenin café at La Basse Ile, between Montjean and
Chalonnes I met five tourists from
Holland who had come specifically to visit this eccentric café-museum.
The tiny
isolated cottage is crammed to the rafters with Lenin and Russian memorabilia
and to visit it is free. The lady of the house would prefer that you buy a
drink, of course, and she serves excellent coffee in exquisite tiny painted
mugs and even offers simple gite accommodation. Completely unexpected and
absolutely brilliant. There is clearly a lot to discover in the Loire valley
beyond the famous chateaux. The UNESCO site of the
island and pilgrimage village of Behuard, where we enjoyed a delightful evening meal is one such place. My
choice during the next few days is going to be how to appreciate the region a
little whilst keeping my head down and eating up the kilometres. And especially
when it seems the weather is showing no signs of improvement yet.
A difficult day mainly because of the cold rain but the wind
has mostly abated. Clinging mist spoiled the views over the Loire but added to
the atmosphere. The 98 kilometres means that I am gradually catching up on my
planned schedule.
98 kms
Total since
Galway 852 kms.
Katherine Heery
Wet tent, wet clothes, wet maps, wet feet, wet
porridge, in fact everything seemed to be soaked. We left the canal behind plus the lovely flag
iris, water lilies and a host of wild flowers on the bank side.
The packed car seemed
to be steaming up as the heater was blasting away trying to get shoes and all
the first lot of cycling gear dry, fruitlessly. But of course I was in the dry so I did feel
for Richard, it was so cold as well as
wet.
However all was saved
with an excellent stay in a chambre d’hote in Possoniere, highly recommended.
There was a great welcome, lovely 18th century house and what a
garden! We set off today ,in the rain again, revitalised. No time yet for
chateau visiting but that is a must, at least one or two. Katherine
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