Thu 24 to Sat 26: Before Sainte Maure de Touraine to Nevers.

July 26, 2014

Wait for it, on the road quarter past nine and sure I'll make big distance, but with such a late start, the heat of the day soon catches up with me. Itinerary rolling farmland. Lots of combine harvesters edging across wheat fields in a trail of dust and stubble fields with lines of baled straw. The rich golden colour in contrast to green plots of woodland and hedgerows. Also tall crops of maize, a brown kernel of corn beginning to open on top. Also more and more fields of sunflowers. There heads all turned towards the sun.

Approach Loches before noon and stop at a gigantic Super U on the way in. Spend an hour (see where my time goes) inside in cool air-conditioned aises with piped French pop interrupted by special offer announcements, considering what all to buy, and making sure I've everything I'll need for the day. When I come back out, the bike is almost too hot to touché where it sits in the sun against the plate glass front. I hurriedly unlock and wheel the bike indoors into the cool of the foyer in order to load my shopping in comfort.

Once through town, which first involves much descending, then climbing and passing through many roundabouts, where I stop to check the Michelin map often, finally finding my way out along a minor D road through woodland providing shade and a bit of a fresh breeze.

Welcome to the Jungle: into woodland for shade where I effect a makeshift picnic table to lunch on at this stack of firewood.

Passing through a village mid-afternoon.

Temperatures in the mid thirties with a built up of cloud.

8 PM: the view from where I sit outside a small shop with a cold drink. Looks like a cloud has come to ground and is resting in the back garden of the house opposite.

Friday dawns grey with rain in the air, after the sticky humid heat, which yesterday afternoon felt like sitting in a sauna while eating lunch in the shade of woodland. First the rain isn't too bad. Just a few splatters. It is still bright ahead to the east, but looking over my shoulder, the sky is dark with the approaching storm. And on riding into Vierzon the rain intensifies to a heavy downpour and I've to take shelter underneath the awning of a café front. In no time there's a torrent stream flowing down the side of the street and into storm-drains and water gushing from spoutings. I go in, order a coffee and take the coffee over to a seat by the window. The staff are on a morning break at the next table. The girl flinches back from the window, putting her hands over her head to save herself as lightning flashes in.

Riding on when the rain eases, it remain grey and drizzly into the early afternoon, before the sun suddenly breaks through with steam rising of the wet road.

Although a nice road through woodland for the most part, the first village I pass through doesn't have a shop. It being lunchtime and with the rain I forgot to shop in Vierzon. Then the next, Chapelle sur B is a crossroads with a N road; one street along that road with only a boulangerie, shut for lunch. Finally reaching Vailly sur Sauldre at four, there's a convenience shop with a boulangerie next door. But once I've shopped, I couldn't find a seat to sit down to eat. There's a church in the square with park benches along the side in the sun. I push the bike round the other side where there's a green with trees in the shade of the church wall, but there's dog faeces all over the place, so I return back round and take a seat on a bench to eat, which feels like sitting next an open oven.

The huge column of white vapour rising sky-high from the power station near Cosne Cours sur Loire, greets me from thirty kilometres off. I want to take a dramatic industrial photograph, but its seven o'clock when I get there and supposedly the demand for electricity drops after business hours, as the cooling towers are down to putting out a barely visible low whiff over their concrete rims, which just glimpse over the treetops, as the station is quite a bit to the north of town, and I'm going south.

There's also Lidl in Cosne Cours, but its across the river beyond the town centre. I've already got pasta and want to make it to my destination, Satur, twelve kilometres along the river to the south as soon as possible, as I want to check into perhaps an auberge, or somewhere I can charge batteries and have access to wifi, and I don't want to arrive too late.

When I get there, the riverside village has a large campsite, but reception closes at 6.30 and its now after eight. I return to a board I passed advertising "Chambre 40E". Although more than I'd usually spend, when spread out over all the nights I camp for free, it works out as not mush. I even splash out on dinner, a lentil casserole, two Leffe beers and a glass of white wine. Next morning the bill including breakfast is eighty euros.

Old milestone marking the bounder of departments.

The warm weather leads to heavy rain and I take shelter under the awning of a café in Vierzon.

It clears up early afternoon as my road passes through this ancient forest. From now on I see sign for "La Route de St Jacque" The French for the pilgrim route to Santiago.

Village where my route forks. I go right.

Old grain store on the Loire canal at Satur.

Q A: Translate the above statement. Q B: Why may it be important to understand this sign.

Grand riverside houses near Nevers centre.

Old direction sign, perhaps from the fifties.

Today's ride: 283 km (176 miles)
Total: 2,396 km (1,488 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	0
Comment on this entry	Comment	0