A pleasant ride in the Poitou: Descartes to Chauvigny

August 11, 2016

Some days you don't need to ride hard to feel euphoric. Endorphins aren't the only instigators of bliss. Today it was the weather. A little cool at the start, but the sun quickly fixed that, and the light tailwind only made things better. I made a pass in front of Descatres birthplace and rode up the valley of the Creuse. Cruising up the Creuse! At the village of la Guerce, I crossed over to the other side of the river for a quieter road and enjoyed a peaceful ride into the village of Angles sur le Angelin. Angles is a medieval village, with all the winding streets and cobbled streets that implies, and is watched over by the ruins of a huge castle, which is being reconstructed. I found a place to eat in a small bistro under the castle walls. The menu of the day was boudin noir, a blood sausage, cooked with apple slices and served with frites. A little homemade sorbet for dessert, and I was off again, following the same road to Monmorillion.

Montmorillion is not a very interesting town. There is the obligatory chateau, but it's not easy to get to, as there are no signs leading to it. I gave it a miss, and after checking out the campground, which was full for the holiday weekend, I decided to go onward. It was, after all, a very nice day for cycling. I rode to Chauvigny, which doesn't have just one castle, but five, all grouped on a single hill. He campground was full again, so I rode up the hill to the castles to find the tourist office. The nice lady there gave me a map with all the hotels marked on it. The castle precincts have been art-ified and are full of shops selling handmade pottery, jewelry and such. Full also with tourists wandering the streets buying these gee gaws. I found a room at the base of the hill in the Beausejour. A light supper of pizza on the square, and an early night.

A restored hotel from la belle epoche in St. Savin that I liked.

The view of the castles from the town of Chauvigny is somewhat blocked by the town.

Today's ride: 107 km (66 miles)
Total: 249 km (155 miles)

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