Lac Ailette to Tergenier

July 24, 2024

Through the forest

From our Airbnb stay, start back on Voie verte, intending to find breakfast en route. The goal today, is to reach Tergenier, a town also on a lake and bringing us closer to the Somme Valley.

The Lac Ailette cycleway has some well designed board walk sections.

As with many villages we’ve passed through, the boulangerie in Chanouille is now an ex boulangerie, shuffled off this mortal coil and joined the choir immortal. To say we are disappointed would be an understatement- we’ve cycled early kilometres dreaming of baguettes and pain au raisin.

But lo- further down the hill is the Hotel du Golf. It caters for golfers using the course that borders the lake. We park our bikes and boldly walk through the entrance lobby to the cafeteria asking if coffee is a possibility. ‘Oui!’ The young woman tells us and we walk through to sit in the sun beside the pool. How we would have loved a swim but we didn’t want to push our luck.

The coffee’s reviving and we’re on our way again. The route moves away from the Voie verte but keeps on cycle route 30. We pass through or by a series villages, all with their own small church but pretty much deserted and many with cafes or businesses that have closed. About 15 kilometres on, at Urcel, we hit the jackpot- a boulangerie that has a special offer of filled roll, pastry and drink. The kind of offer we usually ignore- not this time. It’s lunch with decadent overtones. We’re in need.
Back on the road, we do a little climbing on roads that take us up out of the valley.

We’re entering an area of highly industrialised farming.

The V30 cycle road has very little traffic.

This expanse of water had a large number of activities for children currently on holiday.

We’re noticing a distinctive change in architectural styles and red brown brick is abundant as a building material.

If you knew Suzy…. We did do a few extra kilometres around here for that very reason.

The afternoon dissolves into quite a long series of moderate climbs followed by straight long downhills, through forest and agricultural land. When we reach the small town of St Gobain we buy supplies.

From here, it’s ten kilometres to Camping La Frette in Tergnier beside a large man- made lake where children are swimming. After a performance with locked gates and push button codes, when we call on the assistance of a Boy Scout, we establish ourselves at a shady tent site. We dine early at a picnic table and climb into our sleeping quarters. Not even the noisy neighbour admonishing his children at full volume can keep us awake.

Today's ride: 48 km (30 miles)
Total: 1,246 km (774 miles)

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