An easy day to Digoin: Tomorrow we leave the Loire our first river

August 24, 2011

Cool weather is a wonderful thing. There was a threat of rain but we don't mind getting wet. An easy pleasant ride today with virtually no hills at all. It was a two coffee stop day. The first at Gannay-sur-Loire. This is a really tiny village but it still has a heart with a Boulangerie, Boucherie. Epicerie and Café/bar. So many of these small villages now have no services with everyone zooming off in their cars to shop at the outlying supermarket. The old lady in the bar was not yet dressed but was very neat in her nightie and dressing gown. She made us good coffee in tiny fine china cups at the only 1.40Euro. We sat sipping it in Le Place de L'Eglise and it seemed work was going on restoring the old church. Another stop at Beaulon where the coffee had lept up in price to 2.40Euros and was full of grounds.

The last 20km was a new Voie Vert which took us all the way to Digoin. The Voie Verts are dedicated cycle/walking tracks (this one I think had had the odd horse along it). The whole 20km of it was perfectly smooth asphalt and whats more it continues on tomorrow for another 18km. Along the way we met Rosemary and Stephen (the English couple) again. They had had a much better night camping last night as it had cooled off a bit in the middle of the night.

I walked around in circles for ages finding this hotel. I wish there was better signage particularly to the Tourist Information.

In France it is an important job going to get the bread

The canal goes across the river on a bridge

Today's ride: 69 km (43 miles)
Total: 934 km (580 miles)

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