The end of the road
After 10 delightful days on île de Ré we set off on the final leg of our almost nine week cycle journey on a new cycle route, La Flow Velo towards Angoulême, a distance of about 250k. The weather forecast was for temperatures in the mid 30s so we set off early towards our first stop, Rochefort some 70k away. After crossing the 3km bridge again we had a brief stop in the lovely port city of La Rochelle for coffee and provisions then down the coast and inland along the Charente River to Rochefort.
Leaving La Rochelle 
Carrelet wooden fishing huts built on stilts along Charente coast
Keith was interested in exploring this town as it was the headquarters of the French Navy from the 1500’s to 1920 and still is home of the French Navy Medical Branch. Its demise came when steel ships with deeper drafts replaced wooden vessels and they could no longer navigate the river at low tide. After arriving in 34 degree heat Maggie rested in our ‘quirky’ accommodation while Keith visited the Maritime Museum and the Corderie.
The Corderie
The latter was built in 1666 and is more than 300m long. It was used to weave hemp into yarn then ropes some 200m long hence the long building.
As large sailing ships had about 100k of rope the Corderie was a very busy place until 1886 when production ceased. Unfortunately the Germans set fire to the building when they retreated at the end of the Second World War destroying much of the original heritage equipment, although the building has been restored.
The next day was a short 40k ride following the Charente River to the picturesque village of Saint Savinien. As it was forecast to be 34 again Maggie called ahead to see if we could check in early to which our lovely host Genevieve readily agreed, unlike some accommodation we have encountered where there is no flexibility to the checkin time which is sometimes 5.00pm. Saint Savinien is located on the Charente River and the bridge into town welcomed us across its flower box adorned bridge.
Our accommodation was one of the best we have experienced with the old manor house having been lovingly restored by our hostess over the past 30 years while raising 4 children on her own. The husband apparently didn’t like doing renovations (or children) and remained in Belgium. Genevieve has done a wonderful job with top class fittings and decor and was a charming and friendly hostess. A really pleasant short stay.
The next day was a 70k ride to Cognac, but as the temperature was forecast to be 37 we decided to catch an early train instead. Maggie contacted our next hostess who was very understanding and said that our room was ready and we could come anytime. We used two local TER train services to travel and had no problems loading the bikes. We vowed we would not use TGV trains on this trip, as we have in the past, as they have a couple of steps which are very difficult to get up with heavily loaded bikes.
Cognac the brandy is named after the commune of Cognac. The town itself is a Cognac town with three of the major distillers Hennessy, Martell and Remy Martin being headquartered there. Between them they make about 60% of the Cognac produced.
Our hostess, Evelyne, was a treasure trove of information as she had worked for Hennessy for 30 years and was even involved in the development of the tulip shaped glass which is used for cognac tasting. She sat us down soon after arrival and gave us a 30 minute briefing on the town and the history of cognac. She is also about to become an accredited cognac taster so she gave us a free cognac tasting over our lovely dinner which was prepared by husband Marcel.
As is often the case it is who you meet and stay with that makes holidays so memorable. The day of our arrival was La Fête de la Musique, the French National Music day, a national holiday held on 21 June each year to mark the summer solstice when in every town across France musicians play in the streets. This was introduced by Mitterrand in 1981 after he became PM as a way of bringing people and communities together. As it was very hot we did not venture into town until about 9.30pm when the party was in full swing with lots of diners in the streets, bands on every corner and a happy and vibrant atmosphere.
We had planned a rest day in Cognac so the next morning we decided to do a short ride along the Charente River back towards St Savinien to see what we had missed by taking the train the previous day. We rode for 17k along a lovely shaded greenway enjoying the river views and reflections before turning back, by which time it had warmed up again to 30+.
Later in the afternoon Keith had a Cognac tour and tasting at the Martell distillery. The Cognacs were very nice but at $500 a bottle they should be.
It was with some sadness that we set off from Cognac on what was to be the final ride of our trip and fortunately the weather had cooled down for the 68k ride to Angoulême. We had read that it was a particularly nice section of the cycle route and it didn’t disappoint. It epitomised all that we enjoy about riding in France, the beautiful river Charente with its colour and reflections, shaded traffic free greenways hugging the river for much of the way, some châteaus, villages with ports full of boats, barges on the river and the occasional diversion through grapevines and farm fields.
A snapshot of the day’s ride.
Lunch!
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The only downside in Maggie’s view to our last ride was that the old city of Angoulême where we had booked accommodation for two nights was situated on a hilltop which meant a steep climb on a busy road to end our final day riding. As we got stuck at traffic lights at the bottom of the hill and couldn’t get a run up (and Maggie didn’t like starting on hills with the heavy bike), one of us rode up and one of us walked /pushed up in the heat to the top. Not an auspicious end to our great cycling trip!
Maggie was trying to forget about the hill and didn’t take any photos of the town showing its location high above the Charente river surrounded by ramparts, so here are a couple from the internet.
The town is famous as the international capital of comic strips and has been designated a UNESCO creative city. This is evidenced with comic strip characters painted on walls scattered around the city.
Again our accommodation didn’t disappoint being right next to the 12th century church tower visible from our window and within easy walking of Centre Ville.
While the riding was over some potential drama still remained as we were unable to book our bikes on the two local TER trains we were taking to get back to Tours. The station staff said while you could take bikes on the train there were limited places and it was first in first served, unlike the previous trains we’d caught where you had to book bikes to ensure a spot. If you missed out hard luck you would be left standing on the station. The other problem was the need to use lifts to get the bikes up onto the overhead walkways and down onto the platforms. This was further compounded by the platform number not being advertised until 15 minutes before departure. All in all a potentially stressful situation.
We had left the accommodation early to get to the station at Angoulême for the trip to Poitiers to ensure our place in front of the queue but another couple of riders got off an incoming train and grabbed the first two spots. However, the very kind and helpful guard saw the problem and escorted us up the platform to another bike carriage and helped secure our bikes.
On arrival in Poitiers we had to get the bikes up to the overhead walkway. They had lifts but we discovered they were too short to fit the bike in. The train station staff said you had to tip them on their back wheels to get them in, which meant removing the panniers. Easier said than done with heavy electric bikes but with the panniers off we managed to squeeze in. Same problem when the train arrived to get back down to the platform. First bike no problem - second bike Keith in the lift with bike and lift fails. Keith presses emergency button, staff outside trying to make it work, Maggie on platform below guarding the first bike and wondering why he hadn’t turned up. Keith eventually able to open door manually from inside then with 5 minutes to train departure had to bump the bike down the 2 flights of steps assisted by the train staff (one carrying the panniers, the other holding the rear of the bike) and then load the bikes on the train! We were so grateful to the very helpful station staff. What a way to finish!
We relaxed on the journey chatting to an our age Dutch couple with bikes sitting in the seats opposite about the joys of bikes and trains and were relieved to arrive in Tours knowing there’d be no more bikes and trains for us!
The end of the road for us. We made it back to Tours!
And the end of the road for our trusty steeds as we return them to the friendly folk at Detours de Loire bike rental.
A celebratory beer while waiting for our train to Paris.
While sad that our cycling adventure was over, we were pleased that we’d successfully completed over 2500km on our almost 9 weeks of cycling without any flatties, crashies or whammies.
Thanks to those who’ve kept in touch with us along the way. Your emails, WattsApp messages and calls, and your messages on the blog have meant a lot. We look forward to seeing you soon. Xo
This featured blog entry was written by themaggiej from the blog Maggie & Keith’s Electrifying Bike Tour.
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