Tripsite Traveler - Loire Valley Bike & Boat aboard the Clair de Lune
Loire Valley Bike & Boat aboard the Clair de Lune
The first glimpse of the Clair de Lune is sheer relief! Who knew there was more than one Rue du Pont Canal in Briare? Google Maps knew…and we are at the wrong one! I interrupt three landscapers and since I speak no French and they speak no English, we play charades until I understand where to go.
Finally, we find the barge and our relief turns into glee!! We see Annita unloading bikes. Annita was our guide last year from Bruges to Amsterdam. We LOVE Annita! She is fun, quirky and has off-the-beaten-path surprises. I’m not sure the car is in park before we jump out for hugs all around!
Enough reunion. Annita and the crew need to work and the clock is ticking on our Europcar rental. We arrive with minutes to spare. Now, how to get the 10 miles (16 kms) back to Briare? The lady at Europcar calls at least 10 cabs - no one will come. She checks the train schedule - nothing for three hours. Rather than throw us on the curb, she grows angel wings and drives us to the barge.
French people are wonderful!
The Clair de Lune is billed as a “standard” barge so we had no expectation of luxury. However, welcoming details are everywhere: towels arranged as swans, gleaming woodwork and immaculately clean rooms. We are surprised at the efficiency of the rooms with bag storage, shelves, hooks and a bigger-than-expected bathroom and sink. Yes, two people getting dressed at the same time requires a bit of cooperation and an occasional tango, but that’s part of the experience!
After orientation, we test ride the bikes around Briare. Soon, Annita’s quirkiness comes into play. She takes us for a walk along the banks of the Loire. Scrambling over a muddy, overgrown path, we begin to notice a few tile shards. Then comes a pit filled with broken or imperfect tiles that is clearly yards deep and spreads as far as we can see through the trees. It is the discard dump for the Briare earthenware factory. We all turn into kids in a sandbox rummaging through the tiles, looking for interesting shapes and colors.
Back on the barge, we have our first meal. The tour overview downplayed meals as breakfast, lunch and dinner - nothing fancy. Wow, are we surprised when Chef Jenn takes us on a nightly world culinary tour with gourmet salads, entrees and desserts. Every morning there is a breakfast speciality like french toast, bacon wrapped poached eggs or quiche. Yum!!
E-bikes take practice!
The tour really begins on Day 2 with a ride of 41 miles (65 kms). The “short slopes or gently rolling hills” described in the tour overview are much longer and steeper than expected. Six members of our group had e-bikes. After today, two more make the switch. They were lucky Cycletours had extras on board - not always an option. Although the e-bikes make the hills easier, they are heavy at about 50 pounds and the newbies struggle a bit before getting into the groove.
Day 3 starts with a delayed departure due to hard rain. Dita, our hostess/first mate, treats us to a session of face yoga. This requires some smushing, pulling, tapping and, frankly, some comical moments. No photos allowed!!!
Its masonry abutments and piers are the design of Gustave Eiffel.
Annita has a new itinerary for today because the highlight, Château de Saint-Brisson-sur-Lorie, is not open. So we head to Gien, a scenic city overlooking the river and home to the Église Sainte Jeanne d’Arc commemorating the life of Joan of Arc.
Gel bike seat covers are priceless!
Most of us are saddlesore by Day 4. Annita promises us a shorter 22 mile (35 km) ride…but with long, steep hills ascending 1,332 feet (406 meters). Our reward is the stunning medieval town of Sancerre with amazing views of the entire countryside, world renown wines and the rare chance to enter the grounds of the Château de Sancerre, which is open to the public for the first time in 150 years. I stall out just outside of town and walk my bike up the steepest parts…and, WOW!! So worth it!
The itinerary is more a “suggestion” - embrace the unknown!
Annita pulls another off-script side trip on Day 5 with a stop at La Bête Noire, an Alpine goat farm that manufactures famous Chavignol crottin cheese. Hysterical videos feature the goats as they describe their day and the production process, followed by an optional tasting and a lot of cheese buying.
As we pedal down the long-awaited, easy Loire river bike paths, Annita makes another off-itinerary stop at L’Escargot, a snail farm. Now this is something none of us have seen before!
with tweezers to pull out the culprit, a massive thorn.
On Day 6, my husband and I stay on the barge in the morning and enjoy the ride. My husband hangs out with Captain Marco on the bridge hoping for a chance to steer (not a chance!). I enjoy resting on the sundeck. When the barge docks, we bike into the village of Apremont-sur-Allier for a beer. We are tired of wine.
After a short, easy ride on Day 7 we arrive in Nevers. Unfortunately, it is Sunday afternoon and there is NOTHING open - even the churches. We walk the steep cobblestone streets for a while, but ultimately make our way back to the boat. A leisurely nap and a shower sound pretty good! Tomorrow, we say goodbye and are off on the next adventure!
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 | Barbara Long lives in Erie, Colorado, where she enjoys pickleball, hiking, biking and telling stories to first graders. |
