Flow Vélo 3: Easter Ices
La Flow Vélo from Rouffiac to Saintes:
Easter Sunday found us alone at home with no eggs to hunt nor lamb to roast. On the positive side, what possible reason could there be for my husband to refuse a little exercise along the banks of the River Charente?
He mumbled something about watching insects in the garden / planting tomatoes / counting the apricots that had survived the recent frosts. I replied something about starting on the tax returns.
Within seconds, he agreed that our priority was to complete the missing part of our Flow Vélo journey between Cognac and Port-d’Envaux: the section from Rouffiac to Saintes. It was only a short ride of 20km. We could do the other stuff afterwards.
I knew it was going to be a good day when a deer strolled across the road in front of us. We parked beside the river near Rouffiac, at the site of Les Clapotis guinguette.
Here, a chain-ferry carries cars/bikes/people from the Rouffiac side to Dompierre-sur-Charente. Sometimes. There was still no sign of it today.
If you read my blog post ‘First Spring Ride’, you’ll know that this is where our journey stopped a couple of weeks ago.
Off we set, along winding lanes and shady tracks, through woodland filled with birdsong, beside the railway and then along the river. At one point we met some cyclists who had stopped to ask advice from a couple of cyclists coming the other way so, naturally, we joined them. I love the way people along the Flow Vélo are happy to share like this.
There were more people along the river bank. They were mostly fishermen with tents, tables, chairs and even beds. I realised that ‘going fishing’ is actually a euphemism for ‘lazing beside the river’. However, I did meet a young artist, who’d spent an hour and a half creating this land art while she waited for her fish to bite. There’s nothing lazy about that!
We were careful when we stopped and left our bikes to relieve ourselves: the last cyclist seemed never to have returned to his/her bike.
Having been disappointed by the lack of ferry at Rouffiac, we were delighted to find another chain-ferry crossing – in service. We wheeled our bikes on board and chugged across from the Concoury side to discover the village of Chaniers.
I only knew the main road that runs through Chaniers, so it was interesting to discover the Romanesque church, narrow streets and stone houses in Chaniers. There was also an intriguing tree-house on the campsite, which I wanted to visit, and I was tempted to stop at a bar terrace for a glass of rosé. However, the ferryman’s lunch break was due and we needed to return to the far side of the river. This meant we didn’t have time to discover the Moulin de la Baine.
Back on the Flow Vélo track, we arrived in Concoury. Some friends have recently moved here and it seemed an ideal opportunity to catch up with them.
Unfortunately, there was no reply when we called, so we continued cycling through the village, past the pretty church and the L’Amaryllis restaurant.
There would be no restaurant roast lamb for us. Instead, we ate our picnic in front of the Charente Maritime branch of the Office Français de la Biodiversité (French Office for Biodiversity).
The office was closed but I could see exhibition panels through the glass doors. One of the advantages of Doorstep Cycling is that you can easily return to places that catch your eye.
After lunch we were accompanied by the hum of planes towing gliders to dizzy heights. We saw at least eight of them as we crossed woodland and meadows of buttercups dotted with little lakes, nests of baby storks and narrow bridges.
The Concoury area is also animal country and we saw fields of gambolling lambs and suckling calves, though there were no Easter bunnies. Just before Les Gonds, we discovered another riverside quay ideal for picnicking and lazing beside the river. I think it was the Prairie du Bourg. And in Les Gonds, my trusty steed found the tail that it had been missing all these years. How proud it looked when I fixed it into place.
At last, we left the countryside behind us and cycled up the sole hill of the ride, which took is into Saintes and gave us a magnificent view over the flood plains.
I know how to deal with hills these days. When I first started cycling, I hated them. Now, I put my bike into first gear and think about something completely different as I pedal. Can you guess what motivated me up this hill into Saintes?
We cycled along a little street past the St.Sorlin and Palue prairies, which form a long, grassy island between the two branches of the River Charente.
I’d never entered Saintes from this direction and it was surprising to see familiar landmarks from a different perspective. This is the true pleasure of Doorstep Cycling.
Strangely – nothing to do with my careful planning, of course – our arrival in Saintes corresponded with teatime. This meant I could legitimately eat the ice-cream that had grown bigger and bigger in my mind as I pedalled up the hill into Saintes.
No ice-cream tastes good unless it’s eaten in front of a pleasing view. Here are some we enjoyed in Saintes.
Fed and watered, we made our way back towards Rouffiac. You see different sights when you ride back along the same route, which means it’s never boring.
By now, we were quite tired, so imagine our joy when our friends in Concoury called and said they were at home and expected us for an aperitif.
What better way to finish a day than with a cool beer and a chat with friends? (Any excuse to avoid facing those tax returns).
