Exciting Levees

Monday 21.05.2012 Belleville sur Loire – Just south of Nevers 82.4 kms


Well, well, well, or should that be wet, wet, wet? The met men are to be congratulated on accurately predicting an entire day of rain!

After a truly splendid breakfast, we left our hotel (Terre de Loire) in a persistent drizzle. Within half an hour it was pi…………ing down, and in another half an hour we were soaked. What joy. On the plus side, old nostril had been downgraded to starboard beam – so not quite behind but generally more supportive than not. Finding no shelter in which to stop and drink our luke- warm tea, we resorted to a café/restaurant for a coffee and a bun. Now, I have never thought we were mean, but 17 Euros for two coffees and two pieces of apple pie, is beyond reasonable in my book. If I could remember the name of the place I would name and shame.

The rain had now reached torrential proportions but here comes a point where one is sooo…. wet it really ceases to matter and that has been our state of mind all day. However, I do have one little quibble with our route planners. The surfaces and signing along the Loire route has been exceptional. The lack of provision for shelter is deplorable. Maybe they didn’t reckon on mad folk riding in the rain but the same could have been said of folk needing shade in the sun! So come on guys just a teeny weeny bit more thought. Not that we’re moaning just because we’re soaked…..

Much of our soggy pedalling today has been along the levees with small barriers to break up the boredom of endless trees on the left and crops on the right. The most excitement along the route was the appearance of a cement manufacturing plant, chuffing out dust by the shed load.

Not a campsite marked on this part of the route, so no guilt complexes. We were looking for a hotel. Nearing 80 kilometres and not wanting to go into Nevers we had spotted a place called Cuffy (great name) which boasted accommodation and food. Whoopee. Having already passed several hopefuls which were SHUT (after all it is not yet summer!), we had pinned our hopes on Cuffy. Access to the village entailed negotiating a bridge over the canal. Not any ordinary bridge, but one shaped like a hoop and constructed of wooden panels which were now very wet and very slippery. Slipping and slithering we took the bikes over first, and still slipping and slithering we returned and hauled over the trailers. A good effort we thought, looking forward to our nice warm hotel. Ha,ha, - nothing, zilch. No return over that bridge so off we set in the direction of Nevers. We are now ensconced in ‘The Frog’; basic but warm and dry with a bar! So, cheers all, until tomorrow.