Saddle up for a French adventure
ABI JACKSON TAKES TO THE SADDLE FOR A CHATEAU AND CHEESE-FILLED TOUR OF FRANCE
FOR grandeur, Chateau de Versailles is hard to beat, with its masterpiece ceilings, grand stairways and palatial ballroom. But there’s something sweetly magical about Chateau de Maintenon, some
47km from Versailles in a leafy patch of the Loire
Valley.
It was here that
Madame de Maintenon, a prison-born widow, became governess to
King Louis XIV’s illegitimate children.
Then she stole the king’s heart and became his ‘secret’ wife.
I’m transfixed. So transfixed, in fact, I totally forget that I’m plodding around this regal scene in padded Lycra.
Not your usual palace-perusing get-up, but it can be explained.
I’m exploring France’s Veloscenic – a 453.5km cycling trail spanning four regions from Paris to Mont St-Michel in Normandy,
An English version of the accompanying guidebook has just been launched, so with four fellow cyclists, I’ve come to give it a whirl.
We’re not quite doing the whole route. With four days to play with, we’ve trimmed off certain bits, opting to taxi those instead.
This is the beauty of doing Veloscenic; you make the rules, from setting your pace to taking as many pit-stops as you like.
It takes you deep through the heart of the countryside, weaving through forests, farmland, sleepy villages and rustic market towns, boasting four Unesco World Heritage Sites along the way.
After flying to Paris, we transfer to Domain of Sceaux, where we meet Hugo from Petite Reine Normandie, whose van will be lugging our cases from hotel to hotel.
We’ve hired our bikes from Loc’Velo, opting for hybrids (while most of the terrain’s pretty smooth, although there are some gravelly and woodland bits) but they also stock e-bikes, so if your joints and fitness levels aren’t what they used to be, you can still enjoy the experience.
We settle into our saddles with a quick tour around the Domaine of Sceaux’s famous gardens before hitting the road to pedal the 28km to Versailles.
To be fair, roads only make up a proportion of Veloscenic, and around 42% of the route is traffic-free.
In Versailles, we enjoy a night at the four-star Hotel Le Louis Versailles Chateau – MGallery by Sofitel, a stone’s throw from the palace.
Next day, Hugo carts us to the Rambouillet Forest, where we hop on our bikes for a 25km ride towards Chateau de Maintenon – two hours cruising along sun-dappled woodland trails, soundtracked by birdsong and crunching twigs, and quiet country lanes punctuated by picture-postcard villages.
We claim a grassy spot at the back of the gardens and tuck into cheese and baguettes, then nap in the sunshine to reboot for the afternoon’s stint.
This route is all about scenery and sightseeing, and being as leisurely as you like.
Our next stretch is a gentle 20km on to Chartres, a town that’s not really on the tourist radar.
After freshening up at Hotel Jehan de Beauce, we take a stroll and reward our kilometres with a slap-up dinner at Le Cafe Bleu, a popular spot in the softly buzzing square surrounding the Cathedrale NotreDame de Chartres.
As darkness descends, we take the few short steps to the cathedral, where we’ve booked onto a candle-lit tour of the crypt, retracing the final fantastical steps of millions of pilgrims dating back to the 12th century.
Chartres also hosts an impressive free light show, which runs on a loop from nightfall to 1am from April to October.
Day three is our most strenuous; a 35km morning ride crossing a series of rolling hills.
Thankfully, blue skies and swathes of green valley and golden rapeseed fields keep my mind off my tiring knees, and by the time we reach Le Bistrot des Ecuries, our lunch stop in Boissy-Maugis, deep in the picturesque Perche nature park region, I’m grateful to have ‘earned’ another three-course meal, washed down with a refreshing rosé.
We feast on bread and mussels, velvety steak and creamy pistachio ice-cream, before clambering into
Hugo’s van to taxi to Carrouges, and then back on our bikes to pedal our bloated bellies towards Bagnoles-del’Orne.
The final stretch takes us through the dreamy Andaines Forest and I soon find myself hitting that natureinduced high; cruise control kicks in and I melt into the moment.
We arrive at Bagnoles, a spa resort town, in time to hit the high street and hunt down its famous macarons. But the long day of cycling and sunshine means I’m ready to hit the hay after dinner. Thankfully, the restaurant at O Gayot Hotel, where we’re staying, is one of the best in town, so it’s only a short walk upstairs from table to bed. Day four brings a quick visit to the ruins of Domfront Castle, 20km of gentle greenways, a gourmet lunch-stop at Auberge de la Selune in Ducey, and a final 14km back in the saddle. While there are no yellow jerseys or champagne magnums to mark the end of our little Tour de France, our trophy is the magnificent Mont St-Michel, emerging from the horizon a mystical mirage, taking form as we pedal those final few kilometres towards the Normandy coast.