Left Pithiviers at 8 a.m. and cycled through mixed countryside (agricultural and woodland) and reached the Loire valley, at Chateauneuf-sur-Loire, by late morning.
Good weather. Not much wind. Heated up fast in the afternoon, reaching around 29C by the time we reached Briare.
Briare’s a town on the Loire. One that neither of us had ever heard of. It’s a very attractive town, with lots of flower displays, and is centred around the two canals/marinas (rather than the actual river).
Booked into a Logis hotel then went for an ice-cream.
Briare’s waterways are difficult to fathom (easy to get lost here) - so many rivers and canals seem to converge here. Briare is situated at the extremity of the Briare Canal, which unites the river Loire, and its lateral canal, with the river Loing river and so with the Seine river. The lateral canal of the Loire crosses the Loire near Briare by way of the Briare aqueduct which is some 662m long.
Resisting the temptation to follow the Loire, tomorrow we’ll head east, towards the hills. It’s getting hotter. 32C is forecast for tomorrow.