|
Saturday 27th August 2016 Tours to Chinon We had a decent breakfast at the Hotel Criden then rode south out of Tours to the River Cher then west along it over fine, smooth cycle-ways with some shade so we made fairly good progress despite a late-ish (9.40 or so) start.
We stopped for a lemonade and ice-cream at Bréhémont then carried on to Île St Martin where we turned left to take up the option of going to see the ‘Sleeping Beauty’s Castle’ at Ussé. The guide book says ‘Authentic and feared fortified castle built in the 15th century, Ussé changed considerably over the following three centuries to become a fantasy fairytale palace… it is impossible to pass within reach of its towers without falling under its spell.’
It looked fine but at €14 was a bit much and we didn’t want to delay much and end up cycling at the height of today’s forecast 36° so we took a picture through the railings then had a bit of lunch at the nearby cafe (penne and a lemonade). We carried on along the quiet ‘D’ road to Huismes then picked up a cycle-way which led all the way to Chinon on the River Vienne. Chinon is set on the side of a steep slope down to the riverside and is a medium-sized town with a medieval side to it; an attractive place on first sight.
We stopped at the Tourist Information office and got the names of a couple of hotels and ended up crossing the river and staying at the Hotel St Jacques. The hotel appeared to be run by a woman but we were signed in by her husband, a lame chap who said that this was an exceptional period of hot weather and that it was usually a lot less hot here. The hotel charged €82 for the room plus another 8 euros each for petit dejeuner.
In the evening we wandered into town and dined on cheese omelette and frites – getting a bit samey by now. They actually started closing up while we were still eating – at 9.00! We managed to get a drink at a bar a bit further down towards the river (La Vienne) but they too closed up by 10.40, by which time the town was very quiet. Back to the hotel then.
Average speed: 10.8 mph Miles today: 37 Total miles: 259 Chinon elevation: 111 ft | |||||||
 | |||||||
