Having invested in a new bike rack to bring all our bikes to France. we decide that we must ‘get on our bikes’ and explore the French countryside. With the skies overcast, the day looks perfect for us to set off and having bought a map with cycle routes mapped out, we head to the village of Colombier just north of Usseau, to start our ‘facile’ ride of 17.8km.
We park in the centre of the pretty but sleepy village (it is a Sunday), next to the WW1 memorial and attractive 12th Century church of Saint-Maclou. With bikes off the car and helmets on we ride out of the village and soon find ourelves cycling along a quiet road through a wooded area. Despite the Littlest on the back of my bike, the terrain is relatively flat and the cycling easy. The Tribe are singing and obviously enjoying themelves. Within about 45 minutes we realise that we are on the edge of Scorbe Clairvaux. We have gone rather off route. And it starts to rain. Heavily.
Eventually we take a track between fields and stop to refuel. The cheese, tomatoes and baguettes disappear rapidly and high spirits return. It’s quite funny really. Realising that we are not that far away from Colombier, we continue on and after a very steep and rocky ascent that has all of us off our bikes and pushing, we are soon freewheeling back towards the ancient church. Always a great way to finish a ride.
Another day we decide to head to the village of Bonneuil Matours alongside the Vienne. It is larger than Colombier and has a square with several tabacs and stores around it. We find the car park near the river and unload the bikes again. As the previous ride had been pretty easy despite the fact that we had made it much longer than the 17.8km that it should have been we feel confident that this easy ride at just over 13km will be a breeze…
15 minutes after starting this ride, Father of the Tribe nearly has a revolt on his hands. The route has taken us off the roads and onto a track through a wood. This is not a problem. The problem is that the track is rocky, very narrow and very steep. I am bringing up the rear and have to get off the bike to push as do the Tribe. The Littlest is still sitting in her seat and within seconds there is a jam of bikes and with the steep gradient and the weight of the Littlest, my bike is pulled backwards and we crash over. Did I mention the stinging nettles that lined the track?
At the top of the track we stopped on a grass verge next to open farmland for food. When in doubt, eat. It certainly works with the Tribe when working. So, as the Tribe break the delicious freshly baked baguettes and dip the pieces into the slightly melted local butter, Father of the Tribe and I check the maps to see if this tougher than expected terrain continues. Satiated, we get back in the saddle and head off again. The track comes to an end and we cross a road before entering the Bois Prieur forest. Bliss. This is perfect family biking – no cars and easy riding. The Tribe race ahead laughing, singing and chattering away. The Littlest and I try to see if we can find a Gruffalo amongst the trees as we cycle past. I reckon that the noise the Tribe make will frighten even the scariest Gruffalo. The track narrows and takes us towards the Vienne. We see tantalising glimpses of the river through the trees as we cycle past. Everything is so quiet (other than us) and there is barely a soul around.
Without warning, we find ourselves cycling past a small grassy area that leads down to the river. Slamming on the breaks we all stop, drop the bikes and pile down to the waters’ edge.
It is glorious. The river is running fast here, but it is shallow enough near the bank for the Tribe to paddle. Dark, slimy clay squidges through the Littlest’s fists as she takes great delight in picking up handfuls of the stuff from beneath the cold, clear water, her face a picture of innocent delight. I lie on the bank in the sunshine and close my eyes. This is bliss and wonderfully unexpected. It is the site of an old fishing hut and again, mentioned nowhere!
The Tribe finish off the end of our picnic and we continue to make our way along the Vienne’s bank before joining the road again and turning up the hill towards the village of La Chapelle Mouliere, another pretty village, before another freewheel run back into Bonneuil Matours.
Before heading home we stop at the Parc de Cremault where we find a small restaurant and cafe next to a children’s play area. The Littlest is off playing as we have a coffee and the rest of the Tribe discover a small, but perfectly formed, manmade beach and swimming area – again we had found no information about it! As we return to Chateau de la Motte we make plans to return for a beach day.
Our beach day begins at the busy boulangerie on the square where we have delicious, still warm from the oven, pastries and coffee. At the back of the store the baker works tirelessly. From here we drive to Parc de Cremault which we find peaceful and empty – perfect!
As I spread out blankets on the beach the Tribe change into their swim gear and before I know it, our Boy has dived in and is swimming out to the inflatable slide. Gerald Durrell is not to be outdone and
quickly follows, but the Eldest definately feels the chill of the water and it takes her a few minutes before she too joins them on the slide. It is obviously their idea of heaven whilst the Littlest is in her element too,
splashing in the shallows. The opposite bank is covered in dense woodland with towering trees – it is incredibly relaxing and I’m once again staggered that there’s so little information on these fabulous places. The Tribe spend the day playing on the crazy inflatables, swimming, catching tiny fish and playing volleyball in the park. It is only around lunchtime that a few more families (primarily French) begin to arrive, setting up picnic lunches at the wooden tables that are dotted about under the trees next to the beach. This is when the lifeguards arrive as well. Having been spoilt by the empty beaches we enjoyed in the Middle East, we leave mid afternoon having had a fun but relaxing day.
