Brioux-sur-Boutonne. This stretch is probably my favourite with the quiet backroads between the villages of St-Martin-d’Etraigues and Chérigné, and the newly surfaced gravel paths with a river backdrop; it’s calm and very pretty and there are also plenty of benches to be found. In Brioux-sur-Boutonne the route runs around the back of the town, alongside the municipal campsite, which is useful for cycle tourists, but if you follow the signs without deviating, you do miss the town itself, which is a shame. Brioux-sur-Boutonne has a good selection of bars, restaurants and boulangeries, all of which are necessary to fuel a hungry cyclist and I’m sure the town’s commerces would
and plenty of cafés and boulangeries, it is worth the wiggle around to get into the town centre. Melle to Celles-sur-Belle This section is on an established cycle path that makes use of the old railway line. It passes the arboretum and then soon becomes a cool, shady cutting, the steep banks covered in ferns, or bluebells and wild garlic, in early spring. There are regular picnic spots and it is nice and flat with a good surface. There is a bit of a climb into Celles-sur-Belle, but the route ensures you arrive at the right side of town to benefit from a spectacular view of the Abbaye Royale. Celles-sur-Belle to Prahecq This was probably the least interesting section as it really is a long, straight flat route with fields either side that doesn’t deviate into any towns. It is a good surfaced track, using the old railway line, but when we cycled it there were no picnic tables or even benches to sit at for a rest. The hedgerows lining the path were full of sloes, some of which came home with us for a batch of sloe gin. Prahecq centre, where there is a bar and boulangerie is completely bypassed by the marked route.
have welcomed the extra trade. We often stop for a morning coffee at La Ranch, enjoy our lunches at the Auberge du Cheval Blanc and an afternoon bike ride is not complete without a patisserie stop at the award-winning Le Puits Gourmand.
Prahecq to Niort This is a flat and fast-moving section that also makes use of the old railway line before joining the existing marked cycle routes that bring you through the residential outskirts of Niort and into the town centre. The best way to arrive in Niort is by bike. You don’t have to worry about parking and the cycle paths take you directly into the pedestrian/cycle friendly town centre, past the market halle and impressive Donjon, before joining the Vélo-Francette along the Sèvres-Niortais River.
Brioux-sur-Boutonne to Melle This section was totally new to us, often making use of gravel paths that are also used by longdistance walkers on the Chemins de St Jacques, or backroads through quiet villages. It was great fun to discover villages, churches and lavoirs that we’d never seen before. With lots to see in Melle, including three Romanesque churches, the silver mine museum The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, June 2021 | 47