Ride along at your own rhythm on La Flow Vélo
La Flow Vélo®, a long and winding route!
Let’s get physical, à vélo!
From Sarlat, in the Dordogne’s Périgord, to the Island of Aix, La Flow Vélo is a 400km-long cycle route encouraging cycling tourists, whether novices or seasoned cyclists, to embark on an adventure that’ll provide many delights… as well as allowing you to travel free as a bird… but at your own pace!
Feel the wind beneath your wings…
Riding between Thiviers and Rochefort, passing via Cognac and Angoulême, you’ll be swept along by this epic cycling route. La Flow Vélo unfurls all its charm, leading you through the midst of green, bucolic countryside dotted with enchanting villages.
I’ll go where you go!
Providing you with one little delight after the next, La Flow Vélo offers pleasures for everyone, each rider enjoying their own unique cycling experience.
You may well find yourself whistling merrily as you ride along, inspired by the country areas you cross. Varied rural scenes appear before your eyes as you rack up the kilometres. Getting closer to the ocean as you cross the Charentes areas, along most of this portion you ride beside the great Charente River, which may well tempt you to take a dip!
Oysters, cognac, truffles, wine... there are lots of local treats to savour along this cycle route. Foodies are in for a treat! Sample périgourdin specialities in the east, charentais ones in the west. For those keen on sampling as much produce from local terroirs as possible, your main challenge may be trying to avoid over-filling your bicycle panniers!
You’re in for a veritable festival of discoveries. Ancestral know-how and crafts are celebrated along the way, giving you many incentives for a stop here and there, meeting local artisans, or simply admiring the rich local heritage.
So, it’s Day 1 of your cycling trip, a day of great significance… off you ride, to conquer the cycle paths that make up La Flow Vélo!
Linking Atlantic and Périgord, much of my character derives from water. Indeed, some 50% of my route is beside waterways, notably the peaceful, languorous Charente River. I start (or end, depending on where you begin) at Sarlat-la-Canéda, one of the gateway towns to the Parc Naturel Régional Périgord-Limousin. My route has a certain style, reflected in the towns and sites I cross or pass by. The AOC Cognac vine-growing area evokes refined taste. Naval Rochefort impresses with its Arsenal, its replica of Lafayette’s ship, L’Hermione, and its majestic Corderie Royale (or Royal Ropery). Angoulême has become synonymous with the 9th art – that’s to say comics – and creative illustration generally. The Périgord appeals greatly thanks to its natural charm and gastronomic traditions. In fact, along La Flow Vélo®, you’ll ride from one exceptional place to the next. I present a refined exterior, and am far from being flashy. Let’s say that the countryside I cross has a bucolic chic, very much appreciated by cycling tourists. Riding along, you may at times be stretched in mind and body, but you’ll learn and be moved as you progress, living life to the full.
I believe in:
- freedom and bringing out the explorer in every cyclist;
- knowledge, cultivated via the many historical eras to be appreciated along my course, from prehistory to the contemporary, with so many centuries represented in between;
- culinary delights, your tastebuds excited by sweet, savoury and sea-salty flavours, or then a touch of amber liqueur, cognac;
- gentle travel, offering a cycling trip you can tackle at your own pace
That why my name, La Flow Vélo®, suits me so well
My charming, laid-back name clearly evokes a route that takes you along in mellow fashion. So, go with the flow! My very name makes you think of the flowing waters beside which I’ll take you riding. English-speakers will guess immediately what I stand for, but I’ll attract many other nationalities, such as Dutch and Germans, very keen cyclists too. Linked to La Flow Vélo® are my main regional components too: Atlantic; Charentes; and Périgord; they indicate the thread of my route, reminding you of the three famous geographical parts I guide you across.
