The Charente River now becomes the main thread on your journey along La Flow Vélo. The route takes you gently out of Angoulême, French comics capital, keeping to the riverside. Then it leads you up to slopes featuring the first vines of the Pays de Cognac area. The sweet-toothed might stop at Letuffe chocolate-makers’ at Trois-Palis. While up on the slopes, savour the lovely viewpoints before dropping down to Saint-Simeux, a village with lovely houses and gardens practically bathing in the Charente. Just before Châteauneuf-sur-Charente, the Bain des Dames boasts a lovely beach where you can enjoy the river to the full.