Méryl’s cycling trip with the family

This wasn’t your first cycling trip. What were the initial challenges?

 We are very used to cycling outings. With our children, we’ve been on a series of cycling adventures in the past few years: La Vélofrancette in Mayenne; the Canal de Nantes à Brest; portions of La Vélodyssée in Vendée… Each time, we up the level! Our children have a lot of energy to expend and they’re always on for more cycling trips! A few years back we used to ride about 20km a day, but now we rack up getting on for 60km a day. 

How did you plan for this cycling trip?

Spontaneously and by improvising, that’s how I’d sum up our preparation. This was a cycling trip that we organized at the last minute. Initially, we had wanted to tackled the north Breton coast, but we didn’t find what we were looking for there, that’s to say a cycle route accessible to all the family. A friend of ours told us about La Flow Vélo. What a wonderful surprise! Having taken our decision, we did consult the France Vélo Tourisme website and to our delight, La Flow Vélo showed up in our search. That was enough to persuade us to choose this cycle route!

We opted to tackle a section of La Flow Vélo going from Angoulême to Fouras. That meant sorting out some logistics at the start; my partner went to park the car in Fouras before joining us from France’s comics capital via a car-sharing scheme. Then we could get on our way! 

What appealed to you in particular about La Flow Vélo?

It’s the perfect cycle route for taking a little family on, as the paths are flat almost all the way along. We had an electric bike… which I didn’t even need to recharge, which speaks volumes! La Flow Vélo also has the advantage of being very safe. There are only a few points at which you need to cross any road and the cycle paths are wide. This was all reassuring for us, and ideal for restless children who aren’t always aware of the dangers on roads. Although we had quite a lot of gear, we really appreciated being able to meander along without having to worry too much about our belongings. As to negotiating any difficult sections, that wasn’t a problem at all, as the cycle route is so easy to ride along. 

As to landscapes, this cycle route is perfect for a relaxing trip on which you can take in the beauty of the countryside. Its great advantage, I’d say, is that you can really enjoy all its hidden corners and local flavour. It’s a rare thing, in the height of summer, to find yourself far from the crowds, in a tranquil setting. Even better, we could find cooling spots! So, La Flow Vélo met our expectations. What with the wooded stretches and the Charente River, it makes for really lovely cycling. What’s more, we didn’t encounter mosquitoes along our route this year. What a dream! 

How did you choose your accommodation? 

We chose to spend the night in campsites. To select them, we first consulted La Flow Vélo’s website, but without bothering to reserve a space many days in advance. We very much appreciated the flexibility that campsites allow; they’re well used to welcoming cycling tourists. There was no stressing about making it before reception closed, around 9pm. The campsites were very adaptable, enabling us to install our tent easily. Plus, there were no worries about finding a space. Each place we stopped at, there was always a good amount of space to put up our tent.

Little moments of relaxation and visits to recommend?

We made the most of the proximity of the great river Charente.

The great novelty for us on this cycling trip was buying a fishing rod! Encountering a good number of fishers on the banks of the Charente, it made us want to try our hand at angling too! By the way, it’s a great way of getting your children to stop and contemplate nature… and for parents to enjoy a few minutes of peace! Along the river, there are also many spots where you can go for a quick dip. That was a lovely way of refreshing ourselves. 

We really fell for the cognac-producing area. Around Jarnac, the landscapes are sublime, the homes sumptuous.

Did you try out any regional specialities?

A guilty pleasure was really relishing cognac-flavoured ice cream! We also found enough room in our panniers to bring a bottle of cognac home, for the memories!

We alternated between having picnics and taking meals in restaurants. Our children love mussels and chips. As we got closer to the coast, it got easier and easier to find them. We ate very well at Port-d’Envaux, in a riverside restaurant with a guinguette atmosphere, ordering a large seafood platter to share, which was absolutely delicious!

What tips would you give other families? 

You get better at planning the more trips you take! We’ve found a good method. To cycle along without hassle, we did of course invest in some panniers. Our idea with these is to compartmentalize. Each pannier has its specific use: one for food; another for clothes; our technical equipment and very practical stuff on one side; plus a pannier for duvets and mattresses on the other. So, yes, we didn’t leave anything to chance! 

Beyond that, just go with the flow, following the signposts for La Flow Vélo! You’ll soon realize how well signposted this cycle route is. Thanks to the signposting, we also noted that there are quite a few more cycle routes to take through the Charentes. That could give cyclists further ideas for trips!