ROUTE DES VACANCES ❘ GREAT DESTINATIONS


wisteria-draped lavoir, buttercup meadows, hostelries and a campsite. Skirting Montargis, there are pretty views of the Loing river before the road continues through woodland (the far-eastern stretches of the Forêt d’Orléans). I peel off the N7 for the half-kilometre detour to the Château de la Bussière, where the turreted castle nestles amidst fine parkland, wildflower meadows, and oak and chestnut woods, as well as its designated Jardin Remarquable.


THROUGH THE LOIRE


Sixteen kilometres south, the route enters the Loire Valley at Briare, a handsome town situated on two rivers and a canal, just brimming with opportunities for messing about in boats. Not to be missed is the impressive and elegant 662m-long Briare Aqueduct. At Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, the A77 now supersedes the N7, so I cross to the left bank of the river for a detour to Sancerre. The hilltop town, renowned for its wines, is a worthy enough reason to head this way, but so, too, is the gentle potter along the D955, which runs beside the Canal latéral à la Loire. With wildflower- strewn banks beneath leafy hedgerows and a towpath for cycling, it’s an ideal place to break apart a baguette and nibble on a piece of cheese.


I return to the N7 (D907 at this point) at wine village Pouilly-sur-Loire. The iron-girder bridge across the river marks the ‘Middle of the Loire’ – it’s 500km either way to source and sea. Here the landscape


❯❯ Aug/Sep 2022 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 33


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