Roanne / Iguerande
The Véloire cycle route now leads you very peacefully into southern Burgundy. Don’t forget to buy a praluline brioche for your pannier before heading off gently along the Canal de Roanne à Digoin greenway. Riding along the former towpath, you go from one lock to the next. As you continue, you reach tarmacked stretches. The renowned Charolais breed of cow becomes a common sight in the fields, underlining the bucolic, rural nature of this stage. This part of the Brionnais area reveals the richness of Burgundy’s architectural legacy. In the Pays du Sornin, a link can take you to Charlieu, designated a Petite Cité de Caractère, the centre dominated by a beautiful old Benedictine abbey. Do try the local culinary specialities: Charlieu andouille (chitterling sausage) and François Pralus’s praluline (a brioche containing caramelized nut pralines).
The route
The greenway goes from Roanne’s boating river port, as you follow the signposting for the Véloire, soon reaching the former towpath beside the canal. Leaving Briennon, the route takes you over a bridge, a cycle lane helping you across, to rejoin the greenway at Pouilly-sous-Charlieu. This is a stage suitable for all cyclists. The way is straight, but there are a few places where you need to take care, making your presence clear, especially crossing bridges. Also take care tackling the crossroads with larger roads. There are many picnic tables and loungers set out along this stage.
Link to Charlieu
A link for cyclists at the exit to Pouilly allows you to reach Charlieu, designated a Petite Cité de Caractère. This link is entirely along a flat greenway. It takes you past the Couvent des Cordeliers before you arrive in the centre of Charlieu, which is a member of the association Les Plus Beaux Détours en France, the Benedictine abbey the highlight here.
Gradients and elevation
Road types
Surface
Don’t miss
- Port de Briennon: boating river port; the MuséoParc du Marinier at the port, with barge-museum and outdoor games; close by, the Cistercian Abbey of La Bénisson Dieu.
- Iguerande: the peace monument; the église de St Marcel, a Brionnais church from the 11th and 12th centuries; La Colline du Colombier, a hotel-restaurant in a rural setting, the restaurant run by the famed Troisgros family, the novel accommodation in the form of cadoles, funky cabins.
- Pont du Sornin: associations with famed French engineer Gustave Eiffel.
- St Nizier /s Charlieu: Les Cordeliers Convent
- Charlieu: a member of the association Les Plus Beaux Détours en France, designated a Petite Cité de Caractère en Loire for its fine medieval centre; the Benedictine abbey; the timberframe houses; the Musées de la Soierie et Hospitalier; Saint Philibert Church.
