Marseilles-lès-Aubigny / Sancoins

Leaving behind the Loire and its banks, this provisional stretch along the Cœur de France – Canal de Berry à Vélo cycle route leads you through the Germigny Valley. Led by the département du Cher county council, the Cœur de France – Canal de Berry à Vélo is an ambitious plan to revive the former canal network across the old province of Berry that had been largely abandoned. The next stages on the cycle route, up to Saint-Amand-Montrond, will provide you with glimpses of this unusual network of canals, the technical solutions employed at the time of building sometimes wayward. Don’t expect a chain of unbroken waterways through these parts today, as most stretches of the network were long ago drained, covered with vegetation or put to other uses. At La Guerche-sur-l’Aubois and Sancoins, two typical traditional Berry towns, you can find the facilities you might need on your cycling trip.

Cycle route from Marseilles-lès-Aubigny to Sancoins

This portion of the Saint-Jacques à Vélo - Via Vézelay is provisional, so keep a keen eye out for the temporary signposting in the form of yellow signs and refer to your roadbook and local maps. Completion of the whole Canal de Berry à Vélo cycle route is planned for 2025. Up until then, stretches of the route will open bit by bit, but not in unbroken fashion. So, for the time being, we suggest you work out your own route in advance, with the help of local tourist offices. Note that some of the provisional stretches may include non-tarmacked portions, but these should still provide easy cycling; nor should they present any particular difficulties for road bikes even, but do check your tyre pressures before tackling them. 

Link

A few kilometres before Sancoins (the town at the end of this stage), you’ll encounter the junction with the V70 - Via Allier cycle route, which you could take to head towards Nevers, south along the Loire. Note how, by combining the Saint-Jacques à Vélo - Via Vézelay - V56 cycle route, the EuroVeloroute des Fleuves - EV6 and the Via Allier - V70, you could enjoy a beautiful cycling circuit around the wider Loire area, taking you via La-Charité-sur-Loire, Sancoins and Nevers.
You could also opt to ride down the Via Allier cycle route towards its starting point in the Massif Central, cycling off in the direction of Moulins.
For further information on the Via Allier.  

Don't miss 

• Marseilles-lès-Aubigny: an inland port beside the Loire, located at the point where the Canal de Berry joins the Canal Latéral à la Loire
• La Guerche-sur-l’Aubois: parc Maurice Fuselier (public gardens)
• Sancoins: marché des Grivelles (a livestock market, sales by auction)