Sancerre Showers

For most of our trip so far the weather had been generally settled and warm but by the time we arrived in our last place in the Loire things had become unsettled weatherwise and the the forecast was for some heavy showers punctuated by spells of sunshine. Our next accomodation was an old cottage attached to the owners home in a hamlet just outside the village of Vinon. I messaged the owners to let them know we planned on arriving late afternoon. Driving south we made our way to the city of Bourges.

The landscaped changed as we crossed the Loire. After getting used to a landcsape of big skies and far horizons, trees now dominated, punctuated by villages in a terrain that undulated gently. Bourges is not a large city and should have been easy to navigate, but I managed to take a wrong turn when we got close to the centre, and eventually ended up in a car park about 10 minutes walk away from the historic centre. One benefit was the parking was free. After walking past an exhibition/conference centre we found ourselves in a small park behind the cathedral. We'd planned ahead and Mrs B had made us a picnic. A shaded bench seemed as good as spot as any to have lunch. After filled croissants purchased from the boulangerie that morning we set off to look around the heart of the old city. Naturally as it was right by us, the cathedral seemed a good place to start. Borges cathedral, dedicated to St Etienne, is another grand gothic church - there are plenty in the Loire Valley - but unlike most gothic cathedrals this one has no transept  but five naves than run the whole length of the cathedral. 

The nave of Bourges Cathedral

Stained glass, Bourges Cathedral

Construction started in the 13th century and as well as wonderful high vaulted ceilings, the cathedral has some beautiful mediaeval stained glass and, unexpectedly, a clock. 

Astronomical clock, Bourges, cathedral

This is an astronomical clock that was designed and installed in 1424 - its the oldest clock of its type in France and one of the oldest in the world.

After visiting the cathedral we wandered out into the streets of old Bourges - a mixture of timbered and stone buildings and cobbled streets. We eventually found a cafe and ordered sone cold drinks as the rain had held off but it was a very sticky sort of day. Unfortunately one of these cold drinks is likely to have caused a bit of a problem - of which more later.

Bourges

Before leaving the city we walked into part of the The Archbishop's Palace, housing a small museum. The museums in Bourges are undergoing a major renovation so in the House of Museums the city has gathered together a small collection of art and items - located on two floors a ground floor mainly devoted to art works and on a mezzanine. The mezzanine had a themed exhibition on sport which seemed very appropriate as France is hosting the 2024 Olympic games but my eye was drawn to a lovely piece of 16th century art, a painting called the Outdoor Concert, by an anonmynous Italian artist.

Our time in Bourges had come to an end and we headed towards our next base through rolling hills, stopping to pick up some food at a supermarket on the way. 

It was very pleasant to be driving through landscape with some hills and late afternoon we arrived at our accomodation, a rustic annex to the owners home. It was very pretty and located next to a stream that ran right next to the living area window. It was quite dark and slightly chilly inside and the kitchen had dozens of chamber pots hanging from the ceiling - a very quirky touch. 

The showers that had been promised started as we arrived and the air was heavy with the promise of thunder. 

Our base near Vinon

Having met our hosts we unpacked the car and settled in. After cooking a simple meal and after the rain had stopped I took a wander along the lane alongside fields of cereal crops and up a slight hill until I reached a small wayside cross. The undulating landscape looked very tranquil.

The rural landscape near Vinon

I returned to the house just as the first heavy drops of rained started and we settled in for the evening. That night we had a tremendous thunderstorm. Thunder claps came every few minutes and the night time sky was lit by enormous flashes of lightning.

Unfortunately Mrs B was feeling somewhat delicate the following morning. We think it might have been a spot of food poisoning and may have been caused by the iced drink she had the previous afternoon in Bourges. She couldn't keep any food down and didn't want to eat anything and spent most of the day sleeping. 

I had a couple of short solo explorations whilst Mrs B rested and recovered, starting with a walk alongside the Loire Lateral canal from the nearby village of Ménétréol-sous-Sancerre. The morning was still humid, cloudy but dry although my legs got very wet walking along the canalside path which was lined with long grass. A haven for moths and butterflies but the thigh high grass was still very wet and it was impossible to avoid brushing up against it resulting in a gradual but thorough soaking from about the knees down. From the canal there were views of Sancerre sitting on the hill above.

The Loire Lateral Canal

I returned to check up on Mrs B - who was still feeling poorly - then had some lunch and after another shower drove the short distance to the hilltop village of Sancerre. This area is best known for its wine - particularly its white wine. All around the village there are vinyards and dozens of wine makers. There are also goats cheese makers centred on the village of Chavignol just a few miles from Sancerre. Getting supplies for a cheese and wine party is a doddle in this part of the world.

I parked in Sancerre and walked through the quiet but attractive streets, some decorated with brightly coloured umbrellas to the central square. Because it sits on a hill the village provides panoramic views of the surrounding countryside and the grape vines growing in neat rows on the slopes are revealed. In the village there are plenty of wine sellers offering a wide range of vintages. Sancerre wine isn't cheap but I treated myself to a bottle to add to my growing collection taking up more space in the boot of the car. 

Sancerre

After a good wander through Sancerre, which was much quieter than I anticipated, I returned to the car and drove through some of the surrounding countryside, stopping to take in the views. The weather was changeable, bright sunshine one minute, then cloudy the next and every so oftern a few drops of rain would fall before petering out. 

A distant view of Sancerre

After my solo explorations of the Sancerre countryside I returned to our accomodation to find that Mrs B had perked up a little bit, but was still not up to eating so I made myself a meal and we had a quiet evening before packing up our bags. We were leaving early the following morning because it was time to leave the Loire and head north. Before returning home we had a couple of nights booked in Flanders, the first in France and the second in Belgium and the drive to our first stop was an estimated 5 hours - so an early start was needed.