Cycle the trail of the Vallee du Thouet

Vallee Thouet YOU might not think water runs uphill, but in France it does, writes Beryl Brennan.

The source of the River Thouet in Deux-Sevres is at Le Beugnon, near Secondigny, and it runs uphill to join the mighty Loire at Saumur.

It is a particularly attractive river, meandering through the picturesque and varied countryside via Parthenay, Airvault (birthplace of Voltaire) and Thouars, in a route known as the Vallee du Thouet.

And it is now possible to cycle this route, in fact, you could take a week and have a cycling holiday, as the Syndicat Mixte de la Vallee du Thouet have recently opened a 145km route specifically for cyclists, called Le Thouet a Velo.

The route was opened this month and took five years to come to fruition, at a cost €2.5 million, funded by the French government, a European Union grant, regional and departmental grants, and the four communes through which the river runs.

Much of the route follows existing lanes and tracks, but in order to complete the whole circuit, it has been necessary to purchase four separate pieces of land.

Le Thouet a Velo is marked by 450 special signposts, and scenery varies from the flat plains of the north round Thouars to the wooded valleys and rolling hillsides of St Loup sur Thouet with its pretty Chateau du St Loup (said to be where 'Puss in Boots' was written by Charles Perrault) and Parthenay with its mediaeval quarter.

An attractive brochure is available (in English) from tourism offices entitled De Rives en Reves which sets out the whole trail.

The guide is broken up into sections with the distance and length of time it should take to cycle, that's if you don't stop off en route to explore the places of interest also detailed.

If you want to make a holiday of it, there is an accommodation list of places to stay close to the route, varying from hotels to gites and camp sites. At the moment they are all French owned, but planning is in progress to add British-owned properties too.

Next year the route will be extended another 30 kms to Saumur, and connect up with the cycle routes of the Niort plains of the Marais Poitevin in the south. It will then be possible to cycle a specifically designated cycle route from Saumur to La Rochelle.

The official inauguration will be on September 15 and there will be a special open day at St Generoux on September 21, as part of the celebration of the Journees du Patrimoine, with cycles available to hire, an exhibition of old cycles and children's entertainment.

For copies of the brochures mentioned, visit www.valleeduthouet.fr or any of the tourist offices in Thouars, Airvault, Parthenay, Saumur and Niort.

Beryl Brennan worked for more then 10 years with BBC Manchester regional radio, before moving to western France in 2002. While still writing about France, her other passion is greyhounds, helping to rehome rescued dogs through the Galgo News website.