This post recounts the fifth day of my English Channel to the Mediterranean cycle tour in France with Peak Tours in June 2025. Read Day 4: Loches to Argenton-sur-Creuse.

It was a pleasure taking breakfast on the terrace at the Hôtel Manoir de Boisvillers. After the meal, I opened the shutters in my room and spotted the Aberdeen contingent, Steve, Maureen, Alison and Willie enjoying their petit déjeuner, and took the photo above.

If yesterday was an easy day, today proved the opposite. It was partly the combination of distance (76 miles) and an impressive 6,000 feet of climbing, but mainly because of the heat, which reached the mid 30s. This would be a theme for much of the rest of the tour, but I preferred that to the rain that other editions of this tour have endured. The route profile above tells a vivid story: the whole day we’d be gaining height as we cycled south towards the Massif Central, which we’d reach during tomorrow’s ride. The few descents were followed inevitably by steep, longer climbs.

We followed the scenic Creuse valley for much of the day. We started by recrossing the old bridge in Argenton, quickly followed by a very steep but short ascent to a road junction. Within a few miles we were back on the river’s east bank and climbing – the theme for the day. We saw a few castellated houses along the valley road, overlooking the Creuse. John remarked on them at the morning brew stop, leading me to say I’d caught them on video, as seen above. Much of this stage of the ride was in woodland, which helped keep us cool on the climbs.

A feature of French towns and villages is the mairie, which is the rough equivalent of a town hall in Britain. The difference is that all but the tiniest hamlet has a mairie, reflecting the importance of local government and identity in France following the French revolution in 1789. This is where the maire (mayor) oversees his or her patch. You inevitably see the French tricolor flying proudly from the building, but they seem to be as deserted as the communes they oversee.

Our morning brew stop was at Crozant, overlooking the river on a road fringed with colourful wild flowers. I enjoyed my morning coffee overlooking the ever-present Creuse. The ruins of Crozant castle provided a dramatic backdrop.

I set off with John and we were soon descending to cross the Creuse once more, with pleasure boats on the river banks. Looking back, I could see the castle high on the hill, underlining its strategic position dominating the valley.

I spotted John mending a puncture just after I crossed the Petite Creuse. He didn’t need my help (wisely…) but I paused to study the nearby poster featuring Claude Monet’s impression of the Petite Creuse, dating from 1889. This was his first planned series of paintings.

These images capture the essence of the day’s riding. We’d just descended to the river past obstructions blocking the route to cars. We now had a stiff climb up the other side of the valley to Mairie d’Anzême. As I was pondering the correct route in Anzême, Jacqui came along and set me on the right direction. We had just five miles to our late lunch at Saint-Fiel after 48 hilly miles.

The meal was another picnic, and I made the most of the rest. Lead guide Mick later said this was the first time he’d had a three hour gap between the first and last rider to reach lunch – a sign of how tough this morning had been. After finishing lunch, Huw, Peter and I walked to the nearby bar to enjoy a coffee before resuming the journey. This next session was in the hottest part of the day, without the shade that shielded us for much of the morning. We reflected afterwards that today’s ride would have been easier had the temperatures been in the 20s rather than 30s. As we passed a quarry, the road was shimmering white with the dust as lorries thundered past.

A highlight for me was the sight of this spectacular railway viaduct over the Creuse valley near Busseau-sur-Creuse. It reminded me of the old Crumlin viaduct in South Wales, dismantled after closure in the Beeching Axe in the 1960s. The Busseau viaduct was opened in 1864, just seven years after Crumlin. I wondered whether it was disused so was pleased to spot a modern single carriage train cross it, which I captured on video. We passed under the structure after descending to the valley floor.

We’d earned our break at the afternoon brew stop next to the medieval bridge over the Creuse at Moutier d’Ahun. We were joined by a friendly dog, which placed its front paws on the table carrying our snacks – but didn’t take any. We were concerned for his safety as cars were passing on the nearby road, but he avoided any mishaps,

It was just 13 miles to our destination, Aubusson, but these miles continued the long ascent that was the theme of day’s route. Entering Aubusson, I realised I needed to check where I was staying. Most of us were at Hôtel La Beuze, on a road out of town overlooking the Beuze, a tributary of the Creuse. After a long, hot day, it was a joy to say goodbye to the bike for 14 hours, and retreat to my room to freshen up. (‘Becoming human again’, as I described it on tour.)

A few of us decided to go for the easy option and have dinner at the bar and restaurant opposite the hotel, Le Chant du Monde. It proved a good choice.

Read Day 6: Aubusson to Le Mont-Dore

The day’s stats

76.67 miles, 6,109 feet climbing, 6 hrs 14 mins cycling, average speed 12.3 mph.

The day’s highlights video