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In 1707 floods were said to have drowned 50,000 people, with the water rising more than 3 metres in two hours in Orléans. For many hundreds of years there have been continual attempts by the peoples of the region to control the River Loire and, by the end of the Middle Ages, the long stretch of the river between Orléans and Anger was enclosed by dikes up to 13 ft. high.
These embankments make for excellent bike paths |
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The Chateau of Sully Sur Loire sits at the confluence of the Loire and the River Sange. It is on three islands that the Chateau of Sully was built. The North western island is now taken up with the main keep, the ditch that ran between it and the south western island is now filled in. This southwestern island holds the Inner Courtyard with defence towers, galleries and later residences. The Outer Courtyard, taking up the Eastern island, although now empty, has held various buildings over history. |
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After exploring the chateau grounds we headed in to town and found an excellent cakeshop (surprise, surprise).
We took our time enjoying our goodies as we had a long way to ride and a little prevarication always helps. |
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As mentioned we were almost in Orleans when Wendy discovered that our destination was closed. After a few minutes on her phone she had turned us around and we headed back the way we had come. Somehow Wendy guided us directly to the camping ground and we celebrated our longest day with an ice-cream.
Camping Olivet is a three star campsite with 1 hectare of land on the edge of the Loiret and Dhuy rivers. Our site was on the banks of the Dhuy and less than a hundred metres from the confluence of the two rivers. |