I’d been thinking about a few different cycling routes, but on their own, each felt too short, especially since I’d need to figure out how to get to the starting point and back from the finish. So, I decided to connect them all into a single long-distance loop that would start and end right at our house.
Since La Vagabonde passes, figuratively speaking, just around the corner, that’s where I started.
Day 1 — Prudhomat to Saint-Yrieix-le-Déjalat (La Vagabonde), 92km
The first day I went from 0 to 60 like a sports car — except in my case that meant cycling more than 90 hilly kilometres after two months off the saddle since my Loire Valley trip. Unsurprisingly, my legs tired quickly, which made for a longer day than planned, since I simply couldn’t pedal any faster.
I followed La Vagabonde almost the entire way, with one small exception. The route was pleasant but unremarkable — neither the nature nor the architecture stood out. I had trouble finding a campsite where I wanted to stop for the night, so I deviated slightly. The village with the campground had no grocery store or restaurant; the reception had a little food, which was enough to quiet my appetite.
Day 2 — Saint-Yrieix-le-Déjalat to Pelletanges (La Vagabonde), 81km
Even though it hadn’t rained overnight, the outer shell of my tent was soaked — the night had been crisp, and condensation had built up. Apart from the first fifteen kilometres, where I climbed to 850m, the route was generally forgiving, with no major climbs. The scenery was much the same as the day before: forest and the occasional lake, though the lakes were badly depleted after the hot, dry summer. Today I crossed the Millevaches plateau — its literal translation is “a thousand cows,” and while I did see plenty of them, the name actually comes from the Occitan for “a thousand springs.”
It was a shorter day, both in distance and time, and I reached the almost-deserted lakeside campsite around 4pm. This time there wasn’t just no grocery store along the way — there was no food to buy at the campsite either. Luckily, halfway through, in Bugeat, I picked up some bananas, energy bars, and croissants. That should get me through the night.
Day 3 — Pelletanges to Montluçon (La Vagabonde), 109km
Last night was colder than the one before, and even though I was better prepared than on my last trip — I’d brought a thicker sleeping bag — I still felt the cold and slept poorly. Most of the day I cycled through the Creuse department, one of the least populous in France. There was a lot of forest, which started to feel repetitive. My left knee had been bothering me from the first pedal stroke, and it only got worse — the sudden jump in daily distance was catching up with me.
Once again, there wasn’t much to see along the way. If I were interested in tapestry, I might have lingered longer in Aubusson, known for its tapestries and carpets, but I’m not, so after a coffee I moved on. I then reached Chambon-sur-Voueize, one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, and wasn’t especially impressed. I’d planned to stay there, but Montluçon was only 25km further, so — doing what I do best, pushing myself — I carried on. Luckily there weren’t many hills, and I arrived around 4pm. To reward myself, I rented a studio in the city centre: tonight I’d sleep in comfort.
This concluded the La Vagabonde section of the trip.