The spires of Chartres cathedral appear on the horizon while you are still deep in the wheat fields of the Beauce, two mismatched towers, one plain and one flamboyant, rising out of the flat land like a mirage. For pilgrims, for centuries, that first sight was a moment of joy, and it still is if you approach on the quiet roads from the east or south.
The cathedral is one of the great buildings of the world. Most of it dates from the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, after a fire destroyed the earlier church, and it has kept most of its original stained glass, including windows of an intense blue that glassmakers have never quite matched. On the floor of the nave is a large labyrinth, which pilgrims walked as a symbolic journey. Even if you are not a church person, standing inside on a sunny afternoon, with coloured light spilling across the stone, is something you will remember.
Around the cathedral, the old town drops down to the Eure, where old houses, mills and washhouses line the river, and the riverside lanes are made for walking off lunch. Chartres has plenty of restaurants and cafés, from simple crêperies to more refined places, and in the summer evenings the cathedral and other monuments are illuminated with coloured light projections that are surprisingly well done.
The riding around Chartres is a story of contrasts. The Beauce is flat and open, with long straight roads, big skies and, on a windy day, a lot of buffeting. It is not technical, but there is a certain meditative quality to it. To the west, the landscape changes as you head into the Perche, a region of rolling hills, hedgerows, manor houses and the powerful Percheron draught horses. The roads there are narrower and more winding, and the scenery is greener. Chartres has fuel, workshops and all the services you might need, and it is a good base for exploring both landscapes.