Above La Roche-Guyon, the Seine swings through a great meander, and the view from the cliff road takes in a wide loop of the river, green islands, poplar lines and pale chalk bluffs. The valley here is cut into thick white limestone, and the river has carved long, steep walls on the outer bends, which glow almost pink in the late afternoon. Barges pass slowly below, and the fields on the flat plains inside the loops are patched with wheat, rape and maize. It is one of the most peaceful panoramas anywhere within an hour or so of the capital.
The cliff itself holds history. Some of the houses in the village of Haute-Isle, a few kilometres east, are cut straight into the chalk, with doorways, chimneys and even a chapel hollowed out of the rock, and people have lived in these troglodyte homes for centuries. The cliff and the river were also strategic, and the château of La Roche-Guyon, built against the slope with a medieval tower on the hill above, controlled the road from Paris to Normandy for centuries. Monet's garden at Giverny lies a short ride downstream, and many painters followed the same light along this valley.
The riding is a pleasure. The D913 runs beside the river, under overhanging cliffs and through small villages, with gentle curves and a smooth surface, and it is one of the classic scenic roads of the Vexin. Traffic can be heavy on summer weekends, with cyclists and sightseers, and in places the road is narrow, with chalk dust on the bends. Fuel is not available at the viewpoint, and the nearest stop is Mantes-la-Jolie, a large town about twelve kilometres away, which has stations and supermarkets. Smaller villages along the road have bakeries and cafés.
Come on a weekday, and in the late afternoon if the weather is clear. The river catches the sky, swallows dart around the cliffs and the chalk turns a warm cream. It is a good place to open the visor, let the engine tick, and look at the water.