North of Senlis the Oise runs in a broad, flat-bottomed valley between two great forests, Halatte to the south and Compiègne to the north-east. This stop lies in that valley between Verberie and Pontpoint, a few kilometres upstream of Pont-Sainte-Maxence, where barges still push along the river and gravel pits have turned old meadows into chains of lakes.
The area has a deep royal past. Verberie was a residence of Merovingian and Carolingian kings, and the forests were royal hunting grounds for centuries. At Pontpoint, the ruins of the abbey of Le Moncel, founded by Philip the Fair in the early fourteenth century, stand in a park by the river, with a huge Gothic roof structure that has survived the centuries. Compiègne, with its palace and the clearing where the 1918 armistice was signed, is a short ride away.
For a swim, the Oise itself is not an option: it is a working waterway with currents and boat traffic. The flooded gravel pits along the valley are tempting on a hot day, but most are private or used for fishing, and some are dangerous because of steep, unstable banks and very cold water at depth. Only swim where bathing is clearly allowed and supervised.
The riding is pleasant rather than thrilling. The roads along the valley are flat and fast, while the forest roads through Halatte and Compiègne are straight, shaded and often lined with beech and oak. Expect deer crossings, especially at dawn and dusk, and heavy traffic on the main roads at weekends.
Fuel is no problem in Pont-Sainte-Maxence, and Verberie has the bakery-and-bar basics. Senlis, twenty minutes south, is the better dinner: a cathedral, crooked medieval lanes and more good tables than a town that size deserves.