The Pays de Thelle is a low chalk plateau north of the Vexin, crossed by quiet roads and patched with woods, and this stop lies in its quieter part, between Saint-Crépin-Ibouvillers, Villeneuve-les-Sablons and Lormaison. It is undramatic, gently rolling country, with big fields, farm courtyards built of flint and brick, and small churches in every village.
Méru, the nearest town of any size, has an unexpected past. For centuries its workshops made buttons, fans, dominoes and small luxury objects from mother-of-pearl, bone and ivory, supplying the fashion houses of Paris. A museum in the town tells the story of that craft, with old machines and delicate pieces that are hard to believe were made by hand.
There is no natural swimming water worth the name here. The plateau is dry chalk, and the streams are small. The honest answer is a municipal pool in Méru or Beauvais, or a longer ride to one of the lakes along the Oise.
Beauvais, to the north, is home to a cathedral with the tallest Gothic choir ever built, so ambitious that parts of it collapsed and the nave was never finished. It is an extraordinary sight, a vast, soaring fragment of a building that defeated its builders.
The riding is easy, with straight roads across the fields and gentle bends through the villages. The surfaces are generally good, but watch for mud and gravel from farm vehicles, especially in harvest season. Méru has fuel, shops and cafés, and the villages have the odd bakery that opens early and closes for a long lunch.