The Forez plain is one of those places you do not notice until you are in it: a wide, flat basin of the upper Loire, ringed by the Monts du Forez to the west and the Monts du Lyonnais to the east. This stop lies on its southern half, between Précieux, Sury-le-Comtal and Saint-Romain-le-Puy, in a country of fields, hedges, scattered farms and, here and there, the glint of a pond.
Those ponds are the plain's quiet signature. Hundreds of them were dug over the centuries for fish, and today they make the Forez an important stop for migrating birds, with herons, grebes and marsh harriers working the reeds. Most belong to private estates or fishing associations, so they are scenery rather than swimming water. For a real dip, look for a designated leisure lake in the area in summer, or accept that a shady bench is all this stop will give you.
What makes the view is Saint-Romain-le-Puy. A small basalt cone, the remains of an ancient volcano, rises straight out of the flat land, and on top of it sits a Romanesque priory church that has kept watch over the plain for nearly a thousand years. Sury-le-Comtal has a château with remarkable carved wooden interiors, and Montbrison, a little further north, gives its name to fourme de Montbrison, a mild blue cheese that goes well with the local reds.
The riding here is mostly about transit, with long straight roads, roundabouts and the occasional village bend. The fun begins when you head west into the Monts du Forez, where roads climb in tight loops through pine forest to high moorland. Weather can shift quickly up there, with fog and cold wind even in summer.
Sury-le-Comtal and Saint-Romain have bakeries, cafés and the basic shops, and fuel is easy to find in the larger villages. Take the basalt cone as your landmark and you will not lose yourself.