Riding along the Loire with bike.. France trip

There are places more than others are to be visited by bike and France in general is one of them. The streets of France are well-maintained, low traffic and largely unnecessary, or not start at any place and not get in any place, simply because there are good to go. Moreover, we can speak ill of them as you like, but the French have a deep culture cycle and not just because there is the Tour de France cycle paths are everywhere, and respect for who is moving in a bicycle is the total child old.
The Loire Valley is an excellent choice from this point of view because it allows us to combine visits of cultural interest such as the famous castles and some major towns (Orleans, Tours, Angers to name a few) to a well-preserved natural environment and rich forests very pleasant to go through with the bike. In addition, the whole valley is covered by a railway line that can integrate the bike paths in the transport bicycles, trains in which there is, is absolutely free (even if it is to say that trains are generally more expensive than in Italy) .
The castles of the Loire is a very popular destination, especially for Italians, but there is no way and how to visit them. Of many castles there are dozens and dozens, often exhausting tour organized by one another with quick transfers by car or by bus to try to see as many as possible, with the real risk of not having the perception of the environment in where you are and to make real un'indigestione of these monumental palaces.
A personal advice is to not overdo it, especially with visits to the interior: I am not saying that given a visa, but we are not very far from that. It agreed to focus on a few (those cited in this diary can be a good choice) and visit the outside primarily, parks, gardens. The time progresses you can invest profitably in the visit of the cities that rise along the Loire, in order to establish a contact with local people. The advantage of cycling is that you travel from one castle to another to speed "right" to understand the landscape and notice the beauty of the small villages of France, have the time to stop at 2 boulangeries and exchange words with people in the square of the country.
Board also to continue the journey continues to support the Loire up the ocean. It crosses the region in fact dell'Anjou, where time seems to stand still. Fishing villages, friendly people, absolutely not poor, but who are content with little. All of us seemed more beautiful, genuine, lively eyes and this strip of France, compared to areas of the castles.

What follows is a semi-serious diary of our trip.
6 Starring: Flavio the "metronome" Alberto the venessian "Dario" the gravediggers, "Raffaele the" Pizzaiolo "Luke" the postman pavano "and myself that the" chemical ". The idea is to load the bike on the car, come to Orleans and from there begin our journey along the Loire, with the goal more or less longed to be able to see the ocean. Back to Orleans transporting bikes by train and then drive up to the house.
Secondary objective .. but not too much, is to deflate the French of their self, and remind them the "cold record", sister or sister of Zidane, tested or not tested: Italy-France 6 4! As you read, while the former will be achieved quite successfully, the second encounter with the kindness and the unexpected warmth of the French towards us, probably influenced by the fact that we traveled by bike. The inhabitants of this part of France does not care the slightest of Zidane, Materazzi and friends, much better to stay along the streets to applaud 6 matti who give a running bike for 6 days against them shouting "Allez les Italiens."
Good lesson.

Un po 'of useful information, first of our deeds.


Cost inputs

Abbey of Fontevraud: 7.90 euros
Chenonceau: 9 euro
Jardins du Chateau de Villandry: 5.50 euros
Chambord: 8.50 euros
Chiverny: 6.50 euros
Chaumont: 8.50 euros
Ussé: 11 euro


Web sites and bibliography.

Web site where the recovery of the bike path maps:
www.loire-to-velo.fr and then there is a. pdf file to download. It 'very detailed and covers the route from Orleans to Ancenis (just before Nantes). Are reported to sleep in places where the price easier for cyclists, mechanics, spots, roads and other details useful to cyclists. Strongly recommended.

General websites on the Loire:
www.loiraatlantica.com
www.anjou-tourisme.com
www.loire-atlantique-tourisme.com
www.loire-to-velo.fr
www.visaloire.com

Websites on castles and monasteries:
Fontevraud: www.abbaye.fontevraud.com
Montsoreau: www.chateau-montsoreau.com
Chenonceau: www.chenonceau.com
Cheverny: www.chateau-cheverny.fr
Chaumont: www.chaumont-jardin.com
Chambord: www.chambord.org
Villandry: www.chateauvillandry.com
Ussé: www.chateaudusse.fr


Very interesting article on "Routes and places by bike, attached to the magazine" Routes and places "number 157 of May 2006: the route is presented in its path less popular tourist destination but more exciting, the one that goes from area of almost a sin Saumur Nantes. Many details.

 

Arrival in Orleans

We start the morning of Padua with our car loaded with bags, 6 bikes, grit, a little 'muscle and heart open to meetings and to the emotions of this journey. After the Mont Blanc tunnel, truly disturbing as it is close, the vision of the glacier from the French kissed by the sun cheers our hearts. It 'amazing how close at hand, with its crevices, while retreating more and more, year after year. Along the motorway there is no traffic, there is always in the middle of the green, beautiful yes, but it is always the same green! Leave the motorway after 600 km, therefore it is a relief. Orleans to arrive during the evening, unfortunately in the rain and a freddino not bad: 14 degrees. We knew that we expected this kind of climate, but to hear on the skin makes effect. With some 'difficulties are the hotel, the area is peripheral shopping centers around, but given that we must move only at night, this and the last, and having a car to visit the center, There was a good thing. First personal approaches with the French and the French positive: smile, I understand, and often I understand.
Tired from the trip and knowing the habits of the French (after 21:30 is hard to find something to eat!), We decide that the "Buffalo Grill" (terrible, I know) can satisfy neighboring.


Loir Hotel
South Zone Expo - Orleans
Tel +33 (0) 238510055
Fax +33 (0) 238511333

Triple 42 euros plus 6 euros per head for breakfast
Car parking outside but closed by a gate. Place inside the bike.
Spartan rooms, bath room, but rather uncomfortable. Management very friendly and the hand, one of us has forgotten their glasses there and have them returned to Italy.

Orleans - Blois (75 km)

We put out from the nose: hey, it's even more cold! 10 degrees! But there is the sun! Unexpected, unforeseen, from taking to flight. But the first day we are still as oil group and the breakfast (rich) and preparing the bags and bikes (meticulous) mean that before the 9:30 start is not.
E 'already cloudy.
The operator of greets us with a kind, says that we have courage and hope to rivederci in a week but is not very convinced. I doubt that is what we are doing is a little 'over the top even for French gourmets of the 2 wheels. Mah! To start with.
After 5 km the first country, now we stop in a pharmacy: a sign?
The first part of the trail does not provide bike path, walk the streets in any case, with little traffic. A Clery St Andre, that is after 15 km, sensing that it is time to prepare for rain. This part of France is like England, the weather can change rapidly, it can also tick the sun, but sooner or later, rain, 2 days after we leave beautiful already covered!
Sniffing out a nice path along the bank and begin to walk: bad choice! The fund is deteriorating more and we do not decide to go back on our steps. Result: a Meung sur Loire we are covered with mud everywhere, unpresentable, us and the bike.
No more dirt roads: we understand so many things to be the first day!
A few kilometers further, the first drilling in front of nuclear power!
The wind is always against and very tense.
Chambord to arrive after 50 km, but it seems to us a life! The sun peeping, a lunch rifocillante and especially the vision of the castle quiet our concerns. The castle is simply magnificent: although really huge in size, is refined from the green of the gardens and woods that are around, to the point of almost making it a natural as it is integrated with the surrounding environment. The expected jump castle Chiverny because it sets the stage longer than expected and we certainly need some 'time to wash the bike and systems, given the conditions in which we are reduced. Shortly before Blois, a small detachment is dilated by the wind and divides us into two groups separated by minutes. Raffaele has problems that will repair the rack quickly. We are after all in luck, Blois is raging in a violent storm but we are already protected in a covered walkway to a house. At the hotel we give a general clean, we rest, we are warm and above all we look into the eyes: no one expected such a massacred and if the weather and mechanical situations will be like those of the first day we shall certainly change the program and reduce the route. The old town of Blois welcomes us for our evening meal, many local cuisine with Middle Eastern or Indian succeed. Discretamente eat, walk and visit to Blois cathedral at night, beautifully lit as we see often here in France. His appearance, totally asymmetrical, affecting not just us. The time to meet along the road a couple of Italian Venetian (the Italians are everywhere in the world to make tourism the Venetian more!) And is now to move the bed.

Hotel Le Savoie
Rue du Docteur Ducoux 6-8 - Blois
Tel +33 (0) 254743221
Fax +33 (0) 254742958

Quadrupla 66 euro, Double 48 euros plus 6 euros per head for breakfast
Place inside the bike, partly uncovered. Discrete rooms, four bathrooms in the room are 2.

Blois - Tours (87km)

We stand up and the time it seems better than the previous day. Improve shortly, the timing of preparation, although the breakfast buffet is a must for us because we can rimpinzarci cyclists without scruple or conscience. We put ourselves in gear and after about twenty kilometers we arrive at Chaumont. The castle, much of arcigna, is in top location, overlooking the village below and the valley of the Loire, the gardens are in fact public park. We have quite cold because of the wind, but it does not rain and we get moving in the direction of Chenonceau. Tasted the first latch typical of these areas, yes, because the concept of plain in France is very different than our padano: thrown a blanket on the floor in bulk compared to a table biliardo.I rivers mark the valleys and folds of the cover are to overcome the gap to go from one to another. On one of these tear strength Alberto too e. .. break the chain, sigh! Now, one can repair the wheel hole, can fix with screws and nuts loosened the rack, but if it breaks the chain can not help but swear and change it. Obviously this is happened on a Sunday morning in August in the French campaign of nothing. Some cyclists French kind, try to help repair it but gain only 5 kilometers. The difficulty is overcome brilliantly so typically Italian, or arranging: Alberto is swept by bike for 20 km 2 of us by means of elastic cords that bind the frames of the 3 bikes. Moral good deal of the road being in a 3 beside the other! In this way we get everyone to visit Chenonceau castle and gardens, then Alberto Tours continues to loading the bike on the train, while we arrive pedaling. Mentally this episode was important because we realized that despite the "sfiga" which was clearly showing, we were stronger. O obstinate. Or crazy.
Chenonceau deserves a thorough visit to the gardens and even inside the castle. Unique, it has developed over the Cher river as if it were built on a bridge. It took care of the castle and its gardens first Diana of Poitiers, mistress of King Henry II who had donated the land and castle, then his wife Catherine de 'Medici, who at the death of her husband forces Diana to leave the possession of Chenonceau! It was possible supply of food material and the residents directly from the river by boat.
Encounter (though you look!) The Venetian the day before we had crossed in Blois. We continue to cyclists 5 Amboise, the sun welcomes us to this very lively town with a castle in the middle of the historic center. Everything here reminds Leonardo da Vinci and his stay in these places.
From Amboise to Tours, walk a very busy and narrow is the embankment along the Loire and just there for each other in buffered 5th We reunited with Albert and the night wandering and Tours for its typical wooden houses with sloping roofs. Tours is a city quite extensive, but the old town is limited and full of restaurants for the tourists, we choose evil, and unfortunately we have to the worst of the holiday dinner. If possible look for premises outside the center, therefore, a little 'more typical and economic. The night vision of the cathedral of Tours reward of culinary disappointment: we are simply speechless in front of the monumental facade in French Gothic style.

Hotel des Chateaux de la Loire
Rue Gambetta, 12 - Tours
Tel +33 (0) 247051005
Fax +33 (0) 247202014

Triple at 60 and 64 euros plus 6.60 euros per head for breakfast and 0.70 euro a head tax. Place inside the bike, found out.
Rooms clean and well furnished, en suite bathroom.

Tours - Chinon (60km)

The entire morning was lost to find a mechanic willing to repair the bike chain. Monday, many shops are closed but we save the Decathlon, which is an institution in France and is found in many towns. There, a mechanic solves our problem, and again just before lunch. The stage included a considerable distance, about 100 km, and many castles and villages to visit, decide to shorten immediately, partly because the weather again worsened. The first part of the bike path, up to Villandry, is delightful: continuous curves and hills along the Cher, beautiful villages like Savonnières, not living soul you meet. Villandry then, suddenly tourism and the mass of people. Take a bike in these places is a kind of parallel journey into another dimension, which intersects with the mundane and tour a few hundred meters from the castle, with crowded parking lots of cars and campers (all Italian) and then leave immediately after rituffandosi Worldwide agreste French. The first drops of water and all this crowd urge us to take a secondary Stradella us briefly outside world, outside time, but in an agriturismo (Etape Gourmande his name) that will give us the best taste-olfactory sensations holiday! Chinon wine, delicious with salads salades of pans, fish lake, salty-sweet combinations daring but delicious ...
A full stomach is better reason: it rains a lot, because getting on a bike? Better to visit the gardens of the chateau of Villandry, apt choice! After the sense of smell and taste also celebrates the eye in this stretch of hectares of colors. Simple garden, garden vegetables, garden ornament, garden water features: all in a harmony. Let us go under the water still grinding finally km cycling against a strong wind consistently very tense. It reaches Ussé, happy because they do not tip more toward the west and the wind is at least the side. The sun peeping, a girl in the car smile greets us: this is the business card of Ussé that shows a sudden glimpse of the gem, the castle of Sleeping Beauty!
The classic tales of the castle, as it is in our imagination, has inspired its Ussé Perrault in his famous stories. The entrance for the visit is onerosissimo, 11 euros, we leave to stay because it is nice to admire the outside away from the main road and putting in one of the many routes along the branches of the river Indre. Jump, alas, Azay le Rideau and its castle, and aim to Chinon, the village where we decide to stop for the night. The sun gives us strength, we use now to overcome a significant slope that separates us from the country. Chinon is located on the banks of the Vienne, another tributary of the Loire to the left, perched around its somewhat dilapidated castle, amidst the vineyards homonyms. Stay in a lovely place, the country is full of historic homes converted into places of hospitality. We are to observe squares, equestrian statue of Joan of Arc, Rabelais homes and so the risk to remain without dinner because, here as elsewhere, the kitchen closed early!

Etape Gourmande
Domaine de la Giraudi - Villandry
Tel: +33 (0) 247500860
Fax: +330) 247500660
www.letapegourmande.com
info@letapegourmande.com

Hotel Le Plantagenet
Place Jeanne d'Arc, 12 - Chinon
Tel +33 (0) 247933692
Fax +33 (0) 247984892
http://www.hotel-plantagenet.com
info@hotel-plantagenet.com

Doubles at 55 euros (after negotiation!), Breakfast with additional 6 euro each. It 'absolutely the most beautiful place where we stayed. The structure is divided into 3 parts, each of different age. 2 of the 3 rooms were really valuable: attic with the original wooden frame on demand and in any case very spacious. Place inside the bike, found out. Bathroom. The landlady is a bijoux and eager to converse with tourists.

Chinon - Les Ponts de Cé (97 km)

Le soleil, finally! Met forecasts, the weather turns to the beautiful and the temperature rises. Conditions perfect for cycling, starting the now all very good loads. I more: I can finally off the anti-France T-shirt, white with clear written reference to the final world. It 'time to demolish the French grandeur, taking to the streets of France highlighting who won and who lost me as almost a moral duty. Chinon and leave after a fortnight of miles we Candes St. Martin, at the confluence of the Vienne in the Loire. This village is wonderful, very well preserved, with a Gothic cathedral and elegant at his side a nice street in Pavè which leads to a viewpoint (diverting recommended if you let Gagliardi bike!). From here you can admire the 2 rivers and the splendid panorama of the surrounding hills with, inevitable, a nuclear power plant, the oldest in France!
Immediately after you reach Montsoreau, another beautiful village with the adjacent castle. At this point is strongly diverted towards Fontevraud as we did, in fact this country is home to an abbey dating back to the wonderful 1100 and recently restored, the monastery is the largest ever built and takes about 2 hours for a visit accurate (more half hour for the free wine tasting of the place!). Fontevraud is 6 km from Montsoreau not walk down the main road, but follow the bike path is wonderful, winds through hills and farms with animals that scorazzano freely in the street! Montsoreau back to the bike path continues towards Saumur with a section challenging as surprising. One enters it in the region dell'Angiò characterized by its famous vineyards and the Caves, in places where the rocks are preserved wines and other delicacies. The vineyards are ordinatissimi, even the grass between a row and the other is perfectly cut and flowers around these hills very colorful pendants. Cycling alternate brutal tears (to Souzay Champigny do not forget easily) to the most gentle in the midst of vineyards. Saumur and its castle are a great place to stop for a break and take the sun over a grassy slope above the town. Leave but a mechanical accident (toh, strange that!) Hangs there now: Dario has the rear wheel with the spokes completely spring, whereas most do not want to know to stay upright. We are now experts: Decathlon straight towards Saumur and again after less than half an hour!
Follow a more beautiful villages of the few houses, friendly people who always greets us on our way, no cars except for the old but reliable Renault 4 that are the master in these territories. Cunault, Gennes, Le Thoureil, amid forests and forest is a fairy tale, which opens the heart. I am ashamed of my T-shirt: here are all affectionate towards us. The route is so pleasant and the unusual warmth so inviting that scrolls km, pass even St. Mathurin, aiming to stay in one of these villages, the Daguenière, but once there, we realize that there is no place where food or sleep! Let us then step in Les ponts de Cé, on the outskirts of Angers, country anonymously but this evening we are tired and not interested in going out, eat at the hotel where sleep with smile printed was the most beautiful stage of the journey.

Hotel Restaurant Kyriad
Avenue Gallieni, 62
Tel +33 (0) 241449244
Fax +33 (0) 241449224
e-mail: @ Angers.pontsdece kyriad.fr

Doubles at 60 euros plus 6.70 euros per head for breakfast buffet and 0.9 euros in tax. The most expensive holiday, but the dinner, a good and economical place at the same structure has amortized the expense. Bike indoor place in the store a little 'uncomfortable, en suite bathroom. E 'in each case was a fallback choice. Non all'altezza. Request credit card as a guarantee. Not recommended (in the country there is nothing), stopping first in a village, between Angers and Saumur or Angers itself.

Les Ponts de Cé - Ingrandes - Nantes (47 km)

This sunny day. The morning is dedicated to Angers, a town situated on the shores of Maine, with an interesting old town, the inevitable castle and a splendid cathedral, almost at the level of that of Tours. Here also sample the excellent wine at the "Maison du vin" and touring around the low-traffic area of Angers, very pleasant and lively. Finally we cross the city park on the other side of the river, so wide that could contain a large part of the city. Outside the park is already in the Loire with its latest twists. A Savennières deviamo to Béhuard, this is a village built on an island created by the course of the Loire! It seems to go back in time, and return slowly! Continuing almost inertial and face a stretch of cycle track along more than 10 kilometers of another island in the Loire. As if you would not know to arrive at the mouth, the great river, everything is on hold and refrain from arriving at their destination. In the midst of this kind of feelings and emotions, the vision of a bar left by the revolutionary name "Lenin Bar," there seems almost natural for a while 'I thought to be beside one of the branches of Ferrara in the Po than in the real France . We arrive at Montjean sur Loire, we stop for a snack, but it is an excuse: we spend time to observe who goes, the slow pace of the people, fishermen, un po 'some enchanted' envious.
The fatigue surfaces heavily on some of us, Raffaele and Alberto are somewhat ' "on the hook." We decide not to get to Nantes in cycling, but in the train, saving the last 50 kilometers of the day. A Ingrandes, waiting for the train, we see a river pool populated by the inhabitants of the village: it is decided, without waiting for the ocean the next day, the bathroom is directly in the Loire! The water is really cold, and cloudy, polluted and insipid, but the situation we immediately kidnaps the children who are the castles in the sand of the river, the deck chair with the elderly who are taking the sun in costume at 20 degrees, not one can steal. Reflected the effect of invigorating swim after a few minutes by train, the wagon in charge of the bike is a girl with a look that does not forget easily. Prancing attack button. Unfortunately, as might be expected, knows only French. .. I think I said all the words that I knew of that conversation in French, arrived in Nantes, I was drained, but I was able to propose an unlikely meeting in Padova!
Nantes are also a lot of courtesy to those who accept the goalkeeper's knows a few words of Italian and tries to speak, we recommend a place nearby to eat. Eat very good and the waitress that we even speak Italian, because of an Erasmus year at Trent. Visit the historic center of Nantes after dinner, that nothing, but even the little that one would expect from a port city which is.
Hotel de la Gare
Allée Commandant Charcot, 5
Tel +33 (0) 240743725
Fax +33 (0) 240933371

Doubles at 51 euros plus 6 euros per head for breakfast and 0.6 euros in tax. A 2 to the station (it was convenient), but the center is not walking away. The area has hotels more or less decent, this is certainly worthwhile and the staff courteous. Place small bike, but this covered.

Nantes - Pornic - Orleans (55 km)

Today we can finally run free bike bags by weight of the objective fact is that to reach the ocean and then by train to go back to Nantes, take the luggage away and go by train up to Orleans where we cars. This reduction in weight combined with the feeling of the goal now makes it near each of us give more or less everything and run in a rather reckless, frigates of traveling companions. The wind, which never has granted us the pleasure of giving way, and the recent ups and do the rest. After crossing the bridge on the Loire indicated by the map, which is in fact a ferry that makes the shuttle from one bank to another, nothing is more glue: even choose different paths to Pornic, that is all ' Atlantic!
Personally, along with Flavio and Dario, I choose to reach the ocean before, at La Berner, and continue along the coast to Pornic. The wind is tesissimo, we decide to extend back towards the bike path along a lot of fun to talk to crazy speeds. Belli gasati arrive in Pornic and we can meet all 6! Pornic is nice but certainly around Nantes are the most beautiful ocean, such as Boule or Croisic, however, the need to get back in the day to Orleans train bike carriage there was great choice.
Pornic, a name that sounds more exotic erotic, a name that, when we sat down the same route of the tour, there seemed to be the maximum target, even up to 2-3 days before, when annaspavamo in the middle of the mud and under l 'water, it seemed unlikely the target. But was there before us, embodied in a castle (though it should be '?), In a beautiful village nestled in the green and in the scherzo of nature: the low tide! The ocean was kilometers away, in any case, we unanimously agreed that the ocean was there we arrived and it was him, a coward, that if the date was in the legs.
A return to Orleans runs quietly enough to Blois, where it occurs on the last tragic absurdity unexpected. A man has been thrown under the train, rail between Blois and Orleans suspended until who knows when. A French train explains that it is normal here, he has already happened 6 times and that usually it takes 3 hours before you share! Normal? I always thought that too much green push to depression!
Visit bike Orleans that now is evening. The old town is very nice, with pedestrian streets that cross down to the Loire, crowded with young people chatting outside the premises. The cathedral of Orleans has nothing to envy to that of Tours, at least from the outside view.
Sfrecciano to the hotel, so I would have liked to see the likeable rogue dell'albergatore to prove that yes, we were brave and we had not done this. Too late: here are all already in bed and think that it suits us well since we expect 1100 km (or maybe more?) The next day to return home.

Going back to Padua

It is in the car again for Italy. The passage of the Loire there idle infected, rather than pointing straight towards the highway, touring around secondary roads in the countryside around Bourges and Nevers are very beautiful places, which reminded me of the hills around Valdobbiadene Prosecco. Even here vineyards everywhere, and occasionally ordinatissimi ancient and characteristic villages. At one of the many wine producers are proposing to us yet another taste, but this time we are in the car and buy.
Indeed seriously begin to head home in mid-afternoon and 3 at night we are all at home. All or almost: someone has downloaded the bike and had to do more pedaling kilometers to arrive at its four walls!