6-day Loire Valley Cycling Holiday (Part 3)

You individually travel to Saumur. Check-in at your hotel. Have you got some time left then visit the horse town Saumur, the home base of the prestigious riding academy Cadre Noir, where the elite of the French horsemen is trained. Enjoy the beautiful houses with their white tuff stone fronts in the centre. Admire the proud castle and all the other classified monuments.

Go right along the southern bank of the river. Admire the monuments of local white tuff stone, such as the church in Cunault and St-Maur Abbey. Once in St-Mathurin-sur-Loire you follow the northern bank of the Loire through a former swamp that was drained in the Middle Ages. Some time later you see tracks of the old slate quarries of Trélazé. Then, taking a small ferry, you cross the Authion river. Faraway your destination Angers, situated on both sides of the river Maine,  attracts your attention.

Challenge: 58 km / 36 mi, 192m ascent, 190m descent

You leave the busy town in a surprisingly calm way through a park like setting. Cycling along the river Maine you reach Bouchemaine, with pleasant restaurants and nice picnic places. Here the Maine flows out in the Loire. Somewhat more to the west the vineyards of Savennières and Coteaux du Layon begin. You cycle close to the river and cross the island of Chalonnes. Via calm tracks you reach the high Montjean-sur-Loire with beautiful views. In the charming St-Florent-le-Vieil you finally finish.

Challenge: 42 km / 26 mi, 79m ascent, 98m descent

Start the day on the Mont Glonne with a great view of the Loire. Set off to the fortified  Champtoceaux via calm roads and tracks, and have a go at a climb for a magnificent panorama. Here, in the department Loire-Atlantique you already begin to experience the influence of the Atlantic. The Muscadet vineyards on the islands and the fields with vegetables provide a variation in landscape. After Mauves-sur-Loire you notice the outlines of Nantes, the biggest and maybe the most attractive town on the Loire.

Challenge: 64.4km, 442m ascent, 447m descent

Surprising works of art at unusual places enliven the start of this trip along the mouth of the Loire. After Le Pellerin the Martinière canal is your guide. You cycle via small, quiet roads through landscapes belonging to the mouth of a big river: broad swampy areas and vast forelands. From Paimboeuf you follow a part of the coastal route ‘Velodyssey’ and you more and more notice the strong influence of tides and currents on the Loire. The end is in sight: St-Brevin, a lively seaside resort on the Atlantic.

Challenge: 58km / 36 mi, flat

Breakfast marks the end of the trip. You travel back to Saumur by train. You can leave your rental bike.