"Un long fleuve tranquille", Angers-Nevers by bike

September 2021: I've been touring the UK and Ireland for the past four months, with the aim of taking a ferry to France with a friend. From Normandy, we plan to arrive in Andalusia two months later. I chose to test the Loire à Vélo, known for its bucolic landscapes and accessibility. The GPX track I'm sharing here is a clever mix of this long trip and a three-day micro-adventure with a beginner friend. Proof that there's something for everyone on the Loire à vélo 🤗.

🛣 On the road

DAY 1 🚲 from Angers to Souzay-Champigny 🚲

77 km

La Daguerie (27 km)

No time to visit Angers castle, but we're enjoying pastries while admiring its moat converted into a garden. Along the Loire, we don't plan our visits in advance: there are so many châteaux and museums that we stop whenever we feel like it.

We leave Angers along the sun-drenched Lac de Maine, and after 27 km, the "Arrêt Vélo" at La Daguerie is a welcome stop to refill our bottles. Arrets Velos can be found all along the Loire, and are particularly well-equipped in Anjou. Depending on the location, there are toilets, pannier lockers, sockets and sometimes showers.

Towards Souzay-Champigny

50 km

It rained a little last week, and the roads are sometimes a little muddy. We're riding along, stopping at all the Bike Stops to see what everyone's hiding. Souzay-Champigny is by far the most impressive. No showers, but toilets, picnic tables, a pizza oven... all in the heart of a troglodyte village maintained just enough to make it look like a set from Tomb Raider. We spend the night not far from there in the Dampierre-Sur-Loire campsite.

DAY 2 🚲 Towards Tours🚲

88 km

We set off early in the morning to have time to stop and discover towns and castles. Personally, I see this trip as a scouting trip for a future vacation. I don't know much about the region, but there are so many wonderful places to see!

We stopped off at Grottes Pétrifiantes de Savonnières. It's an unusual visit to these damp, limestone caves, where objects have long been placed to be "petrified", i.e. covered in limestone.

A day of sightseeing today: we're off to Le Prieuré de Saint Cosme, beautiful ruins with a museum in which a cat agrees to let me carry it and take the tour with me on my shoulder: a dream come true.

Tonight, we're going to enjoy a shower at the home of a Warmshowers host, a network of cyclists who welcome other cyclists for the night. I never arrive at someone's house empty-handed, and that's just as well, because in the afternoon I notice a wild vine crumbling under a deliciously sweet grape, which I put in my tupperware.

DAY 3 🚲 Towards Chaumont-sur-Loire 🚲

80 km

Drawing by Hortense Gesquiere

We stop off to buy a Saint-Maure, a goat's cheese typical of the region, for our picnic, and set off. After only twenty kilometers or so, we can't resist the lure of a barn converted into a stopover for walkers at Lussault-sur-Loire: tables, benches, mannequins in traditional costumes, vintage farm machinery... The owner, who lives across the street, comes over to chat, delighted that we like the place. We show her the drawing my friend made to immortalize the moment ✍️.

Today's visit will be to Chenonceau, which I particularly like, as the château is filled with furniture, decorations, flowers and food, as if the owners still lived there and we were just passing through.

Tonight, the Grève de Loire municipal campsite will be free as it's closed for the season, but when we pass the janitor coming out, he tells us to settle in. The showers are closed but the taps are open, so we don't ask for more.

DAY 4 🚲 Towards Orleans 🚲

89 km

Quiet day today with plenty of little breaks to enjoy the view. Chatting to a walker, I think that September is definitely the right time to take this ride: apparently during the summer, the path is full of bikes, but we meet very few of them.

We take a short break at Chambord to celebrate the 6,000 km since we started in England.

Tonight, another shower (that's a bit much, isn't it?) at a Warmshower host in Orléans.

DAY 5 🚲 Towards Gien 🚲

77 km

We take a short tour of the old town ofOrléans before setting off. The Maison de Jeanne D'Arc is not open early in the morning, too bad, I'll visit it another time.

This day is full of beautiful views and passes through a natural park, but the region is less dense in visiting historical sites. That's just as well, as I'd rather not stop twice a day at a museum or château.

A little before Gien, there are quite a few** nice spots to pitch a tent**. Finally, we choose the edge of a pond, invisible from the road, because as always, I can't sleep unless I'm invisible to walkers.

DAY 6 🚲 Towards Nevers 🚲

126 km

Big day today, as we've decided to join my father on the Via Rhôna in three days' time.

We ride along very quiet canals for dozens of kilometers. A few years ago, I used to love riding along canals, pausing at locks and admiring the serenity of the little paths. Now I'm bored with the canals. I have very little patience, and I like to have the important sites on my route without** having to make a detour**. I think I'm a *slacker*, but a slacker who cycles at least four hours a day, a rather special combination, no? 😂

Tonight, we camp a little before Nevers, again near a pond, allowing us to do our daily cat grooming and a good washing up without fear of running out of water.

💫 Final lap

The Angers-Nevers route is incredibly rich in culture, especially on the stretch between Angers and Orléans. The Loire à Vélo is fantastic for cyclists of all levels. Theinfrastructure is amazing, including for e-bikes. To visit all the châteaux and jewels along the way would take much longer than we have! The La Loire à Vélo website offers alternative routes to visit the surrounding châteaux, so there are plenty of possible itineraries.