With few major attractions such as chateaus and ruins etc between Oudon and Angers along the Loire to investigate, today was basically a day of riding, taking heaps of photos and generally soaking up the beauty of the Loire valley.
The bike track along the Loire is well signposted, so it is basically just a case of going from sign to sign with regular cross references to the map to make sure everything is ok.
There are people everywhere riding the track and it is great where possible to be able to have a chat with some of them. The vast majority are going the opposite direction to me, but there are still quite a few going against the flow, so to speak.
At one stage I stopped at a dedicated picnic spot complete with wooden bike racks, table and chairs and a fantastic view to a village across the river.
So what else to do but get out the baguette, cheese and meat and soak it all in!! The only pity was that it was overcast, so photos don’t look as good as they would if the sun was out, but I guess you can’t have everything.
I have booked in to a nice campground about 5 kms from Angers and plan to sightsee in the town tomorrow, so have booked in here for 2 nights.
If you are cycling along the track the cost for camping is ½ price, so it only cost me 7 euro per night, good value so close to a major town.
The local people are just so friendly. On two occasions when I had my head buried in the map people came up and asked if I was ok and needed any directions. I wonder if people would do that in Australia??
From here on I will be riding over the same territory that I rode in 2007, so it will be interesting to see it all again.
Also from here on my chateau count should rise quite considerably… so far it is 3 and counting. I won’t go into them all especially the ones I saw in 2007, but it will be interesting to keep a track of them all nonetheless.
It certainly is an area with a very rich history.
captions: Pic 1: A great camping spot on the edge of theriverat Oudon. Pic 2: The view from my tent site looking down the river early in the morning. Pic 3: Chateau number 3 at Ancenis. Pic 4: A great spot for a break Pic 5: Rail pass over the river. Pic 6: Traditional fishing boats.
hi,
ReplyDeletegreat to catch up on skype last night, it sounds as if you are having a wonderful time in the Loire Valley, it sounds so beautiful. Les and I will have to put it on our list of places to go. I just had a look and there are over 300 Chateaux's in the Loire, you will have a very busy time having a look at them. Like you said it depends on whether you can safely leave your bike and all your gear, while you look around, hopefully some of them have a place you can leave your gear, it would be worth asking.
It is a very cold 7o here this morning, but for you a very sunny 23o, a perfect day for sightseeing.
xx
hi,
ReplyDeleteSam Stosur is playing her semi at the moment, so get on line in the morning and see what the result is. They are just hitting up, so can't give you any score.
xx