From Saumur to the Atlantic coast along the Loire River

The Loire River is the main focus of this 8 day trip: gentle, capricious, gracious and untameable! Its banks have never been modified so that the river still flows through the landscape in its natural shape today. The river changes its appearance all the time: washing over sand banks and islands, capturing a village in a loop and passing calmly by idyllic gardens and wide woodlands. On your journey from Saumur down the river to its mouth at the Atlantic there are many treasures and hidden spots to discover: The caves of Saumur serving as houses for humans, as storage for champagne bottles or cultivation space for mushrooms, the dikes by Angers hiding picturesque villages or even the majestic granite rocks of Nantes. The highlight at the end of your trip is a three days stay at the Atlantic in the Loire’s mouthing area. Starting from here you will take two fantastic trips; one to the glamorous seaside resort of La Baule, the other one to the fishermen of Le Croisic. Your journey leads over small side streets and agricultural pathways. A few shorter episodes also consist of larger roads with some more traffic. The landscape you will ride through is mostly flat while some slight hills may appear. Be looking forward to a biking trip which at a normal level of condition should be a lot of fun!

1. day  Arriving in Saumur

You will be welcomed with information about your trip in the late afternoon where also the bikes will be handed over. Let Saumur, due to its white light lime sand brick also called the “white city”, delight you! Ruled by its mighty castle, the westernmost one of the Loire’s huge castles, Saumur is situated picturesquely by the Loire River.

2. day  Angers 60 km

You will come from the white to the black city today. On your first kilometres you will pass the huge, once subterranean quarries with its champagne cellars and mushroom cultivations. Leaving gentle hills behind you, you will soon reach some of the Loire’s most beautiful villages: Chénehutte, Cunault, or Le Thoureil all once were important domestic ports where mainly wine and lime sand brick were traded. Castle ruins and Romanic churches as well as impressive villas belonging to Dutch and English vintners are witnesses of this past. After crossing the Loire River close to St Mathurin, you will continue through a diversified polder landscape. Angers, the black city, is the destination of this stage. Houses and roofs are made of shale which is still conveyed there today. A nice walk through this worthwhile town waits for you!

3. day  Ingrandes 45 km

Give yourself some more time to visit the small university town Angers – it really is worthwhile! Especially the castle is a must. The famous “Angers apocalypse”, a monumental tapestry sequence dating back from the 14th century, is displayed here. From Angers on you will ride along the Maine River, the Loire’s last significant confluent before the Atlantic. You will follow this river until its mouth into the Loire in La Pointe-Bouchemaine. At the foot of a shale and granite massif you will reach Savennières with the oldest church of the region. Some of the greatest wines of the Loire valley are grown here: fruity and dry white wines. Visit one of the numerous vintners and taste some wine there. It is also recommendable to take some time for a short trip to Béhuard, the only village in the Loire situated idyllically on one of the river’s islands. Departing from La Poissonnière you will roll down the last kilometres crossing dikes and enjoying a wonderful view over the neat town of Ingrandes-sur-Loire.

4. day  Nantes 60 km

Another change in the landscape! An amazing viewpoint attracts you above the Old town of St-Florent-le-Vieil. The valley becomes narrower as the Loire River finally enters the Bretagne and forces itself through shale and granite rocks to Nantes. Following the bike trail, you will cross the river several times and also accomplish a few acclivities; you will be rewarded for this with beautiful views. You will now pass horticultural farms where carrots, field salad and lilies of the valley are produced on a grand scale. Follow the Loire River into the centre of Nantes. Although Nantes lies in about 70 km distance from the Atlantic, the ocean’s influence is already manifested in low and high tide here.

5. day  Seaside resort of Mesquer-Quimiac 45 km

Take the morning for a short tour around the ancient port of Nantes and discover the wide cultural and architectonical heritage. To reach the Atlantic soon take the train to St-Nazaire with its port and dockyards. Before you know you will have reached Guéronde, the peninsula with a great natural variety within a small area: peat-winning, straw-covered houses, canals and islands overgrown with reed. Little islands upon which picturesque hamlets with lime-whitened houses are built, tower out of the moor. Discover this fascinating piece of countryside from one of the typical punts – an amazing experience and the highlight of every visit in Brière. You can almost smell the ocean now: You will find your accommodation for the following three days in the small seaside resort of Mesquer-Quimiac, only a few hundred metres from the beach.

6. day  Trip to La Baule 60 km

Today’s trip leads you through a lovely landscape with slight hills and old bretonian houses and hamlets. You will bike to Guérande, a medieval town still completely surrounded by its ancient city wall today and majestically positioned on a hilltop. Here you will also find the salt-gardens where the famous “Sel de Guérande” is obtained. Nowadays this region is known as the “outstanding place of fine taste” and the fortified town watches over the Land of the White Gold. Be looking forward to your day’s destination: The seaside resort La Baule, one of the Atlantic’s most famous resorts with its fine beach extending over 9 kilometres and a magnificent bay. In La Baule you should certainly take your bikes to discover the exclusive residential area lying beyond the beach’s promenade– startle at the rich and imaginative 20th century villas. A nice bike trail guides you back to your hotel in Mesquer-Quimiac.

7. day  Trip to Le Croisic 50 km

A day at and in the ocean! From your hotel roll along the coastal road to the romantic fishing town Le Croisic and continue your way from there to the port of La Turballe and to the fishermen fishing for sardines. Then you will bike through the salt gardens to Batz-sur-Mer and further on to the outermost headland with the harbour of Le Croisic. Discover the Côte Sauvage, the rocky coast north from Le Croisic, where it is obvious that you are on an ancient island. This island has been linked with the mainland through the sand delivered by the Loire River. Batz-sur-Mer is situated on one of the narrowest strips of this band of sand. From the steeple of the church of Batz you will have a wonderful view over the ocean, bays and salt gardens; more than 200 steps should not keep you from watching over this grandiose ensemble. After this impressive break you will ride back to your hotel by the seaside.

8. day  Departing from the seaside resort Mesquer-Quimiac

An adventurous and impressive trip through the unknown Loire valley ends today. Good train connections bring you back to your departing point in Saumur. The transfer from Mesquer-Quimiac back to Saumur by minivan is offered every Saturday.