Awaken your senses along La Loire à Vélo!

Sight

Though our eyes receive images in reverse, the retina puts them back in order… Clever, right?

On La Loire à Vélo, there’s plenty to see and observe. Take in everything that surrounds you: the sky, the Loire, the path, the nature, the ocean, the wildlife, the islands… the list is (very) long!
Your sense of sight also allows you to navigate routes through towns, enjoy smiles from other cyclists that you encounter, and look at signs.

Champtoceaux © A. Lamoureux

Touch

Touch may seem simple, but in actual fact, it is complex: through this sense, we can detect different sensations, different temperatures, different textures…

On La Loire à Vélo, you can enjoy infinite experiences of touch:
– wetness when you touch the Loire or the sea
– roughness when you touch sand
– coarseness when you touch cave walls
– softness when you touch cool grass
– stinging when you touch nettles
– human touch when greeting local producers during your tour
– and much more…

Taste

Our tastebuds are located on the surface of our tongue, allowing us to distinguish different characteristics of the foods we eat. That is how we analyse flavours that are salty, sweet, acidic or bitter…

You’re in luck! The gastronomy in the regions of La Loire à Vélo is very rich! Fouée bread, dried apples and pears, Crottin de Chavignol and Curé Nantais cheese, Tarte Tatin and plum tart, Loire fish with butter sauce and rillons… all washed down with a glass of local Loire wine! There’s plenty of things to try!

Smell

We use the receptors located in our naval cavities inside our nose to smell the odours around us: fruity, spicy, fresh, woody…

La Loire à Vélo offers different odours to tickle your nostrils in every season. There’s the smell of freshly cut grass or wet earth after the rain, and the smell of the undergrowth in autumn. Then there’s the sweet smells of flowers in the gardens and the delicious aromas emanating from restaurants or markets, where you can pick up scrumptious products from the local terroir.

Hearing

Our ears play a crucial role in both our hearing and our balance. More specifically, our sense of hearing allows us to perceive sounds or soundwaves, thanks to the cochlear nerve that transmits these signals to the brain.

Listen carefully and you’ll hear an orchestra of sounds surrounding you. Of course, there’s the birds singing joyfully, the sound of the wind through the trees, and the crystal-clear water trickling down the river. On sunny days, the cheerful hubbub of open-air cafes along the Loire and its tributaries will definitely make you want to stop for a break there. Then there’s the sound of canoe paddles dipping into the water, which may inspire you to spend a few hours on the river.