Claire and Pat on the Loire à Vélo route from Ancenis to Saint-Brevin-les-Pins
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Mauves-sur-Loire © A. Lamoureux
“A native of Liré, the River Loire was an integral part of my childhood! My parents lived in a flood zone, so I have plenty of memories of the river and its high tides, which meant getting around by boat in all weathers! When I return to my native region of Anjou, I always visit the banks of the Loire, in the company of my partner. We’re both fans of sport. La Loire à Vélo was therefore an opportunity to combine my two passions in life!”
From Ancenis to Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire
July 2019, we start out on a sunny Monday morning. We take to the road, with our bicycles and trailers. We’re planning to stay the night in a campsite in Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire. We stop off for lunch on this sunny day in Mauves-sur-Loire. The campsite is first-rate, we arrive at around 5pm, set up camp and head off to explore Nantes. It’s such a delight to cycle along the river bank!
From Nantes to Saint-Brevin-les-Pins
On Tuesday morning we head for Saint-Brevin-les-Pins. The weather is not quite so good today, we’re treated to some showers and a headwind. The going is a bit tougher!
We take a ferry across the Loire at Basse-Indre, which gives us some time out! With the rain and the wind, our mood is dampened at the end of the day, because we can see the Saint-Nazaire bridge in the distance, but it takes forever to get to Saint-Brevin-les-Pins! While the route is really well-signposted up to then, things become trickier when we arrive near Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, because some joker has removed the signs…we get a little lost, we’re not exactly on the right road, but we eventually find the campsite.
Even if the sun is starting to make a reappearance, we’re not in the mood for a picnic this evening, so it’s off to dine in a restaurant!
From Saint-Brevin-les-Pins to Saint-Nazaire
The next day we set off for Saint-Nazaire. The official arrival point on the Loire à Vélo route is a must for a photo session! We return to Saint-Brevin-les-Pins for our last evening and visit the town by night.
From Saint-Brevin-les-Pins to Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire
We take the return road on Wednesday morning. The sun is also back! We stay at the campsite in Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire once more. We find a quiet little spot in the meadow.
From Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire to Ancenis
We take the last section to Ancenis via the south of the Loire. We discover some beautiful villages and a few steep hills!
Our tour ends here, for this time, but we’re looking forward to discovering the rest of the trail. It’s a very enjoyable route, which anyone can do: we came across families, some with young kids who are already learning to cycle, which is great to see! The route is never overcrowded, though, and is always pleasant. Everyone travels at their own pace.
I knew the Loire was beautiful, but it was wonderful to discover this beauty in other towns. Stay tuned for our next adventure!
