The Loire is famous for its chateaus and we are heading into the most famous part, starting in Saumur. We are staying in a really nice campsite on an island just across the bridge from the main town. For those who have never seen a French campsite, they are amazing. Clean and organized, with a swimming pool, bar, different types of accommodation to rent, and in our case even a kitchen for bicyclists to use.
If you put in an order for bread by 6 PM the night before, there is even fresh bread delivery from the local baker. The area we are pitching our tent is mostly other cycle tourists crossing Europe. There are probably 15 groups that we can see, ranging from families traveling together to single cyclists of both sexes and diverse ages. It’s cool to see this.
Yesterday’s ride from Chalonnes-sur-Loire to Saumur was 48 miles with an elevation gain of 750 feet. We had a pretty brisk headwind some of the day and it was warm. We had good shade most of the day which was great.
The architecture and agriculture has shifted these past couple days. The air is feeling more like summer and the scents of dry hay and wisteria color the air. The corn has grown a few feet since we took pictures in Brittany. Fields of sunflowers dance in the sun. Vineyards line the sides of the roads. We are solidly in the Loire.
Even though this route is called the EuroVelo 6, it has different segment names, and one we are on is called La Loire en Vélo.
We have dinner in town at a nice bistro. Sorry we forgot to photograph the food before diving in. We were hungry. The dusk is arriving sooner as we head east and the days shorten. By 10pm it’s dusk as we head back to the campground and sleep.
The following day we eat “at home” with some salad with smoked trout, tabouli, tomatoes and avocado. And another bottle of that yummy Chinon red…Yum!
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