An idea dreamed up after completing the Tour Aotearoa in 2018 is finally coming to fruition. It was originally planned for 2021 as a 50th birthday adventure and delayed because the world went mad.

New Zealand to Thailand , Thailand to France we are finally here and ready to roll

I’m very grateful to some equally crazy friends (psycholists) who have agreed to come along for the ride.

Tomorrow we start the Euro Velo 6 from the Atlantic in St Nazzaire, France towards the Black Sea. We will cycle as far as Belgrade in Serbia, some 3,200km in about 60 days following 4 rivers and entering 9 countries.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/EV6_The_Rivers_Route

Day 1 – Saint-Brevin to Nante – 63.5km

Day 1 was a pretty special day that exceeded all our expectations. We took a train from Nantes to Saint-Nazaire and then a taxi to Saint-Brevin where the official start of the Euro Velo 6 is. The reason for the taxi was to safely cross the Saint-Nazaire Bridge which is 3.3km long and crosses the Loire river.

We were a bit stressed about the train as we were told we would only have 2 minutes to get on with our bikes but it was actually sitting on the platform about 20 minutes early. We did however have to take our bikes up and down an escalator – that was a first.

When we arrived in Saint-Breven, we went down to touch the Atlantic Ocean which was surprisingly warm and then took a photo of the official sign. We then proceeded to cycle round in circles working out which way we were supposed to be going . Once we worked it out we then discovered we had taken a picture of the finishing sign rather than the starting side of the sign. Not a good start

The signage along the trail is pretty good thankfully. We followed the river, went inland, along a canal and into a couple of villages. A cup of coffee was high on the priority list which we managed about 20km in.

The stone buildings and houses were a highlight. Absolutely loved the trail which was a mixture of light gravel paths and quiet country roads. We took a ferry back across the river at Indre – timed our ride perfectly as the ferry departed just after we got on and it was free.

Cycled back through the industrial outskirts of Nantes before Hilary took us on a cycle tour around the city. While her navigation skills are excellent, her regard for safety is questionable after nearly getting us run over on numerous occasions. The drivers here are very courteous to cyclists but I think Hilary took that for granted a little too much back in the city, especially with the buses. Plus we’re still getting used to which way to look as they drive on the other side of the road to what we are used to.

Nantes is a very cool city though and we enjoyed exploring it. We checked out Les Machines de l’ile or The Machines of the Island an exhibition and animation space. They have this mechanical elephant 12 meters high and 8 meters in width that walks around, makes noise and blows water out its trunk. It is a sight to behold.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nantes

Day 2 – Nante to Montjean sur Loire – 69.5km

I forgot to mention yesterday that the heatwave in Europe is fake news – well it is in France anyway. It’s been about 22 degrees which is actually perfect for cycling. We did wake to pouring rain this morning but it was forecast to stop at 9am, which it did. We have also had a tail wind for the first two days . Today was the first day being fully loaded but we managed well.

The trails along the river were again amazing and with the tail wind we really whipped along. We did four crossings of the Loire today. It was so windy when we crossed one of the bridges we had to walk. Graham reckons it was blowing between 60 and 80km an hour – hold onto your helmet stuff.

We had a coffee stop in Mauve sur Loire where they had a lovely boulangerie (bakery) where some pain au chocolat were purchased and consumed (not by me – just saying). The church yard was some archeological site where they were excavating for bones

Lunch was in Ancenis. We’ve noticed a lot of snails on the trail which is probably fitting given escargot is a specialty here – Graham suggested collecting them up for dinner – that was a hard no from me.

There have also been a number of wild berries along the trails. There were some blueberry looking ones that JP found out were in fact not blueberries. She took one for the team and you’ll be pleased to know she’s still alive

The number of cyclists on the trail going both ways is amazing and they’re all loaded up so are obviously bike packing like us. Lots of families with kids either riding or being towed. Very cool to see.

Fortunately, JP is still alive as she is taking our end of ride yoga sessions every day . Watch this space.

Day 3 – Montjean sur Loire to Saumur – 95km

A big day on the pedals today and slightly longer than planned due to a detour that ended up being useful.

We had an early start today due to it being a big day and the forecast looking a little ominous from about 11am . Clearly the SUNGRL powers are still adjusting to the northern hemisphere.

The obligatory pain au chocolat was acquired in the village of Savennieres (not by me though ). We went through a lot more beautiful little villages today. You hardly ever see anyone though.

I then had an issue with my front derailer cable which our resident fix it man, Graham, couldn’t sort so we accidentally detoured to Angers which had a number of bike shops.

The guy at Art De Roue was fantastic and replaced the cable while we had lunch. JP went off and acquired a hip flask – we have driven her to drink after only 3 days. She tells us it’s for her oat milk which is nowhere to be found at the cafes we have been frequenting so she’s going to do BYO.

After leaving Angers we came across a cable ferry that we had to use to cross a small tributary called sur-l’ Authion. That was a first.

Unfortunately we had a bit of precipitation but not enough to be too painful. We had a stop in St-Mathurin sur Loire where we came across a photo exhibition, one of 13, showcasing 240 sports photos highlighting the work of 17 French and foreign photographers who have covered the greatest international sporting competitions. Front and centre was the All Blacks doing the haka at the 2011 World Cup final against France at Eden Park. JP couldn’t resist joining in.

We had 30km to go to Saumur and it was a bit of a slog. A nice hot shower, a glass of wine, some snacks and a game of Cabo has put us back on track. JP is now whipping us up a delicious pasta dinner – living our best life for sure

Day 4 – Saumur to Brehemont – 56.5km

After we had all showered last night we discovered we had used dishwash liquid instead of body wash – no wonder we were all squeaky clean (also proves how bad all our eyesight is).

We had an explore around Saumur this morning and checked out the Chateau de Saumur which was originally constructed as a castle in the 10th century. We are now in chateau and wine country.

The trail took us through the beautiful village of Souzay Champigny past lovely cream-colored stone buildings, typical of the region, and into a magical and mysterious medieval tunnel system carved out of the cliffs.

The tunnel system was originally created from quarrying the cream Tuffeau stone, used for the buildings and castles the Loire region is famous for. The quarried caverns provided an inexpensive framework for medieval living spaces and buildings, known as troglodyte houses.

We then came across a gourmet cafe / shop selling local specialties, wine and art. The wine cellar was set up with a picture of the Loire river running around the wall with wines from each area for sale underneath. It was too early for wine so JP and I tried a Nantes cake instead which is made with rum.

In the 18th century, the port of Nantes was enriched by the triangular trade and saw many goods from the Caribbean colonies such as cane sugar, dark rum, and vanilla; ingredients that were later used in the composition of the Nantes cake. It hit the spot nicely.

There are 4 nuclear power plants along the Loire so we decided to take a look at the Chinon one. It has 7 reactors but only 4 are operational. It produces 6% of France’s electricity.

From nuclear power to Sleeping Beauty – our next stop was Château d’Ussé which was built in the 11th century and was one of several that inspired Walt Disney in the creation of many of the Disney Castles.

It was then a further 8km into Brehemont where we are staying in a loft style apartment four stories up in an early 19th century building. There is no lift so our legs were not thanking us. Thankfully they had bike storage in a little cave at the bottom of the building.

We then discovered the only place to eat was at the campground whose restaurant was fully booked. We ended up having feu or fire bread for dinner at the campground bar. The feu came about when the bakers would pull off a little bit of dough the size of a small bun and put it in the oven to see if the fire was hot enough before putting the loaves in. Apparently, they are very common at the Christmas / specialty markets between Saumur and Tours (tomorrows destination). I was pretty happy with my warm feu with goats’ cheese and garlic butter.

Day 5 – Brehemont to Tours – 37.8km

We only had a short day today but we decided to get away early so we could enjoy our next destination – the city of Tours.

First stop was Chateau Villandry which was once owned by Napoleons brother. Its famous Renaissance gardens include a water garden, ornamental flower gardens, and vegetable gardens. The gardens are laid out in formal patterns created with low box hedges. In 1934, Château de Villandry was designated a Monument historique. Like all the other châteaux of the Loire Valley, it is a World Heritage Site.

Unfortunately it wasn’t the nicest day so we didn’t do the garden tour. We did, of course visit the boulangerie where the baguettes were fresh out of the oven.

We came across a quinoa crop which was interesting as I’ve never seen that before.

Over the last few days we have also seen a number of poplar plantations. Poplar is used to make both light and strong packaging in a process that is much less energy-consuming than that of the equivalent to make cardboard or plastic packaging. As a result, poplar as a raw material for packaging is much more sustainable than any other material.

Poplar’s remarkable hygienic qualities, naturally bactericidal, make it perfect for food packaging as it is moisture resistant, aiding in the proper conservation of fruits, vegetables, seafood and is always suitable for cheese and wine. Due to its resistance, poplar is also used to make industrial packaging, such as pallets.

Tours has a number of markets so we acquired some avocado, chèvre (goats cheese), tomatoes and a couple of baguettes for our picnic lunch.

Tours has a population of about 137,000 and is known as the garden city. The historic city is nicknamed “Le Petit Paris”. The city was greatly affected by the First World War. A force of 25,000 American soldiers arrived in 1917, setting up textile factories for the manufacture of uniforms, repair shops for military equipment, munitions dumps, an army post office and an American military hospital at Augustins. Tours was also marked by the Second World War as the city suffered massive destruction in 1940.

I finally found a half decent cafe o’alit today so had two to make up for the last 4 days.

After some confusion we found our AirBNB for the night which is very nice and spacious. Unfortunately the host misled us on bike storage so we had to improvise and take the front wheels off two of the bikes and carry them up two circular, narrow flights of stairs.

We had a wander around the city after we checked in. It is a really nice city with a good vibe. We had a drink down by the river and then went to Place Plumereau, the old medieval town, for dinner. The square has half-timbered houses from the 15th century, alongside the beautiful Romanesque and Renaissance façades, this square was the economic center of the city from the 13th to the 16th century.

Tonight, I had the best meal so far on tour – baked Camembert with honey, salad, potatoes, Parma ham, tomatoes – yum, yum, yum

Day 6 – Tours to Amboise – 30.5km

When you are carrying everything on your bike you don’t want to carry too much. Having limited clothes means having the ability to wash and dry our clothes overnight is quite important. We had a washing machine last night but no washing powder or drying rack. We used body wash and turned the place into a Chinese laundry, even utilising the wine rack for our smalls.

Today, being a Sunday, we thought we would take it easy with a short ride from Tours to Amboise (I can hear my other psycholist friends back in NZ giving me grief for that).

It was a beautiful ride along lovely paths and through vineyards. Definitely a highlight so far.

Amboise has a population of 13,000 and I think all of them were at the Sunday market. It was fantastic with all sorts of things from food to clothes to jewellery and even mattresses.

Being on a bike also limits your shopping ability which Stevie is very happy about.

After enjoying the market and the town which again was really busy we went and did a wine tour at Caves Ambacia. The reviews said it was fantastic and they were right.

Our guide, Tomas, was so good and extremely knowledgeable. The Caves have been around since 1463 and were once owned by Leonardo da Vinci. Up until 2017 they were owned by the same family for 13 generations or 600 years. From what we could understand, the taxes on passing from one generation to the other are very high which caused the family to sell – it might also have had something to do with it being the unlucky 13th generation.

The caves alone are owned by a master wine maker now who makes wine with grapes grown by various growers in the region.

In NZ, we define our wines by the grape variety. In France they define them by the region. There are very strict rules about what and how you grow and make the wine.

AOC is short for Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, and refers to standards set for wines made in France. There are 363 AOCs for wine and spirits in France which control everything from how the grapes are grown to what wine varieties are in the bottle.

The two grape varieties used at Caves Ambacia were Chenin from the Vouvray region for their whites and Cot (Cabernet Franc) from the Chinon region for their reds. To be honest it was all a bit confusing and the more wine we sampled the more confusing it got.

https://www.vinsvaldeloire.fr/en/wine/vouvray

https://www.vinsvaldeloire.fr/en/wine/chinon

Regardless the tour was fantastic and afterwards we enjoyed a glass of wine, escargot and a selection of cheeses. Janine had a 1990 Vouvary (chenin) and Hilary and I had a 1997 pétillant which is a sparkling chenin. Very good.

It was my first time having escargot and while they weren’t offensive I couldn’t quite get my head around them. Luckily my biking buddies loved them.

The other thing this area is famous for is goats cheese. The four goats cheeses, two cows milk cheese and one sheep milk cheese we tried all came within a 25km radius of the caves.

The Loire Valley is the largest producer of wine in France and we’re cycling the whole way through it .

Day 7 – Amboise to Blois – 43km

Our bed and breakfast hosts in Amboise, Christine and Philippe, were so lovely. Christine spoke really good English but Philippe didn’t – he asked Christine to tell us that he loves rugby and he thinks the French will beat us in the opening game.

He is an artist and paints these 3D images on flat board which were very clever. Christine did our washing for us yesterday and our breakfast this morning was very yummy with fresh baguettes and homemade jam.

Last night while we were sitting outside playing cards, three hot air balloons came over the house on a trip over the Loire.

Amboise is a real tourist town, made famous by the fact that Leonardo da Vinci lived in Chateau Du Clos Luce which is in Amboise from 1516 until his death in 1519 at the age of 67. You can visit the chateau, park and exhibition. In my ignorance I wasn’t that keen to visit but it turned out to be so interesting and I learnt a lot.

His work on the human anatomy was fascinating. One of the fore fathers he looked to was Hippocrates (father of medicine) who asserts that disease, far from being from divine origin, is linked to external factors.

Leonardo looked to the work on the soul by Aristotle who explains that the organic soul is the source of vital capacity through animal spirits. The vegetative soul is responsible for reproductive functions and for the growth of the body. The sensitive soul is the one that induces perception through the senses, physical movements and emotions. The intellective soul is the one that enables consciousness and reflection.

His diet recommendations were also interesting – photo attached.

In the park they had models of various machines and shapes that he had drawn. He was an artist, an engineer, an architect, an anatomist and scientist.

It was then back on the bikes for 23km to Chaumont-sur-Loire where we had lunch in the park – goats cheese, honey and roast tomatoes on a fresh baguette

JP and I then visited the garden festival at the Chateau Chaumont-sur-Loire. The grounds comprise 34 hectares – permanent gardens, a plant collection and an annual exhibition. The annual exhibition this year is entitled Resilient Garden – being resilient is turning a challenge into a strength. There were about 30 gardens all showcasing how the designer used plants and the natural environment to combat the challenges the earth is facing.

After a couple of hours roaming about in there it was back on the bikes for 20km to Blois, home for tonight. We’re staying in the historic centre in a very cool apartment.

Blois has a population of 47,000 and during the Renaissance, Blois was the official residence of the King of France.

The Jacques-Gabriel Bridge (architect) spans the Loire River in Blois, since the beginning of the 18th century. With a total length of 283m, it is made up of 11 arches, and is the last arch bridge on the river that is pointed.