Freewheeling in France

 Freewheeling in France

During the 3 years we lived and worked in Luxembourg between 2015 & 2017, we were able to make five bicycle trips around France to the Loire, Provence, Dordogne and Medoc regions. 

Part I - Looping Loire – July 2015

We started our bicycle tour of Loire in the small town of Contres.  We stayed the first night at Auberge-Logis Hotel Le Vieux Fusil.  With the hotel’s permission we left the car in their parking lot and headed out towards southwest.  The Loire River Region of France has a lot to offer for bicycle tourists.  It’s a very historic river basin with a large number of Chateaux which were built as hunting lodges by the French kings and aristocracy.  The region also is known for its fantastic cuisine and scenery-- and it is relatively flat.   

The first day’s ride was rainy at times.  We stopped for lunch in Montrichard and continued west to Chenonceaux on the river Cher.  The Chateau at Chenonceaux is one of the most beautiful and is spectacularly located across the river Cher with an interesting history.  In 1547 King Henri II offered the chateau as residence to his mistress Diane de Poitiers (1499-1566). She loved the place and by 1555 was the legal owner of Château de Chenonceaux.  After Henry II’s death, Catherine de Medici (1519-89), Henry’s much ignored wife became regent of France – she moved Diane de Poitiers out and to Château de Chaumont and took over her beloved Chenonceaux. This was a 40 km ride mostly flat, EG of 55m. 

 

Sun was out the next day for our ride on the trail on the levee along the bank of the river Cher.  We rode by beautiful fields of sunflowers.  Eventually we crossed the river l’Inder to arrive at the town of Montbazon.  This was a 32 km ride with EG of 80 m.  In Montbazon we visited the Castle. 

The next day’s ride we passed through Azay-le-Rideau, where we stopped for lunch.   Then to Chinon for the night, but not before we took a short cut which actually turned out to be a wrong turn-- and had a long ride on a dead-end path in the “Parc naturel régional Loire-Anjou-Touraine”.  This ride was about 55 km and an EG of 245 m.  Chinon is known for its fantastic cuisine and its delicious and abundant pastries. 

From Chinon we headed north and stopped at the Chateau at Rigny-Usse thought to have inspired the Sleeping Beauty story. The rest of the day’s ride was along the river Loire levee with beautiful views of the river, large fields of sunflowers that continued to the horizon, and the small towns along the way.  Our next night’s stop was south of Chateau Villandry.  Chateau Villandry is known for its immaculate gardens and well-kept interiors.  This was a 36 km ride and EG of 190 m. 

The next day’s ride was through vineyards and through the south side of the large city of Tour to finally arrive in city of Amboise.  We had lunch below the Chateau de Amboise and then headed to our hotel across the Loire river.  Chateau de Amboise is located on a hill above the city and contains the grave site of Leonardo de Vinci, who was brought to France by King Francis I, in 1516.  Amboise Chateau has a tumultuous history.  It was here that the bodyguards of King Henry III attacked Duke of Guise after he was invited to visit the King, killed the duke and burned his body in the fireplace so that the duke’s army camped outside would not find his body.  This was a 45 km and 40 m EG ride.

The next day’s ride was along the Loire river to Chaumont-sur-Loire where we had lunch and then visited the Chateau situated on the hill above the town.  From there we followed the Loire River trail to Blois.  We stayed at Hotel De France in Blois and visited the Chateau.  This was a 38 km ride with an EG of 70 m. 

On the last day we followed the bicycle trail south and then by way of small roads to Chateau de Cheverny.  Chateau Cheverny still has a large number of hunting beagle dogs and also the well-maintained interior displaying a letter from George Washington thanking the French for their support in the American Revolutionary War. After lunch we continued back to Logis Hotel Le Vieux Fusil east of Contres.  We had an amazing dinner at this Auberge that night and left for Luxembourg the next morning. 

Across Algarve

 Across Algarve – July 2017

Our bicycle trip across the Algarve was a part of a larger trip, our last before we left Europe after three years of living and working in Luxembourg.  On this last trip we drove from Luxembourg south to France and then continued on the circumference of the Iberian Peninsula clockwise starting in northeast Spain and ending back in France. 
The Algarve covers the south coast of Portugal on the Mediterranean with quaint towns and scenic views of the sea and beaches. 

 

We drove into Portugal from Spain from its most southeastern corner and left the car in the city of Vila Real de Santo Antonio, next to our hotel Arenilha Guest House with their permission.  On our departure morning we bicycled to the city information center and picked up some maps of the Algarve and the roads ahead. 

Our first stop was at Formosa Guest House, in Tavira.  The ride was 25 km.  In Tavira we took a boat trip to the Ilha De Tavira (Tavira Island) and spent the afternoon on a beautiful warm and sunny beach. 

 

Our next stop was Faro at a distance of 35 km, where we stayed at the Happy House on Rua Batista Lopes.  Faro has a lovely waterfront set against the background of the Mediterranean Sea with amazing sunsets.  We had a lovely seafood dinner on the second floor of a restaurant situated at the edge of the sea as the sun set – we will never forget.

The next day we rode to Albufeira, some 40 km away.  Albufeira was a very busy and bustling hilly sea town overrun by British visitors!  We stayed at Colina do Mar, on Rua Maria Teresa Semedo de Azvedo.  This required bicycling and pushing our bicycles up a very steep hill to get to the hotel. 

Our ride to Portimao followed a bicycle path for the first few miles and then became very hilly through Benagil, up and down steep hills, and then over a long bridge into Portimao in temperatures now above 100 degrees F.   In Portimao we stayed at Hotel Globo, on Rua 5 De Outubro. This was a very hilly 35 km ride.

Our last day ride took us to Lagos 20 km away.  We stayed in Lagos for two nights at Mar Azul, Rua 25 De Abril.  We spent part of the next day at the beach enjoying the warmth of the Mediterranean Sea and the beautiful views and sunset.  Like most of our nights on the road we would go out to dinner early and spent an hour playing cards (Gin) and having a glass of wine before dinner. 

After two days in Lagos we rode our bicycles to the train station and took a train back to Vila Real de Santo Antonio, where we had left our car.  Most European local trains have a luggage compartment where you can load your bicycles without having to box them.  This does not apply to long distance TGV or fast trains. 

What an incredible experience! July was a very hot month to bicycle here but worth all the effort and sweat.