Part II - Pedaling in Provence

 Part II - Pedaling in Provence

Our Provence bicycle loop started in Aix-en-Provence where we stayed at the Hotel Le Concorde.  The hotel had a parking garage and we received permission and paid to leave the car there.  Aix is a historic town dating back to the Roman times and their occupation over the Gauls.  There are still Roman arches, viaducts and historic structures around the area. 

 

From Aix we headed northwest towards Salon-de-Provence, a 35 km and 160 m EG ride.  Our hotel in Salon was Inter-Hotel d'Angleterre.  We spent the afternoon walking around and visiting the sights. 

The next day we headed northwest again to Saint Remy-de-Provence.   The ride was a gentle uphill climb with views of the Massif des Alpilles.  It was a nice sunny day with very few cars on the D roads we were traveling on.  We stayed at the Auberge de la Reine Jeanne.  It was a 35 km ride with EG of 210 m. 

 

Our next stop was City of Arles.  We headed southwest from Remy and just outside of town stopped at the Roman ruins to take a look.  Later we crossed an ancient Roman viaduct and an old Abby and the Cloisters of the monks who had lived there.  Before we entered the Abby, we stopped at a small restaurant across the street and had one of the best meals of the trip.  Our hotel in Arles was the Logis De La Muette.  Arles situated on the Rhone River, has a well-preserved collection of the Roman antiquities.  The mostly flat ride was 28 km and EG 40 m. 

 

The ride south of Arles followed the trail through the Parc Naturel Regional de Camargue, following the Canal de Navigation d’Arles a Bouc.  This was a flat, hot 50 km ride with views of the Rhone River Delta and at times we rode by the white Camargue horses grazing in the fields.  We finally arrived at Hôtel Ariane in Istres. 

The next day we rode southeast to Hotel Eden in Martigues.  This was a 20 Km ride with EG of 100 m.  Martigues turned to be a very picturesque port city.  The ride was very pleasant up and down a few hills and passing a couple of lakes through a pine forest.  We stayed in Martigues for two nights and walked around the town.  On the second day we went on the beach outside of town. 

Our last day’s ride took us back to Aix-en-Provence and Hotel Le Concorde, where we had left our car.  This was a 50 Km ride and a long hill climb with EG of 360 m.  A few kilometers after leaving Martigues and rounding the Etage de Berre Bay, the road became very busy and a thoroughfare with lots of trucks.  We noticed a sandbar that split the Etage de Berre Bay.  Following route the Jai, the road that led to the sandbar, we followed the dirt trail on the sandbar across the bay and avoided the traffic and the trucks. 

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.