Are you ready for the time of your life?

Days 7 to 13: Rennes to Angers (306km – total distance 539km)
Week 2 and it already feels like a lifetime since we left Jersey’s shores to embark on our adventure. We have now made our way down to the Eurovelo 6 route and are following the River Loire eastwards.

As you will see from the map on Our Route page, since our last blog we left our Airbnb in Rennes and started following our intended route along the River Vilaine. As predicted in the last blog, the scenery along the river was fantastic and we opted for a relatively short day in the saddle covering 30km to Camping des Deux Moulins at Bourg-des-Comptes.

Part of the reason for the shorter leg was the attraction of staying in a ‘cabanétape’ which was great fun and saved on tent assembly. We also met some fellow ‘bike touring’ Brits, Mark and Rob from Bedford, and spent some time talking bike touring and getting geeky on bikes and equipment. Richard also used the time to start a video blog talking about ‘Our Equipment’ using the video camera he received as a leaving gift from his work colleagues. (When they see the video they may regret doing so, but we are finding it fun anyway!). The video also includes a mini tour of our home for the night.

When time permits we hope to post more videos about Our Equipment (and other bits and bobs) for anyone interested, so let us know what you think in the comments section.

With our bags safely stored in the cabanétape, we rode our bikes into the nearest town for a hearty dinner. It feels very peculiar riding the bikes without all the weight – they almost feel too light!

The next day took us further down the Vilaine (bumping into Mark and Rob again at a coffee stop). We made up for the short leg the previous day with a PB of 62km all the way to Ferme Auberge La Morinais just outside of Redon. Using Google Maps to navigate the final leg caused a rather unorthodox method of entering the site and we received some strange looks from the lady tending to the garden when we arrived. We had pre-booked another type of ‘cabanétape’ but this one was on stilts and had a fabric floor. Not that pre-booking was necessary – we were the only campers on the small site!

As we were out of town we did eat at the farm restaurant that evening (with just one other couple) and whilst offered a choice of three starters, it was lucky we both enjoyed the duck as it was the only main course on offer.

Over the ‘canard’ dinner we noted that Redon was on the Nantes-Brest canal and offered us an alternative (and quicker) route to Nantes and the Eurovelo 6, so we made the decision to alter our original route plans. The next day therefore saw us cycling along the pretty canal (but very bumpy canal path!) which took us to a campsite at Blain. Those following us on Instagram will have seen that we demonstrated a masterclass in tent assembly at this site.

Day 10 was a tough day in the saddle along the canal and into Nantes, where 57km felt twice as long for some reason. At one stage, at the height of exhaustion, the normally mild-mannered Mrs Ingle even told a nearby unsuspecting cuckoo to ‘shut up’!! But we did eventually make it to a much welcomed and comfortable Airbnb apartment that was to be our home for two nights. However (and despite having a proper bed for the night), the first order of business was putting up the tent in the courtyard so it could properly dry out (as it had been packed slightly damp)!

Day 11 was a day to have a lay-in, rest, explore Nantes, do some washing and clean the very dusty bikes so we were ready to take on Eurovelo 6 the next day. Point of note though to those not ‘in the know’. Mondays in France are like a second Sunday with many establishments closed. It has something to do with France’s labour code (first published in 1910) which used to say that it was illegal for anyone to work more than six days a week and that workers should have 35 consecutive hours of rest – meaning Saturday workers have to take off Sunday and at least half of Monday. The law has relaxed in recent years but the tradition hasn’t.

The eagle-eyed among you would have noticed that Day 11 saw Richard sporting less facial hair – an early anniversary present for Janine who isn’t a beard fan. You can witness the transformation on Instagram. You can see how happy she is in the photos!

On Day 12 we finally made it to Eurovelo 6 and the next phase of our journey. If we stay on this route all the way we’d end up on the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria. Our current plans are to follow the route as far as Budapest and then decide where to go next but that still feels a long way away. Anyway, we are not sure if it was the rest day, the road conditions or a favorable tail wind, but cycling 48km on this day felt so much easier than the run into Nantes – perhaps we’re even getting a little bit fitter.

We also managed to stay one step behind a rain cloud all day. We barely felt a drop of rain all day but everywhere we went there was evidence of a downpour. Someone seems to be looking after us!

We found a campsite on the route for our overnight accommodation which offered EcoLodges (and EcoLoos – more sawdust than water!) but having already tried the cabanétapes, Janine was insistent we try the caravan option on offer. Sid James and Hattie Jacques may well have stayed in the particular ‘vintage’ caravan we occupied but it was actually clean, functional, cheap and saved the risk of packing a wet tent again. It just so happened to coincide with the eve of our wedding anniversary – we’ve woken in a variety of places on our anniversary over 26 years but never in a caravan from the seventies! This adventure just keeps on giving!!

Day 13 was a lovely day with minimal climbs following the river to Angers for 57km. Not only did it mark our 26th anniversary but also we passed through the 500km mark – quite a milestone (or should that be kilometre-stone?).

Unfortunately our planning had failed to realise that a French Bank Holiday was approaching (for Ascension Day) causing the campsites to swell leaving only tent pitches – so no luxury chalet for us at Camping d’Angers – Lac de Maine. We are perhaps glimpsing how the busy summer season will look.

Well that ends this blog. Thank you all for your Instagram likes and blog comments so far. It’s really nice to see the feedback.

Song of the week is inspired by our accommodation on the night of Day 12 where we awoke for our 26th wedding anniversary!