Never stop making memories

Days 14 to 21: Angers to Orléans (297km – total distance 836km)
Well here we are at the end of week 3 and we find ourselves at the northern most point of the Loire in the city of Orléans – famed for its liberation from the English by the teenage Joan of Arc in 1429 (Anyone remember the 80’s OMD hit – Maid of Orleans? – Richard has been butchering it as we have cycled along for the last few days!)

We pick up events on Day 14 in Angers where we had to deal with a little medical ‘curve ball’ that required an unscheduled extra day’s stay to get some assistance at the local hospital which was all resolved but a little daunting at first – dealing with things in an unfamiliar place and in a foreign language. Thankfully Richard’s preparation ensured we had the right paperwork to be treated in France without too much trouble and quite efficiently despite the Ascension Day bank holiday. (Jersey friends should take note to download the Attestation Certificate before any travels to France).

The extra night in Angers also allowed some extra sightseeing. We have found all French towns and cities we have visited to be very accomodating for cyclists with many dedicated cycle lanes and even bike racks in hotel lobbies!

Upon leaving Angers we were aiming for a campsite on the banks of the Loire about 50km up-river. On our fifteenth day blue skies graced us from dawn to dusk and the breeze from cycling was very welcome under the glaring sun.

Many rivers to cross
But I can’t seem to find my way over

Jimmy Cliff (click to view)

At one stage our maps took us to a river with no bridge to cross. After scratching our heads for 30 seconds we saw our method of transportation on the opposite bank…

It was a fantastic day in the saddle with some beautiful scenery and stop off points as we navigated to our destination in time to pitch our tent and then to spend some time on the adjacent ‘beach’ and to cool down in the river – our first river swim of the tour.

The nice people at the campsite recommended us to a local restaurant which was a short bike ride away. We enjoyed a nice meal with ‘entertainment’ from the restaurant proprietor (who bore a remarkable resemblance to Mel from ‘Benidorm’). Thankfully the food was much better than the music!

We returned to the campsite to catch a wonderful sunset over the Loire

Similar weather followed on Day 16 as we cycled further along the Loire and through vast vineyards. We pass quite a few cyclists and exchange a customary wave or ‘bonjour’ but people also travel the route with more sophisticated machinery.

On hot days like this we were thankful for a last minute impulse purchase before we departed Jersey at a local garden centre. Our cool towels were periodically produced to cool us down during the course of the day.

We found a campsite with a very welcome swimming pool and opted for the relative luxury of a pre-erected tent ‘bungalow’ for our overnight accommodation. Whilst the commercial campsites can be more popular with families and excitable kids, they also typically have more facilities on offer including restaurants/bars and we took advantage of the excellent take-away chicken ratatouille and chocolate mousse for our evening meal on the balcony. All washed down with an ice cold bottle of the local beer as Richard followed the Champions League final on the internet.

Day 17 was another beautifully warm day that saw us spend part of the day following the River Cher (one of the many tributaries of the Loire) – very scenic. It may have been the prolonged heat but as some of you may have seen in our Day 17 Instagram post, we went a little crazy. We also produced a little pronunciation guide in the video below!

That evening saw us checking into a nice little campsite in Ville-aux-Dames. Slightly exhausted and hot, we spent the first hour at our pitch simply sitting in our chairs with our cool towels over our heads. When the tent was eventually pitched and Janine was resting inside, Richard was approached by a fellow Brit offering the use of his electrical connection if required. He also advised that the unoccupied but rather large neighboring tent was a Liverpudlian family who had pitched up and then driven all the way to Madrid for the Champions League Final. After he left, Janine popped her head out of the tent and took one look at Richard – “Did you really speak to that chap with that towel wrapped round your head like that?” “Oh yeah – I think so!”

That evening was spent enjoying really good campsite pizza and beer, and chatting late into the night with our new camping friend (Steve) and his son (Luke) who were traveling the area by car. When discussing the recent Bank Holiday they happened to ask what was the Ascension. Richard saw Janine’s eyes immediately light up and he just sat back to watch the evangelising for the next 90 minutes!

We retired for the night with Janine slightly anxious that the returning Reds fans may not see our green tent when parking and flatten us! But we awoke to the sound of Scouse voices enjoying breakfast. Also judging by the mosquito bites the next morning it wasn’t just us that ate well the night before!

Day 18 saw us bid farewell to Steve and Luke as it started to lightly drizzle and we headed to the beautiful town of Amboise where we had lunch.

We also checked the longer range weather forecast and saw some predicted heavy rain over the next few days so agreed to ‘front load’ the journey to allow more options as we approached Orléans and our pre-booked Airbnb. Thankfully the lunch seemed to provide us with enough fuel to manage our longest day in the saddle at exactly 70km to reach the town of Blois.

The early morning drizzle had been replaced by evening sun and we enjoyed our camp dinner of soup, cheese and bread at a popular riverside campsite.

We were awoken early the next morning by the sound of gentle rain drops on the tent flysheet which became increasingly heavier. Thankfully our MSR Mutha Hubba tent passed its first test in the field and we remained dry and snug in our sleeping bags.

The sun appeared and helped to dry the tent whilst we ate breakfast and we prepared for an early departure designed to avoid the forecast rain. It was mostly a day on tarmac that was dominated by cycling towards and then away from the two massive towers of the St Laurent Nuclear Power Station which uses water from the Loire.

In the end the rain never appeared during Day 19 and we managed the 48km to our budget hotel but Janine noted that the ride felt harder than the previous day where we covered much more distance. It wasn’t until we checked the route hill profile in the evening that we saw the likely reason.

Day 20 was an unavoidably wet affair where we tested our waterproof rain jackets (with mixed success). We made the 23km into Orléans before our official check-in at our next Airbnb location but thankfully we were able to access the apartment early and escape the rain. We have spent the last day and a half exploring Orléans under slightly drier conditions.

So that brings the blog up-to-date with all the news. We really appreciate all the feedback it helps us feel connected to friends and family so keep them coming. Song of the week is inspired by the title of this blog.