Cycling holiday in the Loire, France
| country: | France |
| location: | The Loire Valley |
| trip type: | Self guided, introductory cycling holidays |
| departures: | This trip can be booked to depart on any Saturday and Wednesday between 13 Mar - 27 Oct. |
| price: | From £629 - £679 (8 days) excluding flights. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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introduction to Cycling holiday in the Loire, France
The Loire is the longest river in France, rising in the Massif Central and flowing over 1000km to the Atlantic Ocean. Along its lower reaches, the hunting grounds and lodges of kings and noblemen have grown into extraordinarily ornate chateaux. In addition to these fine buildings, the Loire Valley is famous for its wine, with flourishing vineyards set amidst the leafy forests, green valleys and charming villages - ideal for undemanding cycling. Vineyards thrive on the fertile soil around the river and its tributaries, and many producers are well-prepared to receive visitors and are more than happy for them to try a glass or two. The historic market town of Amboise, nestled under its fortified chateau, makes a perfect starting point from where we wend our way between the Loire and Cher rivers, visiting some of the prettiest chateaux along the way.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Start Amboise (accessible by train from London, see dates and prices box). |
| Day 2: | Ride to riverside town of Montrichard. The first grand building of the trip is one of the best: the chateau of Chenonceau on the River Cher, or rather, in the River Cher: its moat is part of the river and its arches reach across to the far bank. |
| Day 3: | Cycle through quiet villages of the Sologne to Bracieux, with optional stops at the Chateau of Fougeres, and the grander Cheverny. |
| Day 4: | Today is free to relax in the village or cycle through the forests to the Chateau de Chambord - an extraordinary collection of turrets and spires, and famous for its double spiral staircase. |
| Day 5: | Riverbank ride following the lazy Loire to Chaumont-sur-Loire, passing a 16th century castle and the pretty village of Les Montils. |
| Day 6: | Today is free to visit the chateau in town standing high above the river, cycle along the riverbank to the mediaeval city of Blois or explore the villages to the south on optional rides. |
| Day 7: | Cycle to Amboise. The final day in the saddle cycling across open, rolling countryside to Amboise. There is time to visit the Clos Luce, the last home of Leonardo da Vinci, and the castle itself in this pretty riverside town. |
| Day 8: | End Amboise. |
traveller reviews for Cycling holiday in the Loire, France
Most memorable were the great cycling and the choice of chateaux, restaurants, wine-tasting, etc we had in very good cycling weather. Good that cycling on French roads turned out to be easy, although there were not always cycle paths. (more)
award winner
This tourism business won an awardin our 2004 Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical, Magazine of the Royal Geographical Societyhow this holiday makes a difference
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Self powered tour of the Loire valley, stay in small, locally owned characterful hotels and eating the best of the local cuisine, and travel down by Eurostar. On this self guided trip you are left to cycle at your own pace, and by your own route, so it is left up to you to make as much as possible of your holiday, though we give you plenty of guidelines. This trip has low environmental impacts, and puts a little bit back into rural local communities, and helps conserve rural lifestyles.
We have at our UK offices worked to reduce our carbon footprint through a reduction of energy use and energy conservation measures. We also actively reduce the waste produced by having active reduction and recycling policies in place. We run annual staff workshops on Responsible Tourism. Global warming is a reality and to help you make a difference by reducing the carbon dioxide that is produced when you travel we offer a chance to carbon balance your flights. We encourage all our clients to do this and do so for all our staff travel. Go on do your bit! |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
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