Loire Valley by bike holiday

Planet

We believe that cycling trips are the best way to experience a destination; because you have more time to appreciate the changing landscapes and get to know locals in the villages and towns that you pass through. Travelling by bike has minimal impact on your environment.

This slow style of travel not only affords you more time to appreciate Europe but, just as importantly, positively contributes to the regions that host you. The Loire Valley region technically does not exist, yet from a touristic perspective it appears in travel brochures and French guidebooks around the world, due to its classic French countryside and an abundance of Chateaux and quaint villages. The valley is now a listed UNESCO World Heritage site between Maine and Sully-sur-Loire on the Loire River. By taking a low impact cycling tour in the Loire Valley you can minimise your carbon travel footprint while enjoying the beautiful countryside.

We have planned the trip to start in Blois, this town can be easily reached by train from the UK and Europe , so we encourage travel by train to join the tour where possible.

Our Waste Management Policy encourages our travellers to take their own reusable water bottles, coffee cups and reusable stuff sacks to avoid single-use plastics. We follow this same philosophy in our office as well as on the trail: in our London office we have banned single use coffee cups and water bottles. We use recycled paper in our office and we are working towards reducing the amount of paper we use, as well as recycling all of our paper and plastic waste.

People

Our preferred accommodations we use on this trip are locally owned and not part of big international hotel chains; this way we ensure your tourist spend is staying within the area and benefiting local people.

The cycle takes you through countryside crisscrossed with vineyards, duck farms and orchards. You will find delightful locally owned small cafés and shops in the villages you pass through too. We encourage you to stop and spend time in these villages and purchase items direct from the growers where possible, for example on the way to Amboise you will pass a wine grower and have the opportunity to taste the local wines, and perhaps purchase a bottle to enjoy in the evening.

In 2000 we developed the award winning Responsible Travel Guidebook, which presented our Travel Group’s comprehensive policies on sustainable travel. Over the years our Responsible Travel Guidebook has evolved to meet the ever-changing landscape of sustainable travel. In March 2018 The Thoughtful Traveller booklet was launched, which is an easy-to-read document that empowers travellers with suggestions about how they can be part of the solution and collectively make the world a better place when they travel. Everyone is encouraged to read the Thoughtful Traveller ebook before departure.