Pretty Villages by the River
France Stage 08 – Saumur to Angers 54 Km (Sat 16 June 2018)
Weather: 14⁰C min – 21⁰C max, fine and mostly sunny
“Now and then it is good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” ~ Guillaume Apollinaire
Shielding my eyes from the bright sunshine, I headed west towards Angers this morning. What better way to spend a perfect sunny day than cycling along the Loire à Vélo!
For the first few Km after leaving Saumur the path wound around through fields and forests, pleasant enough but nothing spectacular that screamed out to be captured by my camera. Then I went through some incredibly beautiful riverside villages, with immaculate houses and lovely gardens. Now my camera is in overdrive!
At this stage I haven’t seen many chateaux that the Loire Valley is famous for, but there were some impressive mansions and villas today.
Angers, where I am staying tonight, is a large, lively town with a lot of interesting buildings as well as a busy shopping centre and various museums and gardens. In the centre of Angers is a large, bustling square called the Place du Ralliement. It has an old town with ornate half-timbered houses, while the town’s newer areas have a thriving cafe culture.
Having now finished eight daily stages, I am exactly at the half way point of my Tour de France. After two more days when I reach Nante I will have finished the Loire à Vélo section, then will head north along La Vélodyssée trail to Roscoff where I catch a Brittany Ferry to Plymouth.
Doesn’t time fly when you are having fun!
Dear Kevin,
I was able to look at the lovely route photos, BUT when I went to open the town photos I could only see the 6 thumbnails of Angers. I was unable to look at the larger photos of the town. The message read: kevinellwood.com says: “Could not load the item. Make sure the path is correct and the item exists.” Thought I would let you know, in case anyone else has a problem. It may be only our email.
Love,
Nancy.