Loire Valley Tour

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Loire Valley Tour – Chateaux, Wine and Good Food

(10 - 15 May & 23 - 28 August 2012 -Easy)

We pride ourselves in offering the best routes possible in both France and Europe. We try not to use motorways or trunk roads; instead we will take you on deserted minor/local roads so that you fully experience the country that you are traveling through. The Loire valley tour is no exception to this and as we live for the part of the year in the Pays De La Loire region of France, we have a particularly detailed knowledge of the Loire Valley and its beautiful villages, towns and countryside.

The Loire valley is a truly spectacular place. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the area is renowned for its fantastic chateaux, luxuriant landscape, magnificent food and wine. The area combines a leisurely pace of life with a mild climate, mellow wines and rich food. What could be better than traveling by motorcycle through the centre of this beautiful French region.

Day 1 - Dover to Bagnoles de L’Orne.

As per all our European tours, the tour will begin at Dover where you will be met by a British Bike Tour representative and we will board the ferry to Calais. We will cover approximately 200 miles on the motorway before heading across country and onto some more interesting roads. We will pass through the Falais gap and head for the twisty roads of the River Orne valley. These roads represent a good taste of things to come and will enable you to acclimatise to the lack of traffic, lack of speed cameras, and considerate drivers! We will be staying in one our favourite hotels in the lovely Spa town of Bagnoles. We will indulge ourselves with a traditional meal from the area and try the local cider!

Day 2 - Bagnoles to Nantes

After a good nights kip, it is up relatively early for breakfast, short safety/briefing session and then we are off.

The first day will see us travel through the Northern part of the Pays De La Loire. This is a leisurely ride through Mayenne passing through pretty wooded scenery, fields of sunflowers, meadowlands and unspoilt villages. From Mayenne we will pass into the Loire-Atlantique area heading towards Nantes.

Day 3 - Nantes to Saumur.

From out first night stop outside Nantes we will follow the ‘Route Touristique du Vignoble’. This route will take us through some of the region’s prettiest wine country. The actual road we will use is known as the ‘Corniche Angevine’ and is one of the most scenic routes in the region. It curves along the cliffs above the South side of the Loire, offering views of the Loire on one side and vineyards and manor houses on the other.

We will pass through the beautiful village of St-Florent-le-Veil which is where the famous Vendee uprising started and finished.

We will ride into Angers which is a thriving university town with wide boulevards, beautiful public gardens and narrow medieval streets. The Chateau at Angers is particularly impressive and is well worth a visit.

We will spend the evening in beautiful Saumur. Saumur is a delightful stop with a fairy tale Chateau set on a hill high above the town and well defined old quarter which contains some excellent restaurants.

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Day 4 - Saumur to Chinon

From Saumur we will take a small diversion to look at some of the Troglodyte Caves. These dwellings are very old (12^th Century) and have hardly changed over the centuries. Of particular interest (especially to wine lovers) is the vast underground gallery at St-Cyr-en-Bourg; the caves here are owned by the St-Cyr wine co-operative which makes a full range of Saumur appellations.

We will now pass into the Touraine area which is known for its magnificent white chateaux. Traveling along the banks of the River Vienne we will enter the town of Chinon. Chinon’s old crooked streets resonate with history. It was here that Joan of Arc began her transformation from peasant girl to national heroine and Saint; Richard the Lionheart lay in state here and his father Henry Plantagenet ruled England and much of France from the chateau in Chinon.

We will spend the night in a lovely coaching inn in the centre of Chinon.

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Day 5 - Chinon to Bagnoles de L’Orne

Our final tour day will take us along the banks of the Loir, passing through the picturesque town of Troo. We will then head north towards Le Mans; we will ride up the infamous Mulsanne straight which at almost 3.5 miles in length used to be one of the fastest straights in the world. From Le Mans we will head West over the Alpes Mancelles and visit St-Ceneri-le-Gerei; this pretty little village is widely thought of as being one of the prettiest villages in France.

From the Alpes Mancelles, it is only a short ride to our hotel in Bagnoles.

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Day 6 - Bagnoles de L’Orne - Calais

Departure day, back to Calais and our afternoon ferry back to the UK.

What You Get and Costs.

The basic cost of the tour is £450 for a single rider in a shared room; £600 for a single rider in a single room and £700 for a rider and pillion. For these prices you will get the following:-

Return ferry crossing (Dover- Calais)
Five nights accommodation in good quality hotels
Breakfast each morning.
Service throughout the trip of a British Bike Tours guide.
Route maps (paper based and/or digital - Garmin Mapsource)
Hotel parking

The following is not included:

Petrol
Travel Insurance
Breakdown cover insurance
Evening Meals
Museum and Chateaux entrance fees

You need to budget around 20 - 25 euros for a decent 3 course evening meal. For lunchtimes we try and use local bakers for sandwiches/baguettes etc. Evening meal costs are very much dependent on how much wine and beer you drink!!

Schedules

We are running the Loire Valley tour twice in 2012. Dates are:

Thursday 10 May - Tuesday 15 May

Thursday 23 August - Tuesday 28 August

WANT TO BOOK - £120 DEPOSIT REQUIRED TO SECURE A PLACE. WE TAKE ALL MAJOR CREDIT OR DEBIT CARDS. CLICK BELOW TO BOOK ON-LINE.