When it came time to start the cycling section of my 2006 trip I was quite apprehensive. Buying the bike itself proved to be quite straightforward as I had been given some advice as to brands, and specific vocabulary, by a French parent of a child I had taught. Thanks Jerome! Buying the paniers was a bit more of an adventure when I got lost in the pouring rain in Orleans, but was rescued by a lovely woman motorist when I was looking like a totally bedraggled drowned rat. Then came the "worrying phase" with all the "What ifs" giving me a few nights of restless sleeping. I cured this phase, sort of, by writing a list of all the worries I had, and writing down a solution. Eg, "Where can I camp and are the camping grounds close enough together?" was solved by a visit to the tourist office where they gave me a list of the camping grounds in the area.

Day 1 of the trip proper unfortunately gave me the only scare of my cycling trip when I met a horrid man on the route, but the day had a good outcome. I was pleased to find that I had easily managed a 36km ride with all my luggage, from Orleans upstream to Chateauneuf-sur-Loire. And as it turned out, the Chateauneuf-sur-Loire camping ground was probably my favourite one in the whole trip. I used it as a base for several days. (I got good at basing myself in one place and taking trips radiating out from that base: much easier cycling without all the baggage!) When I arrived I was absolutely given the 'red carpet' treatment arriving on a 'velo'. I had a wonderful tent site right on the banks of the Loire itself, and loved just sitting in front of my tent admiring the view. Chateauneuf-sur-Loire was an interesting small town and a fete was celebrated there during my stay. It was also within easy cycling distance of some other interesting places like the monastery where the relics of St Benedict are kept.

From now on I began to gain confidence as a cyclist. I had purchased the relevant 1cm: 1km maps for the area and these helped me work out suitable routes. I was able to find the country roads that would not be too busy, and I could also work out whether a route might be too hilly or not! I managed to bypass Orleans when I started heading downstream, and took two days to get to Beaugency using my own routes. Anyone who knows me well knows how I mix up left and right, so I felt very pleased with my efforts reading the maps and successfully getting to my destinations!

I was especially pleased at this early stage with the route I had worked out to get from the chateau area to Montrichard, managing to adapt myself to French mealtimes by stopping for a delicious lunch at a village en route, with the ruins of an ancient monastery. I loved the small town of Montrichard, and the small friendly camping ground I stayed in right beside the banks of the River Cher. All these smaller French towns and villages were really only accessible to me and my budget by cycling and camping. All these places I simply would not have seen if I had been doing my usual thing of staying in hostels with my backpack, using public transport.

I won't go into detail here about all the villages I stayed in or visited, places like Savigny-en-Veron, Chinon, Candy-St-Martin, Candy-sur-Beuvron, St-Mathurin-sur-Loire. Mostly there are more details further back in my blog, and I will write some more about these places later on these webpages. I loved the feeling of such an extended period of outdoor living. I loved being able to notice all the details in the countryside. I loved being able to call into a small village bar somewhere en route and have a hot chocolate!

I experienced a lot of friendly people en route. People had told me that the French respect those on the velo and it is true I think. When I was transporting the velo to and from my friend's place near Bonnelles outside Paris, young and older men seemed to leap to my aid to get the bike on and off the trains and RER. (So much for another needless worry that I wouldn't manage it in the time limit!) We had a June version of the later full-summer heat wave that gripped France. The first of the very hot days I had cycled about 60km to St-Mathurin-sur-Loire, not far from Angers. I had barely started to put up my tent when the lady caretaker arrived with a large bottle of iced water for me to drink from. (I think my red, sweaty face must have looked quite a sight this day.) This is the sort of everyday kindness that you remember long after the trip is done.

Around the Chateau area, and between Tours and Angers, a lot of money has been invested in developing and signposting some great cycle routes. I used the brochures for these, readily available for free from tourist offices, and cycled quite a bit of these routes. But I was glad I had spent the first part of my trip working out my own routes. And I ended my trip with a couple of circuits of 60km+ that I worked out by myself. I ended my cycling with a circuit based around Beaugency, a town with a beautiful bridge over the Loire, and many birds nesting on the sandbanks. I then caught the train back to Paris from here, much easier than riding into and through Orleans into the station.

I ended with a great feeling of satisfaction. I was trimmer and fitter and had really enjoyed my expedition. I had been to interesting places in the countryside where I had been close to small details of French life and history. It was great! And now I am pleased to say that my French friend Monique is getting great pleasure out of using my bike.