We’re into a different section of the Loire now and the better known chateaux and attractions are mostly behind us. The interest now lies in small towns along the way.

Chalonnes-sur-Loire, our start town was buzzing this morning as it was market day and everyone seemed to have come out to buy, chat and smoke together.

We bought a few things for lunch and admired the amazing fruit and veg that was on display. One stall was devoted exclusively to garlic. Cheeses were inevitably a major feature too!

The first part of our journey was along the île de Chalonnes, reputed to be the Loire’s biggest island. We rode along its deserted roads for several miles before crossing a bridge onto the river’s south bank.

We then entered the small town of Montjean-sur-Loire, which as well as being very pretty, boasted an impressive church – Église St Symphorien – which is just about to be restored. And a coal mining “cradle” (we guessed it perhaps held a winding engine) which looked like the remains of another religious building.

Our second town-stop of the day was in
Saint-Florent-le-Vieil (not on the map above as we didn’t track this detour). Again, very attractive, this town’s main feature, an abbey, was at the top of a short, steep climb that wasn’t at all friendly to loaded touring bikes.

We lunched in the large boules area within the abbey grounds.

Another feature of the ride was the suspension bridges we encountered. We crossed several and passed by others. Each different, with some many-spanned, others just a single span.

We also enjoyed many miles of firm, fine gravel roads which followed the river and railway. They were great to ride on and were almost entirely traffic free. There are also fewer cyclists in this area than higher up the Loire, but the signage and general infrastructure remain excellent.

Tonight we’re staying in the busy town of Ancenis. Here’s the view from our window:

Bird Report: lots of cattle egrets today. And quite a lot of cattle for them to hunt amongst.

Airbnb review: last night we stayed in a “real” bnb – our hostess was Catherine and we had access to the top floor of her lovely house on a hill. She and her husband, Gilles, presented us with a splendid breakfast in their kitchen and sat with us to chat whilst we ate. Their English was as bad as our French. Which levelled the playing field a little and allowed us all to get a bit creative with communicating. This was one of the best stats of the holiday.

Julie: last night we walked down the hill to a restaurant on the Quayside. Being a Monday, it was the only one open so we hoped for the best and were not disappointed. We dined on salmon with tagliatelle followed by crème brûlée, all washed down with local beer. Delicious and in a Rustic French setting.

Today was cold again with a fairly stiff wind, sometimes a head wind and at other times a crosswind. Together with our hilly detours I was more than ready to stop when we got to Ancenis. We dived into a snack bar cafe and chose a cake each from a huge selection!