Western part of the Donau cycling trip

Strasbourg - St. Nazaire

Once we had finished the cycling trip that took us from Luxembourg to the Black Sea (Tulcea), (blog: stong181.blogspot.com), we decided to do the Western part of the Eurovelo 6, in order to join the Atlantic to the Black Sea.

Day 1 : Strasbourg-  Mulhouse

Early morning train to Strasbourg. From here we followed the “canal lateral au Rhin” which lead through the charming Southern part of the Alsace down to Mulhouse where we hit the cycling route Eurovelo 6.

Day 2 : Mulhouse - Baume-les-Dames

From Mulhouse we followed the “canal du Rhin au Rhône” through the Franche Comté to Belfort and Montbéliard. Here we joined the river Doubs to finish our 2^nd day in Baume-les-Dames.

Day 3 : Baume-les-Dames - Dole

After a short visit of Besançon, we kept on following the river Doubs to Dole where we saw the birth house of Louis Pasteur, place of interest for our two pharmacists.

Day 4 : Dole - Chagny

From Dole the river Doubs led us to Verdon sur-le-Doubs, where it flows into the Saône. After a short ride to Chalon/S. we crossed the river Saône to find the “Canal du Centre” and settled down for the night in Chagny, the heart of the Bourgogne. Poor vegetarians: you get advised to have some good red wine instead of food!

Day 5 : Chagny - Digoin

After leaving Chagny we kept on following the “Canal du Centre” through Monceau-les-Mines and on to Paray/Monial with its famous "Basilique du Sacré-Coeur". Spending the night in Digoin at the Hotel Canalou.

Day 6 : Digoin - Nevers

In Digoin we passed the “Pont du Canal” which crosses the river Loire, that was going to be our companion for the rest of the journey. Rain and sunny moments kept on alternating for the rest of the day.

Day 7 : Nevers - Bonny-sur-Loire

Leaving Nevers in heavy rain we were soaked in 10 minutes .Obviously we had made the bad choice and should have left half an hour later….But in the end our bravery was rewarded with some sunshine so we continued our tour enjoying pleasant little villages and towns along the banks of the river Loire.

Day 8 : Bonny-sur-Loire – Orléans

On our daytrip to Orleans we passed through some beautiful villages, but outstanding was Gien with its famous pottery as well as the splendid Chateau de Sully.

Chambord

Day 9 : Orléans - Amboise

As far as the “châteaux de la Loire” are concerned, the highlights started after leaving Orleans. An entertaining picnic just facing the magnificent “Chambord”, after that Blois, Chaumont…until we arrived in Amboise.

AMBOOISE

Day 10 : Amboise – Saumur

Shortly after leaving Amboise our cyclometer showed the magical number 1000!! 








We couldn’t resist making a joke by changing the sign on the cycling-panel...

Seeing the beautiful castle of Ussé, we could understand why it did inspire the writer M. Perrault for his “La belle au bois dormant”

Day 11 : Saumur – Ancenis

This was the hottest day of our trip, blazing sun in the beginning of September made the cycling even more enjoyable, certainly with the coolness of a soft breeze that rose up from the banks of the river Loire

Day 12 : Ancenis – Nantes - St Brévin les Pins/St Nazaire

Our last real cycling day took us to Nantes, The former headquarters of the Dukes of Brittany, whose castle is the symbol of the city.

In Nantes we organised our return by train. After crossing the Loire on a ferryboat to the south bank we arrived in St. Brévin in the late afternoon, where the bravest took a bath in the Atlantic remembering the dip we had at the end of our trip to the Black Sea.

Day 13 :

Return via the famous  Bridge de Saint-Nazaire spanning the Loire estuary to Saint-Nazaire  and back home by train.