This time, it’s the French who have won gold for their cycling and it’s the Brits who have given them the award! The ‘Loire à Vélo’ cycling route has just been voted the most ambitious eco project in the last decade by the prestigious ‘British Guild of Writers’. 17 years of work has resulted in 800kms of designated cycle paths, crossing 2 regions and 6 departments. 

There is no better way to discover the Pays de la Loire! The scenery along the route is stunning. Travel through a myriad of landscapes and colours, passing châteaux, manoirs, churches and abbeys. After building up an appetite and thirst you can sample some of the finest gastronomy, local produce and wines all the while following the course of one of the most magnificent rivers in France, the Loire. Cycling friendly accommodation along the route will welcome you with open arms and, maybe a glass of wine!

12% more visitors experienced the thrill of Loire à Vélo in 2012 compared to 2011. All budding Tour de France contenders should be rushing to slip on some cycling shorts and join the free-wheelers in 2013. Watch out Bradley, we’re on our way!

Loire à Vélo