Gail Schulz

Day 9 - Montsoreau to Angers

It is fitting that our last day in the Loire Valley sees us following the river for most of the day.  Our destination is Angers, the home of Cointreau.  The ride today is slightly longer, with a bit more total climb, but still very much a flat ride.

Route

Map of the route
Elevation profile of the route

Stay and Eat

The Le Royalty hotel in Angers is a simple, affordable hotel and was perfect for our overnight stay.

See and Do

Dolmens (neolithic megaliths or stone structures) are found all across France, but the one at Bagneux is one of the largest in Europe.  Unfortunately we ran out of time to make the small detour (about 5km round trip).  If you have the time and energy, a stone structure 23 m long, made 5,000 years ago is certainly worth seeing in my view.

We rolled into Angers late in the afternoon and were keen to be on the road early enough next day to complete a big road transit and have sufficient time to explore Mont St Michel en route.  This didn't leave us enough time to tour Le Carré Cointreau and see how the famous orange liquer is made.  The Château d'Angers was an easy 1 km walk from the hotel so were able to grab some photos of the impressive defensive walls but were too late to tour the exhibits and grounds.  Unlike the decorative follys that are the majority of the château in the Loire valley, this is a genuine medieval castle designed to be defended.  

Brightly coloured umbrellas create a shade canopy over the street
Saumur
A tranquil river scene where the eye is drawn along the river to traditional stone houses reflected in the water in the background
Serenity on the Loire
A brass plaque with stylised adult and child holding hands and the word Angers
Welcome to Angers
A cyclist wearing sun protection sleeves with a skull and crossbones motif looks down at their bike with helmet dangling from the cross bar
Another day of cycling complete
A stone bridge enters the foreground leading to a medieval cathedral in the background
Angers Cathedral
The view of a highly ornate stone cathedral looking up from its base to a vivid blue cloudless sky
Looking up at Angers Cathedral
Close up of carved relief figurines
Detail of Angers Cathedral
Three people share a small fishing boat
Fishing on the Maine
Stone circular defensive towers in a row hulk under a blue sky
Château d'Angers
A pair of circular defensive towers at the corner of the ramparts
Château d'Angers

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