A family cycling trip along the Loire by Bike

The idea for this trip came from my niece Nina. Last year, she took me on a ride around Mont Blanc. At 17, this is her first cycling adventure! The destination seemed obvious to us: from my home in Tours to the sea at Pornic, a total of 350 km along the Loire by Bike itinerary.

His brother Jules, 22, is in the midst of preparing an ambitious project for 2026 – an autonomous bicycle crossing of Western Australia – and decided to join us to get ready. Aurélie, my partner, is the fourth member of our team. She brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm from her previous trips, including an itinerary from Amsterdam to Bruges and several adventures in Brittany with Abicyclette Voyages.

For my part, I’m delighted to get out my old panniers and my trusty bike, the one that accompanied me across South America, Morocco and Mali over 20 years ago. This trip is an opportunity for me to pass on to Nina and Jules the experience of these past adventures.

We decided to go camping, with a wide variety of accommodations: one night in a bivouac, one night in glamping, another in Airbnb, and finally, camping on a farm. A rich and varied experience, just like our adventure.

I quickly find my bearings and the slow pace imposed by a bike trip with well-laden panniers. I take a lot of equipment with me, wanting to make sure I’m fulfilling my role as “super uncle”. But what stresses me most is not so much the unforeseen, as passing on to Nina and Jules the pleasure of this type of trip. They belong to a generation used to speed, whereas traveling by bike requires a certain slowness.

An initial discovery phase

This journey takes place in three stages. First, there’s the discovery phase, where the four of us learn to live together. I’m pleasantly surprised by the ease with which the “youngsters” adapt, just as we “old-timers” keep up.

The first day from Tours to Saumur is one of the most beautiful stages. We take the classic route, passing through Villandry and the must-see Gardens. Then we continue along the banks of the Loire and finally the Vienne to reach the Saint-Martin camp. The cycling route is safe, flat, quiet and extremely pleasant. The first 75 kilometers go like clockwork.

For the second day, the program is also 75 km. We leave the Loire by bike to take the left bank of the Loire and venture off the beaten track. After 2 days of pedaling, we’ve already covered 150 km. The second evening was spent in a more rudimentary campsite, after having enjoyed the comfort of a glamping campsite the day before, on the banks of the Loire at Candé-sur-Beuvron. Finding a good place to bivouac is not easy. After a few unsuccessful attempts, we finally found a perfect spot spotted by Jules on a wild camping site. It’s a first for him and Nina, and we make the most of a campfire to set the mood for the evening.

The second stage of the journey: a time for experimentation

The second stage of our journey is one of experimentation. The kilometers pile up, the aches and pains are felt, and so is the fatigue. But these moments put our cohesion to the test and allow us to develop habits: the routine of meals, setting up and taking down tents becomes more fluid, except for Jules who, despite everything, always manages to surprise us, like this evening when the tent is set up upside down!

These two extra days take us to Nantes, a stage of the Loire à vélo that’s more inviting for strolling. Here, there are fewer châteaux on the horizon, but long straight stretches of road that pass beneath our wheels. This is precisely what I love about cycling: those moments when you do nothing but pedal, letting your mind wander to the rhythm of the pedal strokes. Silence settles in, everyone lost in their own thoughts, and without a word, we share a kind of collective meditation. A pause for the mind, an inner escape.

Third stage of this journey: autonomy in action

The last part of the trip is marked by Nina and Jules’ growing independence. They start preparing meals themselves, with a few questions, but a lot of efficiency. I can see them gaining self-confidence, and I’m proud to see them making the adventure their own. The meals they prepare are delicious, a real success!

The last two days take us from Nantes to Pornic along the coast. As we follow the Loire, it takes on an air of the sea, and little by little, we discover the carrelets, those little fishing huts so characteristic of the region. Some are nothing more than wooden poles, while others seem to be the perfect hideaways for a romantic evening.

Saint-Brévin fails to seduce me. The town seems to lack character, and reaching the sea here leaves a feeling of incompleteness. Fortunately, our little farm campsite offers us a peaceful last night away from the world. To mark the end of this wonderful adventure, we enjoy our first and last meal together in a restaurant.

A final, short stage takes us to Pornic, on a pleasant route along the seafront. The return journey by train goes off without a hitch, despite a complex but efficient reservation system. Our two trains take us back to Tours.

Time suspended, a final moment: the magic of bicycle touring

I would have liked to extend this journey to reach a final phase: one where the journey is no longer dictated by time, but by the simple pleasure of moving from one point to another, where we abandon the desire to discover everything in favor of the present moment. To achieve this, you need more time. Enough time to stop counting.

I hope this trip inspires Nina and Jules to go on adventures again, and it also gives me a renewed taste for bicycle travel.