Getting There

We actually started planning to cycle along the Loire in 2019 but then things happened… and we all lost a couple of years and have sort of being play catch up since.

The cycling is often the easiest part - just get on your bike and go. Initially, I looked at getting there by train but that is a definite nopey-no: you have to get a train to Paris and then make your way across the city on your own. And that's assuming th TGVs take bikes, which the generally don't!

So, my first plan was involved flying to Lyon and taking the local train from there, because unlike the TGV, the French local trains are able to carry bikes, and some along the Loire can take up to 50. And each bike costs just €1.

We couldn't really use Astrid's car because, while you can get one bike in an Audi A1, you can't get two. No way!

But Astrid got a new car and my main contribution was to suggest one with a bike carrier. And she did. And, apart from putting the kit in the cellar, we never looked at it again.

Fast forward to 2025, and what had been a vague notion, started to gain form because, after her trip to Japan last year, Astrid said I was allowed to choose the holiday this year! 😃 She did this in 2017 and we ended up cycling in Sweden.

I'd also casually mentioned the trip casually to my friend Kerstin last year, and she said she was interested in the trip, even though she lives in Hamburg 400 km away. To be honest, we weren't sure she was being serious. But while she was down in Cologne over carnival, she asked about it again. Turns out she'd been to the Loire on her bike with her friends after leaving school. But apart from that she's never been on holiday with her bike.

After yet another opportunity to back out and she seemed keener than ever!🤔😃 So how to arrange everything? Yes, we've got a bike carrier, but only for to bikes, so Kerstin would have to drive down from Hamburg with her bike and from there to France, with no-one to share the driving!

In the end I suggested she might be simpler off renting a bike in France. This has got a lot easier as the cycle path was extended, allowing us to choose where to pick up and leave the bike. I'll let Kerstin talk about that, but I think we've got it sorted. I think we'll both breathe a sigh of relief when we see it on Monday!

So, getting there: well, it's a mere 800 km, with the quickest route being via Paris. But we're probably going to go through southern Belgium because, even on a Sunday, the périphérique is never pleasant. And this will be our first trip with the bike carrier.😱

Wish us luck!