France is divided in the middle by a river called the Loire. It is used to divide the country. People will say south of the Loire if they are talking about southern France or north of it if they are talking about the north. Along this river is the most amazing bike paths which attract bikers from all over Europe. Europe has a network of bike paths. The main sight to search for if you want to bike in Europe is the Euro Velo at www.eurovelo.com.
The path that we decided on is the Eurovelo 6 which goes over 1,000 miles from the Atlantic Ocean in France to the Black Sea. After our fantastic time in Paris, it was time for us to catch a local train with our bikes to our starting point which was Nantes, France. See the map of our trip.
Dale Majors and his wife did this path 3 years ago and loved it. I now can see why. Here are my top five reasons for loving this path:
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The path is relatively easy and there are quite a few bikes on the path in the event that you have any problems they have been more than helpful.
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There are hundreds of castles that they call Chateaus along this route. It is truly amazing to be biking down the path and see a castle in the distance.
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Anytime you go to France you can plan on great food. This is particularly true because as you bike the Loire you are in one of the agriculture belts of France.
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As you find your way down the river you will bike through some of the most amazing little villages. It is easy to stop and enjoy a fresh pastry from the local pastry shops.
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This area is steeped in history. It is here that Joan of Arc came to meet the French King. Many of the kings in the 1500 and 1600 came here to build their chateaus.
