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Vallée De La Loire


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#1 curlylegend

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Posted 29 June 2018 - 10:36 pm

I don't know if there is a decent guide for a good motorcycling route along the River Loire from Nantes to Saumur....about 120km distance. But I'll give you the route I take.

It's NOT fast !  A lot of it is restricted to 70kmph and even 30kmph going through villages. And of course from this Sunday, your max speed will only be 80kmph. Having said that, this is a route for heads up, check the scenery, see bits that very few others do and find great wee bars and restos.

This is real hidden France, kept for a select few.  And of course, you could hardly get a better tool to do it on than a TDM !  You'll need good, long travel, compliant suspension, effective brakes and an engine that has a broad power band.

Most of the roads are narrow and the surface is often crap !  The Tour de France has not been along here for years.....

 

There are many ways of following the course of the Loire inland.  The fastest and most expensive is by using the Autoroutes A11 and A85 on the north side. Then there's the old Route de Paris the D723 and D347 again on the norths side. Slower, but no tolls.

 

So to actually travel along the bank of the Loire, you head for the south side. Come off the N844, Nantes Peripherique, at Exit 44 and aim yourself at the D751, signposted Routes Des Bords de Loire. This has you rolling on top of the levees.

 

[attachment=11135:Levee de la Divatte resize.jpg]

 

You can cross to the north at Oudon or Ancenis both of which have plenty of cafes, bars and restaurants

 

[attachment=11136:Bridge over the Loire at Ancenis.jpg]

 

[attachment=11137:Ancenis from South Bank of the Loire.jpg]

 

The next tricky bit is picking up the D210 in the village of le Pont de Vallee. Once you do follow it to Montjean-sur- Loire and cross the bridge to pick up the D210 on the north side.

There's another couple of sneaky manoeuvres which will let you avoid Angers and keep you on the river bank...more or less.

 

At the village of L'alleud, find the D111 and follow it east till you approach Bouchemaine then get onto the D112 which turns into the D4 at La Baudrairie then onto the D952 which will take you right on to Saumur itself.

 

[attachment=11138:TDM in Val de la Loire.jpg]

 

[attachment=11139:Traditional Loire working boat..jpg]

 

It's well worth continuing on this road and then crossing back to the south side just after Chouze-sur-Loire where you can ride past a genuine Nuclear Power Station. But I strongly recommend turning left after that onto the D7 and continuing to the village of Rigny-Usse where there is the perfect example of a Loire Chateau.

 

[attachment=11140:Rigny-Usse.JPG]

 

I must admit, I can get very easily museumed-out and I don't like spending lots of money on tawdry tourist traps.  But this one is different, I promise ! The restaurant in the village is highly recommended, good food, not a lot of money, and ask for a pichet of house red !  

 

So there you are, a nice gentle tour of a part of France that everyone's heard of but never experienced.

 

Right, to get back to Nantes, your choice is back to Saumur and take a blast along the A11 and A85 Autoroutes on the north or every bit as fast take the D960 and the N249 on the south which will get you back to where you started, exit 44 on the Nantes Peripherique.

The round trip is about 320km and riding time is about 5 or 6 hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



#2 dablik

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Posted 30 June 2018 - 07:37 am

So you finally found my house curly, should of knocked for a cup of tea matey :)

 

That looks like a nice pleasant day out and who needs fast all the time, ta for sharing :good:


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Quad 900 Silver Laser duo tech pipes-Scott oiler-Engine crash bars- Radiator mounted see me ring LED's-Datatool system 3 alarm -Centre stand- Extender fender-Renthal bars-Handle bar risers-Mirror extenders-BMW GS Handgaurds-Acumen uprated horn & Nautilus-Stainless steel Radiator guard-Givi wing rack-OEM screen-Yammy touring screen-MRA Vario-MRA Double bubble cut down for fast as fk riding-Tiger screen-Tank protector-Stomp grip panels-Optimate lead   Gone to Heaven  :sorry: 

 

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#3 Catteeclan

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Posted 30 June 2018 - 08:03 am

:good:  :good:


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#4 PICARD

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Posted 30 June 2018 - 09:37 am

Great bit of local knowledge there.
I remember deciding to follow the Loire from about Goudet to Nantes years ago, not really knowing much about what route to take. We used maps (remember them?) and just crossed bridges, literally, when we got to them. Great trip...
think I'll be back...Thanks

Edited by PICARD, 30 June 2018 - 09:38 am.

Lock onto my co-ordinates and beam me up !!

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#5 curlylegend

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Posted 30 June 2018 - 09:39 pm

So you finally found my house curly, should of knocked for a cup of tea matey :)

 

That looks like a nice pleasant day out and who needs fast all the time, ta for sharing :good:

 

Will do next time. Good garage tea will do fine, no sugar but stirred with a 10mm Snap-on combi, please.



#6 curlylegend

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Posted 30 June 2018 - 09:54 pm

Great bit of local knowledge there.
I remember deciding to follow the Loire from about Goudet to Nantes years ago, not really knowing much about what route to take. We used maps (remember them?) and just crossed bridges, literally, when we got to them. Great trip...
think I'll be back...Thanks

 

Oh, I remember maps alright, still keep them for Plan C.  But for me the star of the show is a wee case I got on Ebay for very little money.  £10, £12 or something like that ?  But it holds my 8year old Garmin Nuvi, again another supermarket special deal.  It's certainly not all singing and dancing like the much more expensive ones, but used carefully it does me just fine. I know that a lot of folk are now using Smartphones for navigation but my smartphone is a pay-as-you-go  and it's rarely used. I think I've spent £15 on calls in the last year.  

Bright sunlight makes my Garmin a bit difficult to read but that's about the only criticism.

 

[attachment=11144:Garmin Nuvi on TDM.jpg]

 

[attachment=11145:Garmin Nuvi on TDM 1.jpg]

 

I also doubt that it would be much good in the rain, but luckily I probably won't have to put it to the test.




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