Chinon to Saumur

Another day's cycling form Tours involved me catching a train from the statikon in Tours to Chinon. Chinon is the end of the line. Train à Vapeur de Touraine' - steam trains - once ran beyond Chinon to Richelieu as a tourist attraction. The end of 2004 saw them stop for good.

Chinon is worth an hour or two before starting the cycle route proper. The main attraction is the Château de Chinon perched high above the town and the River Vienne. The French Duc d'Anjou and Duc de Normandie, also known as King Heny II of England Plantagenet, was King of England, used the Château as his residence. Born in Le Mans in 1133, he was to die in Chinon in 1189.

The Loire à Vélo forms part of the route leading to Candes-St-Martin, a beautiful little village at the confluence of the Vienne and the Loire. Above the town is a beautiful Church where St Martin Bishop of Tours died 397. The route soons strikes uphill to visit the Abbaye de Fontevraud in the little town of Candes-St-MartinFontevraud-Abbaye. It is here the Henry II of England is buried. The Abbaye rose to prominence at the time of Platagenets. As well as the grave of Henry II of England, his wife Eleanor d'Aquitaine, their son Richard I, there daughter Joan, and other members of their extended family were buried there. However, there is no remaining corporal presence on the site. Their remains were possibly destroyed during the French Revolution.

The Abbaye is pleasant spot to sit and relax and nearby restaurants offer a chance to eat and refresh before the last stage of the route to Saumur. High above the Loire Valey and mainly by Routes Departementales, the route leads into Saumur by the entrance to its Cháteau. If Cháteau fatigue has not set in and queuing is no problem then it could take some time out of what limited time is left.

Saumur itself is down below on the banks of the River Loire whilst Gare de Saumur is on the opposite bank. There having a beer in the bar is a perfect end to the day before taking the train back to Tours.