Cycling Pornic to Nantes, France: A Taste of the Loire River Valley
4 -6 April 2019
Pornic to Nantes (4 April 2019, 90.3 km, 56 mi)
We were excited about today’s ride because it would take us up a stretch of the Loire River, from the mouth of the river to the regional capital of Nantes. Every cyclist who dreams of biking in Europe has heard about how great the bike paths and scenery are along the Loire. So this was a ride to look forward to. Even though there was the threat of potential rain, we decided that we would bike the whole route to Nantes on the EuroVelo 1 trail so that we could embrace the full experience.
For the first 6 km riding out of Pornic, we followed rural roads through agricultural fields that skirted just east of the heavily developed coast. We reached the Atlantic coast about 10 km south of the mouth of the Loire, then headed north on a beach-front promenade that passed kilometer after kilometer of hotels, restaurants, shops and tourist attractions.
When we reached the mouth of the Loire River, the level of development diminished. The southern bank, where we cycled, is mostly dotted with modest-sized, residential villages. The river’s shore is crowded with a steady procession of colorful carrelets, the fishing huts out on stilts. The tide was low when we rode by, exposing expansive mudflats populated with seagulls and shelducks searching for morsels in the mud.
Even the Loire River is lined with carrelets. It would be fun to see one of these contraptions in operation, but it must not be the right time of year. All the carrelets we saw were sitting idle. Saint-Brévin-les-Pins, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
The mudflat along the south bank of the Loire River was mostly populated by gulls and shelducks. But we did see one person out there. It looked like he was digging for clams. Saint-Brévin-les-Pins, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
The Serpent d’Océan would be truly terrifying if it were alive. This amazing, 400 ft long artwork seems ready to slither across the rocks and sand along the Loire River. Saint-Brévin-les-Pins, France, Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Across the river, the north bank appeared to be covered with industrial development. There were ports hosting really big ships, oil refineries, factories and warehouses of various shapes and sizes. It was pretty interesting how different the two sides of the river were. We were glad to be riding on the quieter, less developed side.
A big ship on the Loire River, near the Pont Saint-Nazaire. All the ports big enough for a ship like that were on the north (opposite) side of the river. Saint-Brévin-les-Pins, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
About 10 km upstream, the landscape became completely rural, and our path followed a drainage canal that paralleled the river behind a big levee. The land here was used almost entirely for agriculture, with villages huddled on the bluffs that overlook the floodplain. We were able to move along quickly because we finally had a nice, strong tailwind. That was incredibly helpful, because we were being chased by a rainstorm that constantly seemed like it was just about to overtake us - but it never quite caught up with us.
Cruising along the Loire River with a brisk tailwind. Near Corsept, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
There’s something quite evocative about old boats that have seen better days. What’s the story behind the Fil de Loire? La Cruaudais, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Passing through a small business district, we stumbled upon this WWI Monument. It commemorates the cooperation between France and the United States to bring ashore thousands of American troops at Saint-Nazaire Harbor, to fight on the Western Front. Saint-Viaud, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
After eating lunch at a picnic table beside the canal, we made our last push into Nantes. First we crossed onto the Île de Nantes, where we passed old shipyards with huge cranes, and the Hangar à Bananes, an old banana-ripening warehouse that now houses trendy restaurants and bars. But then we saw one of the most startling, awesome and unique sights we’ve ever seen upon entering a city. A gigantic, mechanical elephant was sauntering slowly down the street, bellowing, and carrying a house-sized howdah full of people. It’s the kind of thing that just stops you in your tracks to stare at it, mesmerized. A few minutes later, after you’ve gotten your head around the idea that it’s really a mechanical elephant, you continue to stare and begin to appreciate the elegance of the machine. There’s nothing quite like it.
A mural along the Loire River, as seen from the Île de Nantes, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
The humongous, mechanical elephant that wanders around the Île de Nantes, France. It’s just one of the creations of a workshop called Les Machines de L’île. Click here to see a video. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Leaving the Île de Nantes, we crossed another channel of the Loire River into the main part of the city, and headed towards the Chateau of the Dukes of Brittany. This imposing castle served as the residence of the Dukes from the 13th to the 16th centuries, and later served as the Breton residence for the kings of France.
Arriving in the city, we had a surprisingly hard time finding a hotel. The first hotel we tried didn’t open its reception desk until 5:00pm - two hours later. It was still threatening rain, so waiting around for two hours wasn’t very appealing. The second hotel didn’t have anywhere secure that we could store the bikes - that’s a huge problem because bike theft is pretty common in French cities. The third hotel we aimed for was on the other side of train tracks that run through the city, and we couldn’t figure out how to get across the tracks to the hotel.
At that point, we were getting frustrated, so we decided to head out of the center of the city. We booked a room in a small hotel on the north side of town. Unfortunately, by now it was getting late in the afternoon and this hotel was a bit too far from the city center for us to go back into town and see some of the sights. So we went out for a quick Thai dinner, then called it a night.
Our hotel in a residential neighborhood, on the north side of Nantes, France. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Layover Days in Nantes (5-6 April 2019, 8.5 km, 5.3 mi)
The weather outlook for the next two days was bleak, with rain and cool temperatures. We decided to take a layover day in Nantes. But although the proprietor in our hotel was incredibly nice and the rooms were in good condition, our room was tiny, and the internet only worked sporadically. We wanted to be more comfortable if we were going to be cooped up in a hotel room for a day or two.
So we biked 8.5 km in the rain to a hotel even further out of town, the Westotel Nantes Atlantique. When we got there, we learned that we could have a very nice room, BUT, they had a big group the night before, and our room wouldn’t be ready for another four hours. Bummer. They let us put our wet bikes and luggage in a storage room, then we headed down the block for a long, leisurely lunch at MacDonald’s.
Around 3pm we finally got into our room. It was big and very comfortable, with a sitting area and a desk in addition to the beds. The speed of the wifi was also way above average for a French hotel. We settled in to get some much-needed rest.
The next day was also rainy and cold, so we stayed in the Westotel for another day. By this time we were both recovering nicely from our colds. With better weather predicted for tomorrow, we should be able to get back on the road.
