We got up and 7am, had breakfast, packed the car, and managed to get on the road by 8:20am.
Similar to Day 1, the route was truly undulating! Whenever we got to the top of a climb, we were immediately faced with the view of the next. We used the momentum from the descents to help us up the next climb. There was a long line of sight along the road.
We passed fields of sunflowers, sweet corn and golden grain.
The French villages were beautiful, featuring a church, and the Marie (town hall), and sometimes pretty tiny Chappelles (Chapels).
I tried to chat with a French villager and explain that we were cycling from St Malo to Nice taking 19 days. It was amusing, if slightly discouraging, to not be understood!
Our first stop was in Chatelais. We stopped behind a church and sat on the steps to have a pre-lunch.
Our Second stop was in Saint Augustine des Bois. Jo found a picnic table in the shade and persuaded some French lads to vacate for a ‘cycling team’. We enjoyed a nourishing lunch before continuing the final stretch.
The hills seemed to continue as we rode through Loire Valley and crossed the Loire River and enjoyed a final descent to reach our destination in Rochefort-Sur-Loire.
Our accommodation was Camping les Plages de Loire, Rochefort-sur-Loire (updated prices 2026)
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