The Bourgueil wine region by bike

Général

Practical aspects of your day out on a bike

If you have your own bike, you can set off from Chouzé-sur-Loire (as shown on the fact sheet for this trail “The leisurely Loire“) or from anywhere along the trail marked with a number and a colour. Like all the other trails, the route runs along roads with no danger and takes in many interesting sites.

Chouzé-sur-Loire

But you can also travel light during your holiday in Touraine! Electric bikes for children, baby seats… At the heart of Bourgueil, Cycles Corrivaud rents out bikes for all the family at the starting point of trail n°22. The trail is rated as easy despite a length of 49 kilometres. You can also opt to leave the trail half way through. The option is shown on the leaflet map.

And… off we go on the Bourgueil wine region by bike!

We set off from Bourgueil, and why not from the superb “Maison des Vins” (wine house) at Place de l’Église, where the French actor Jean Carmet lived as a child. If it happens to be Tuesday, you can fill the picnic basket at the picturesque market dating from the 15th century. And any day of the week, you will pass by the Benedictine abbey founded at the dawn of the second millennium by Emma of Blois, Duchess of Aquitaine. The first “Breton” vine stock was planted in this abbey. This was the name given to Cabernet-Franc in the Loire Valley.

From then on, the leaflet is quite right. The trail with its blue markings going through four of the seven communes in the Bourgueil wine area is not difficult. You can gently pedal along the country roads lined with fields, vines filled with grapes in September, the market gardens and the meadows, where Charolaise and Limousine cows are grazing. You will need a hat when the sun is shining. Sometimes a sunken lane lined with oak trees provides some welcome shade when temperatures are high. Along the way, there are châteaux, lovely tuffeau-stone houses and washing places.

Spectacular and peaceful panoramas along the River Loire

Candes-Saint-Martin

The most striking stages on the trail are the sections alongside the River Loire, at L’île au Than, Chouzé-sur-Loire and La Chapelle-sur-Loire. Spectacular and peaceful panoramas make the long-distance effort well worth it. A welcome picnic beside the Loire, watching the dragonflies, can be enjoyed just opposite Candes-Saint-Martin, the meeting point of the River Loire and the Vienne.

At La Chapelle-sur-Loire, the view over the river and the big beaches is impressive. In summer, the Bateliers des Vents d’Galerne association provides free river crossings for cycling tourists. Twice a day, a tow boat is on hand to carry bikes and cyclists to the other bank, along with a commentary on the fauna, flora and the river fleet!