La Velodyssee- Day 6

At last some sunshine and warmth! The day started bright and cool and gradually became bright and warm.

From the campsite the route was convoluted to say the least. At one point I cycled a full kilometre down the canal only to reach a bridge and cycle back on the opposite side! Necessary, but it did feel odd.

I stopped at another (much more glamorous) port at Suce sur Erdre after about 10 kilometres for a coffee (€4!). This happened to coincide with a supermarket visit for a re-supply. A young chap spoke to me and asked where I had come from and where I was heading. We had a brief exchange (in French) and he told me (in English) it was very ‘cool’. I said ‘thank you’ (in English)…what is the appropriate response?

Onward to Nantes! Entering from the north Nantes is a bit like Milton Keynes and has excellent cycle paths, they were more like cycle roads actually.

It took about 40 minutes to get to the city centre from the outskirts, much of it on cycle roads through the huge university area. The city centre is a surreal cycling experience. The marked and exclusive cycle ways are in the middle of the wide roads. There are almost no cars at all just electric buses and trams. It’s like a ‘future’ city busy with pedestrians but hardly any motor vehicles!

Nantes seems to be a ‘show’ city. It is very clean and, with no motor vehicles, does feel futuristic. The people are smart, fashionable mostly young (and white) and achingly cool. Unfortunately as soon as you get to the suburban areas it is exactly the same as any other city. Cars, rubbish, neglect and this is where the people actually live, except for the very fortunate few who can actually afford to live in the Uber Cool centre.

I didn’t stay long as I had a long way to go and with all the stopping and starting of city riding it was slow going.

Soon over the bridge to the Ile de Nantes and around the old dock area to the next bridge off the island. I was south of the Loire!

The rest of the ride was up and down the banks of the river in another convoluted route with plenty of hills.

Eventually making it to the banks of the Canal de la Martiniere. This gave me a flat run to the pretty canal side Camping du Milton campsite near Frossay. A bientot!