2,400 miles

Today is Sunday, the day of the Fete de Velo, which happens once a year. The route along the Loire is closed off to traffic and cyclists of all shapes and sizes are encouraged to ride along the banks of the river. A man with a small white van has attached to it the biggest trailer of bikes I've ever seen, I count 20 on it; it's three times the length of his van! He smiles at us sitting in the window seat of the restaurant with our piles of mini croissant, pain au chocolate, and pain au raisin, dressed in our lycra cycling gear. We set off against what the weather forecast has predicted will be 30 kph winds, and it certainly seems like it, the Loire is like a rough sea; white horses whipped up by the wind. We reach Nantes by mid afternoon, under leaden skies, and feel we have cycled into English summer weather. The EuroVelo 1 route goes through Nantes, on its way from Norway to Portugal. Now if we go back over the road bridge just after the second railway bridge and turn left, carry on along the South bank of the river we could pick it up and make our way to......(Montjean-sur-Loire to Nantes - 43 miles)