La Daguenière / Bouchemaine

This Loire à Vélo stage in Anjou takes you to the magnificent, broad confluence of the Loire and Maine rivers. This strategic location made the area a magnet for mariners down the centuries. The waterside villages of Ste-Gemmes-sur-Loire and Bouchemaine still reflect the strong connections with the Loire. The quays at Bouchemaine incite you to pause, perhaps at one of the tempting restaurants.

Route

You alternate between roads on levées (including the famed La Belle Poule one) only used by local inhabitants, tracks on towpaths and some quiet roads. Take care crossing Bouchemaine’s bridge. This stage is accessible to all.

Don’t miss

Les Ponts-de-Cé: a small riverside town with a rich history and a castle keep
Ste-Gemmes-sur-Loire: Ile aux Chevaux island; the Château du Baron de Saint-James; the Jardin du Presbytère garden
Angers: a remarkable historic city with a great cultural life, linked in part to its universities and theatres; stunning medieval religious buildings; an exceptional castle, home to a great medieval work, the Tapestry of the Apocalypse; the splendid medieval St Jean Hospital, housing Lurçat’s 20th-century Apocalpyse Tapestries;  many excellent museums, including the rich Fine Arts Museum; exciting new quarters by the Maine River… 
Bouchemaine: just southwest of Angers, at the confluence of the Maine and Loire rivers, with one of the most spectacular river views in the Loire Valley; elegant quay-side houses; the old fishermen’s and mariners’ quarter of La Pointe, with little restaurants.

Markets

• Les Ponts-de-Cé: Friday morning
• Angers: Every days except Monday