Guerlain's hunting house
A cycling trip as far as Bouaye might remind nostalgic Nantais locals of the novelty of French workers’ iconic pre-war cycling outings when they were first given paid holidays. The unmissable umbrella pine lording it over the vines marks your arrival at Bouaye. The Maison Guerlain, a unique space dedicated to the discovery of one of Europe’s most beautiful wetlands, stands peacefully beside Grand-Lieu Lake. This all makes for a lovely journey of discovery not far from Nantes.
Cycle route
Starting point: Nantes Tourisme, opposite the Château de Nantes.
An entirely signposted cycling trip lasting 21km. Riding between Nantes and Bouguenais, you share the tracks of La Vélodyssée and La Loire à Vélo cycle routes. In addition, a signposted link covers the connection Bouaye < > Maison du Lac. To make the most of the site, we suggest you take the train out to Bouaye, later returning to Nantes by bike. Or tackle the route the other way round!
From Bouaye, return link of 9km from La Pierre-Aigüe to St-Aignan de Grand-Lieu.
Places at which to take special care
- There are breaks in the cycle track along the D751 road (due to round-abouts, a petrol station, etc)
- In Bouaye, there’s a cycle lane along the D751, although it’s broken up by parking spots
- On the D264 road, just before the Maison du Lac
Gradients and elevation
Road types
Surface
Don't miss
- Nantes: the Mémorial de l’Abolition de l’Esclavage (recalling the city’s links with slavery); Les Machines de l’île (outsized mechanical machines, some of which you can book a ride on); the Grue Titan (a massive crane recalling Nantes’s ship-building days); the Quai des Antilles (a lively renovated quay in the former shipbuilding quarter); and Les Anneaux de Buren (a row of startling waterside rings, part of Estuaire’s contemporary art installations)
- Rezé: Trentemoult, once a fishermen’s village right beside the Loire; Le Pendule de Roman Signer (an Estuaire contemporary art installation)
- Bouaye: La maison du Lac de Grand-Lieu and La Maison Guerlain (visits by reservation: 02 28 25 19 07); the village of L’Étier, by the Grand-Lieu Wetlands
- Saint-Aignan de Grand-Lieu: Lac de Grand-Lieu at La Pierre-Aigüe (offering a unique viewpoint over Grand-Lieu Lake)
