Leur premier voyage à vélo sur La Vélodyssée

Contemporary art features large along the Loire’s long estuary and this stage shared by the Loire à Vélo and Velodyssey cyles routes. The installations are startling, set in unusual locations. They offer joyous surprises close to the city of Nantes.

The calm Canal de la Martinière acts as your guide on this stage shared by EuroVelo 6 and the Loire à Vélo cycle routes. You cycle along quiet little roads, in the midst of landscapes typical of the Loire estuary, with broad marshes and meadows spreading out from the great river.

This is the last stage on the Loire à Vélo cycle route, but it also offers you the opportunity of joining the Velodyssey cycle route as it runs alongside the Atlantic. The Loire is strongly affected by the tides here and arriving at the end of the stage, you end up in a typical seaside resort!

This stage of La Vélodyssée starts by crossing St-Brevin between the sea, dunes, pine trees and villas. It continues into the countryside of the Pays de Retz towards St-Michel-Chef-Chef and the charming tourist seaside resort of Pornic.

La Vélodyssée route continues its tour of the Bay of Bourgneuf, brushing past the Breton Marshes in the search for out-of-the-ordinary landscapes in an area rich in birds local to the region. Human activity makes itself felt in the form of the fisheries and the small working ports which dot the coastline. One last gourmet stage on the Loire-Atlantique, La Vélodyssée route continues its tour of the Bay of Bourgneuf. We find ourselves in oyster country, encountering numerous little oyster ports and pits used to cultivate the oysters.

The last stage of La Vélodyssée in the Bay of Bourgneuf-en-Retz (your pedals keeping time with the sweeping circles of its wind turbines!) before arriving at the very lively Port-du-Bec in Epoids. The highlight of the day will be crossing the famous Gois causeway to the Island of Noirmoutier, tides permitting!

This stage of La Vélodyssée focuses entirely on the sea, the beach, the forest and the dunes. There are 18 kms of cycle paths winding through the national forest of Pays de Monts, after which you come to the very lively seaside resort of St-Jean-de-Monts. Before reaching the Vendéenne Cove and its famous boulders at Sion-sur-l’Océan, La Vélodyssée heads towards an old fishing village in the commune of St-Hilaire-de-Riez, adjoining St-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie. A superb stage.

St-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, working port, well-known seaside resort, significantly located on a river whose name means ‘life’… all this and the Grande Plage… altogether an unmissable location on La Vélodyssée! Take time to stroll around before continuing on the route which gets closer to the coast towards Brétignolles-sur-Mer and Brem-sur-Mer.The route stretches along the coast and snakes through the Avocettes road between the Olonne forest and the ancient salt marshes which extend between Brem, the Isle of Olonne, Olonne-sur-Mer and Les Sables-d’Olonne.

In this fairytale setting are both Les Sables (world capital of yacht racing) and La Rochelle, (the ‘broken rebel’ capital of Aunis) centre stage. The Vendéenne coast brings the cycle routes back to the Poitevin Marshes. Once past the Sèvre Niortaise River, we find ourselves at Charente-Maritime and the Marans canal which leads straight to the Old Port. After St-Vincent, La Vélodyssée winds its way into the large national forest of Longeville, drawing close to the sea on two occasions from where beautiful beaches can easily be accessed, such as Les Conches. A quick dip is a must on this stage!

La Belle-Henriette Lagoon, separated from the sea by a narrow band of sand, and then your arrival into La Faute-sur-Mer which stretches endlessly towards the point of Arçay, mark this stage of La Vélodyssée. The route then heads into St-Michel-en-l’Herm through the dried marshes of Marais Poitevin a great expanse of marshes and cultivated land dotted with farms and sheds. The crossing of the Pont du Brault takes us into Charente-Maritime in the ancient district of Aunis. Marans, the capital of the dried Marais marshes, was once a very important look-out point.

Nature takes centre stage during this leg of the journey, as you cycle past the water that flows through the charming canals which join the Poitevin marshes. We pass Marans, the ancient watchtower on the estuary of the Niort Sèvre which looks out over the marshes, and follow the canal that leads us to La Rochelle and onto the ocean.

As the famous towers which defend the port of La Rochelle hove into view, a cycle path section takes us to the Port of Minimes, then onto the Cove of Godechaud, right next to the sea. The delightful Bay of Châtelaillon now comes into sight and offers weary cyclists a very pleasant stopping point. After the Bay of Châtelaillon comes a pretty seaside section before heading back inland towards the ‘royal city’ of Rochefort. While the middle section of this route might appear somewhat commonplace, the remarkable town of Rochefort is well worth exploring.

It’s with great regret that we leave behind Rochefort and its gardens on the banks of the Charente. We take the former steam-train tracks – now the greenway – and La Vélodyssée meets the marshes, criss-crossed with little channels, before heading onto the oyster centre of Marennes (some sections under construction).

The Marennes Country, home to the leading oyster farms in Europe, spreads over salt marshes and the Seudre estuary. Here cycle paths are numerous and a truly memorable part of the route takes you through the forest of Coubre as La Vélodyssée reaches La Palmyre.This part is fit for a king, with splendid sea views. Following cycle lanes throughout, it weaves through the coastal forest and array of pretty beaches, one of which is the charming St-Palais, along the coast road to reach the striking cliffs and sandy beaches either side of the beautiful streets of Royan. All you have to do is to catch the boat!

Upon entering the Gironde, a new world reveals itself to travellers on La Vélodyssée. La pointe de Grave also marks the end of the Médoc, a landscape of great variety, depending on whether you cross the west coast or the estuary and the vineyards. Pleasant cycle lanes wind their way from Verdon to the charming Soulac-sur-Mer with its lively streets and pretty seaside villas, we take the trail towards Montalivet. To the north of this stage, the sea entices you in for a cooling dip; to the south there is a more forested area which is most pleasant in fine weather.

From Montalivet to Naujac (apart from a large chicane and a gentle bend) you can ride on autopilot on this part of La Vélodyssée as you breathe in the scent of the pine trees – there is very little chance of getting lost here: head directly south through the Flamand national forest. The Côte d’Argent truly is the kingdom of cycle lanes. La Vélodyssée follows the central path to meet Hourtin via the forest. The surrounding area offers numerous choices of where you can stop for a refreshing splash in one of the vast lakes, one of which is Hourtin - the largest in France!

Still in the forest and still on cycle paths. The natural reserves encountered throughout the route demonstrate that these large spaces are populated, rich in wildlife and a lot more diverse that we may first think…

A pleasant stage of La Vélodyssée on designated lanes between dunes and the forest. Take time out to stray off the cycle lane and appreciate one of the handful of connections to the sea and enjoy the fantastic ocean views. Take care on the Atlantic beaches! You’re constantly discovering new horizons in the direction of Bassin d’Arcachon Bay. A hugely different atmosphere with a return to the land of oysters. Here we can take a splendid alternative route down the tracks leading to Cap Ferret

Those nostalgic for the trains of yesteryear, welcome! Except for a shared section with traffic between Lège and Arès, La Vélodyssée now follows the former steam-train tracks. We pass stations and you’ll need to “go off the rails” to truly enjoy Arcachon Bay and surrounding villages.The forests of Gironde disappear, to be replaced by urban landscapes during this stage around the Bassin d’Arcachon. A little way after Lanton, we find ourselves in the Regional National Park of the Landes de Gascogne, which is fragrant with the iodised and authentic air of Aquitaine.

After an essential trip to the top of the Dune of Pilat to appreciate the beauty of the area and the views, we once again set off on a long crossing through the Landes Forest. Just before the Biscarrosse-Plage, La Vélodyssée takes you seamlessly from La Gironde into the Landes.

From Gironde to the Landes nothing really changes, apart from the section of military land which forces La Vélodyssée away from the seafront to make a long detour inland, where the blues of the vast ponds replace that of the sea. You may try out the hydroplanes, common to this part of Biscarrosse!

After the Biscarrosse and Parentis Lakes, the trail follows secondary roads and takes us to the more secluded northern lake of Aureilhan. Several access paths later, the trail brings us onto the western bank, for a moment of relaxation and a swim on the beach.

Having soaked up the atmosphere of the Mimizan-Plage seaside resort, it’s back on the saddle to once more find the inner calm of the forest: its silence and delicate fragrances, with the deep sense of tranquility, and being master of this happy space, far away from the hustle and bustle of the world. La Vélodyssée encourages meditation…The woodland trail bringing a feeling of peace, reinforced by the fragrant pine trees. You have to leave the trail to enjoy the seaside beaches near Contis-Plage or St-Girons-Plage, or those of the Léon Lake beaches that you come to.

La Vélodyssée now heading north, advances to a few hundred yards from the Côte d’Argent, gradually getting closer to Moliets-et-Mâa and Messanges. The route finally meets the powerful ocean at Vieux-Boucau, the former port (until the river Adour was re-routed to Bayonne in 1578) and today a very pleasant stopping point. Here La Vélodyssée sails past the iconic seaside, surfing and health resorts of Hossegor and Capbreton. These two towns are separated by the Boudigau - the redirected former Adour River – but their names are linked by their proximity and their huge popularity with tourists in the central areas of the Landes.

This stage between the Landes and the Basque Country lets us enjoy forest and large beaches as we make our way along beautiful cycle lanes. As we approach Boucau, La Vélodyssée enters more urbanised surroundings. After all, sometimes we must share the highways!

La Vélodyssée now heading north, advances to a few hundred yards from the Côte d’Argent, gradually getting closer to Moliets-et-Mâa and Messanges. The route finally meets the powerful ocean at Vieux-Boucau, the former port (until the river Adour was re-routed to Bayonne in 1578) and today a very pleasant stopping point.

This stage of La Vélodyssée is punctuated with vantage points enjoying exceptional ocean views but it is sometimes challenging and the route is shared with cars. Don’t think twice about parking your bike occasionally and enjoying the picnic areas, tables and discovery trails on hand throughout this section.