La Loire à Vélo: day 3

ANCENIS TO LES PONTS-DE-CE

75.3km

298m elevation gain 

Another hot day today. Ideally I'd have set off earlier, but I wanted to get the Ancenis stamp in my 'passport' and the tourist information office only opened at 10am. 

Much of the first 30km today were on paths of very fine gravel, which was nice to ride on but dusty as hell. My bike was covered, but it dusted off just as easily as it stuck on. I rolled happily through pretty villages and marvelled at how the river keeps changing as it goes - here, sandbanks and narrow channels; there, a strong stream flowing towards the Atlantic.

I detoured briefly up a steep hill in Montjean-sur-Loire for a view, and a short while later detoured in Chalonnes for another passport stamp and a baguette from the boulangerie. I was feeling fairly good after lunch, but then the headwind really kicked in and it got hot, so hot that despite fresh cold water in my bottles at the lunch stop they were warm and nasty very quickly. The 25km or so to Angers seemed to take forever, although the scenery remained worth looking at; it didn't help that I saw three 15km to Angers signs in a space of about 2km ...

In Angers I'd planned to leave my bike at a secure lockup at the station, but it was not functional when I arrived. I detoured back to the tourist office and discovered they had bike boxes - big secure lockers - so rather than risk leaving my bike and luggage on the street I paid my €3 and had more security. Sadly I left my phone in there too, but happily I remembered I could pay for stuff with my watch so I had a full two hours without any messages or anything.

I enjoyed going round Angers castle, particularly the Apocalypse Tapestry. This is apparently the largest medieval tapestry in existence and it's HUGE, three long walls of intricately embroidered panels in a room kept at a blissful 18°C. I also enjoyed popping into the cathedral, where someone was practising the organ. 

Still, it was good to get to tonight's campsite, set up and go for a swim in the large adjacent pool, and then have a supermarket tea of salad, pâté and goats' cheese with some red wine from the Loire Valley to wash it all down with.

Tomorrow I reach Saumur, sparkling wine country.