Day 3: Vitré to Chalonnes-sur-Loire

Another long hot sunny day cycling through pleasant French countryside. You really get a feel for how rural the country, and its economy, is – you're always being overtaken by tractors. And, if you cycle at my pace, joggers.



There are quite a few chateaus too, in amongst the endless kilometres of corn and cow fields. I had a picnic lunch at this one, the Château de Lorie (pic). Like most of rural France, it was supposedly open, but there was nobody around.

Most of the afternoon I was on this dead straight road (pic) between Craon and my destination of Chalonnes-sur-Loire.

The perspective can be misleading: it's not as steep as it looks. But on the other hand, that church (and hence village for cake stop, bottom rest, etc) is much further away than it looks.



Anyway, I got to Chalonnes (pic), and the campsite right on the banks of the Loire. And, more importantly, near an Intermarché supermarket. Now, I wonder what local produce I might try that they make on the banks of the Loire...

Miles today: 66
Miles since St Malo: 153