September 26, 2025
Day 14 - Eurovelo 6 across France
Blois to Amboise (via Château de Chenonceau)
We all agreed that today was the "hilliest" day of our ride so far. The reason? We left the EuroVelo 6 route to visit Château de Chenonceau, a detour on our way to Amboise.
Blois was a great town, and it would have been easy to spend another day there exploring its rich history. Now that we’re truly in the Loire Valley, the region's popularity with tourists is noticeable - there are definitely more people out.
The ride out of Blois was smooth and uneventful. With only 60 km to cover, we had a leisurely start at 9:00 am - the latest start of the trip so far. Although the traffic was busier, the bike paths out of town provided good separation from cars. Soon, we found ourselves on secondary roads - narrower and less busy - and then tertiary roads, where cars and even farm machinery were rare. While some bike paths remained, most of the day involved road riding, especially after we veered away from the EuroVelo route, leaving the river behind to head inland toward the chateau.
We passed Château de Chaumont but decided not to stop, as we had another chateau planned for later and wanted to get to Amboise before traffic built up. It looks great on the postcards, though!
There were few villages along today’s route, and the ones we did pass seemed deserted. However, while riding through some parkland near one village, we stumbled upon a group of mothers walking with their kids - it looked like a 'multiple births' get-together, as all the mums had twins or triplets. One mum had four kids under the age of four!
We also passed a pump house with 'firewood' stacked along its sides. Any guesses why? It was a habitat for insects and lizards. No kidding!
As we turned toward Château de Chenonceau, with about 20 km left to ride, the hills began ... and there were plenty of them. While none of the gradients were too steep (except for one we dubbed "heart attack hill"), they seemed endless. The downhills were fun but short-lived, as we’d reach the bottom only to start climbing again.
At one point, I saw a deer racing across a field, heading straight toward me on the bike path. I braked just in time as it leapt across in front of me at a frantic pace. That could have been a venison dinner - for me, served in a hospital bed!
When we started seeing tourist buses, we knew we were getting close to Château de Chenonceau. We arrived expecting to snap some photos and move on, but there was no vantage point to view the chateau without paying for entry. So, we bought tickets. As over 60s (except for Col, who’s 58), we qualified for a senior’s discount - a saving of €1.50 ... woohoo!
Château de Chenonceau is one of the most popular and recognisable chateaus in the Loire Valley, built between 1514 and 1522. Remarkably quick for a Loire chateau, though additions continued over the years. In the 1500s, the chateau was gifted to Henry II’s mistress, who created its beautiful gardens. Eight years later, after Henry’s death, his wife seized the chateau, and it was goodbye to the mistress!
The €14 entry fee (with discount) was worth it. The chateau is filled with period furniture and an extensive collection of paintings by the masters of the time.
Most amazing was a painting that showed the long-lost French custom of sniffing a young baby's foot soon after birth. Note the photo of the painting below, then the zoomed-in image to the right ...
OK, so there is no custom of foot sniffing ... simply weird!
After the chateau, we had a 13 km ride to our lodging near , where we’ll rest for two nights. It was a smooth ride until, of course, another issue. This time it was Brett’s tire, which had been problematic for days. Luckily, we’d passed a bike shop earlier that morning where he bought a spare, and now he needed it.
We finally arrived at our rented house, washed clothes, showered, and walked into town for some drinks and dinner. Another day successfully ticked off!
Today's ride: 60 km (37 miles)
Total: 877 km (545 miles)
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