A few tours in Loire Valley

• The Marais Poitevin or Venise Verte (Deux-Sèvres)
  
• Mountain biking (VTT) in the Sarthe area
  
• The Berry area (Indre)
  
• Amboise area (Indre-et-Loire)
• Cycling between Cher and castle (Indre-et-Loire)
  
• Cycling tours in the Loir-et-Cher, Blois area
• Cycling in the chateaux country (Loir-et-Cher)
  

The "Marais Poitevin" is a flat area and propose easy family cycling tours. The flora and fauna are magnificent.
Tours will make you discover the city of Coulon (main city of theMarais Poitevin), the Magné draw-bridge, St Georges-de-Rex wash house, Vanneau and Ste-Sabine bridges....

For informations on tours and accommodations :

• Deux-Sèvres tourism board
  15, rue Thiers - BP 8510 - 79025 Niort Cedex 9
  Tel.: +33 (0) 5 49 77 87 79 / Fax.: +33 (0) 5 49 24 90 29
  www.tourisme-deux-sevres.com
  
  
• La bicyclette Verte
  Rides in the Marais Poitevin area
  http://www.bicyclette-verte.com

• La Vallée de la Sarthe en VTT : 14 cycling tours in loops, different level from Tiercé to Châteauneuf-sur-Sarthe, Sablé-sur-Sarthe, Mézeray...
  A guide with 10 detailed tours is on sale from the "Association Vallée de la Sarthe" (Tel.: +33 (0)2 43 62 50 17 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 43 92 31 31).
  Informations : Sablé-sur-Sarthe tourism board (Tel.: +33 (0)2 43 95 00 60 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 43 92 60 77) or Malicorne tourism board (Tel./Fax.: +33 (0)2 43 94 74 45)
  
  
• L'Echappée Vègre : 12 way-marked tours for a total of 120 km, from Brûlon to Loué or Crannes-en-Champagne.
  Guide on sale at the tourism board "Claude Chappe" in Brulon (Tel.: +33 (0)2 43 95 05 10 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 43 92 57 39).
  
  
• La forêt de Bercé : In the forest, 280 km of way-marked tours (6 to 41 km) on a slightly hilly area from Château-du-Loir to La Chartre-sur-le-Loir, Le Grand-Lucé or Ecommoy...
  Informations : La Flèche tourism board (Tel.: +33 (0)2 43 94 02 53 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 43 94 43 15), Château-du-Loir tourism board (Tel.: +33 (0)2 43 44 56 68 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 43 44 56 95) and Le Lude tourism board ( Tel.: +33 (0)2 43 94 62 20 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 43 94 48 46).
  
  
• Le Pays Manceau : From Le Mans and its suburbs (La Chapelle-St-Aubin, Savigné-l'Evêque, Changé, Allonnes...) you will find lots of cycling tours that will help you discover the "Pays de Manceau", its parks, rivers, historical vestiges and forest.
  Informations : Le Mans tourism board (Tel.: +33 (0)2 43 28 17 22 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 43 28 12 14).
  
  
• Sillé forest and the Alpes Mancelles : 400 km of way-marked tours for family or sport activities from Sillé-le-Guillaume to St-Léonard-des-Bois or Fresnay-sur-Sarthe.
  Maps on sale at the Sillé-le-Guillaume tourism board (Tel.: +33 (0)2 43 20 10 32 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 43 20 01 23), Alpes Mancelles tourism board in Fresnay-sur-Sarthe (Tel.: +33 (0)2 43 33 28 04 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 43 34 19 62), Mamers tourism board and Pays du Saosnois ( Tel.: +33 (0)2 43 97 60 63 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 43 97 42 87), Beaumont-sur-Sarthe tourism board (Tel.: +33 (0)2 43 33 03 03 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 43 97 02 21) or Pôle Touristique of Maine Normand (Tel.: +33 (0)2 43 33 70 96 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 43 33 26 78).
  
  
• The Saosnois area and the Perseigne forest : 5 tours (94 km) around Mamers and 135 km of cycling tours in the Perseigne forest (mainly sport tours).
  Maps on sale at the Sillé-le-Guillaume tourism board (Tel.: +33 (0)2 43 20 10 32 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 43 20 01 23), Alpes Mancelles tourism board in Fresnay-sur-Sarthe (Tel.: 02 43 33 28 04 / Fax.: 02 43 34 19 62), Mamers tourism board and Pays du Saosnois ( Tel.: +33 (0)2 43 97 60 63 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 43 97 42 87), Beaumont-sur-Sarthe tourism board (Tel.: +33 (0)2 43 33 03 03 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 43 97 02 21) or Pôle Touristique of Maine Normand (Tel.: +33 (0)2 43 33 70 96 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 43 33 26 78).
  
  
• You can order tourist guides online on Sarthe tourism board

30 cycling tours (35 to 70 km, from Mézières-en-Brenne, Issoudun, Argenton-sur-Creuse, La Châtre, Bélâbre, Châteauroux and Valençay to discover the Berry area : Champagne plains, North-Boischaut bocage, Brenne ponds and South-Boischaut plains .

• Mézières-en-Brenne area : 5 tours : 33, 40, 49, 57 et 63 km.
  Tours make you go through Bellebouche leisure area, la Haute-Touche park, the river Indre...
  Informations : Mézières-en-Brenne tourisme board
  Tel.: +33 (0)2 54 38 12 24
  
  
• Argenton-sur-Creuse area : 4 tours 39, 47, 54 et 70 km.
  Tours make you go through Argentomagus (archaelogical museum) , Gargilesse (one of the most beautiful village in France), the Eguzon lake, the castles of the vallée de la Bouzanne...
  Informations : Argenton-sur-Creuse tourism board
  Tel.: +33 (0)2 54 24 05 30
  
  
• Issoudun area : 4 tours 49, 53, 54 et 58 km.
  Tours make you go through Issoudun museum, the river Théols, the Thizay swamps, the Bommiers forest, the Reuilly wine area....
  Informations : Issoudun tourisme board
  Tel.: +33 (0)2 54 21 74 02
  
  
• La Châtre area : 4 tours 40, 51, 59 et 75 km.
  Tours make you go through George Sand museum and houses in La Châtre and Nohant, the Neuvy-St-Sépulchre church , the Dryades golf course, the Vic roman paintings...
  Informations : La Châtre tourism board
  Tel.: +33 (0)2 54 48 22 64
  
  
• Valençay area : 5 tours 40, 60, 62 et 71 km.
  Tours make you go through the château de Valençay, the river Cher, the Valençay wine area....
  Informations : Valençay tourism board
  Tel.: +33 (0)2 54 00 04 42
  
  
• Châteauroux area : 4 tours 48, 57, 59 et 65 km.
  Tours make you go through Châteauroux old town, the Châteauroux forest, Déols old abbey, the "queue de Brenne" ponds ...
  Informations : Châteauroux tourism board
  Tel.: +33 (0)2 54 34 10 74
  
  
• Bélâbre area :4 tours 40, 54, 62 et 66 km.
  Tours make you go through the Fontgombault abbey, the river Anglin, St-Benoit-du-Sault (one of the most beautiful medieval village in France)....
  Informations : Bélâbre tourism board
  Tel.: +33 (0)2 54 37 22 21
  

You can order tourist guides online on Indre tourism board.

Val d'Amboise tourism board has settled 5 family cycling tours that make you discover cultural and historic heritage around Amboise

• Val de Brenne and Ramberge : a 27,5 km tour from Saint-Ouen-les-Vignes.
  
• Cave-dweller's settlement (troglodytic settlement) : a 30 km tour from Pocé-sur-Cisse.
  
• Unusual touristic sites : a 30,5 km tour from the Amboise tourism board.
  
• Hidden heritage and wine areas : a 28 km tour from the Pocé castle .
  
• Mills and forest discovery : a 42 km tour from Amboise.

Detailed guide (maps and place to see and informations) on sale at the Amboise tourism board :
Tel.: +33 (0)2 47 57 01 37 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 47 57 14 35

• The "Roussard" area (Loir-Perche Valley) : a 40 km family tour (bicylce or mountain bike) to discover the "roussard" (local stone that can be found in the Perche vendômois area) from Mondoubleau, to Baillou, Cormenon and Sargé-sur-Braye.
  Free guide available from Perche Nature (Tél.: 02 54 80 11 05) or at the "Maison du Perche" in Mondoubleau (Tel.: +33 (0)2 54 80 77 08).
  
  
• Mountain biking on the Loir hillside: 5 way-marked tours (loops of 13, 16, 17, 21 and 30 km). From Fréteval, to St-Hilaire-la-Gravelle, St-Jean-Froidmentel, Morée, Viévy-le-Rayé, La Chapelle-Enchérie, Areines, St-Ouen...
  Tours can be guided.
  Informations : Loir-Haut Vendômois tourism board (Tel.: +33 (0)2 54 82 74 91 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 54 82 74 93).
  
  
• Mountain biking in the Perche area : several tours from Saint-Agil to Arville, Saint-Avit, Le Plessis-Dorin, Oigny...
  Tours can be guided.
  Informations : Perche Découverte (Tel.: +33 (0)2 54 80 71 77 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 54 80 87 94).
  
  
• The Loire river by bike from Blois : tour for initiated riders along the north and south bank of the Loire, from Beaugency to Amboise via Chambord, Blois and Chaumont-sur-Loire. Warning : this tour follows busy roads.
  Informations : Loir-et-Cher tourism board (Tel.: +33 (0)2 54 57 00 41 / Fax.: +33 (0)2 54 57 00 47).