An Abbaye, The Prime, Troglodytes and a Festival

The prospect of a long, hot day meant that an early start would be the best approach. Our group rolled out of Chinon at 8.30 and planned to get as much distance covered as possible before the heat of the day set in. The first 20 km turned into a delightful ride through cool forests. We even resorted to singing a few favourite songs from Julie Andrews and the Sound of Music. It was that sort of morning.
We were quite surprised when we realised that 20 km of the day's ride had been accomplished by around 10 am. We then had a decision to make. There was an option to head off the main route to the famous Fountevraud Abbay, although this would necessitate a strenuous climb to get there. After some discussion Tim, Mark, John and Jenny opted to continue on the main route while the other five of us headed up the mountain. I did not really know what to expect, but I hoped the effort would be worth it.
About 30 minutes we reached the Abbay, but first found a lovely shaded picnic ground to enjoy our lunches, before entering the Abbay.
At the entrance I started to have second thoughts. Considering the day was really starting to heat up, and considering they wanted another 15 Euro or so as an entry fee, I decided to cut my losses and head back down the mountain instead. By the end of the day I learned that the other four regretted their decision to stay around.
There were two highlights remaining for the day's ride. The first of these was to mark the crossing of the Prime meridian. This is the line that passes through Greenwich and marks the division between the eastern and western hemispheres. With the aid of my GPS I carefully watched the coordinates count down till the actual spot was reached. Then out came my stick of chalk and I carefully drew a wobbly line across the road to mark the spot. The final step was to position my bike with the front half in the west and the back half in the east and then take a picture. I later discovered that the four riders behind me took an alternate route and missed this location entirely.
The final highlight was to ride through the famous Troglodyte centre. It was a great relief to feel the temperature plummet as I entered the underground wonderland, although the feeling that I was being watched by unseen red eyes, peering out from every crevice, meant that I did not wait around for long.
The remainder of the ride to Saumur was achieved without incident and what a pleasant surprise it was to enter the magnificent Anne d'Anjou Hotel. Their service was amazing and the views from my window out over where the Loire would have been, were breathtaking.
We had also arrived just in time for the Annual Festival of the Loire. All over Saumur there were stalls being set up and large stages being erected for outdoor entertainment. It was obviously a big deal in this region, although the only thing missing this year was the river itself.Read more