Angers to Château-Gontier 34 miles Running total 796 miles.

Here is todays route. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42318300

Yesterday’s free day, with no schedule, took some getting used to. Today, it is equally hard getting back into the cycling routine. After a leisurely breakfast, we leave the château to rejoin the route.

The sun is out, and there is no wind, so it is perfect for sitting by the swimming pool. What a shame we need to get back on the bikes and move on.

Today we are riding alongside the Mayenne River on a cycleway, which is greatly improved since we used it some years ago when this route was newly created. I would say that the Mayenne is more picturesque than the Loire, but it may just be the blue skies and sunshine.

My compatriot is not having a good day. This is the trouble with giving her a day off. Things start to go to pot. Firstly, we divert into a village to find a Boulangerie.  She goes in, wearing her sunglasses, and falls over someone’s bag left in the middle of the floor. We head back down a steep  gravel track to pick up the cycleway, and her nerve goes, and she starts to slide on the loose gravel, nearly coming off her bike. Thirdly, a dog takes objection to her on the cycleway, and she has to wait for the owner to pull the barking dog away. I, of course, monitored these situations from a safe distance.

It is not just the weather that makes today  perfect for cycling. It is the view of old water mills at every  lock and chateauxs up on the hillsides on the opposite side of the river.

There are also some very nice boats, although very few are moving. We also saw an interesting camping conversion,  a double 2CV on a camp site adjacent to the river.

On arriving at the hotel, it got confusing. I announced myself with my best French accent. Je m’appelle Messur Elps. The receptionist thought I was asking for help. We had a couple of exchanges, and then he realised we were booking in and had a reservation. He could not have been more helpful from that point, and his welcome was among one of the best we have had so far in 23 hotels.

We wandered round the town, from bar to bar in the sunshine as they opened and closed. The town is famous for having a renowned refuge for animals that have been treated badly, known as ‘The Refuge de Larches’, and has paintings depicting animals on blank walls.

It is Monday after a bank holiday and guess what almost everywhere is closed. We are not sure when the French do work. Google says there is only one restaurant open in the town tonight, so we will be outside at its advertised opening time of 7pm. It worked, and we had an excellent meal in a busy restaurant to refuel ourselves ready for tomorrow.