Lovely Loire

The island abbey that inspired centuries of pilgrims comes first, before a cathedral lights up after dark in a display that happens every single night – five nights through the Loire and Norman coast.

From£1,595pp

Duration5 days

StyleGuided

Best suited toExperienced riders

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An independent Stradora pick. Details from the operator's published information, last checked 28 Oct 2026. Stradora DiscoveryChosen independently by our editors because we think it's worth the drive. We're not partnered with this operator: dates, prices and booking are handled by them, and we last checked their published details on 28 Oct 2026.

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5 nights through France

Five nights across northern France at around 150 miles a day, with the overnight ferry from Portsmouth, taking in Mont-Saint-Michel, the Loire and Chartres. Own bike or a hired BMW.

Cherbourg lands it, then Dinan by way of Les Pieux and Mont-Saint-Michel, the abbey on a tidal flat that becomes an island twice a day and has been drawing visitors since the eighth century. Dinan itself has its ramparts and half-timbered streets intact.

Angers follows, with the twin spires of Saint Maurice and the distinction of being where Cointreau was invented and is still made. The route then runs along the Loire towards Blois and Chartres, with the option of Azay-le-Rideau, a chateau built on an island in the Indre, and the valley itself UNESCO listed along most of its length. Chartres closes the day, where the cathedral holds the best preserved medieval glass in France and the building is lit up every evening through the Chartres en Lumieres season.

Honfleur comes next in Normandy, the harbour town that Monet and Boudin painted repeatedly and where the tall slate-fronted houses around the old basin look much as they did then. The return crosses the Suisse Normande to Cherbourg, with Pegasus Bridge, the Overlord Museum or the Bayeux Tapestry all optional on the way. Hotels, breakfasts, three dinners, the return ferry, maps and GPS routes are included, with fuel and other meals separate. The price is quoted per person. Five nights and modest daily distances make this the gentlest tour the operator sells.

Style

Guided

Duration

Short break (4-6 nights)

Region

Europe

Vehicle provision

Bring your own vehicle

Departures

May

Starts/ends

Portsmouth, United Kingdom → United Kingdom