Orléans, Sologne and Châteaux by Bike

Three days by bike from Orleans, looping out to the great chateaux of the Blois country. The route starts at the cathedral of Sainte-Croix and the Loire quays, reaches Meung-sur-Loire and its episcopal chateau with visitable dungeons, then Chambord, whose estate enclosed by thirty-two kilometres of wall is crossed on forest avenues closed to cars, Cheverny and its gardens, and finally Blois and its chateau of four wings, gathering four architectural styles around a single courtyard. The terrain is flat and relies largely on the Loire a Velo greenways, supplemented by quiet Sologne lanes. Chambord's avenues are a rare pleasure: you ride alone through a five-thousand-hectare park. Bikes can be hired in both Orleans and Blois.