Wednesday 23rd July, le Migron to Nantes

Great last night camping it didn't rain so we were able to pack up a dry tent. Much nicer return journey back to Nantes than the trip out. Firstly along the canal, probably due to the fact we had no wind and it was not hot. We stopped at Coueron to buy some lunch and stopped in a park by the Loire to eat it. 

Many other cyclists and locals had the same idea. We passed many other couples on the way as well as families. Today we saw a family cycling, the Dad had a trailer with the family dog two sons on their own bikes close by and the Mum had another son on a tag a long behind her bike. ( tag alongs are an attachment for a regular child's bike to be used like a tandem with an adults bike)

As we got closer to Nantes we had to cycle through the industrial area and it was getting warmer. Not very pleasant but you have to put the industry somewhere, reminded us a bit like cycling around Port Kembla and Cringila. 

We made it into Nantes in the early afternoon and had a look around the old docklands which they converted in 2007 to a cultural area with a huge 3 story carousel.

And a giant mechanical elephant that can actually walk.

We then checked into our hotel opposite the train station and headed out to look around Nantes on foot. We came across the cathedral of St Peter and St Paul and visited the crypts where they have a display set up of the cathedral over its lifetime and pictures one of which was it burning and in ruins in 1944. This is it today.

With the tomb of Francois the II and Anne the duchesse of Brittany

We had dinner at an Irish pub and luckily escaped a downpour before heading back to the hotel via the Dukes Chateau that has recently been rebuilt.