I rode 62km of gravel and road along the Loire Valley to discover the Château de Brissac – the tallest château in France. From riverside singletrack to vineyard climbs, this ride had it all. Join me for gravel, history, and the quiet beauty of cycling in France. 🚴🇫🇷
The Château de Brissac is known as the “Giant of the Loire Valley,” standing eight stories high with over 200 rooms. My gravel cycling route started near Saumur, following the Loire à Vélo and Vélo Francette trails before climbing through farmland, vineyards, and small villages. Along the way, I found everything from peaceful riverside singletrack to busy climbs, and eventually arrived in the village of Brissac to see this incredible château.
For cyclists, the Loire Valley is one of the best regions in France to explore by bike – with quiet lanes, signposted routes, and stunning scenery. If you’re planning a cycling holiday in France, this ride shows why the Loire should be on your list. I filmed the journey using the Insta360 camera, perfect for capturing cycling adventures and vlogs.
If you’ve ridden in the Loire or visited the Château de Brissac, let me know in the comments below. For more rides like this, check out my Loire cycling playlist and don’t forget to subscribe for weekly cycling in France videos.
Follow me on Strava to get the GPX file for this ride
Why not watch
Anjou Vintage Velo [https://youtu.be/EjZgRhXLScg]
Is the Tour de France Green [https://youtu.be/oGp2ZuWxgIQ]
5 Tips for cycling in France [https://youtu.be/tz8L0ljZw6k]
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Hey ho. Can’t get me foot in. It’s the
tallest in France. Eight stories tall. I believe I’m going to the Château de Brissac. Let me say that again because it’s double S.
The Château de Brissac — B R I S S A C. [Music] Hey, how you doing? I am just west of Saumur
again. One month after the Anjou Vélo Vintage. I’m back on a one-month camping car tour
of France and into Spain. And today I am doing a 62-kilometer gravel ride to the
Château de Brissac — B R I S S A C. So, I plotted a route on Strava.
I am next to the Loire River. You might be asking why I am back in Saumur only
one month after the Vélo Vintage. Well tomorrow the women in the Tour de France leave Saumur.
The stage goes from Saumur to Poitiers. I’m going to go and check it out — and compare
it to the men’s Tour de France that I saw in Caen. You can see a link to the video
about that somewhere on the screen. Now it’s quite windy. I’m riding along
quite a rough track along the Loire, just below the flood barrier, which is pretty
frightening ‘cause that’s 6–8m high. The flood barrier looks pretty calm today. Not sure
the last time it reached that sort of height. Okay, 7 km in, 100% single track. Some
beautiful gravel just along Loire Valley. We’ve got one or two kilometers to go before
I have to cross over the Loire. If you haven’t watched my Five Tips for Cycling in France
video, then you won’t know about these green signs. These green signs are dotted all
over France and they’re specifically for cyclists. I always try and follow them because
they’re usually pretty good. I’ll put the link in the description and somewhere on the
screen now for you to watch that video. [Music] Okay, over the double suspension bridge. First
climb of the day. Quite a busy road. I’ll see you at the top. As I said at the start of the
ride, I’m going to the Château de Brissac. Let me say that again, which is double S. The Château
de Brissac. It is a 15th-century château which has apparently been owned by the same family [Music]
since the beginning. It’s somewhere you can go and visit, and you can also stay the night — it also
runs as a chambre d’hôtes and I believe there’s a restaurant as well. The interesting fact about
the Château de Brissac is it’s the tallest in France — eight stories tall, I believe. We’ve
probably another 7 or 8 km before we see it. So, I’ve just gone over the top of the climb. It’s
about 10 km from the bottom. Gently undulating up. We’re about 100 m above sea level now.
As you can see, I’m on quite a busy road. [Music] 25 kilometers in — farmyards, sunflowers, sweet
corn… and the first lot of grapes I’ve seen. So, 25 km in. Grey sky, but deceptively warm. [Music] We have made it to the little village of
Brissac, and there is the château. I’ll get some video footage and do a bit of a
voiceover talking about the château. This is the Château de Brissac, the tallest
castle in France, with seven floors and more than 200 rooms. Nicknamed the Giant of the Loire
Valley. It was first built in the 11th century, then transformed in the early 1500s when it
was bought by René de Cossé, the first Lord of Brissac. Ever since, it’s remained in the
same family and today is still home to the Duke of Brissac and his family. For cyclists, it’s
close to the Vélo Francette and just a short detour from the Loire à Vélo / EuroVelo 6. Entry
isn’t free. The cheapest tickets give you access to the gardens and old kitchens. Or you can pay
extra for a full interior tour. There’s a café and visitor center, but no bike parking inside,
so you’ll need to lock up outside the grounds. So, I’m heading back to Big Red
now in the campsite near Saumur. A 35 km ride back. I’ll get a bit of video footage. [Music] Start of another 600 m climb. Again, this is
meant to be a VTT ride (mountain bike ride). The only bit of “mountain biking” I’ve done so
far is along the Loire Valley. Bit disappointing. [Music] …but the countryside’s been nice. Just got
overtaken by a TREK rider. Just passed the Château de Blaison. Guessing
this is the village of Blaison. [Music] Sleepy little place. And I have done 40
kilometers riding. 20 km left to base. What’s going on? Can’t get me foot in. Cycling
through beautiful Loire countryside. 7:00 at night. Very quiet. Cows are still out eating.
Really is rather peaceful, rather beautiful. [Music] Right, we made it back to the Loire. I have 15
km to go. 7:30. I’m a bit hungry to be honest. And I’ve just stopped outside this rather
impressive building here. No idea what it is. No signs or anything like that. But it
does overlook the Loire. So let’s keep going. [Music] Flies. Right, back at the bridge. This is
the bridge that I crossed over at the start after 7 km. Cross back over it, back onto the
lovely single track and back to the campsite. [Music] Okay, just stumbled across this artwork
placed along the riverbank for the summer. Love things like this in France.
Tout est dehors — all outside 2025. As always, thanks for watching. I hope
you enjoyed this video of my ride to the Château de Brissac. If you’ve ridden in
the Loire or visited the Château de Brissac, let me know in the comments below. If
you enjoyed the video, please give it a thumbs up and consider watching my Loire cycling
playlist. Lastly, if you enjoy France by bike, please subscribe to my cycling channel. It’s
free and really helps me out. See you next time. [Music]”
2 Comments
If you enjoyed this video please give it a thumbs up and let me know your favourite chateau in France
Got to the Loire valley !