Trails in Maine-et-Loire

Adjacent to the region Brittany and neighboring Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire is crossed from east to west by the Loire River, which passes south of the prefecture, Angers. Synonymous with good living and regularly mentioned in the most pleasant cities of France 🇫🇷, the cradle of the royal dynasty of Plantagenets will be our starting point for today. Angers thus has a strong historical heritage, with its castle 🏰 from the 13th century, its abbey and its cathedral. Enough to make you want to run a urban trail with a cultural flair! The Lac de Maine south of the city offers a bundle of leisure activities, perfect for the family, especially in this region with a temperate climate. Basketball fans 🏀 know the second stronghold of the 4-9... Cholet is waiting for you with its cultural and natural treasures. In the area, the shores of Lac du Verdon or Lac du Ribou will be perfect for your strides. Saumur and its troglodyte houses are also very nice! Around Saumur, there are plenty of pretty medieval towns to visit. Land of wines 🍷, the Maine-et-Loire cultivates good taste. If you're a lover of nature, the Loire-Anjou-Touraine Regional Natural Park, shared with Indre-et-Loire, welcomes you with open arms. 116 municipalities make up this privileged area, and many spaces are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage sites for the perfect harmony between exceptional structures and biodiversity. We told you in the introduction, nature and culture pair perfectly here! The gastronomy is of course aligned, the tables 🍽 will be wonderful after your runs 🏃🏼‍♀️. Or before, for the more crazy 🤪!

So, shall we dive into the Maine-et-Loire trail calendar? We cannot resist the allure of starting our competition tour in Angers, with the Trail de l'Apocalypse! Just the name makes you want to hit this high-flying urban trail course, which combines a night start and historical monuments for an unforgettable event. You will have a new perspective on the city... Let's stick with the urban trail with the Saumurban Trail. The event offers three distances, and even a walk for enthusiasts. The Trail de l'Hyrome, held in Chemillé-en-Anjou, supports the association Cliniclown which operates in hospitals. A charity race that gives extra strength to the runners of the many available distances. A long trail is offered to the more daring. The Trail de la Pierre qui Tourne was created in 2018 but as the saying goes, worth does not wait for age! Expect competition in this beautiful forest race 🌲, contested in the nature around Montrevault-sur-Èvre, halfway between Angers and Nantes. One last for the road?! Tout Angers Bouge is known for its friendliness. Yet another urban trail, nature and culture never stop dancing here!

A trail of honor in the department...