Vélo en bord de Mayenne à Montgiroux
J. Damase - Mayenne
Chemin de halage de la Mayenne à vélo vers Entrammes
J. Damase - Mayenne
Le Bac de Menil sur la Mayenne
J. Damase - Mayenne

The Mayenne River by boat

Consider getting out on the Mayenne River on a boat with accommodation on board and discover the local landscapes at a completely different pace, savouring the slow passing of time!

 

In under an hour, though, your boat-hire company representative can tell you all you need to know about driving and steering your licence-free boat  so that you can then can head off, completely independent, for a few days of tranquil river navigation.

Explore the Mayenne Valley at gentle pace. On your river cruise through unspoilt countryside, you’ll need to stop to negotiate the locks. Also, let yourself be tempted by the little riverside restaurants and the villages and towns along the way.

You’ll get a completely different perspective on these places from the water. Crossing Laval, designated an Artistic and Historical Town for its historic and art riches, you pass at the foot of the castle, and under the historic Vieux-Pont bridge.

You’ll travel along at a rough average of 6kph, a speed that allows you to savour sights and landscapes that you could never enjoy from dry land! 

If you feel like a little excursion on dry land, simply pop your bikes off the boat and follow the towpath, meeting up with the rest of your group at the next lock perhaps! 

 

Visit la Mayenne

 

Custom route

Accommodation Useful information Leasure Restauration

Accommodation Useful information Leasure Restauration

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J'ai l'habitude
Je me dépasse
Je débute / En famille

Custom route

Domfront / Mayenne

7 Domfront / Mayenne

50 km
2 h 58 min
I begin / Family
The route leaves the southern Norman hilltop town of Domfront, taking you on a long stage going via roads and greenways beside the Varenne River up to the Mayenne River and on to Mayenne-town. Three remarkable sights on the Varenne are the mills of Moulin de Varenne, Moulin d’Ambloux and Pont des Planches. The village of Ambrières-les-Vallées offers a last view of the Varenne before you join the banks of the Mayenne. Works are in progress, but the signposts will guide you throughout the deviation.
Mayenne / Laval

8 Mayenne / Laval

36 km
2 h 24 min
I begin / Family
After visiting the historic town of Mayenne, with its castle dating back in part to Carolingian times, head south via the Mayenne Valley. This La Vélo Francette stage is well suited to families, following the riverside towpath in a lovely natural setting punctuated by lock-keepers’ houses and beautiful old homes. The town of Laval is a delight to walk around.
Laval / Château-Gontier

9 Laval / Château-Gontier

35 km
2 h 19 min
I begin / Family
The start of this stage affords fine views of the town of Laval and its two châteaux. The nine-arched railway viaduct here also has a footbridge open to cyclists, and links the Mayenne River’s east bank to Laval’s town centre and its river port. South of Laval, admire the well-known Abbaye du Port Salut (historically connected with popular Port-Salut cheese) before discovering more of the natural beauty of the Mayenne River.
Château-Gontier / Le Lion-d'Angers

10 Château-Gontier / Le Lion-d'Angers

34 km
2 h 17 min
I cycle often
Travelling along the Mayenne Valley, each meander reveals new delights to spur you on, with a château here and a mill there, or then a waterside village with a river port. Before the town of Le Lion-d’Angers, you’ll get a notion of the importance of the equestrian professions around here as you pass the Domaine de l’Isle-Briand, home to a world-class national stud farm that hosts equestrian events.
Le Lion-d'Angers / Angers

11 Le Lion-d'Angers / Angers

29 km
2 h 01 min
I begin / Family
After the picture-postcard equestrian grounds at L’Isle Briand, with its château and national stud farm, plus the Mayenne and Oudon confluence, you cross the low-lying ends of several river valleys that form one of the most exceptional areas of wetland in Europe, going right up to Angers, a famed historic Plantagenet city. Up to that town’s Pont Jean Moulin bridge, the rural atmosphere remains almost untouched.