Trustee Rosie Lewis was keen to do something active to mark her retirement from the NHS and was delighted when her cycling buddy Juliet Hills suggested a challenge in France.

After much research, the 1061km River Loire Cycle Route seemed ideal for the 10-day window they had in mind - a definite ‘thing’, a sense of achievement from topping 1000k, and plenty of vineyards and chateaux en route…

Despite the title, there are some ‘ups’ as well as the obvious ‘downs’ of following the path of the river.

They have a lift to the start at Gerbier de Jonc, in the Massif Central, then they are on their own, stopping at B&Bs each night until they greet the Atlantic coast at St Nazaire.

Everyone at Cardiac Rehab wishes them ‘Bon voyage’. Follow Rosie and Juliet's progress on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jandr_cycling_adventure/