North of Orléans the Beauce begins, the great wheat plain of France, flat as a table and sown to the horizon. This stop lies on its southern edge, between Ormes, Bricy and Ingré, where the plain meets the suburbs of Orléans and the military air base at Bricy, home to the French air force's transport aircraft. You may see the big grey A400Ms lumbering overhead.
Orléans is the city of Joan of Arc, who lifted the English siege in 1429, and the city still celebrates her every May with processions and festivities. The cathedral of Sainte-Croix, rebuilt in a Gothic style after the Wars of Religion, dominates the old town, and the riverside quays along the Loire are pleasant for a stroll.
The Loire itself is beautiful but dangerous. Its sandbanks shift, its currents are strong and unpredictable, and every summer people drown trying to swim in it. Do not swim in the river. The leisure base on the Île Charlemagne, at Saint-Jean-le-Blanc, has a lake with a supervised bathing area in summer, which is a much safer option.
East of Orléans, the Forêt d'Orléans is one of the largest state forests in France, a vast area of oak and pine with ponds and quiet roads, perfect for a peaceful ride. The roads in the Beauce are straight and fast, but the wind can be strong and the views monotonous.
The suburbs around Ingré solve fuel and groceries in minutes. If you eat in Orléans, look for Olivet, a soft local cow's milk cheese often rolled in ash, and remember that the city was France's vinegar capital for centuries; a few old vinegar houses still trade on the name.