I'm taking a bike trip in may through the loire valley
2 questions:
1.what do they mean by "rolling hills" - does that just mean short, but steep?

2.is there any shopping - anything special to the area that i should try and find?

thanks

marlo

I've biked all over the Loire several times....
rolling hills are rolling hills...however some roll on for quite some distance.

there are no major hills in the area but yes, undulating terrain but nothing that should worry you.

i do not remember anything that can be called steep. On one organized tour i took years ago, there were quite a few people that had not been on bikes in years and they had lilttle difficulty wih the riding.

Are you taking a tour?

If you stay along the Indre and Cher rivers, it minimizes the hills. Those roads are more pleasant than along the Loire itself.

Yes get a Michelin map of the area - available at petrol stations, bookstores, supermarkets, etc. and stick to the roads colored in yellow or in white - avoid the nasty roads in red that tent to have narrow shoulders and lots of trucks.
Most yellow roads and white roads are veritable wide well paved bike paths with the odd vehicle.
"D" or departmental roads are usually very nice - "N" or national roads quite nasty.
The road on the south side of the Loire is a nasty N road but there are really neat D roads on most of the north side.