Retirement in France: Our Most Adventurous Bike Ride Yet

Join us for a real-life adventure cycling through the French countryside from Le Dorat to Magnac-Laval for dinner at Café de la Gare. What starts as a beautiful bike ride through rural France turns into a race against the fading daylight as we try to make it home before dark. We’re enjoying retirement in France one experience at a time, and this ride gave us everything: peaceful country roads, wooded paths, beautiful scenery, a great meal, and a little unexpected suspense on the way home. Our destination was Café de la Gare in Magnac-Laval, where we stopped for dinner and enjoyed fish and chips before getting back on our bikes. But the big question was: did we leave ourselves enough time to make it back to Le Dorat before darkness took over? If you enjoy videos about retirement abroad, living in France, cycling in France, French village life, slow travel, and starting a new life after 50, come along with us. Subscribe to Becoming Rachel as we share what life in France really looks like — the beautiful moments, the challenges, the renovations, the travel, and the adventures we never expected to have in retirement. A 40-minute bike ride to dinner in the french countryside turned into a race against the setting sun. Come along for the ride. We set out from Le Dorat, hoping for a relaxing cycle to Magnac-Laval for fish and chips at Café de la Gare. It was the perfect way to embrace slow travel, enjoying the quiet roads and scenic views that make life here so special. But as the afternoon light began to fade, our leisurely dinner ride quickly transformed into an unexpected dash to beat the darkness home. This is the reality of our retirement in france. It is not always perfectly planned days; sometimes, it is about navigating the unexpected challenges with a laugh. Cycling in france has become one of our favorite ways to connect with our new home, offering moments of peace and excitement we never anticipated finding in our 60s and beyond. Subscribe to Becoming Rachel as we share the unfiltered highs and lows of our life abroad. What is your favorite way to explore a new place? Let us know in the comments.