Brooky
06-27-02, 10:06 AM
Hi, does anybody know of a good route from the North to the south of Fance? Are there any good books about touring france on a bike?
Touring - Le Harve to South of farnce
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Richard D
06-27-02, 10:20 AM
Fatman on a Bicycle - Tom Vernon , probably out of print, but widely available secondhand.
Brains
06-27-02, 11:11 AM
Check out the CTC.org.uk site they have loads of french routes, many only availabe to memebers
Brooky
06-27-02, 12:29 PM
Sounds tight but I can even fill my car with petrol at the moment let alone pay the membership fee!! Are there any other sites or books? Or personal experience?
cyclezealot
06-27-02, 06:13 PM
Touring France . You are lucky. Have toured north and south, but seperately. Suspect you might travel down Rhone Valley.. i suggest couple books. Lonely Planet Cycling France.. And particularily Cycling in France by Ulysses Press.. Cycling France- great side trips..Particularily loved cycling out back vintners about Beaune, France.. Suggest get to south first- it can be very hot down there in August... Much of heat like Spain. Heat Lasts about one month..
Brooky
06-27-02, 06:25 PM
Thanks, do you think that cycling from Halifax to the south of France is realistic for three beginners over about a month in about 6 weeks time from now? Its a frightening thought at the moment!
Csson
06-28-02, 08:54 AM
I think it is a good idea to start at your home, it will give extra satisfaction once you reach your goal. Also, north to south is the better direction in my opinion, for a couple of reasons:
It will gradually get hotter so you will get used to increasingly higher temperatures (this time last year the temperature was already 30+ in southern France, and it doesn't get that much hotter). The northern winds along the lower Rhone valley can get quite strong, and it is more fun to have it on your back.
The northern parts of France is more or less flat (at least compared to the south/south-east). I don't know about England, but it is probably possible to find a flat route if you want to. That way you can have a flat first week or so to give you some training for the rest of France ;).
If I was planning a tour from Le Havre to Nice or Marseille (where do you plan to go?), the general route would probably be something like this:
Le Havre - Chartres - Orléans - Clermont Ferrand - Lyon. Lyon is probably a good place for a rest day. After that I would head back into the Massif Central for a couple of days (i like climbs, an easier alternative is of course to stay in the Rhone valley), before heading to Avignon and Aix-en-Provence near Marseille. If Nice is the goal I would go trough the Grand Canyon du Verdon (http://biketouring.eurotourism.net/album/?bild=949) and then on to Cannes and Nice.
If a little more than a month is enough? Hard to say. Shortest route between Le Havre and Nice is ~1200 kilometres, so your route will probably be closer to 2000k in France, and maybe 700k in England. That would make your average day somewhere between 70-90k, which is not unreasonable (my average tends to be 85-90k). You should plan a route that allows short-cuts to be made if time is running short, it is not fun to put in 150k days if you don't want to. Get a road map of France (1:800 000 or 1:1 000 000 scale) and do some general planning before you leave. Add about 15% to the distance to allow for errors. Once you get to France buy the excellent yellow Michelin maps (1:200 000).
By the way, I know maybe ten words in French. After the initial shock I now rate France as one of my favourite countries. You will have a great time.
/Csson
It will gradually get hotter so you will get used to increasingly higher temperatures (this time last year the temperature was already 30+ in southern France, and it doesn't get that much hotter). The northern winds along the lower Rhone valley can get quite strong, and it is more fun to have it on your back.
The northern parts of France is more or less flat (at least compared to the south/south-east). I don't know about England, but it is probably possible to find a flat route if you want to. That way you can have a flat first week or so to give you some training for the rest of France ;).
If I was planning a tour from Le Havre to Nice or Marseille (where do you plan to go?), the general route would probably be something like this:
Le Havre - Chartres - Orléans - Clermont Ferrand - Lyon. Lyon is probably a good place for a rest day. After that I would head back into the Massif Central for a couple of days (i like climbs, an easier alternative is of course to stay in the Rhone valley), before heading to Avignon and Aix-en-Provence near Marseille. If Nice is the goal I would go trough the Grand Canyon du Verdon (http://biketouring.eurotourism.net/album/?bild=949) and then on to Cannes and Nice.
If a little more than a month is enough? Hard to say. Shortest route between Le Havre and Nice is ~1200 kilometres, so your route will probably be closer to 2000k in France, and maybe 700k in England. That would make your average day somewhere between 70-90k, which is not unreasonable (my average tends to be 85-90k). You should plan a route that allows short-cuts to be made if time is running short, it is not fun to put in 150k days if you don't want to. Get a road map of France (1:800 000 or 1:1 000 000 scale) and do some general planning before you leave. Add about 15% to the distance to allow for errors. Once you get to France buy the excellent yellow Michelin maps (1:200 000).
By the way, I know maybe ten words in French. After the initial shock I now rate France as one of my favourite countries. You will have a great time.
/Csson
Brains
06-28-02, 11:54 AM
Check out
www.bike-express.co.uk
A perfect method of getting you and your bike for England to France (or Spain/Italy/Switzerland)
www.bike-express.co.uk
A perfect method of getting you and your bike for England to France (or Spain/Italy/Switzerland)
mron
06-30-02, 02:52 PM
Brooky,
My friend and I just got back from a six country tour of Europe, two or so weeks in France. I bought the Lonely Planet Cycling France book and I would not recommend it. It had some useful general information about France and French culture, but for the cycling information, it just listed several three day trips that went in circles, starting and ending in the same city. It is pretty easy to pick a route from the Michelin maps, so I wouldn't worry about following a route that someone else picked.
Personally I liked being out the country side rather than hitting big cities, but that is of course up to you. I would definitely NOT go to Marseille. The traffice is very bad, worst in south of France. Besides that both of our bikes and all or our gear was stolen on a beach there. When we told people about it they said that Marseille is known for a high crime rate. If you do go, be careful.
Hope this helps. I would be glad to answer any other questions.
Have a great trip,
mron
My friend and I just got back from a six country tour of Europe, two or so weeks in France. I bought the Lonely Planet Cycling France book and I would not recommend it. It had some useful general information about France and French culture, but for the cycling information, it just listed several three day trips that went in circles, starting and ending in the same city. It is pretty easy to pick a route from the Michelin maps, so I wouldn't worry about following a route that someone else picked.
Personally I liked being out the country side rather than hitting big cities, but that is of course up to you. I would definitely NOT go to Marseille. The traffice is very bad, worst in south of France. Besides that both of our bikes and all or our gear was stolen on a beach there. When we told people about it they said that Marseille is known for a high crime rate. If you do go, be careful.
Hope this helps. I would be glad to answer any other questions.
Have a great trip,
mron