Anyone been to the Jura Mountains?

[Kirstie]

I'm off to the alps mountain biking in a couple of weeks, and on the way back we want to spend 5 days or so camping somewhere and chilling out. I heard that this area of France (its the south end of the alsace-lorraine region) is a very quiet and beautiful place, and also great for cycling and walking. Has anyone on here been, and if so what would be your recommendations?
Thanks!

 

[lazyfatgit]

i've spent a couple of enjoyable days walking there whilst visiting family in Geneva, both in spring and autumn. Never been on the tops in the summer though. i found the walking enjoyable, although my brother-in -law insists in parking as close to the summits as possible, which makes total climb less than i tend to do in scotland. Roads i've been on have all been good, and there seems to be quite a few roadies around. Not sure about mountain biking, although as it's part of a national park i'm sure there are plenty of routes.

weather seems to be more predictable than in the UK, and when i've been it's been much less windy.

have a good trip.

 

[gavintc]

We did exactly that last year, spent 10 days in the Ardeche/Drome regions and then on the way back we stopped in the Jura for 4-5 days. It was quiet, had good cycling roads and in the area we were in, not very touristy. As a result stopping for lunch became more tricky as there were few shops open during lunch to buy provisions and even fewer cafes. However, our biggest let down was the weather - it rained for most of our stay. I do not have the maps here to pinpoint where we stayed.

 

[Unkraut]

Nope, I have never been to that part of France.

Was that helpful?

I could, however, recommend Alsace as a region, if you like French cuisine with German sized helpings. It's a bit like the Black Forest but without so many tourists.

 

[Kirstie]

I've heard the paps are nice

I think you're talking about a different Jura there...

 

[rich p]

I spent a family, non-biking holiday there about 15 years ago. It was a very nice area (but then most of France is nice!). We were near Clairveaux les Lacs, which had a nice campsite. It may have changed in the meantime though, so don't blame me!