Calling all Francophiles......

[Dave 123]

I'm already turning my mind to next years holiday and fancy going to France for a couple of weeks

Other than going to Paris and kayaking in the alps I've not really been.

Can you suggest some nice regions that I might try? Mrs Dave will be cycling too, so the alps probably isn't a goer

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I'm already turning my mind to next years holiday and fancy going to France for a couple of weeks

Other than going to Paris and kayaking in the alps I've not really been.

Can you suggest some nice regions that I might try? Mrs Dave will be cycling too, so the alps probably isn't a goer

The Corrèze has some beautiful roads. Fairly central, in fact just on the edge of the Massif Central. The whole of the Limosin Départment is pretty attractive, no mountains but not flat by any means. And it's also the least populated part of France.

 

[Mark1978]

If you fancy a trip southwards, you could try the Gorge du Verdon area over by Nice. Pretty hilly but absolutely beautiful. We used to stay in Frejus and drive over there. Never cycle there, but the roads were amazing.

 

[vernon]

The Loire valley is wonderful.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

The Loire valley is wonderful.

Likewise the Vercors and Normandie and Bretagne. That's the problem with the country. We'd be better of with a list of places to avoid.

 

[Donger]

Depends what you want apart from the cycling.

Flattest bits: Poitou Charente and les Landes (the SW)
Most chateaux (and also flat): the Loire Valley.
Prettiest villages: Alsace.
Like Cornwall but French: Brittany.
A bit like Devon but French: Normandy.
Hilly and wooded: the Ardennes.
Sunny, with vineyards and Meditteranean feel : Languedoc and Provence.
Pure rural "typical" France: Burgundy.
Fantastic scenery: the Alps

I have taken my bike on two holidays to Languedoc and one to the Alps, and loved every minute of the cycling. Empty roads everywhere, though, compared to Britain. Stayed near Annecy in the Alps last year, and was very impressed by the gentle cycleway all the way up the valley to Albertville, including a long ex-railway path along the full length of one side of lake Annecy.

 

[Ajay]

Exactly, you're just going to end up with a long list of all the great places we've cycled!
Give us a few parameters to work within eg. daily mileage, camping or b&b, coast/country/mountain etc

 

[Dave 123]

Exactly, you're just going to end up with a long list of all the great places we've cycled!
Give us a few parameters to work within eg. daily mileage, camping or b&b, coast/country/mountain etc

Some helpful stuff so far though...
Quiet, stunningly pretty countryside.

 

[Donger]

Some helpful stuff so far though...
Quiet, stunningly pretty countryside.

Alsace, then. Plenty of flat bits in the Rhine Valley, plenty of gentle hills along the "Route du Vin" through some of the prettiest villages in Europe. Also close to the Vosges mountains and the German border.

 

[slowmotion]

Most of Provence away from the coast is rather lovely. I'm a big fan of the Vaucluse, the area around Mt Ventoux. The Dordogne is beautiful too. There are so many beautiful and varied regions of France. Three times the size of the UK and the same population. It's empty.

 

[TheDoctor]

I'm going round the Luberon this November - just south of Vaucluse.
I'm hoping to give Ventoux another go, but since I'll be on a Brompton then sanity might prevail. Might...

 

[Ajay]

The Cevennes and Tarn Gorge, down to Pont du Gard, Nimes and camargue.
Huge variety of scenery and culture. Easily accessible via the Bike Express

 

[slowmotion]

I'm going round the Luberon this November - just south of Vaucluse.
I'm hoping to give Ventoux another go, but since I'll be on a Brompton then sanity might prevail. Might...

It's been done on a Boris Bike. I have wonderful memories of a dozen or so holidays in that area over the years. Have fun.

 

[Chromatic]

The Corrèze has some beautiful roads. Fairly central, in fact just on the edge of the Massif Central. The whole of the Limosin Départment is pretty attractive, no mountains but not flat by any means. And it's also the least populated part of France.

This^

 

[Markymark]

I just had a great time in France. The 7 minutes per day the shops were open was amazing too...,