Flights booked.... a week in the South of France

[jay clock]

Flights booked.... a week across the South of France

After a few false starts (a week in Lanzarote cancelled due to work) I have now booked a week at the beginning of May, cycling from Nice to Perpignan

Flying Sunday 3rd into Nice. Will spend the night with a friend in Cagnes sur Mer, only about 8km from the airport.

Then a choice of routes wiggling my way across to Perpignan. I know some of the area well as I lived there for some years. The bit I am keen to get advice on is routes from Marseille/Aix down to Perpignan. The coast itself along that stretch is not too stunning, so some slightly inland suggestions would be excellent

I will probably be camping - new 1.8kg tent, new Exped Downmat (hopefully a massive improvement on the sheet of plywood (Thermarest) I had in new Zealand. I may try it out in the garden here in April!

Wish me bonne route!

Jay

 

[snorri]

Wish me bonne route!

Bonne route

Sorry I cannot give you any route advice, never been so far south.

 

[Cathryn]

I can't advise either as I saw first hand how not great the coast was!! It'll be awesome though!!

Might look at a map today for you at work if I need a moment of distraction

 

[psmiffy]

Its a bit tricky to suggest "slightly inland routes" - the areas slightly inland apart from the bit to Aix (verdon gorges) can be and are often very pretty but a bit ordinary -maybe say Avignon, clemand H, Quissac, Carcossone and a little bit of pyrenee foothills would have a degree of interest- unless of course you have got the legs to go futher north into the causses

montpelier to narbonne along coast has few highlights (mainly the sea on the left shoulder) - if you have never been there and are keen to avoid hills can be tolerated (I did it as part of an early tour - Como to North of Spain and quite enjoyed it - but it was not a big proportion of my tour) if you are just keen to do kms - OK- but would not be my choice as a major part of a short tour - suggest you change the finish point

 

[jay clock]

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/france2009 for the journal

Sadly Smiffy the finish point is booked. I know that bit of coast from zooming past on the motorway when I lived in Nice! I am going to have a look at your suggestions, and hope that 50-100km inland gives me some lovely rural roads