France tour - August or September?

[loz]

Planning on doing a French end to end later in the summer.

Due to work I can only do certain dates, would cycling France in August be too hot? Planning about 100km a day. The other dates I have available are the final 2 weeks in September, but I'm worried it will be a bit chilly / wet

Any advice? I'm hoping someone says the end of Sept will be fine as this is my prefered time

thanks

 

[rualexander]

I would go in september and ride north to south.
August will be very busy with tourists and holidaymakers and will make accommodation more of a hassle, even if you're camping the sites will be crowded and not as enjoyable.

 

[vernon]

I cycled from Calais to Montpelier in August and found it fine. I had no problems with traffic levels, getting into camp sites or overcrowded tourism sites. I hate hot temperatures and onl had a couple of days where I took refuge in rural bush shelters for a siesta - a half litre of wine beforehand made the sisesta more enjoyable

 

[psmiffy]

Ive done North to South a couple of times in August - as long as you take care and realise it is hot and carry and drink plenty of liquid - take heed of signs you are getting overheated - listlessness, swirly vision, mild headache etc and find some shade (or if convienient the frozen foods section of a supermarket) then it is not really a problem - bashing on can be a problem - I have have on a couple of occasions assisted cyclists thats were ill prepared and did not heed the signs - the tourist bustle I just find to be part of the rich tapestry of life - as a solo cycle camper they have never inconvienienced me

Late September - Ive not known it to be chilly - one September I cycled Dieppe to Nice via the alps in early September then back via the Auvgerne and Brittany in late September without getting my waterproofs out of their bag - which is more than I can say for many of the trips Ive undertaken in June to August - (though I did spend a September getting drenched for ten straight days in the Dordorgne) -

plus I have a day or two in September when I had to go and hide out in the freezer section of a supermarket (Lyon I think) you pays your money and takes your choice

 

[Bornagaincyclist]

French holidays usually run from 14th July to 15th August. The first 2 weeks are fairly bonkers and the 2nd two a little less frantic. I have found camp sites 1/3rd full after the 15th and some of the animations (touriste events) have stopped. I have stopped at small sites over night and not even been charged a fee in late August. As Smiffy says it is still hot into September, but camping is not quite so available. Good luck you jammy person!

 

[andym]

Mid-August (after Le Grand Retour) to mid-September sounds like it might be a good bet.

Early starts are another way to cope with the heat: cycling in the early-summer mornings is hard to beat.

 

[Jimmy Doug]

The cycling conditions depend very much on where you want to go. In northern France the weather is likely to be very pleasant in August and September - probably drier in the east and wetter in the west; in southern France it's likely to be very hot. But as someone has already said, if you start in the north and head southwards you should have time to adjust. Also, there are differences between the south west and south east. In the south west it is slightly cooler but the winds can be very strong and unpredictable. In the south east, the wind is generally more predictable, and can blow very hard from the north (the Mistral). Another thing about the south east is that it can be very busy in the summer on the coast particularly, but a lot quieter further inland. But France is a great cycling destination whatever time of year you come! If you're new to cycling in France, I've written some general tips here. Good luck!

 

[loz]

thanks everyone for all the replies.

So in summary, any time in August and September should be fine but of course there's the chance of either extreme heat/rain which i'll just have to work with.

Hadn't thought about camp sites being closed, and i haven't made firm plans about route or camp sites i'll use yet. I was hoping to finalise the route quite late and then kind of play it by ear once on the road! This plan assumed i would just stumble across camp sites each day, if i go in late september will it be less likely to find open sites?

Jimmy - thanks for the link, i'd already taken a look through your info when you posted it. (wolves and lynx makes me wary of wild camping, i'll have to be like these guys and carry a couple of weapons!)

 

[psmiffy]

My experience with campsites in September is that about 10% are toute anne - open all the year round, about 30% close somewhere around the 15th of September 30% at the end of September and the remainder 30th September or mid-october - they get special rates on thier electric, tax et.al for being seasonal businesses -if in doubt carry the Michelin Green camping book

There are so many campsite in France that I have never really had a problem finding one, I tend to camp a bit earlier than I would in the main season and pick a line so that I have a choice of campsite - if it is closed I just move on to the next one - do not be afraid of camping at a site that looks closed - often it is just a matter that they do not bother to maintain an office in the evening - there will be a little sign saying someone will be around in the morning - generally there will be access to a toilet and water and just the one shower in operation - good idea when you can to stock up on the little cheton coin like things that often operate the shower - most of them use the same ones

 

[Jimmy Doug]

wolves and lynx makes me wary of wild camping

Don't worry about it! You'd be very lucky to get anywhere near one - even if it was the last thing you'd ever get anywhere near Anyway, as has already been said, there are so many camp sites, I think you won't need to wild camp.