Hello & route suggestions please

[Grumpymonkee]

Hi everyone, nice forum. I'm looking to start a tour from Valencia/Barcelona towards the Italian lakes via France starting in May, I've been riding both road and offroad for about 8 years now but I'm new to the whole touring thing. I wondered if any of you have suggestions for places to see or scenic rides along this (admittedly very vague) route. Thanks

 

[Cathryn]

Sounds like an awesome trip - you'll love it.

The best advice I can give is to go to www.crazyguyonabike.com and check out the journals of other cyclists who have done chunks of that trip. These guys did my favourite journal which I find totally inspirational and they cover off all the places you went to:

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=878&v=1ux&term=mountains rivers&context=all

Less inspirationally, if you follow the link in my signature and check out our trip 'the sound of cycling' we did a stretch from Sete on the coast to Aix en Provence which might be useful. My biggest tip - the French Med coast is a bit grim, much less romantic than you think, so plan inland. Go for the hills.

 

[Grumpymonkee]

Thanks Cathryn, really useful links, just what I'm looking for

 

[jags]

cathryn how grim are we talking here.im heading to france in june from roscoff down to near enough to la rochelle , then inland 60 or so miles back to roscoff.

 

[andym]

cathryn how grim are we talking here.im heading to france in june from roscoff down to near enough to la rochelle , then inland 60 or so miles back to roscoff.

Jags. I've just been researching a wee trip round the Brittany coast - thinking about late May. I don't think you can compare the Atlantic coast with the Mediterranean coast (or at least I hope you can't!) - which is pretty dull from what I've seen of it.

 

[Cathryn]

I agree with Andy M. I don't know the northern/atlantic coast very well but my gut feel is it'll be nicer. Brittany is wild and rugged and the Atlantic coast is famed for its beaches so I think you'd do better.

Avoid Beziers - Arles though...not pretty.

 

[psmiffy]

Jags-go the other way round overland LR then follow coast back - get less battered by Hwinds that way and along coast is nice way to finish

Personelly I would stay north of St Nazaire - LR is nice enough but not much in between ST N and LR - I did this as a long weekend last easter

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/psmiffyphoto/20071BrittanyPhotos#5277883188473151858

as an aside med coast is not that grim - bit overpopulated and should not be done as a tour on its own - but nice for a few days sun and swimming after coming out of the alps

In defence of arles it has quite a well preserved amphitheartre, Beziers is no better or worse than 4000 - 10000 other french towns - if you never get there you will never find out

 

[andym]

I've not cycled the Mediterranean coast - my comments are based on the train journey between Marseille and Nice which follows the coastal strip more or less parallel with the road. The road seems to be pretty busy and the coast is quite heavily developed especially after St Tropez. I'd imagine it would get pretty dull. Personally I'd loop inland - though the coast road may be the lesser of two evils. Or you could get on a (local) train.

(Maybe we should start a separate Brittany thread).

psmiffy

Which way do the prevailing winds blow?

 

[Cathryn]

In defence of arles it has quite a well preserved amphitheartre, Beziers is no better or worse than 4000 - 10000 other french towns - if you never get there you will never find out

Sorry, I wasn't clear. The towns of Beziers and Arles are great, we loved them and ate particularly well there. The cycling in between them (which is what I meant) was grim!

 

[jags]

thank's folks so i won't be to bad then ,except for the h/winds,i can't change anything on this tour im basically the third man.i've never been to france,but i know all you guys love it,and rate it highly on the touring end of thing's.i'll be camping all the way on this my first tour ,let's hope it's the start of something great.

 

[psmiffy]

Head winds

Med - when Mistral is nasty - west to east (granny geared across camargue on one occasion)

brittany - west to south west - july august with the high pressure the winds are not that noticable may or september tend to be a bit stronger