Le Havre to Paris to Caen.

[wintonbina]

Hi, I'm cycling the above in 5 days going via Quillebeuf sur seine D89 & D81 to Lebelair camping site in Louviers then to campsite Huttopia,Versailles(Paris) D836 & D11. Next to FI hotel in Evreux D11, then camping site Le Brevedent D613 and finally to Ouistreham for the ferry to Pompey @285miles in total.
Are there any places/roads/sites that I should avoid or more importantly places I must visit?
Thanks,
Tony

 

[Ian H]

Research the route out of Le Havre otherwise you might end up on a motorway. Basically, as you come off the ferry and over a bridge you want to reach the road underneath. Best way is straight on, to the roundabout, last exit (anticlockwise of course) into the Brittany Ferries place, and through the bollards at the end. It's a smelly dusty route through industrial complexes to start with, but takes you straight to the riverside route towards Quillebeuf ferry. There's a right turn through more industrial stuff to get to the ferry.

 

[Yellow7]

I'd 2nd that!!... the first year I ended up on the motorway [section] from the roundabout junction, ~ 2km before where the cycle section starts to get over Le Pont de Normandy (The bridge of Normandy), although not exactly like a typical UK motorway - I think three cars passed by as it's effectively the end (or beginning!) of the motorway, but nevertheless, a motorway regulation piece of road. There's a road that parallels the river estuary you need to follow to get to the bridge entrance point, a bit twisty to find the start as it’s in the shipyard area of Le Havre, once on it you’ll pass by loads of huge petroleum storage tanks.

If you like message me your email address, for the second year using Microsoft’s ‘Autoroute’ software I pasted the map views images into a word document.
Mark.

 

[wintonbina]

I'd 2nd that!!... the first year I ended up on the motorway [section] from the roundabout junction, ~ 2km before where the cycle section starts to get over Le Pont de Normandy (The bridge of Normandy), although not exactly like a typical UK motorway - I think three cars passed by as it's effectively the end (or beginning!) of the motorway, but nevertheless, a motorway regulation piece of road. There's a road that parallels the river estuary you need to follow to get to the bridge entrance point, a bit twisty to find the start as it’s in the shipyard area of Le Havre, once on it you’ll pass by loads of huge petroleum storage tanks.

If you like message me your email address, for the second year using Microsoft’s ‘Autoroute’ software I pasted the map views images into a word document.
Mark.

Thanks Ian & Mark,
Sounds like fun but there again we've ridden through the industrial estates at the Severn Bridge so it shouldn't be too bad!
I'm going over there on Saturday to do a quick recce but starting from the ferry side of Quillebeuf-sur-seine (coming from Caen) then shooting down to Paris & back to Caen in a day!
Mark, my email is tony@stevebernardfoundation.org Thanks again

 

[ceepeebee]

I stayed at le brevedent in the summer and it's a lovely campsite, if a little noisy and full of kids going feral (but pretty safely, our 5yr old went off for hours at a time but there was always a responsible adult around).

From there to Caen isn't mountainous, but there's a fair few lungbursters, and very few flat bits, also, avoid the D613' there are a lot of single carriageways, and a lot of haulage. I rode around a few times and its glorious, but not v easy.