Recommend me a route in Normandy for 3 days

[mmmmartin]

@User is correct. i remember there being hard-packed, pale coloured gravel, self-draining. We went fairly quickly on it.
there was one section (this was 2014) where horses had been raced up and down on the path and the surface was churned up. This was on the recce so on The Real Thing we went down the main road, but I think it was a Sunday morning and there were no lorries and few cars. We had a picnic in a town by a river and rejoined the cycle path after that. I'll go to my stash of routes on the other computer and see if i can find a GPX file. Watch this space.
By the way, Fougeres has a pretty castle. (I've not seen it as I arrived in the dark on PBP then left when I wasn't looking at stuff like that, but a friend did a sort of mini-recce for a potential Fridays Tour and the pics of the castle are very nice.)

 

[Dave Davenport]

I've ridden a couple of those types of path in Brittany/Normandy, they're fine in the dry but horrible in the wet.

 

[mmmmartin]

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/17491799

is a rough approximation of the route we took south from Ouistreham.
Note:

• This route follows roads but that is because the Garmin maps I had at the time had only roads on them - no cyclepaths etc. So retain a healthy scepticism. I have had a look for the track produced by the GPS unit as we did the ride but can't find it so guess it was deleted. It's possible that @redfalo who is a genius at this sort of thing, might have retained the track of the trip.
• there is an excellent segregated bike path in Caen to Ouistreham but this route I have here follows the busy roads - narrow, much traffic. Stick to the pretty and quiet bike path by the canal. You are put on the cycle path after crossing a bridge and turning sharp right - the road peels away from the path on your left and you go straight on.
• You also, in Ouistreham, go by Pegasus Bridge, which is famous. Avoid the Pegasus cafe next to it and use the one over the road. The museum on the other side of the bridge is worth a visit if you have the time. Try to ensure you do not get caught by the bridge lifting.
• Hotel Normandie is just behind the small square in Ouistreham, on Avenue Michel Cabieu. There are several there.
• Conde sur Noireau has a Carrefour City that is open on a Sunday morning (or, was). Handy for buying sarnies. It also has restaurants but on a Sunday they may be fully booked. Might be best to lay in some supplies on the Saturday afternoon and have a picnic on the Sunday as you head north.
• Our exit (your entrance, obvs) at Flers was bloody complicated. Pay attention to the GPS.
• This route follows the road for the section that is south of Fler but you should just get on the cyclepath and head northwards.
• I found, both on the recce and The Real Thing, that the IGN green map sitting on the barbag was invaluable, especially when having to make decisions on the move. (Roadworks close road, weather changes, etc.)
• Apologies for supplying a route not a track.

 

[hatler]

Contrary to what @mmmmartin says above, I would absolutely get a small beer, anything, in the Pegasus Bridge cafe. It may be overpriced, but what the hell. This was the first house liberated in France in '44. The proprietor, M. Gondree was reported to have been hanging out of the top window roaring "Allez les Anglais" as they fought their way over the bridge from the glider landing site on the other side of the canal. Once things had quietened down he is said to have dug out some champagne he had buried in the garden (to hide it from the occupying Germans) to share round. There's a reasonable chance that you will be served by one of his daughters.

The inside of the cafe is rammed full of the most tear-jerking memorabilia.

Once you're done in there, cross the bridge and have a wander round the field to the right and marvel at how the hell a bunch of glider pilots successfully landed their craft in such a tiny place in the dead of night.

 

[jay clock]

Many thanks. I am happy to plan a route using RWGPS and my large scale Michelin atlas. I did the whole length of France in May with few problems

Re the shale path I will avoid. My experience of them in France is they can be a lot duller than roads, worst ending the Canal du Midi. 3 days of trees and canal views. Much more to ogle on the roads.

 

[mmmmartin]

Agreed about shale paths, but this is an old railway line and is a dead flat and extremely fast route through hilly country with narrow roads and sometimes fast traffic. It was less than half an afternoon for us and very useful for 26 bikes. YMMV.

 

[redfalo]

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/17491799

is a rough approximation of the route we took south from Ouistreham.
Note:

• This route follows roads but that is because the Garmin maps I had at the time had only roads on them - no cyclepaths etc. So retain a healthy scepticism. I have had a look for the track produced by the GPS unit as we did the ride but can't find it so guess it was deleted. It's possible that @redfalo who is a genius at this sort of thing, might have retained the track of the trip.
• there is an excellent segregated bike path in Caen to Ouistreham but this route I have here follows the busy roads - narrow, much traffic. Stick to the pretty and quiet bike path by the canal. You are put on the cycle path after crossing a bridge and turning sharp right - the road peels away from the path on your left and you go straight on.

This is the track we actually rode back in 2014. If I recall correctly, the cycle path on the old railway track approaching Domfront did not come with tarmac, but the surface was still good. I was riding on a Brompton, which tends to ride horribly on softer ground and gravel, but I did not have any issues.

 

[jay clock]

OK we did it and it went WELL
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Tour de Normandie ride report. I have just got back from a three day tour of Normandy in a group of 7. . Portsmouth to St Malo overnight with a cabin and a superb on-board meal.

The forecast was for chilly weather with not much sun, but no rain. In fact it was somewhat warmer than expected and overall great conditions

All the routing was done on RidewithGPS and my Garmin 1000 which fortunately worked perfectly

Day 1 was 126km due East with minimal hills for the first half. Stopped for a photo opportunity at Mont St Michel and an obscenely expensive coffee, then another 20k to lunch, which was a stunning deal at €12.70 for four courses including wine, cider and coffee. The last 50k were more undulating and we arrived at a very comfortable hotel I had pre-booked in the lovely town of Domfront. Great food and service. Same place as mentioned in the earlier postings (Hotel de France)

Day 2 was 96km due north and constant undulating hills in stunning Norman scenery. There was only one possible town that looked likely for a lunch stop, and the place we chose was not a patch on the previous day. Very slow service. All offset by lovely warm sunshine though. After lunch was a lot shorter and we arrived in Bayeux in good time. Cheaper basic hotel but fantastically welcoming owners. Very filling pancakes in an old mill and a nice walk around the old town

Day 3 we headed NW for 20k then back East along the D-Day Beaches. Very impressive and moving. After a gloomy start we had a small tailwind, then lovely sunshine. Another nice lunch a few miles from the port (Caen/Ouistreham) and got there in good time. The ferry back is long and dragged somewhat.

We all agreed it was a fantastic weekend and planning a re-run next year possibly on a different route/crossings. If anyone wants tips on how to organise something like this get in touch. We may do 4 days next year, and also will think about doing overnight on the way back. Roads and drivers were generally excellent and both hotels had very good secure store rooms for the bikes

It is important to make sure you are all of similar ability and temperament or to be prepared to split into smaller groups. We managed to stay together, and that added to the enjoyment. I would recommend a maximum group size of 8 for safety and ease of organisation