Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Last week I took a ride on the Vélorail at Pont Erambourg in beautiful Suisse Normande in Normandy.
This involves riding a hefty sociable tandem with railway wheels on the old rails. It's tremendous fun. Until, that is, you meet someone coming the other way. Then one of you has to lift your wagon out of the way. Protocol dictates the one with the most people. It's actually not difficult to shift if you have several people helping. 6km of the line is open for this, giving you a 12km out and back ride (there's a special turntable for turning it round at the end). There are picnic tables if you want to pull over for a meal (removing your wagon from the line first, of course)
There's a small museum in some old rolling stock. And a burger van in the car park (the serving hatch is the front window of an old locomotive). This being France the food from the burger van was really good and reasonably priced.
A highly recommended activity. There are several vélorails in France. This was the one we went to
http://www.rails-collinesnormandes.fr/ (has a short video with very jaunty music)
The lady said the bike weighed 100kg. I suspect it may be more.
WWII buffs get a good view of a small bridge over the river Noireau (from the higher railway viaduct) that was constructed from a piece of the Mulberry harbour - the original bridge having been destroyed by the Resistance shortly after D-day.
This involves riding a hefty sociable tandem with railway wheels on the old rails. It's tremendous fun. Until, that is, you meet someone coming the other way. Then one of you has to lift your wagon out of the way. Protocol dictates the one with the most people. It's actually not difficult to shift if you have several people helping. 6km of the line is open for this, giving you a 12km out and back ride (there's a special turntable for turning it round at the end). There are picnic tables if you want to pull over for a meal (removing your wagon from the line first, of course)
There's a small museum in some old rolling stock. And a burger van in the car park (the serving hatch is the front window of an old locomotive). This being France the food from the burger van was really good and reasonably priced.
A highly recommended activity. There are several vélorails in France. This was the one we went to
http://www.rails-collinesnormandes.fr/ (has a short video with very jaunty music)
The lady said the bike weighed 100kg. I suspect it may be more.
WWII buffs get a good view of a small bridge over the river Noireau (from the higher railway viaduct) that was constructed from a piece of the Mulberry harbour - the original bridge having been destroyed by the Resistance shortly after D-day.
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