frank9755
Cyclist
- Location
- West London
I'd go for Netherlands or Brittany. My thoughts:
Bordeaux to Med: It sounds like an awful lot of trouble to go somewhere a bit average! Riding alongside a canal is ok for a few hours, but after a while, it gets a bit same-y. If I was doing that amount of travelling, I'd like to go somewhere a little bit more special. There are certainly far nicer parts of France.
Berlin: I like rides to a destination but I voted against this one last year (and suggested the Netherlands as an alternative), and the reasons still apply. Germany is a beautiful country, with friendly people. There are some wonderful tours to be done there, but this isn't one of them. The distances are just a bit too long for comfort. And imagine if we'd done it this year and had a week of beating into a headwind. That could happen again! Doing a good tour in Germany would mean flying. For a one-way trip from Hoek, I'd go for somewhere like Strasbourg, which is a bit closer than Berlin, has lots of interest, and would give a very varied and interesting route (Maastricht, the Ardennes, Luxembourg and a bit of the Vosges).
Brittany / Normandy: We all know that cycling in France is great. I don't know about the route to Caen but I once did a tour from Roscoff around Finisterre - the very end bit - and I'd recommend that. The highlight is the small towns that you go through, which are very French, but with a Breton twist (enclosed parishes, with church + charnal house and other amenities in a little walled compound), and very pretty and friendly - with excellent food. Also it's the right size - c.40-50 miles per day - and it's not very hilly. As a consequence, the countryside is pleasant rather than dramatic, but there are lots of sea views (and the best moules frites I've ever had). The roads are very quiet. It seemed as if people didn't bother to lock their doors when they went out. At the very fin of the terre, it get's a bit strange - as such end of the line places often do - but in a nice way.
Netherlands (+Belgium, Luxembourg, adjacent bits of Germany): There are certainly loads more tours to be done here. I'd like to go along the Ijsel, to Maastricht, up the coast towards Texel, to Edam, up towards Groeningen. That's probably enough for three tours. There's no shortage of cycle routes. This year's tour was great but, if there was one thing I'd suggest, it would be taking in more of the small cities (eg Delft, Gouda, Leiden, Haarlem, Edam, Hoorn, Zwolle, Deventer) as, for me, they are the real highlight of the country. I can understand why we didn't do that this time as navigating through cities with a group is generally a pain, but the Netherlands is different. These places are designed to be cycled into and out of. When Titus and I ended up staying in the wrong place, we went through Haarlem (which is stunning) and it hardly slowed us down. Distances could always be trimmed slightly - but it would be worth it.
So my order of preference would be:
1. Netherlands
2. Brittany
3. Berlin
4. Bordeaux
Bordeaux to Med: It sounds like an awful lot of trouble to go somewhere a bit average! Riding alongside a canal is ok for a few hours, but after a while, it gets a bit same-y. If I was doing that amount of travelling, I'd like to go somewhere a little bit more special. There are certainly far nicer parts of France.
Berlin: I like rides to a destination but I voted against this one last year (and suggested the Netherlands as an alternative), and the reasons still apply. Germany is a beautiful country, with friendly people. There are some wonderful tours to be done there, but this isn't one of them. The distances are just a bit too long for comfort. And imagine if we'd done it this year and had a week of beating into a headwind. That could happen again! Doing a good tour in Germany would mean flying. For a one-way trip from Hoek, I'd go for somewhere like Strasbourg, which is a bit closer than Berlin, has lots of interest, and would give a very varied and interesting route (Maastricht, the Ardennes, Luxembourg and a bit of the Vosges).
Brittany / Normandy: We all know that cycling in France is great. I don't know about the route to Caen but I once did a tour from Roscoff around Finisterre - the very end bit - and I'd recommend that. The highlight is the small towns that you go through, which are very French, but with a Breton twist (enclosed parishes, with church + charnal house and other amenities in a little walled compound), and very pretty and friendly - with excellent food. Also it's the right size - c.40-50 miles per day - and it's not very hilly. As a consequence, the countryside is pleasant rather than dramatic, but there are lots of sea views (and the best moules frites I've ever had). The roads are very quiet. It seemed as if people didn't bother to lock their doors when they went out. At the very fin of the terre, it get's a bit strange - as such end of the line places often do - but in a nice way.
Netherlands (+Belgium, Luxembourg, adjacent bits of Germany): There are certainly loads more tours to be done here. I'd like to go along the Ijsel, to Maastricht, up the coast towards Texel, to Edam, up towards Groeningen. That's probably enough for three tours. There's no shortage of cycle routes. This year's tour was great but, if there was one thing I'd suggest, it would be taking in more of the small cities (eg Delft, Gouda, Leiden, Haarlem, Edam, Hoorn, Zwolle, Deventer) as, for me, they are the real highlight of the country. I can understand why we didn't do that this time as navigating through cities with a group is generally a pain, but the Netherlands is different. These places are designed to be cycled into and out of. When Titus and I ended up staying in the wrong place, we went through Haarlem (which is stunning) and it hardly slowed us down. Distances could always be trimmed slightly - but it would be worth it.
So my order of preference would be:
1. Netherlands
2. Brittany
3. Berlin
4. Bordeaux