When is the best time of year to ride across France?

[Abitrary]

...Thankyou.

Has anybody ridden a route this way around?

Calais,normandy, bretagne, les landes, down to bordeaux going east from there, north of the pyrenees to montpelier/nice etc

I'm thinking it may be a bit more scenic ...

...any good routes for these areas?

There's a couple of months cycling there. Don't rule out trains though if you want a bit of variation though.

If from somewhere in brittany you can get to Royan, just below la rochelle on the map, get the ferry across to soulac-sur-mer, then that's a great coastal ride down to Bordeaux.

Once you're in bordeaux, it will open it up a bit

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

here is an initial rough idea of a possible route...any good?

 

[bonj2]

A really good tip for you BTFB:




























Zone Alarm's rubbish.

 

[Abitrary]

Don't listen BTFB, zone alarm's fine.

























I'd worry more about AVG free edition

 

[Abitrary]

here is an initial rough idea of a possible route...any good?

Anything with lot's of coast is good... makes it feel like more of a holiday.

Still looks like at least 6 weeks of cycling to me though. Remember, you don't have to do it in one linear journey. I'd be inclined to pick a couple of places that look good, and get the train if need be.

Just have your entry and exit points clearly set

 

[Brock]

I agree with bonj, zonealarm is pukeware. AVG is good though. Your route looks good, think I'll go the same way

 

[Abitrary]

I agree with bonj, zonealarm is pukeware. AVG is good though. Your route looks good, think I'll go the same way

like, er, turn right and keep going?

 

[Abitrary]

I agree with bonj, zonealarm is pukeware. AVG is good though. Your route looks good, think I'll go the same way

I can't see the map in detail BTFB? Is there not away of posting the original link?

-I think I can see St Malo, which is a must. Also Rennes if you're down there is nice
-Brest I guess must be done so you can say you've done it.
-It looks like you're going from nantes to bordeaux, that looks boring. I'd go to La Rochelle, and straight down the coast where possible

 

[bonj2]

just take a compass and if in doubt, head south.

 

[mcd]

-I think I can see St Malo, which is a must. Also Rennes if you're down there is nice

Yes, the old part of St Malo is good (even though it isn't old - re-built after being flattened by, err, us during WW2). Mont Saint Michel is near by, as is Dinan - both a must if you are in the area. Jersey is an hour away from St Malo by ferry - let me know if you want someone to show you around.

 

[xilios]

here is an initial rough idea of a possible route...any good?

While doing some research on routes for our upcoming tour to Santiago de Compostela I came across this site that you might be interested in.
http://www.francebalade.com/chatdlen.htm
Riding along the coast would be nice for a while but it could get boring. This section of the Loire has some of the best castles in France. And naturaly there are campings all over the place. We plan on finding a campground somewhere in the middle of all those castles and take a couple days to check out the area.
cheers

 

[vernon]

...Thankyou.

Has anybody ridden a route this way around?

Calais,normandy, bretagne, les landes, down to bordeaux going east from there, north of the pyrenees to montpelier/nice etc

I'm thinking it may be a bit more scenic ...

...any good routes for these areas?

Scenic can ba a euphamism for hilly....

Brittany isn't particularly flat.

You might want to play around with one of the googlemaps mash ups to get a feel for the lie of the land.

www.mapmyride.com does a decent job at profiling a route.

 

[Brock]

...does anybody have a good source of French campsites and hostels contact details/maps etc?

This site lists well over 2000 camp sites in France and has a nice clicky map thing

http://www.eurocampings.co.uk/en/europe/

 

[rich p]

This site lists well over 2000 camp sites in France and has a nice clicky map thing

http://www.eurocampings.co.uk/en/europe/

That's a good site, Brock, cheers. I can confirm that it has a very nice clicky map thing!!

All the best for your trip too - what a great experience. My longest is 5 weeks which wasn't long enough.

 

[Brock]

All the best for your trip too - what a great experience. My longest is 5 weeks which wasn't long enough.

Cheers!