As a default, using the green-lined roads on a Michelin map will serve you well. From your pics above, the D3 certainly looks like a nicer biking road than the D137 (though I'm sure someone will be along soon to say how very wrong I am).
Brive-La-Gaillarde to Calais over 3 days
- Thread starter GreyHairedWombat
- Start date
Looking at the last map on Wapping’s post: Thenon is just down the road from me and I’m familiar with the route shown from Lubersac. I don’t know how MRA does it’s routing (shortest, quickest etc.) or what you and your mates are expecting but I would rate these roads as great on a trail bike rather than a touring bike - may be me, of course, but at the end of a 200 mile day I wouldn’t be keen to be riding on a these sort of roads.
MRA didn’t do the routing.
But your post demonstrates exactly the challenge of answering “What roads are best” from A to B, when A is 200 miles away from B and it’s being ridden by six unknown blokes. To put it into perspective, 200 miles is London to York or London to Exeter.
PS I have had bods on full blown GSA bikes, moaning about some roads in the Ardennes. I was on an HP4.
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Apologies for not replying to you before now. Busy few days clearing my wife’s parents home. Physically and mentally hard.
Firstly, thank you for all the help you and Wessie have provided
We have booked an Gite in Thenon for a few days. Plenty of choice for ride outs from Thenon.
I will look to invest in MyRoute app. I recognise that the journey from Roanne to Thenon may need a mix of roads to keep the riding time within reason
Firstly, thank you for all the help you and Wessie have provided
We have booked an Gite in Thenon for a few days. Plenty of choice for ride outs from Thenon.
I will look to invest in MyRoute app. I recognise that the journey from Roanne to Thenon may need a mix of roads to keep the riding time within reason
MyRoute is not essential. It is though very good at putting the Michelin map layer onto the top of a route. It’s also good for exporting the route into a GPX file for use in a GPS device or, of course, seamlessly into MyRoute’s own phone based Navigation app. The latter is bought separately. It is also good at giving people examples of ideas / routes, just as this thread shows.
That said, you can do just as well with a paper map. In many ways a paper map is easier, as you are less restricted by the size of your PC / phone / iPad’s screen.
‘Within reason’ , means lots of different things to lots of different people. 250 miles on D roads is perfectly possibly. But, if you are in a crew of six, most of whom want to set off at 11:00, stop every 45 minutes to take pictures / have a fag / press wild flowers / have a wee or whatever, then stop for lunch for an hour, then some of them need to look for fuel and then tgey all do the same in the afternoon, with no clear idea of where they are going and get separated and still want to be in their hotel by 16:00 prompt, showered and in the bar…. They might well be disappointed. It’s exactly this that makes answering “Tell me great routes from A to B” so hard; made no easier when points A and B are preordained and fixed.
Take for example:
Would you and your six mates, stick religiously to the blue line from Uzerche to Thenon? Or might you, having (possibly) ridden ‘great roads’ to get Uzerche from Roanne, maybe sacrifice something and hop onto the motorways to finish the day off? After all, the day’s ‘must do’ target is to get to Thenon, as you all have a gite booked there.
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You've raised some really good points all those who are planning routes should consider. I do own several country Michelin maps, France included, which are replaced every 3 years. Also a few Michelin 1/200 000 (1cm=2km) maps. Yes, these are helpful in route planning. I'm going to take your advice and include a mix of roads taking into account progress during each day etc. Thank you again for taking the time to provide your thoughtful advice. I hope others who like me are still gaining experience will find your advice useful
Thank you.
What I do think is useful, is to look at the distances A to B of any one journey. Then equate the mileage to somewhere you are familiar with. For example, 250 miles is London to Middlesbrough. Would you ride that journey in a day at home? If yes, then what time would you depart and what time would you expect to arrive at the end. Most importantly, what type of roads (or mixture of roads) would you look to ride?
OK, a holiday is not the same as a day at home, we accept that. But, if you wouldn’t contemplate riding more than say 100 miles on small minor roads in the UK, why might you ride two and half times that distance abroad?
Get used to looking at a map, understanding the colours of the roads (ie their type) and not least the shape the roads take and the background detail. Are roads the same in the mountains? Are they usually faster or slower? If a road follows a lake for a long way and there is no easy alternative roads to take, might it be crowded and possibly slow? Do you / can you filter for maybe a hour? If it’s a dual carriageway or motorway, will it be ‘fast’? What alternatives might you have, if time runs short or you just get tired from riding all the ‘must do’ twisties? Would, at the end or even the start of the day, the red line be ‘better’ than the blue line? Could you make the change of plan, without a map and your PC is at home? Do you even know where you are without a map?
Look at journeys you have made before and enjoyed (or hated) and look at them on a map; they’ll give you a pretty good clue for the future. Then wonder to yourself if all of your five friends (who seem to have put the route planning into your hands) are the same as you. If you don’t know, who does?
Finally, look at any A to B journey and then use the old joke: Man (standing in A) asks local, how to get to B? Local replies, “I wouldn’t be starting from here”. There is, like all good jokes, a grain of truth or reality behind it.
Let us know please, what you settle on and (not least) what it was all like when you’ve all done it.
What I do think is useful, is to look at the distances A to B of any one journey. Then equate the mileage to somewhere you are familiar with. For example, 250 miles is London to Middlesbrough. Would you ride that journey in a day at home? If yes, then what time would you depart and what time would you expect to arrive at the end. Most importantly, what type of roads (or mixture of roads) would you look to ride?
OK, a holiday is not the same as a day at home, we accept that. But, if you wouldn’t contemplate riding more than say 100 miles on small minor roads in the UK, why might you ride two and half times that distance abroad?
Get used to looking at a map, understanding the colours of the roads (ie their type) and not least the shape the roads take and the background detail. Are roads the same in the mountains? Are they usually faster or slower? If a road follows a lake for a long way and there is no easy alternative roads to take, might it be crowded and possibly slow? Do you / can you filter for maybe a hour? If it’s a dual carriageway or motorway, will it be ‘fast’? What alternatives might you have, if time runs short or you just get tired from riding all the ‘must do’ twisties? Would, at the end or even the start of the day, the red line be ‘better’ than the blue line? Could you make the change of plan, without a map and your PC is at home? Do you even know where you are without a map?
Look at journeys you have made before and enjoyed (or hated) and look at them on a map; they’ll give you a pretty good clue for the future. Then wonder to yourself if all of your five friends (who seem to have put the route planning into your hands) are the same as you. If you don’t know, who does?
Finally, look at any A to B journey and then use the old joke: Man (standing in A) asks local, how to get to B? Local replies, “I wouldn’t be starting from here”. There is, like all good jokes, a grain of truth or reality behind it.
Let us know please, what you settle on and (not least) what it was all like when you’ve all done it.
Yes, will do. Thanks again. Much appreciated
I had not forgotten to report final routes, etc. Been distracted by swapping my RT for a GSA. Back to a Nav VI but still using the Make Life a Ride app for turn by turn signals. I will send an update soon
Thank you for your advice to date. Now getting close to finalising this stage of my routes as will be sharing the routes when I meet my mates on 31st May. There are 9 of us of which 6 are on road bikes. I need to avoid roads like the D137 and use roads more like the D3. I have some 1cm = 2km paper maps but need to buy another that covers the Puy De Dome area to give me more detail. I either go above the A89/E70 or below to find appropriate D roads. Using the paper maps I currently have, attempting to find better D roads that are more like decent UK B roads rather than unclassified roads, the one option may be to go south taking the D966, D678 to Mauriac then head to Brive. Taking a route north looks more challenging to piece together similar roads. I'd appreciate your thoughts if not to much trouble
you're on holiday , they will all be great roads , pick D roads with single digits .
you do not HAVE to keep to the route you started with , just your finish point.
fill up when you are at half a tank.
9 of you ? split that into at least 2 groups.
you do not HAVE to keep to the route you started with , just your finish point.
fill up when you are at half a tank.
9 of you ? split that into at least 2 groups.
Why that one in particular?
What are the other three on? Penny farthings?
Buy your maps.
That’s a new one, even for these pages.
To add:560 miles. No motorways or tolls.
View attachment 373961
Is it perfect? No, stuff rarely is but it’s simple to amend using a half decent paper map or on a PC.
Tell you what, you’ve had plenty of help from the forum each year for your holidays. There is also plenty of posts on how to DIY. Have a go at creating something yourself, rather than have others do it for you. You’ve got a few months. Give it a go and put your ideas up on the forum. It’s relatively fun and it’s free. Not least, it’ll also help others.
It’ll also hone your route planning skills
Thank you Richard. D137 was used just as an example of the type of road. Fine for GS’s etc. The other three are on GS’s and KTM 1290. I do have a good collection of maps but missing one area. Map now on order
Incidentally
Incidentally the Michelin route planning app gave some good options however cannot see how to covert or download into a GPX.
https://www.viamichelin.com/routes/...t=NONE&withCaravan=false&zoiSettings=false~20
https://www.viamichelin.com/routes/...t=NONE&withCaravan=false&zoiSettings=false~20
Where is this devil road that cannot be used by anything but a mule?
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