Must-ride roads in France?

[freddyfruitbat]

I'm planning a trip to the south of France in April and seeking a bit of input on my routes up and down. I'm heading for the Cannes area, where I'll be based for a bit; then heading home later on from Montpellier. Allowing 3-4 days for each route; departing/arriving UK anywhere from Dover to Portsmouth.

Currently putting the routes together and am trawling through this forum for ideas. I'd really appreciate any tips for other specific roads or areas I shouldn't miss out on. Have already earmarked Route Napoleon from Grenoble to Cannes! I figure I've got a huge tract of France I can potentially cover, ie between Cannes/Montpellier and Dover/Portsmouth. I intend to be riding most of the time, rather than taking time out for tourist stuff. I appreciate this forum is a massive and helpful resource, and I am certainly reading through it for ideas... but any knee-jerk responses with favourite roads would be great.

 

[siddo]

Tarn gorges at Millau.

 

[Mzokk]

Gorge Du Verdon coming down into Cannes.

 

[wessie]

from Montpellier simply get on the D986 and ride up to Meyrueis and onto Mende. Meyrueis is a place you could stay in for 3 nights and have great days out in the various gorges and mountains. Hotel Europe.

From Mende cross the A75 into the Aubrac and Volcanes area. Look for Puy Mary. La Bourboule is a nice town for an overnight. Hotel L'Aviation. Then ride up to the Loire and stay in somewhere like Blois or Saumur. Easy day after to get a ferry to Portsmouth.

 

[leedude03]

unless you really need to go to Montpellier and Cannes i would avoid them and move inland a few miles. there is so much to see, have a look through the trip reports on the forum for loads of ideas.

 

[stever1]

Be careful if you’re thinking about going into the mountains. April’s a bit early in the season.

 

[leadfarmer]

The whole of the Ardèche department

In fact, anything that has a latitude below Lyon and above Nîmes

 

[Wapping]

I’m confused, as usual.

We know, as you’ve told us, that on the way down you intend to ride the Route Napoleon from Grenoble to Cannes. You then intended to do whatever in Cannes for a bit. Then you plan on riding from Cannes to Montpellier, to do something there for a bit.

Around that, it’s all a bit, shall we say, vague.

Where do Dover and Portsmouth come in? Are they simply possible ports of embarkation from the UK and / or for your return? Do you have a preference, not least as they dictate different crossings and are themselves miles apart, relative to northern France.

Do you want routes from Dover / Portsmouth to Grenoble? If so, do you want something over 3 to 4 days?

Do you want routes from Montpellier to Dover / Portsmouth? If so, do you want something over 3 to 4 days?

Do you want routes from Cannes to Montpellier, over (I think) 3 to 4 days?

Fill in the gaps, please.



PS Very crudely, Calais (from Dover) > Grenoble > Cannes > Montpellier > Caen (for Portsmouth) direct looks like this:

 

[leadfarmer]

That “Grotte Chauvet” is worth a visit incidentally

 

[freddyfruitbat]

Some great suggestions here, thanks! In reply:

@siddo and @Mzokk: The Tarn and Verdon gorges are certainly fantastic, though I have ridden them before, and I think my Route Napoleon plans will probably take priority. @wessie - thanks, that route looks a good suggestion for the way home.

@Wapping and @leedude03: Basically I'm travelling down there for non-bike-related stuff near Cannes, and then again near Montpellier (and that will just be a day's blat down the motorway when I move between the two). So essentially I'll have a solo trip down to Cannes, followed by another one returning from Montpellier (I was allowing about 3 days from the channel for each of those two trips.) I live in northwest England, so it doesn't make much difference where I cross the channel - I'm happy to do it anywhere between Dover and Portsmouth (I'm very loosely considering doing Eurotunnel outbound, and Caen-Portsmouth return).

I think I'm pretty well covered for the southern region - I mean, it's hard to find a bad road in the south of France, isn't it? But further north, suggestions or areas to focus on. I might go and pay a call on my great-great uncle, on the Somme but that's about it so far.

@stever1's comment about snow in the mountains worries me a bit.. I'll be travelling week 3 of April... is the Route Napoleon going to be OK all the way to Genoble? Not sure how high that goes; plus there seem to be numerous permutations of the route!

 

[wessie]

@stever1's comment about snow in the mountains worries me a bit.. I'll be travelling week 3 of April... is the Route Napoleon going to be OK all the way to Genoble? Not sure how high that goes; plus there seem to be numerous permutations of the route!

I think he might be thinking of the Routes des Grandes Alpes. That has passes over 2500m. Rte Napoleon is further south and much lower altitude so less likely to be snowy. Not impossible to be impassable but more likely to be from flooding than snow, if next spring is anything like 2024!

 

[stever1]

I think he might be thinking of the Routes des Grandes Alpes. That has passes over 2500m. Rte Napoleon is further south and much lower altitude so less likely to be snowy. Not impossible to be impassable but more likely to be from flooding than snow, if next spring is anything like 2024!

I was just pointing out he needs to be careful not to go into the mountains that early into the season. It wasn’t in relation to a particular route

 

[J biker]

N202 from Saint André les Alps, to D955, down side of Lac de Castellane, turn on to d4085 and head down to Grasse.
Keep away from the coast if you want to enjoy the roads.
Alès/ Mende/Castres roads in this area are great, and if you stay off the main routes, little traffic.
Google street view well worth a look so you can search the kind of roads you want.
Parc naturel regional du Vercors, south west of Grenoble is superb, (col de la Machine in the middle is worth a look). Low traffic compared to the more obvious places further East, but watch out at weekends and evenings, the locals treat the area like a race track.

 

[J biker]

Gorge du Verdon has been highlighted, dont ignore the south side (unless you have vertigo ) less traffic and better views.
Go up the D19 to Aiguines, some excellent views back over the gorge and down over lac de sainte Croix.

 

[stever1]

N202 from Saint André les Alps, to D955, down side of Lac de Castellane, turn on to d4085 and head down to Grasse.
Keep away from the coast if you want to enjoy the roads.
Alès/ Mende/Castres roads in this area are great, and if you stay off the main routes, little traffic.
Google street view well worth a look so you can search the kind of roads you want.
Parc naturel regional du Vercors, south west of Grenoble is superb, (col de la Machine in the middle is worth a look). Low traffic compared to the more obvious places further East, but watch out at weekends and evenings, the locals treat the area like a race track.

Do you mean lac de castillion ?

 

[Wapping]

@Wapping and @leedude03: Basically I'm travelling down there for non-bike-related stuff near Cannes, and then again near Montpellier (and that will just be a day's blat down the motorway when I move between the two). So essentially I'll have a solo trip down to Cannes, followed by another one returning from Montpellier (I was allowing about 3 days from the channel for each of those two trips.) I live in northwest England, so it doesn't make much difference where I cross the channel - I'm happy to do it anywhere between Dover and Portsmouth (I'm very loosely considering doing Eurotunnel outbound, and Caen-Portsmouth return).

OK, I read that as you would only like suggestions for routes (of between 3 and 4 days in length) between:

A. Calais and Grenoble

B. Montpellier and Caen

Correct?

 

[J biker]

It all gets busier south of Grasse and Draguignan.

 

[J biker]

Do you mean lac de castillion ?

Yes, I get the names mixed up.

 

[freddyfruitbat]

OK, I read that as you would only like suggestions for routes (of between 3 and 4 days in length) between:

A. Calais and Grenoble

B. Montpellier and Caen

Correct?

Well probably! But equally it could be:
A. Dieppe and Grenoble
B. Montpellier and Le Havre. Or Calais!
I'll go via which ever ports gives me the good routes...

 

[Wapping]

Well probably! But equally it could be:
A. Dieppe and Grenoble
B. Montpellier and Le Havre. Or Calais!
I'll go via which ever ports gives me the good routes...

Not much then…..