Northern and Central France....

[Jaq]

Paul and I are off to stay with my parents at their house soon.....any recommendations for places of interest?...Preferably, something with an old history, buns and access for bikes!.....
Thank you muchly.......

 

[Wapping]

OK, narrow it down a bit....

That's a huge area....

Where do the aged p's hang their hats?

How long have you got?

Where are you crossing from?

What do you fancy? EuroDisney? Versailles? Pretty villages? Empty roads?

So many questions....so little time.....



PS Access for bikes is never a problem....

 

[Wapping]

Don't worry about answering the questions.

It's so easy.

Get a map.

Look at the area you want to travel in.

Go to book shop / library. Borrow / buy / steal a copy of the Michelin Green Guide for the area. That one book will have EVERYTHING that's worth seeing, along with suggested tourists routes to join them all up.

The blurb:

Ideal travel guides for independent travellers to the world’s most popular destinations.

For over 100 years, Michelin guides have provided an up-to-date source of information for the discerning traveller. The current collection aims to offer guides that are comprehensive, practical and easy to use. Michelin Green Guides are now universally recognised as the ideal reference for the independent traveller.

Practical and comprehensive, each Green Guide offers a prioritised recommendation on what to see do in any location. Essential historical and cultural background information is also provided to help make each visit a memorable experience.

Sights are rated using Michelin’s reliable starred system: *** means worth a journey, ** sites are worth a detour and * sites are interesting. Maps and itineraries make planning easy, whether visiting the highlights or venturing off the beaten track.

Job done.

 

[Jaq]

Thank you.....

....ok, off to have a look at the Amazon site to drum up a copy of said book!!..

 

[Wapping]

....ok, off to have a look at the Amazon site to drum up a copy of said book!!..

Jolly good.

I can't be of much more help at the moment.

Seriously, the Green guides are first class.

Michelin do a whole of France version, which itself is very good. Or, alternatively, a separate book for each / most of the regions of France. These are excellent.

The whole of France book is a sort of stripped down version of the individual books, if you see what I mean.

Each of the books has a history of the region, right back to earliest times, its geography and basic economics. Each city, town or village of any interest is then listed and a potted history of anything worth seeing given for each, along with drawings or photographs and maps. They are easy to read, not at all dry and not patronising (unlike some guide books). The 'thing to see could be anything from an old bridge, to a church (in a field) to an interesting street, to a view. In short, anything that is worth seeing, if you fancy it.

The suggested routes, linking up several towns are very good, giving times to drive etc. etc. Being Michelin, the books' info and little maps, tie in with Michelin's own maps....touring heaven!

If you go to the viaMichelin website and subscribe (it's free and not full of spam) you can find similar stuff and hotels, all by clicking different tabs. You can also plot routes and download them to some GPS devices, but not Garmin. I am on Michelin's beta testing programme for the site and have asked that the data be converted to allow a Gramin / Mapsource usage.

Have fun.


PS They also do lots of other countries. Spain, Germany, Italy and the UK for instance. These too are very good.

 

[wirewheel]

When planning I use Google maps to supplement paper maps, you can get a good idea of distances between destinations and times very quickly. So maps for general direction, Google to assess times/distances. Rough guide for places to stay.

This year in France I took a Garmin Zumo, I found it intensely irritating. The idea was to go off track and use the satnav to get you back. In practice it seemed to want us to take weird and improbable routes, sepcially liked Payages (spelling). Will stick to paper thanks.

 

[(RIP) Proff]

Paul and I are off to stay with my parents at their house soon.....any recommendations for places of interest?...Preferably, something with an old history, buns and access for bikes!.....
Thank you muchly.......

Hi Jaq
If you are going via Poole Cherbourg, as you go down towards Valognes,
theres a Patisserie [ Bun Shop]in Emondeville
Barb sez she put 2 pounds on just looking in the window !!
He's also a Chocolatier and his wares are to die for

 

[Wapping]

This year in France I took a Garmin Zumo, I found it intensely irritating. The idea was to go off track and use the satnav to get you back. In practice it seemed to want us to take weird and improbable routes, sepcially liked Payages (spelling). Will stick to paper thanks.

Stop, look and think!

You have, in essence, got 'lost', albeit on purpose.

You have then used (relied on) a dumb device to find your way back to where you wanted to be.

You have not asked the dumb device to avoid payage or toll roads. You have though, perhaps, asked it for quickest or most direct routes. So, the dumb device routes you down every wiggly line to get you to a motorway.

Why not use the maps you brought with you and / or tell the dumb device what route you might want to take?




PS You will find it easy enough to sell your intensely irritating Zumo.

 

[Mike Werner]

Paul and I are off to stay with my parents at their house soon.....any recommendations for places of interest?...Preferably, something with an old history, buns and access for bikes!.....
Thank you muchly.......

Obviously it'll depend where, since as stated already, France is pretty big...

I'm "slightly" biased, but Upper Normandy is a great place to go sightseeing. Lots of interesting places to see, specially close to the coastline. Food is still "cheap" but good, and there aren't that many tourists.

If you plan to come and look at this area, drop me a line, and if I'm in, I'll show you guys around!!

 

[Jaq]

Thank you chaps.....
Proff, we'll be doing Plymouth to Roscoff......I know what those blinking chocolate shops are like....there was one in Samur (?), in the Loire, where the chocolate was exquisite......
Paul's the zumo and map reader....so I'll be just following him.......I think we'll hopefully be doing a few miles in a southerly direction, probably using the parents house as basecamp......
And, thank you, Mike.....we may take you up on the offer!!......

 

[LOLGEOFF]

Thank you chaps.....
Paul's the zumo and map reader....so I'll be just following him.......

If it keeps dry make sure you're in charge of the flares this time.

 

[Taff]

.. Paul's the zumo and map reader....so I'll be just following him

This may sound obvious Jaq but IYWMA carry your own paper map (just in case) and agree an RV point if you get split up. Trust me, no matter how small a "group" is it's very easy to get split up, then spend ages trying to find each other.

Just don't ask how I know.

 

[Jaq]

This may sound obvious Jaq but IYWMA carry your own paper map (just in case) and agree an RV point if you get split up. Trust me, no matter how small a "group" is it's very easy to get split up, then spend ages trying to find each other.

Just don't ask how I know.

Paul knows me very well when it comes to getting lost.....

As for flares....er, I think we'll leave those at home....I don't think the nice french peeps would be pleased if he burnt down Paris......

Go on Taff....do tell....how do you know??.....