Northern France

EPG_19

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I am after a little bit of experience for those who have travelled in northern france / Belgium.

Looking to spend about a week in northern france/belgium in June.

Normally we have longer and bomb south or further east, pick a villa as a base and stay there for 7 days.

This time, due to work, we only have about 5 days in france, 1 day either side to get to the tunnel.

Any recommendations to stay somewhere as a base or do a loop?
 
There are lots of suggestions (often with GPX files) in this subsection and in the parallel Benelux subsection. There are also trip reports. Have you looked at any at all?

Here's some:

Motorbike Tours

The site for Motorcycle Touring in Europe uing Garmin Basecamp
www.roadtracks.co.uk www.roadtracks.co.uk

Here's some more:

Wapping

Thread 'Routes - jaunts - great roads, mate - GPS files - got a route, mate?……..'

I have gathered several of them all together.

Just tap on the shortcut to go to the original post and any subsequent thread. You are sure to find one that’ll work for you.

Richard

PS Inevitably, over time some external / third party websites close, move, become corrupted or are not maintained. The ADAC one in number 5 is a good example. My advice would be to tap around in the site to see what pops up. Or, try a brief Google search for something like ‘ADAC Motorrad Luxembourg’. If yiu find something you like (this applies to anything) my suggestion is always to copy and save as much of...
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Play around with this, perhaps, extending it and amending it using some of the other posts. In short, use a modicum of imagination.

Wapping

Thread 'Three or four day jaunt - Calais > la Roche en Ardenne > Calais'

la Roche en Ardenne is a popular enough destination for bods crossing via Calais / Holland-Belgium. It certainly makes a good point to aim for, for a three or four day break.

With this in mind, I have created a Garmin GPS route that goes Calais > la Roche > Calais and lumped two routes on top that I have stolen / borrowed from other sources, simply amending them to start and end in la Roche. The two routes lumped on top are:

1. RiDE magazine's day out, starting and ending in la Roche, via Spa

2. The Wallonia tourist office's day out in Wallonia, again starting and ending in la Roche but...
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Come on, you are the first in the pub to tell bods to get a grip and man up. Have a go at creating something and post it up here..... or get Doc to do it all for you.
 
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I haven't found anything decent roads-wise in N France. Germany however had plenty on offer
The Harz forest is an easy ride....
www.outdooractive.com

Motorcycle routes in the Harz Mountains

You will remember your vacation in the Harz Mountains forever. Find information about motorcycle routes in our ...
www.outdooractive.com www.outdooractive.com

I'm going again in September 26...

Taster
 
My short ride in September will be ferry Newcastle -Amsterdam, first night abroad in Harz, 2nd night near Karlovy Vary, then 3 days doing a circuit of Czechia, and back a similar route. 7-8 days.
Czechia has a fab vibe, great bike roads, and cheaper too 👍
 
I ride quite a bit in France and Germany and roads in both are pretty good. I find Belgium a bit ropey but it depends where you are. Ardennes is normally fine. There are good roads and bad roads everywhere but the reason France has become popular for me and my biker mates is that in general the roads are good and relatively traffic free once you get outside the towns...plus we do like French food. The Logis website is great for looking for accommodation - especially when you use the search on map function and an overnight stay normally is reasonably priced so you don't break the bank.
Personally I like the eastern side of France - Verdun downwards. Champagne, Vosges, Le Morvan, LÁubrac, Dordogne....plenty of nice places
 
The Loire Valley would be rather pleasant at that time of year, maybe mix in a bit of the Suisse Normande (Orne) en route. Take your time & enjoy the slower pace.

Take care with the 80 kph speed limit which is still the default in many Regions. Cruise control keeps things in check generally.

Given the proliferation of ZFEs (low emission zones) in France it's a good idea to get a Crit'Air sticker in advance to avoid any hassle.
 
squibb34 said:
The Loire Valley would be rather pleasant at that time of year, maybe mix in a bit of the Suisse Normande (Orne) en route. Take your time & enjoy the slower pace.

Take care with the 80 kph speed limit which is still the default in many Regions. Cruise control keeps things in check generally.

Given the proliferation of ZFEs (low emission zones) in France it's a good idea to get a Crit'Air sticker in advance to avoid any hassle.
Click to expand...
Generally the limit is now 90 km/h. You need to be aware of the speed cameras but the french are very fair giving you fair warning of one up ahead. The ones to watch for are the Gendarmes who will fine you on the spot and if you cant pay will accompany you to the nearest ATM😁😁😁
I find in general once out of the towns on the open roads people move along at around 100-110 km/h
Overtaking faster seems to be OK as well
 
Perhaps the OP would be kind enough to tell the forum:

A. Where (and at what time) the pair of them intend to arrive on the mainland of Europe.

B. From where (and at what time) they plan on leaving.

It might well also be handy for bods to know:

1. Average preferred daily mileage.

2. Whether all and any motorways are to be avoided, as abominations.

3. Whether they fancy staying in decent sized towns or in the heart of the countryside.

4. Whether it’s only ‘northern’ France (logically the bit closest to Belgium) and Belgium itself, or whether Germany and / or Luxembourg (and, who knows, maybe even Holland) are on the table, too.
 
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Wapping said:
This Loire Valley, is it on the way to Belgium?
Click to expand...
It’s five hours from the tunnel at speeds you could only get away with in the 1990s.

Probably a couple of hours longer now. Once past CdG airport, follow the A104 down towards Fontainebleau and it’s all very nice once you’re past Melun. Or at least, it used to be.

(Did it twice a month for years. Got stopped three times, got fined once)
 
Here’s the OP’s northern France / Belgian holiday of five days, avoiding motorways, UKGSer style:

IMG_0086.jpeg

1,600 km / 1,000 miles. Five days. 200 miles a day. Job done.

PS I had to put the leg in to the Hook of Holland and bounce it off Calais, as the OP decided to keep the entry / exit points a secret. I finished it it in Ghent, simply so he can turn left or right to come home.
 
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MartinK said:
My short ride in September will be ferry Newcastle -Amsterdam, first night abroad in Harz, 2nd night near Karlovy Vary, then 3 days doing a circuit of Czechia, and back a similar route. 7-8 days.
Czechia has a fab vibe, great bike roads, and cheaper too 👍
Click to expand...
I refuse to give a stupid amount of hard earned cash to DFDS, to be late off the ferry in the morning.
 
Wapping said:
Perhaps the OP would be kind enough to tell the forum:

A. Where (and at what time) the pair of them intend to arrive on the mainland of Europe.

B. From where (and at what time) they plan on leaving.

It might well also be handy for bods to know:

1. Average preferred daily mileage.

2. Whether all and any motorways are to be avoided, as abominations.

3. Whether they fancy staying in decent sized towns or in the heart of the countryside.

4. Whether it’s only ‘northern’ France (logically the bit closest to Belgium) and Belgium itself, or whether Germany and / or Luxembourg (and, who knows, maybe even Holland) are on the table, too.
Click to expand...
Thanks

a. 4 of us, probably 8th June. The grim north to just through the tunnel.
b. 9th of June be starting in france.

1. normally about 7hrs a day, twisty roads 3hrs am and 4hrs pm. We usually just stop for mid morning coffee and about 1pm for coffee and cake
2. a small amount of motorway is ok, but prefer to avoid. The lads I ride with want to cover loads of miles, in a short time frame, only in the sun. (I am more realistic)
3. A mix is ok, but we are self sufficient and usually just stay in with a few beers
4. Nowhere is off the table, but for us, its about the ride rather than the destination.

Thanks again.
 
Thank you.

Now the world of UKGSer can work its magic, for you and the other three. They’ve got about six months. Be prepared for ‘must do’ visits to places as distant as the Pyrenees and, who knows, maybe Marseille…. When all you want to do is go to Belgium.

Me? I’d exit the train at Calais or (better stil) cross the evening before if possible). Then go direct or scenic to, say, Cambrai, before turning left to go to the lower end of Belgium, sort of betwixt and between Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg. This gives you great opportunities to go in just about any direction. Find a town to base yourself in or trundle about in a circle, moving on each day. Plenty of ideas here on the forum already.
 
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