St Malo to northern Spain

[Becksy]

Hey folks, tentatively planning a trip to Girona this year by bike. Rough plan is to get the ferry to St Malo and take 3 days to get to Girona, going roughly Angers, Angouleme, Bergerac, Toulouse taking scenic D roads as much as possible.

Then on the way back go via the Massif Central, Chateauroux, Blois and up to Caen for the return ferry. This could maybe take 4 days.

Any thoughts or tips gratefully received!

 

[siddo]

Sounds like a good plan to me.

 

[Wapping]

St Malo to Girona on ‘Scenic D roads’ (whatever they are) is about 1,200 km or 745 miles. Over three days, that’s an average of 250 miles a day, which is certainly doable.

Your route down and that back, are just about the standard ways from St Malo and back to Caen.

 

[wessie]

I have recommended some hotels especially on your return leg in Meyrueis in the Cevennes and Le Mont Dore and La Bourboule in the Volcanes areas.
Have a look in the French accommodation section. https://www.ukgser.com/community/forums/accommodation.115/

The roads around Puy Mary, north of Aurillac are excellent. Easy to include some of these on your way north.

 

[Berin]

Hey folks, tentatively planning a trip to Girona this year by bike. Rough plan is to get the ferry to St Malo and take 3 days to get to Girona, going roughly Angers, Angouleme, Bergerac, Toulouse taking scenic D roads as much as possible.

Then on the way back go via the Massif Central, Chateauroux, Blois and up to Caen for the return ferry. This could maybe take 4 days.

Any thoughts or tips gratefully received!

We did a nice route very close to there last year. I may have the route still as a gpx if it would help.

 

[Berin]

https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/social/folder/13334620?mode=share

That’s the link on MRA. It’s to Cap de Creus but they only a couple of hours from Girona

 

[AustinW]

Is your trip about the destination or about the journey? How many times have you travelled Europe before? If it’s about the destination, then yeah sure go for it, . How you get there and back is of little concern, but avoiding motorways will certainly improve the experience, if adding a decent chunk of time to the journey. If it’s about the journey and Girona is just the turnaround point, then I would say nope, wrong routes. Ive travelled down that west side of France 4 or 5 times over the years and each time I think never again. Few if any great roads, busy, and generally I find France all a bit of a pita these days with too many speed limits, speed cameras and roads that have been rebuilt to be boring. But if you’ve not done much France/Euro travel then it’ll all be new and interesting to you so go for it.

If I had to go to Girona I’d stick to Spain with a boat to/from the north coast of Spain and go south & east hugging the Pyrenees and after a Girona dive further south and west sticking to the mountains rather than the coast before a two day blast back north. Loads of good places and roads in these areas. Silent Route, Albarracin, Cuenca and more. Even the mountains immediately behind Barcelona knock anything in the the UK and the west of France into a cocked hat.

Just my opinion. Spain is a better destination for biking than France.

 

[Simon_100]

That was pretty much my route riding a Dnepr and sidecar back in '91 although my destination was in the central Pyrenees, where I now live, so I crossed into Spain via Vielha (the Val d'Aran) and the then terrible tunnel.

If I were going to Girona I wouldn't go via Toulouse but carry on south via Agen and Auch and still crosse at but avoid the Vielha tunnel by crossing the Pyrenees over the fabulous Port de la Bonaigua (C-28) before starting my easterly heading at Sort. But instead of continuing on the N-260 through La Seu d'Urgell head south on the C-14 as far as Co de Nargo then east along the mountains on a country road via Berga, Ripoll amd Olot, after which it's a short hop into Girona city.

 

[Arsey]

Is your trip about the destination or about the journey? How many times have you travelled Europe before? If it’s about the destination, then yeah sure go for it, . How you get there and back is of little concern, but avoiding motorways will certainly improve the experience, if adding a decent chunk of time to the journey. If it’s about the journey and Girona is just the turnaround point, then I would say nope, wrong routes. Ive travelled down that west side of France 4 or 5 times over the years and each time I think never again. Few if any great roads, busy, and generally I find France all a bit of a pita these days with too many speed limits, speed cameras and roads that have been rebuilt to be boring. But if you’ve not done much France/Euro travel then it’ll all be new and interesting to you so go for it.

If I had to go to Girona I’d stick to Spain with a boat to/from the north coast of Spain and go south & east hugging the Pyrenees and after a Girona dive further south and west sticking to the mountains rather than the coast before a two day blast back north. Loads of good places and roads in these areas. Silent Route, Albarracin, Cuenca and more. Even the mountains immediately behind Barcelona knock anything in the the UK and the west of France into a cocked hat.

Just my opinion. Spain is a better destination for biking than France.

I guess it depends on your outlook.
Spain is certainly a cheaper destination than France . Better ? Don’t think so . Just different .
France has some stunning roads/scenery , unrivalled in Europe such as the Routes des Grandes Alpes, Route Napoleon, numerous gorges, Vercors etc etc.
I regularly get the ferry to Spain then ride back up the west coast to St Malo for ferry home .
I love the ride back.
Usually use the autostrada/autoroute to get round the corner into France then break off and ride the back roads to catch the Royan ferry, then a night in Île de Re/La Rochelle/Rochefort before back roads to St Malo.
We also usually nip off the autoroute just into France to head to favourite bakery/cafe for brek then back on again , as shown in first route below .

For example , we did this last year

 

[Wapping]

…. I find France all a bit of a pita these days with too many speed limits, speed cameras and roads that have been rebuilt to be boring.

It’s bit harsh to write of a huge country absolutely and in total.

Yes, are there’s no “Great roads wanted, no motorways” everywhere (which is what some seem to assume when they ask for an 1,000 km route for their and their six mates’ holiday) but, on the whole it’s pretty good.

As to the 50 mph limit? How many bods really took any notice of the old national limit or indeed, in some cases, even knew what it was or can remember.

I’ve lapped the outside edge of France several times. Each day the scenery changes, the houses, towns and roads, too. Was every kilometre awesome? Of course not, but it certainly wasn’t duff, day in day out.

 

[Arsey]

It’s bit harsh to write of a huge country absolutely and in total.

Yes, are there’s no “Great roads wanted, no motorways” everywhere (which is what some seem to assume when they ask for an 1,000 km route for their and their six mates’ holiday) but, on the whole it’s pretty good.

As to the 50 mph limit? How many bods really took any notice of the old national limit or indeed, in some cases, even knew what it was or can remember.

I’ve lapped the outside edge of France several times. Each day the scenery changes, the houses, towns and roads, too. Was every kilometre awesome? Of course not, but it certainly wasn’t duff, day in day out.

This might help

 

[Becksy]

Is your trip about the destination or about the journey? How many times have you travelled Europe before?

Thanks for all the replies. The trip is about the journey, but to get to that specific destination. I have toured northern France a couple of times, and been to northern Spain and the Pyrenees from Santander, travelling to the same region. I specifically need to get to Girona area, and this time am planning to do it via France and am planning 3-4 days on the bike to do it.

 

[Two wheels good]

. . . . Few if any great roads, busy, and generally I find France all a bit of a pita these days with too many speed limits, speed cameras and roads that have been rebuilt to be boring. . .

You forgot to mention the speed-bumps. Jeez, the speed bumps!

 

[Orinoco]

You forgot to mention the speed-bumps. Jeez, the speed bumps!

You need to play the game, decelerate into bump and accelerate away, about as exciting as it gets on the Himalayan anyway

 

[Becksy]

I've always enjoyed my bike trips to France apart from one day, beginning of June a couple of years ago, I was in the Alencon region, torrential rain and about 12c. And it was a holiday and everything was shut. There was one restaurant open that evening in the whole of Alencon.