Touring in France

[Python]

Hi All,

I am new to UKGSER; and what I have been reading etc so far I am most impressed with both content and variation. Much better than a number of web sites and forums I have viewed over time. Well done.

Both my girlfriend and I are off on our first every biking holiday, we have covered several long weekends and now feel its time to go for a could of weeks somewhere warm - so France it is.

We will be building up the miles during March, April and May with some 200-300 mile runs back to back daily in order for us to enjoy the 2-300 mile runs we have planned in France.

We are looking at the tunnel to Calais then head of north west along the coast past Le Havre and along to Brest then drop South through Royan and to the south of france.

Does anyone have any views, comments on the route; best places to stop off and stay etc - we are planning to Camp to keep costs down. We want to stay off the main Autoroutes unless there is a benefit on the destination being aimed for as we want to see French Culture and landscape.

Any help greatly appreciated.

J

 

[John Armstrong]

Unless you like looking for petrol stations that are closed and only take French credit cards, then I'd recommend the autoroutes on a Sunday as they do open and accept UK credit cards. Even if it's only for a quick visit to refuel.

 

[mike wright]

Eurotunnel is great!.... Theres one part I find everytime that makes the bike wobble a bit so keep near it just in case. The odds of it falling over arent very high but I felt safer beside it..... The municipal sites I find are the best and far cheaper than most others although camping in France is cheap anyway. La Grande Ballon is a great ride and views. At the top is a cafe and views as far as the Alpes in clear conditions.

Off the autoroutes its great but on them boring as hell! and not that cheap really... I think your have a great time

 

[Steptoe]

I've done a similar trips. But back in 1985-87, so can't give much info on camp sites etc .

Overnight ferry to LeHarve, docks at 7am, so a good early start. An R65, fully loaded two up.
Made it to Royan just before 5pm. Good campsite right on the coast.
Couple days riding around the area, boat over to Ile d'Oleron. They've since built a road across.

Next stop Carcassone, another easy days ride. Campsite, lots to see and do.

Next stop, Le Puy. Campsite. Fantastic roads and scenery, stayed in the area for a few days, then headed north.

Another time, after Carcassone, headed for Grimaud ( inbetween St Tropez and St Maxime. A days ride. Fantastic campsite [URL="http://www.lesnaiades.com/"]HERE[/URL] the biggest pitches i've ever had, and covered. Used to be run by the Automobile club of france, one of the best camp sites i've ever been to. (Do not use the campsite on the beach front at port grimaud). . Used to base ourselves here, and visit the whole area - The canyon du Verdon, along the coast. And St maxime has got lots of good night life.

Ahh the memories

 

[Blackal]

Take a GPS

Al

 

[Paul Rochdale]

"We are looking at the tunnel to Calais then head of north west along the coast past Le Havre and along to Brest then drop South through Royan and to the south of france".

First bit of advice is that if you head North West, you'll get very wet as you'll be re-crossing the English Channel! The autoroute you intend to take is South West.

As for GPSs, I've never ever got used to mine. I've used it so infrequently that I never got used to all of the functions. I really like paper maps. Did 15,000 miles in the States last year, all with paper maps. The only time I got lost was when a friend did a computer print-out for me of a route in the Nashville area, and riding in traffic struggling to read small print was not my idea of fun.

Bare in mind that the French Police are very active in the Calais-Boulogne region, and there are hundreds of newly placed speed cameras all over France after the Transport Minister was given strict orders to cut the road deaths. As you are touring, if you keep your speed at around 80mph, you should be OK. Touch wood, I've never been stopped in forty years of riding on the continent.

'Formule 1' is an excellent bargain basement motel chain, always clean and cheap, if a bit soulless.

As has been said before, alwaysfill up on Saturday evening. Sunday is not a good day to find petrol. They also have a strange system in some petrol stations where you cannot fill up until the customer before you has paid for his quota. This is a painfully slow system and not appreciated when in the baking hot South of the country and you are dressed in motorcycle gear..

 

[spot]

Advice given but never followed by me is to take it steady and dont overdoo it especiallywith swmbo on the back. I cant help going a couple of hundered miles extra and it has really pissed swmbo off.France is a big place and theres many more trips to do. The south of france is a long way without detouring via brest. Try looking at the mileages on the rac routeplanner site, you might be suprised. I enjoyed riding around an area south of caen called suise normande. The area to the north of royan is pleasant also. The cote sauvage is a 10 k long nudist beach
the west side of france generally is my favourite although of course the alps and south have their atractions. How about taking it a bit easier and getting the boat to caen cherburg or even st malo ?

 

[mike wright]

Too right France is a big place!... especially when your right down in the far right corner and have to get the tunnel back the next day ....

Hundreds and hundreds of Autoroute boring painfull miles!..never been so tired and def will never do that trip in such a short time again.One tip is keep an eye on how far you are away from the port so you get back in time without rushing. The ride back with the most miserable git I have ever met ruined the holiday

The second time I went solo and its one of my best trips ever!

 

[GSdude]

Hi dude, just in the middle of planning our trip to Como in July. We too are taling Le Tunnel and plan on doing 250 is miles a day. This decision comes after having lots of talks with members of the forum. Remember to give yourself an easily achievable mileage per day - thus allowing you to enjoy the moment and not to have to constantly worry and re evaluate plans etc. You are there to enjoy yourself. The range and diversity of accomodation / sites available is MASSIVE so you will be spoilt for choice. We are travelling to TROYES and then to ANNECY before popping into Como where we have a villa for 3 nights. I use the Michellin route planner a lot - if you havent used it its available online at www.viamichelin.com

 

[Spikehammer]

If your going two up think about an Autocom/Intaride/Starcom system for chats, music etc.
If you do use a GPS you can download a file with all the latest speed cameras on it.

 

[GSmonkey]

I'd advise that you invest in a michelin map and follow the routes marked green, certainly a good place to start when route planning in france.

 

[madman]

If you intend to visit the Dordogne then feel free to contact me, email on my blog, and if you need any help/tools/free tour guides, then I'll give you my phone number.

Bob

Photos: http://s138.photobucket.com/albums/q259/bikesindordogne/
Blog: http://bikesindordogne.blogspot.com/

 

[Davey B]

Don't worry too much about the fixed speed camera sites...if you see a sign for a speed camera, there WILL be one within the next mile or so, they're very good that way....the mobiles ones are often set up on the return section of autoroute within 100 miles of Calais...call me a cynic butits simply to catch the brits who are cutting it fine for the crossings and sit at 100plus...stick to country roads, don't drift too much above posted limits (and to see and enjoy it you won't want to) and you have nowt to worry about.
Try looking at a web site by Alasdair Sawday...special places to stay...we've used his french book extensively and you get superb b and b at maybe £30 to £35 a couple in some superb places....(17th century chateau suit?? with a tour of the antique filled rooms and a beer on arrival with the resident count..I kid you not. PM if you want the details..his son rides a BM and your other half won't half be impressed by the place.)

 

[Den]

If you intend to visit the Dordogne then feel free to contact me, email on my blog, and if you need any help/tools/free tour guides, then I'll give you my phone number.

Bob

Photos: http://s138.photobucket.com/albums/q259/bikesindordogne/
Blog: http://bikesindordogne.blogspot.com/

Bob. We have our eye on a wee Gite for hire near Montignac in the Dordogne region (I think).
Have you been down that way and if so, is there any must sees or must ride bits?

Edit .. just found your blog

 

[Python]

Too kind all, have read through all your advise...and to be honest think I might trim back on the mileage in order to pull off and savour the areas. Was hoping to miss out the autoroutes where possible.

And for info...it was actually west out from Calais passed Bolougne, Le Havre, St Malo, toward Brest then down pass Lorient towards Royan - so actually following the coastal roads! Pretty much keeping West of France heading two thirds down - maybe Bordeaux would be furthest.

We will have two bikes - mine the pack horse - looking at GPS as the back up to the paper maps - maybe a mixture of the two!!

Will take a look at the sites suggested, blogs - cheers - and other info in more detail and PM if I need specifics on your suggestions.

Any other detail more than welcome

Jerome and Kim

 

[Aidan1150]

Python, check along your proposed routes to see if there are any Logis de France hotels near where you intend to be stopping of an evening.

There are 3500 hotels in the chain, most privately owned and offer good value for money and great food. Link here.

Best of luck with your trip but be aware that you will want to go ever further each year from now on.

 

[markie_wales]

"Plans never survive enaggement with the emeny"

Just make sure you do the following:

Have a wee before setting off from your house in the UK
Close the door behind you
Make sure the bike is OK (serviced, good tyres etc)
Ensure you pack your "sense of Adventure"
Turn left out of your road (even if you're meant to go right - it will set you up for going the wrong way in France)
Pack passport / credit cards
Travel insurance

You'll have a blast - I wish I had the anticipation you are now feeling going on your first trip. I was so excited the first time I went, I couldn't sleep for 2 days beforehand. Been doing it for years now still have a blast but now know that France is not South America, and the little things like punctures etc are easily dealt with. Relax, don't worry too much about a plan, laugh alot, spend time with your girl friend, make lunch take wayyy too long. It's the stuff of dreams.

cheers

Mark

 

[The Other PaulG]

Enjoy your trip - France has so many nice parts, you'll find interesting things wherever you end up.

The A-roads are fantastic - a great way to see things whilst covering good distances too. They alwasys seem to be a lot less crowded than our own roads, too.

I was really pleasantly surprised when I explored the area just south and west of Clermont-Ferrand - the Masif Cantrale is spectacular and a brilliant place for a bit of touring. Camp sites in every village, superb views, decent restaurants and cheap wine....

Enjoy it!

Paul G

 

[bladerunner]

Advice - Don't underestimate how WIDE France is. It's a long way from Calais to Brest - a good 6-7 hours even by autoroute.
Take a look at Mont St Michelle - it's worth it.
The Lac de Guerledan (due South of St-Brieuc) is a surprise and has a good camp site,
The Golfe du Morbihan (by Vannes) is lovely and there is good camping in Arradon.

Then try the VERY tall bridge South of St Nazaire and you could follow the Loire round all the way to Nevers.

La Rochelle is OK and Ile de Re is where the French money holidays, but the road between St Nazaire and La Rochelle is pretty dull.

The really lovely french riding is found in:
Le Vosges around Gerardmer
Dura around St Claude
Les Volcans West of Clermont Ferand
Gorges du Tarn
and of course the pyrenees, Alps, haut provence and Ardennes

plenty to keep you occcupied for a week or 2!

Speeding fines in France have historically been very reasonable and the points did not cross the channel (DAMHIK) but this is soon the change I gather.

enjoy

Simon

 

[(RIP) Shenzi]

Make sure you have cash in Euros on you in case you get nicked, it could save you a lot of grief and believe me it is very easy to get nicked these days
Earlier advice about sticking at 80mph is OK on the Autoroutes as the limit is 81.25mph, on N (A) roads it could get you into serious sh*t. The limit is 56mph unless marked otherwise and these days there are Gendarmes out there with mobile radar. They tend to be bike friendly but not if you are exceeding the limit by over 20kph.
I can't speak for the rest of France but down here in the Languedoc things have changed quite radically over the last two years. Take special care entering or leaving towns/villages, they seem to like setting up there.
Lots of great roads and a bike friendly population, please help to keep it that way