Champagne - Ardenne

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Champagne - Ardenne, not to be confused with 'The Ardennes' in Belgium though they do overlap a bit, is a region in north-eastern France, easily accessible from Calais and offers some good motorcycling roads.

champagne-ardenne.jpg


The regional tourist office has put together a nice website that's brought together several of the excellent ViaMichelin suggested routes into one place. All the PDF's download well into iBooks.

http://www.champagne-ardenne-tourism.co.uk

Scroll down the website' opening page

Click on motorbike trips, lets go

Brings you to http://www.champagne-ardenne-tourism.co.uk/discover/motorbikes-trips

Click on the middle box, which will bring you to http://www.champagne-ardenne-tourism.co.uk/discover/motortorbikes-trips/motorbikes-trips

Click on any of the boxes, for example here's the 'Between the Marne (river) and the vines'

http://www.champagne-ardenne-touris...-trips/motorbike-trip-between-marne-and-vines

Click on the two short cuts to the PDF's. One will give a description and a small map of the route

http://www.champagne-ardenne-touris...t/files/between_marne_river_and_the_vines.pdf

the other a larger map of the route

http://www.tourisme-champagne-arden...s/files/carte_viree_entre_marne_et_vignes.pdf

Either or both should be easy enough to get the gist of what's there to see and ride.

You can also download a GPS version of the routes, too.

Repeat for the other suggestions and you'll have the lot. Bods often ask for ideas for a short break or a week away in France, reasonably close to Calais. The website should give them some easy to adopt ideas and some good riding. Want to find a hotel? Easy, just pick one of the towns on any of the routes, go into TripAdvisor or Booking.com and then choose one that suits you. Better still, look at the suggestions built into other parts of the same website, you'll find them. Another idea would be to try: https://relais-motards.com which are 'biker friendly' (whatever that means) sites, lodgings, hotels, digs... choose your own names.

Richard

PS The same website's suggested WW1 route and itinerary looks OK, too

http://www.champagne-ardenne-tourism.co.uk/discover/first-world-war-14-18

http://www.tourisme-champagne-arden...rande_guerre_et_agenda_du_centenaire_2016.pdf

Use it in much the same way. Muck about, you really cannot break it. It's worthwhile seeing the French sites which in reach from the Somme southwards, all the way to Switzerland. If nothing else it'll serve to remind bods that it was very far from an entirely British sacrifice.
 
It's a great area and I often stop there for a day or two as part of a longer trip. From Reims or thereabouts is a comfortable distance to ride home to the Cotswolds with an early afternoon Channel crossing.

and it's in English if you click the dropdown at the top

this brings up the home page again in English, scroll down through the sections about lakes & city breaks to find the English biker bit
 
Thanks, Wessie

In my excitement to create the thread, I was using the French versions. I've now amended the opening post to link to the English versions to cut out all the "But it's in foreign, mate". I've also added a basic map to give bods a better idea of where the area is.

It is indeed a great area to ride about in. Compact and close enough to the Chunnel / Calais ferry to make an easy break, too. It will also put the lie to the oft spouted, "Northern France is shite, mate" nonsense.
 
Just been clicking through the site and looks like just what I need as a starting point to plan for next years trip with Mrs W. Thank you.
 
Thanks Richard, just what I needed for next years long weekend dine-around.
 
It is a great area to ride about in. Compact and close enough to the Chunnel / Calais ferry to make an easy break. It will also put the lie to the oft spouted, "Northern France is shite, mate" nonsense.

Amen to that!!

Routes & maps downloaded all ready to jigsaw together for my 'Mini pause en France' next year :D
 
Hmm, when I try and download the routes it comes up with invalid xml file, both in firefox and IE.
Need to look at that, but I do agree a good website, with excellent info.
dxtans
 
All downloaded from all of wrapping last three posts no problems here. If using a garmin use the GPX links If tomtom use the ITN links.
Some will download as zip/rar files depending on the post you are downloading from.
 
I take it you are on Mac and not PC, just change the .txt or whatever to .gpx
 


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