More France routes - RiDE magazine July 2017

won't it be the December issue if it is out tomorrow?

Many and mysterious are the ways of publishing houses.

PS I altered the title, adding in July 2017, just in case some bod wanders in in three months time and starts to rant that it's not on the bloody shelves of his WHSmith! It won't stop them of course but hey-ho.
 
Discussing doing another French Trip, most excellent timing will follow up on these routes. Have our own circuit in mind but could adapt some of these as Day runs. Not Going whilst next Summer but always good to plan ahead:D

Thanks Simon and of course Mr Wapping :thumby:
 
Seemed rude not to!
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I picked up a copy yesterday, whilst waiting for the ferry.

Leaving aside the easy to download GPS routes, the paper article (separate to this month's magazine) would serve as an excellent guide for anyone new to touring France and no doubt a useful reminder - or provider of some ideas - for those who might have forgotten.

Is it perfect? No of course it's not, nor does it claim to be. Outside of the pre-made 'Full tour' (A to D via B and C then back to A via E, F and G) suggestions, you would have to do some work to join up some of the other ideas. Given the size of France, bods' different demands and time periods available, it is all but impossible to cater for everyone. So, will it answer every question, like: "Me and my three mates are arriving in France on Tuesday and want great roads to Monte Carlo, things to see, safe hotels and great cafes, no motorways" straight off the bat? No, it won't. What it will do - when married to the GPS downloads - is give the four bods enough ideas to do it themselves, rather than have it all done for them line by line by line. Touring or sometimes even a good day out should require some effort on behalf of the riders involved. Those that really cannot do it or won't should consider taking an organised tour. Yes, they might look expensive but a part of that cost is to buy some part of the organiser's intellectual knowledge of how to go A to B, down great roads. Take the tour, learn something and do it yourself the next time.
 
One of the new routes is a fabulous day out from Castellane which takes in the Route Napoleon,Clue de Barles and Col de la Bonette:

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Whilst I’ve not ridden this as a day out loop I’ve ridden it all many times separately and can safely say this would be one of the best days riding anybody could ever have.

But I would tweak it slightly and after Barles,take a left on to the D7 and route through Auzet then up and over the Col du Fanget to Seyne then reconnect with the route,as shown in red below.

It’s a very tight and twisty col which has an amazing view at the top

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Glad you like that one, though I promise you it's not the best route in there! I used the D7 on one of the other routes that goes through Barles - after I think one of your recommendations - but kept that Napoleon/La Bonette loop suitable for pillion couples (I think the D7 would test the patience/resolve of a lot of passengers). The routes are all slightly graded and ones using tighter roads like that tend to have the word "Adventure" in the title - the "Sisteron adventure" one uses D7 and Barles, as well as plenty of other gnarly off-the-beaten-track kind of back roads.
 
Glad you like that one, though I promise you it's not the best route in there! I used the D7 on one of the other routes that goes through Barles - after I think one of your recommendations - but kept that Napoleon/La Bonette loop suitable for pillion couples (I think the D7 would test the patience/resolve of a lot of passengers). The routes are all slightly graded and ones using tighter roads like that tend to have the word "Adventure" in the title - the "Sisteron adventure" one uses D7 and Barles, as well as plenty of other gnarly off-the-beaten-track kind of back roads.

Ha ha,yes last time I rode the D7 was on my Guzzi Audace which was quite interesting !
 
Having taken inspiration from another thread we are off to explore the Alps a bit more. RDGA, Castellane, Gorges du Verdon, Vercors and all sorts of lesser traveled roads in between. This dropped through the letterbox a few days ago and passed it to the missus who for the first time has taken an interest in the route planning and she is reading that touring book I got. Dangerous roads website has some good suggestions. The plan has been tweaked slightly to do less miles a day and have more time for stops to explore a bit. Away for 15 days :D.
 

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I missed that one when we passed through. The Rodez red Cathedral you can see from miles away. Good coffee shop on the corner by the square next to the cathedral.

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As regards 'You missed the awesome D123 from A to B', that's all but inevitable. What the RiDE set of routes has done is to at least help bods towards roads in a particular area and, not least, get from A to B to C across a huge area.

Look at how many "I am going from Calais to (insert name of possibly obscure town or village) and I want great roads to get there" and / or "I will be in (insert name of possibly obscure town or village) with the mrs and want roads to ride" type requests we see. A quick look at the picture in post 1 of all the routes on offer should show that it should be possible for anyone to narrow down how to get from A to B to C down 'great roads' and / or pinpoint his obscure town onto a map and then look at the 'great roads' set out all around him.

That though requires a basic knowledge of how to use BaseCamp or Mapsource, which will probably defeat some bods, who'll therefore all but demand that someone still does it for them.
 
There is so much to see but one will inevitably miss some bits. The Cevennes is a great place for inland holiday, the blue cheese caves is there for a visit and if you like geology it won't disappoint. So much to see, so little time.
 
That though requires a basic knowledge of how to use BaseCamp or Mapsource, which will probably defeat some bods, who'll therefore all but demand that someone still does it for them.

You really are a misery! Thats what the forum is all about .... Heaps of advice for clothing/routes/batteries/hotels/tyres /etc etc
Simply dont answer their query if you are irritated?
 


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