Help please-May trip to France

Anthony Byrne

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I know there’s a million and one posts on France but that’s the problem I’m lost looking through all the info :blast

I’ve finally bagged 8 days in May and taking the ferry to Cherbourg from Ireland. I essentially loose 3 days on the ferry altogether and planned to hit the west coast first before heading inland and coming back through central France. I’m hoping you guys could drill down a little further and name some towns for me to visit, camping the whole way I should add, first time outside of Ireland, England, Scotland or Wales.

Thanks folks :aidan
 
Eight days, less three days, is five days. There are lots of ways to skin a cat. For example, you could sacrifice two days (one day each way) to ride the motorways to somewhere where you are all but guaranteed fun riding for three days. If you resolutely refuse to touch a motorway, you can get up earlier (not best done if camping) and / or finish later (not great if you are camping) and hit every goat track you can find. Or you can ride less far. Really, what do you fancy? Is 500 kms a day, two hundred too many?

The ‘west coast’ of France is a very long stretch of coastline. Which bit(s) do you fancy hitting?

Go to the RiDE website. They have lots of ideas on France. Got a link, mate? Natch, mate:

https://www.ride.co.uk/routes-1/ride-guide-to-france-2017

Go to: http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showth...ve-For-Roscoff-Pamplona?p=5207638#post5207638 and scroll to the end

Have a look at: http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/438748-Limousin

Use the Kurviger and ViaMichelin websites to give you some ideas. They are both free and you can’t break them.
 
I struggled to enjoy the riding near west coast. I'd be relying on routes from RiDE or bestbikingroads if I had to ride in France again.

Why not have your bike shipped somewhere, ride around that region for more of your 8 days, and have it shipped home afterwards? I dissed the notion initially, feeling something like I wasn't a "real" traveler if I didn't ride my bike all the way. But having just come back from a 5100km trip doing just that, I certainly don't feel like I cheated.
 
Post #3 has to be read in context. The fellow was enroute from the (A) Pyrenees to (B) Cherbourg, basically needing to go the considerable distance from the SW corner of France to the NW in two days. As with any jaunt / places to see / roads to ride, it all depends on the purpose, time available and (ultimately) the rider’s expectations.

There are some perfectly good rides on the west coast, different from other parts of France. Are they great if you want to go a long way A to B? No, not always. Can they be great if you are not trying to go A to B? Maybe.
 
+1 onthe Ride mag routes, worked great for me in Northwest Spain. Worth spending time on planning your route in detail, otherwise it is too easy to find yourself on arterial routes following signposts. I suppose you have a GPS and can load into it from a laptop? Phaedrus in in North Dublin and I am in South Dublin, if you wanted to meet either of us for chat...
(Phaedrus, hope you are ok for that? :) )
 
If you are camping, download the Archies app on your phone, as it is a database for all campsites in Europe. Many small french towns and villages have a “Municipal “campsite which are often very cheap. Finding good food in smaller french places is getting more difficult as local bars and restaurants are replaced by a Burger/kebab/ pizza takeaway. Quelle HORREAUR!


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+1 onthe Ride mag routes, worked great for me in Northwest Spain. Worth spending time on planning your route in detail, otherwise it is too easy to find yourself on arterial routes following signposts. I suppose you have a GPS and can load into it from a laptop? Phaedrus in in North Dublin and I am in South Dublin, if you wanted to meet either of us for chat...
(Phaedrus, hope you are ok for that? :) )

Of course. :thumb2
 
It really depends on the type riding you enjoy? Higher speed long distance or back roads and see France. And the things you like to look at.
First thing is buy some Michelin maps ,large scale,scenic roads are highlighted with a green line along side.
As it's your first time it will all be interesting. Bagnoles d Orne is a great place to start,good tourist office,Superb forest roads .
La Rochelle is a good costal area,plenty of history.
It will be a learning curve and set you up for the next trip.
Set easy distance s and enjoy l
 
One tip. Lots of bods bang on about Michelin’s green lined ‘scenic’ roads. Sometimes they are not the greatest motorbiking roads. The best advice is to look at the map and then use your imagination. For example, if the road passes through village after village after very nice village, it may well suit a bimble but be next to useless if you want to crack on between A and B.
 
I enjoyed a trip to Brittany last year. For me, the coast of Brittany is about the views. The motorcycle is the tool to allow you to see the views, smell the sea. I look at the Michelin maps and seek out lighthouses as they are often at the most bleak outposts of the coast.

I don't camp. Too much of a faff, especially if moving on each day.

For your 5 days I would suggest picking a smallish region and set up a base from which to do circular tours. Somewhere in the Loire valley maybe? I like Blois as it makes a nice base for touring from. Saint Nazaire would be okay too, as this is where the Loire meets the Bay of Biscay. Loads of excellent seaside towns north of St N with spectacular scenery and some massive beaches.

Anywhere further south means you will have 2 of you 5 days covering considerable distance from and to your port. Although, this could be made part of the holiday if you pick the routes to be scenic. Easier to do inland than on the coast itself as there are nice national parks and mountainous areas.

The other thing to bear in mind, the weather in May will be a factor so don't go pre-paying for anything. The north-western parts of France have considerably more rain than other parts so you might want to have a plan B. I believe Alsace has a dryish micro-climate with Colmar being their 2nd driest city so maybe this would be a good plan B.
 
I know there’s a million and one posts on France but that’s the problem I’m lost looking through all the info :blast

I’ve finally bagged 8 days in May and taking the ferry to Cherbourg from Ireland. I essentially loose 3 days on the ferry altogether and planned to hit the west coast first before heading inland and coming back through central France. I’m hoping you guys could drill down a little further and name some towns for me to visit, camping the whole way I should add, first time outside of Ireland, England, Scotland or Wales.

Thanks folks :aidan

Both Troyes and Beaune in central France are worth a visit - great for food and wine, but best to stay in a centrally placed hotel.
 
Thanks for all the input, definitely food for thought. Normally I do a hard days ride to get there then 300km a day thereafter to really chill and see the niche towns and experience the proper cultures. I hate the tourist bullshit!

Losing the ferry time I'm not eager on losing another 2 days hard distance but as said above may need a plan B. I never really plan exact locations more so a point of where id like to go and picking a few stops along the way, I don't be miffed if it doesn't go according to plan. Having said that theres merit in a trip as big as this planning it in more detail. Great tips on the maps and app!
 
Cherburg ok if Normandy sites are interesting for you, but Roscoff better for a good start into Brittany..
 
Ride from Cherbourg to Dinan - taking in a local cider museum (+ tasting session)
Ride to Lorient to see the amazing WW2 submarine pens.
Maybe go to Nantes and see the unique mechanical machines museum in the old boatyard (elephant that carries 20 people!)
Angers has a guided visit of the Cointreau factory - a pervasive smell of the liqueur envelops the place. Good for gifts for those left behind?
Then ride to Maison Laudiere to stay with Tank of this parish for a couple of nights.

This way you will see more of France than just a strip of asphalt.
 
....thereafter to really chill and see the niche towns and experience the proper cultures. I hate the tourist bullshit!

Losing the ferry time I'm not eager on losing another 2 days hard distance but as said above may need a plan B. I never really plan exact locations more so a point of where id like to go and picking a few stops along the way, I don't be miffed if it doesn't go according to plan. Having said that theres merit in a trip as big as this planning it in more detail. Great tips on the maps and app!

That sounds remarkably like being a tourist. But hey, that’s what touring results in.

If you dispense with the hitting (sounds awesome) of the west coast / jaunting about in Normandy and want to do something in line with your second paragraph, how about this:

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The total distance, avoiding motorways and goat tracks is 574 kms.

Day one, Cherbourg to Saumur is 335 kms. Saumur is a decent enough town with a decent campsite. That’s easy and gets you (who have never ridden abroad before) a decent day one introduction.

Day two, Saumur to Limoges, 239 kms avoiding motorways and goat tracks; again a decent enough town / smallish city. Park yourself there for two nights as it will save you a night of taking your tent down. It also gives you access to some great roads to ride on on day three.

Come back the same or similar way.

Depending on when your ferry departs, you could crack Limoges to Cherbourg in a day, even avoiding motorways. That would give you two full days in the area. Three if you do it on day one, too.
 
The port of La Rochelle on the west coast is a fantastic city (town?) to visit. Lots to see and bike-friendly (we parked in a plaza in the centre of town and there were loads of bikes, no issues with parking nazis). Also visited the city of Nantes and stayed on a house boat (AirBnB) in the centre of town. Great restaurants and a beautiful cathedral to visit.
 
That sounds remarkably like being a tourist. But hey, that’s what touring results in.
It does doesn’t it :blast

What I meant was I prefer to miss the bigger tourist areas and head more rural to the hidden gems :bounce1

I find you get a better reflection of the culture
 


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