Tour de Manche

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
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IanCh
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Tour de Manche

Post by IanCh »

Can anyone tell me which are "the best bits" of the Tour de Manche as I do not have time to do the whole thing in one go. Also, is there a recommended map or guide?
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honesty
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Re: Tour de Manche

Post by honesty »

Have you had a look at the route for the petit tour de manche? I think its about half the length of the full tour.
geocycle
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Re: Tour de Manche

Post by geocycle »

There is a guide to the petit tour de manche but not the full one. However, the web site is excellent http://en.tourdemanche.com

I did the French section from Cherbourg to roscoff last summer and really enjoyed all of it. Lots of old railway lines which keep you away from traffics but can become a bit of a green tunnel so you might want to mix and match a bit with local roads.
groberts
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Re: Tour de Manche

Post by groberts »

Did bits of it last year, very enjoyable though at the time had never heard of it. Here's my write up:

https://roundthebendpart1.wordpress.com ... july-2014/
IanCh
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Re: Tour de Manche

Post by IanCh »

Many thanks for the replies, especially the blog which is kinda what I was thinking. I have printed it off and will compare to a suitable map. :D
IanCh
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Re: Tour de Manche

Post by IanCh »

OK - I have now plotted a route between St Malo and Cherbourg using the limited information from the Le Tour de Manche website. I would feel a lot happier if a member could confirm that the route is well signposted.
groberts
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Re: Tour de Manche

Post by groberts »

I recall little if any specific signposts related to the Tour de Manche, hence the comments that this is more of a branding exercise than something of substance. However, don't be put off. It's a nice ride and armed with the maps I list in my blog you should be OK - certainly the Voies Vertes sections are well marked on the maps and navigation is easy.
geocycle
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Re: Tour de Manche

Post by geocycle »

IanCh wrote:OK - I have now plotted a route between St Malo and Cherbourg using the limited information from the Le Tour de Manche website. I would feel a lot happier if a member could confirm that the route is well signposted.


The signage is good. I got slightly lost coming out of Cherbourg but the rest was fine. I downloaded the route from the web site http://en.tourdemanche.com/practical-in ... gps-tracks and plotted it on memory map. I then printed out the sheets as well as using the gps. But if you zoom in to the segments on the website you can get very detailed maps eg. http://en.tourdemanche.com/troncons/cherbourg-carentan even if you don't use gps.
IanCh
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Re: Tour de Manche

Post by IanCh »

Thank you for your advice everyone.
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BeeKeeper
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Re: Tour de Manche

Post by BeeKeeper »

IanCh wrote:Can anyone tell me which are "the best bits" of the Tour de Manche...

The bit in France. :D
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