First tour in France after 50yrs together:o)

[PJ520]

Thanks Paul That is exactly what I hope to do. Your comments are greatly appreciated. I don't have a GPS. It looks like you would recommend one. Are there alternatives to the horrible stretches you mention? Finding these is part of the fun I suppose. I'm allowing 4 weeks for the whole adventure including: flying into Paris, getting to St Malo, doing the whole or a significant part of the France en Velo route and getting back to Paris for a couple of days sightseeeing before flying back.

I usually take a tent when touring just in case though I hate camping, it sounds like you didn't but it would be nice not to take one. (I had a major go round at Heathrow over tent pegs that they hadn't noticed in Seattle.)

i know what you mean about difficulty getting out of a town, Le Havre is a can of worms and leaving St Lo (well worth giving a miss) I almost ended up on a motorway and was saved by a carfull of young men yelling and gesticulating at me as I started to roll down an on ramp.

Again thank you very much for the encouragement.

[PaulSB]

I used my GPS purely for recording the route not for navigation, it's far from essential. The directions in the book are so good this is all you need, though I did carry the relevant maps! I have only had a GPS since June and at the time of the tour wasn't sufficiently confident to use the navigation functions. Each night I read the book, noted the route in a small notebook and refreshed my memory over breakfast. I would strongly suggest you have a cycle computer calibrated in kilometres as this will be a big help in judging when to look for that elusive turn. I don't know of an alternative to the boring bits but then I haven't studied a map since returning! I would look but this is a very carefully researched book, if there was an alternative I think it would have been used.

My top tips would:

1. Do not underestimate how rural some of this trip is
2. Book either on the day or a day ahead. In some places it's not easy. I did literally sleep in a hedge one night. Overall I'd leave the tent behind provided you are prepared to pay for accomodation each night
3. Be sure you carry the spares for any breakdown you are comfortable with repairing - as above some of it is very rural

I can let you know where I stayed if you wish. One place I do want to recommend is below. It's very central to the main square but very quiet, the owner is a lovely lady and on the opposite side of the square is a creperie where you have to eat savoury crepes and Normandy cider for your evening meal - sublime. I was in Chalonnes on a Friday night, I went to the first B&B recommended in the book to be met with "Friday night? In July?" This lady gave me a list of all the B&Bs in town. Eventually I booked the one below. I'd ridden about 120km that day, got lost 200 metres from the house, could not find it and had to phone again, the response was "Don't move, stay there, I will find you!!" She did.

Mme Rocher
Chambre D'Hotes
20 rue des Cordiers
49290
Chalones sur Loire
rm49@wanadoo.fr

02 41 74 90 42

[davetb]

Hi Monsieur - I have hijacked Davetb's discussion with you (I am his other half!) to let you know he says he will write out the towns. we went through. You will see that he made up the route as we went along (as you always hear about something worth visiting when you meet people, or odd things happen!) We bought maps each time we were about to fall off the end of one and cut out the likely route to keep the weight down! We had read Saddle Skedaddle's Velo book and several others before going but did not carry any of them. We really wanted feel free and a bit adventurous. So please look back to this part of the Forums again in a day or two and it will be there. Happy Touring, Moptop

[davetb]

Hi Monsieur. I will post a list of the towns we went through over the next week, will look into posting a map, if I am able:o)
PaulSB. France en Velo is a great book, and we read quite a few guides etc before going; but only took what was in our heads with us and the first map, bought the others on the way.
We stayed off main roads as much as possible, and if we didn't like a road or bumpy tow path etc would turn off at the nearest opportunity onto some minor road. One of the great reasons for having a paper map, you can see a wide area around where you are. We were never lost, but sometimes a little worried:o)
Accom. we never ever booked ahead, and was the main reason for taking a tent (very, very light one) Plus thermorests and sleeping bags. We used the bags a lot in the mobile homes, huts etc. Chris's job (she speaks a lot better French than me) was to get the accom. each day which sometimes took about an hr or so, but we were not trying to do big miles.
As some one else said tourist offices are great (most of the time!) People in shops and bars are almost as good:o) and often more fun.
Any way the hardest part of any journey is getting out of the door.

One thing we used 'Park at my Place' to leave the car for 40 days booked less than halve price compared to other car parks. Living in N.Wales a train journey to portsmouth is a night mare.

[davetb]

Follow on from PaulSB's story above.
We had a Lady come out in her wagon with a bike rack on the back, pick us up, took us to the supermarket and then drove us 8k to her house:o)
Fabulous talk to her over breakfast the next morning in an absolutely stunning room

We had lots of help like that and got to know people well in the short time available.

[davetb]

Route through France 2014

1. St. Malo Ferry Port- @ entrance turn sharp R and onto Prom around the harbour bay to far end. Then roads through to the underpass under A168 (the first rd over the Rance)- back rds to St Jouan Then St Suilac & Pont St Hubert - Taden Campsite & Rando Gite.
2. Taden - Lower Dinan - Evran via canal path - D24 & D70 Becherel
3.Becherel - D71 D62 La Chapelle du Lou - D28 Montauban - Boiservilly - St Maugan - St Malon sur Mel - Paimpont
Paimpont - D40 Campeneac - St laurent & Boyac to cycle path by Lac au Du, Ploermel - “Routier” at La Chapelle Care, below Le Roc St Andre (right beside cycle path, which is tarmaced)
4.La Chapelle Care - Malestroit (cycle Path) & onto canal towpath (mistake!! very pebbly) - St Congard - D149 to Pont d’Oust - St Vincent sur Oust, campsite and petite mobile home!
5.St Vincent - Redon by canal path - back rds to Fegreac & Pont Milly.
6.Pont Milly - D324 Farinet & St Clare - Back rds through Langle, Quinhu, Preslan & La Hublais to Blain Campsite.
7.Blain - D42 N D des Landes - D81 Vigneux de Bretagne - D381 St Etienne de Montluc - back rd over marsh to Coueron
8.Coueron - Ferry to Le Pellerin - Cycle path to canal de la Martiniere - back rds to Rouans - D66 Chemere - Arthon - D67 Les Moutiers en Retz Campsite small MH
9.Day off Cycled into town for bread:o)
10.Les Moutiers - Coast rd S. D118 Bouin - D21 D59 St Gervais - St Urbain - D59 Le Poirler - back rd to St Jean de Monts
11.St Jean de Monts - Prom & coast rd toCorniche Vendenne - cycle path Bretignolles s Mer
12.Bretignolles - cycle path & D80 D81 La Chaume & les Sables d’Olonne - D32 & D129 Port bourgenay Campsite Small MH
13.Port Bourgenay - Talmont st Hilaire = cycle path & back rd to Baude - La Grange - St Vincent - D19 St Hilaire la Foret - D10 Longeville - D70 Angles - D25 Grues Small bar hotel (Cheville Blanc)
14.Grues - D25 Traize & Champagne les Marais - rd beside Canal de Champagne - back rd & cycle path to bridge over Canal de Banche - D104 (very busy & fast) - D105 Charron - Esnandes - Marsilly - cycle path Nieul s Mer
15.Nieul s Mer - Lagold - cycle path Pont de Sablanceaux to Ile de Re & La Flotte
16.Day Off. Cycled to Loix & back
17.La Flotte cycle path La Rochelle (got lost!! came to old port from S. Stayed in posh Premier class in centre of town; but also nice campsite close by:o)
18. La Rochelle - cycle path Aytre - minor rds & cycle path around ptn du Chay - Angoulins - Chatelaillon Plage - minor rds Les Boucholeurs, Le Marcouillet, Yves, La Raize, Le Grande Vergeroux & La Pit Vergeroux Campsite beside river - very small MH
19.La Petite Vergeroux - cycle path S. Rocherfort & Transloader bridge - cycle path Soubise - D3 Brouage D3 Marennes & Marennes Plage.
20.Marennes Plage - Viaduc de la Seudre (narrow cycle path) - La Tremblade - D268 La Palmyre - Cycle path La Grande Cote - Coastal rds Royan Ferry - Le Verdon sur Mer
21.Day off. Gentle walk on beach
22Le Verdon - 1E4 Soulac sur Mer - cycle paths Montalivet les bains - Hourtin Plage - D 101E7 Cartignac
23.Cartignac - D101 Hourtin D3 then cycle path (which is new, tarmaced & starts in Hourtin) Carcans -Lacanau - La Porge - Lege Cap Ferret - Taussat
24.Taussat - Cycle paths for next few days, all tarmaced - Belin Beliet
25.Belin Beliet - Hostens - St Symphorien - Vilandraut
26 to 28.Vilandraut - Langon - D244 Fontet & Canal Gironde all the way to Argen 2 days

Hope this informative to any one who would like to see our route
Dave