A cycle touring thread - sorry no politics here!

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
ANTONISH
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Re: A cycle touring thread - sorry no politics here!

Post by ANTONISH »

I think we are getting away from the thread here - but Alsace is a lovely region to cycle.
The climbs are well graded and not as high as some other ranges.
Plenty of flat rides if you prefer. There is a converted rail line near Mulhouse - possibly there are others.
We don't camp these days but we did a few years ago - nice site - Hohneck? - certainly enough altitude to avoid mosquitoes.
Cyril Haearn
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Re: A cycle touring thread - sorry no politics here!

Post by Cyril Haearn »

St-Die in the Vosges is very nice, and the Chemin de fer d'Abreschville
And the railway museum in Mulhouse of course
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bretonbikes
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Re: A cycle touring thread - sorry no politics here!

Post by bretonbikes »

Hideously biased of course but for young families a ride in Brittany takes a lot of beating. Plymoth/Roscoff gets you straight onto the Velodyssey (see -https://www.velodyssey.com/troncons/roscoff-carhaix) and that will get you on the Nantes Brest canal. It's all very quiet even in August (unlike the Loire etc) and you'll find many other families doing it which makes it great fun. The big advantage that inland brittany has over all other non-touristy rural areas is that the villages still survive so you'll pass a bar/restaurant every 10 km or so;-)

Obviously it's the area our business has run in for 28 years so if you need any free advice then just drop me a PM.
38 years of cycletouring, 33 years of running cycling holidays, 8 years of running a campsite for cyclists - there's a pattern here...
Tangled Metal
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Re: A cycle touring thread - sorry no politics here!

Post by Tangled Metal »

Now if you rented recumbents I'd be sold!

Seriously what's the July/August weather like? I'm only familiar with childhood holidays further south at les Sable D'Olonne. Brittany strikes me as having more potential for wet weather.

I've had family driving around Normandy and Brittany who said the roads weren't friendly to a young child. Admittedly they were in a motor home but one of them took a bike so got a few rides in.
bretonbikes
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Re: A cycle touring thread - sorry no politics here!

Post by bretonbikes »

Tangled Metal wrote:Now if you rented recumbents I'd be sold!

Seriously what's the July/August weather like? I'm only familiar with childhood holidays further south at les Sable D'Olonne. Brittany strikes me as having more potential for wet weather.

I've had family driving around Normandy and Brittany who said the roads weren't friendly to a young child. Admittedly they were in a motor home but one of them took a bike so got a few rides in.


Ah we had recumbents 15 years ago, but they spent most of the time in the bike shed so had to go (shame as I quite liked them).

I won't lie to you - as with all of Europe we get weather, not climate. As a general rule we're a bit like Cornwall but generally hotter by a couple of degrees and because the sun is considerably higher grey cloudy days often burn off. What we don't get is extremes - in the south you can get flash floods (that can literally wash away a campsite), high winds and more frequently very, very hot sun in July/August - too hot for most to comfortably cycle. As for drivers not being friendly, I've cycled all over France and because the Breton national sport is cycling I'd say no-where else is as careful with cyclists. the exceptions are as with any tourist area the drivers on the coast are not going to be local, not going to be careful and the roads right on the coast busy - camper vans being the worse culprit especially when driven by Brits I'm ashamed to say. Get 2 km from the coastal road and you'll see little difference between August and November...
38 years of cycletouring, 33 years of running cycling holidays, 8 years of running a campsite for cyclists - there's a pattern here...
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al_yrpal
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Re: A cycle touring thread - sorry no politics here!

Post by al_yrpal »

Last time I went over to Roscoff, boarding the ferry late at night it was delightful to see a family of 6 all on bikes. The kids ranged from about 7 yrs to mid teens. All dead excited to go off on their Brittany adventure. As has been said French drivers are very nice and you wont get fast close overtakes because of their enightened passing laws, laws which were blocked by Cycling UK here! And, muppet like Brits in Camper Vans are the ones to watch out for. Great countryside, fantastic beaches, kids clubs on the beach, nice food, friendly locals, a brilliant place for a family holiday. Breton bikes knows his stuff..

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
Cyril Haearn
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Re: A cycle touring thread - sorry no politics here!

Post by Cyril Haearn »

bretonbikes wrote:
Tangled Metal wrote:Now if you rented recumbents I'd be sold!

Seriously what's the July/August weather like? I'm only familiar with childhood holidays further south at les Sable D'Olonne. Brittany strikes me as having more potential for wet weather.

I've had family driving around Normandy and Brittany who said the roads weren't friendly to a young child. Admittedly they were in a motor home but one of them took a bike so got a few rides in.


Ah we had recumbents 15 years ago, but they spent most of the time in the bike shed so had to go (shame as I quite liked them).


..
...

Please, try offering bents again, the supply/offer might create the demand, TM would probably book immediately €€!
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mjr
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Re: A cycle touring thread - sorry no politics here!

Post by mjr »

al_yrpal wrote:As has been said French drivers are very nice and you wont get fast close overtakes because of their enightened passing laws, laws which were blocked by Cycling UK here!

I think CUK got that one wrong but to be fair, they are not able to block laws, so I think we should say "opposed by" rather than "blocked by".
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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TerryField
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Re: A cycle touring thread - sorry no politics here!

Post by TerryField »

Another vote for the Loire. Especially if you are camping. Lots of quiet roads and villages, and mainly good purpose built tracks. We started at Orleans and cycled East rather than the busier West.

Depending on your kids, it might be worth looking at the bike express as a cheap way to travel (if you don’t mind unsocial hours to travel)

Cheers

Terry
TerryField
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Re: A cycle touring thread - sorry no politics here!

Post by TerryField »

Forgot to say, have you thought about the Normandy beaches from Cherbourg to Caen? Easy riding (apart from the hill out of Cherbourg!), and loads and loads of WWII museums and sights. Might be quite exciting for a 5 year old. Great camping and lots of it, and no shortage of places to eat.

Cheers

Terry
PJ520
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Re: A cycle touring thread - sorry no politics here!

Post by PJ520 »

Toffee wrote:I assume you have thought about Holland?

Can cycle all day on cycle paths
Very true - but try to avoid cycling into the wind. I rode from Utrecht to the Hook once and it was uphill all the way.
You only live once, which is enough if you do it right. - Mae West
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