Please help solve a route planning dispute for family trip in France

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MrsHJ
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Please help solve a route planning dispute for family trip in France

Post by MrsHJ »

Him indoors and I are planning on taking the teens on a couple of weeks cycle trip this summer. Teens have unexpectedly approved although may try to wiggle out of it later. Probably straight after GCSEs so late June and a bit of early July.

Teen one is a fit but lazy 16 who likes creature comforts. Teen 2 (13 nearly 14) is exceptionally unfit, rarely leaves the house and is autistic. He is currently experiencing an upswing in his mental health so we plan to grab the moment and get him some fresh air and exercise. Both have toured before along the Nantes Brest canal in 2014 and teen 2 also circumnavigated the Netherlands (zuider zee) with me in 2016. He will only eat pizza whilst travelling so density of pizza places is helpful! (not kidding). Both are very able cyclists if not always overly enthusiastic. They’ve demanded a hotel tour as apparently I always take them on wet camping trips (this is not correct but anyway!). HI Has toured in the past but isn’t as experienced as me and generally lets me run the show.

So the dispute- I thought we’d start EV 6 at the mouth of the Loire and potter on until we ran out of steam and then get the train back. This lining us (or me) up for future EV 6 trips.

HI shockingly for him isn’t interested in any completist strategies and suggests we do the castle section. He then worried that this wouldn’t be sufficiently like the Nantes Brest canal as it would be on road albeit quiet roads. I think this is because he is worried teen 2 will be put off if it isn’t predictable. I’m not so sure as the zuider zee route was varied but with large sections on quiet roads. Distance isn’t an issue- we’d be delighted if we teen 2 did any however small distance per day but he will probably do 20-30km and maybe more now he is older and he has bigger wheels (previous trips he was 8 and 10). If we need to catch trains or even taxis do deal with not getting to somewhere so be it and teen 1 and an adult can always continue cycling. Although the previous trips led to a fair bit of moaning they were very good for mental health of junior and family bonding.

So far we have the following options:
1. From the mouth of the Loire to tours/Orleans- however far we get.
2. The castles section/ broadly tours to Orleans I think.
3. I offered Roanne to Nevers or Orleans as a more on canal approach.
4. We could do some of my missed due to illness section of EV17 from say south of Lyon to montelimar but honestly I think that will be too hot.
5. Wild card- canal du Garonne will probably be too hot too.

Other countries outside France will be considered but probably ruled out by HI if insufficient great cuisine and wine regions.
Last edited by MrsHJ on 5 Jan 2020, 2:39pm, edited 1 time in total.
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robgul
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Re: Please help solve a route planning dispute for family trip in France

Post by robgul »

Having been on about 6 or 7 cycling tours of varying style and distance in the Loire Valley, and given your equipe, I would opt for starting at Nantes and going east until you got fed-up (or "chateau-fatigue"!) - lots of cyclepaths along the river, roads where necessary are quiet (esp pre July) and lots of places of interest other than just les chateaux. You'd need to be crossing back and forth on the river to do the best bits.

Loads and loads of guide books on the area as well as the Loire a Velo website with maps and download stuff.

Loire = unbeatable (even my reticient-cyclist wife likes it!

Rob
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MrsHJ
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Re: Please help solve a route planning dispute for family trip in France

Post by MrsHJ »

Thank you Rob. Nantes looks promising for a dead flat start and I can see a small town just east of the city with rail station and hotels that may be a prime starting point. Will test that idea with the troops and aim to reassure on lack of cycle paths.
simonhill
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Re: Please help solve a route planning dispute for family trip in France

Post by simonhill »

I hope your youngster is not disappointed when he finds out that they are not castles, but chateaux. More stately home than Tower of London.
Richard Fairhurst
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Re: Please help solve a route planning dispute for family trip in France

Post by Richard Fairhurst »

MrsHJ wrote:He will only eat pizza whilst travelling so density of pizza places is helpful! (not kidding).


In which case you will love the Loire! Honestly not kidding... I rode it last summer (in the 40°C heat) and pizza appeared to be the national food of France. One night I pitched up at a campsite outside a small town and a pizza van turned up shortly afterwards. As I'd had pizza the two previous nights I figured I'd walk into town to try and find something else to eat. No joy. It was all pizza. I gave up and came back to the campsite for the van.

It's a great route, pizza notwithstanding. Much more varied than you'd think. I did a write-up at https://cycle.travel/route/loire .
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Chat Noir
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Re: Please help solve a route planning dispute for family trip in France

Post by Chat Noir »

Would also go with the Loire.

Started just west of Orleans the other year with some non-cycling friends. Because of concerns re west winds we caught train to Nantes and came back over several days. Lots of interesting old towns and quiet roads or cycle tracks but it doesn’t have to be all flat if you don’t want it to be; fabulous boulangeries everywhere selling many variations on pizzas (as well as everything else we shouldn’t be eating); it is possible to eat exceptionally well and drink lots of good wine and beer without much effort or money and certainly our friends were very well disposed to this aspect of the trip; only very occasional swimming places; regular railway stations offer opt-outs if anyone needs a change. We saw lots of family groups, including grandparents with little ones (we hope this will be us before too long) as well as groups of young people, one of which made some memorable comments about les anciennes going the other way. We stayed in AirBnB the whole way, some of which were regular guesthouses, others people’s flats or houses. One of the party enjoys finding AirBnB accommodation so never an issue but was all booked in advance.

The Loire a velo website is excellent.
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Morzedec
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Re: Please help solve a route planning dispute for family trip in France

Post by Morzedec »

Dartmouth? Will that mean Plymouth to Roscoff?

Roscoff - Morlaix - Carhaix - Nantes Brest Canal to Nantes. Train home. Alternatively Portsmouth-St Malo, and routes south from there.

Off-road for 98% of the time so stress free; easy riding, and enough to see for a first trip. Camp sites everywhere (mainly the cheaper Municipal type), or local budget hotels.

Not, however, a chateau in sight - but then, when you've seen one of them, you've more or less seen them all.

PM me for more information.

Happy days,
Attachments
St Malo, St Jean, St Malo (d).jpg
Cross-Channel.jpg
The 'Sensible' route from Roscoff to Morlaix.jpg
The Raleigh on Voie Verte 7, near Carhaix, during May 2009.JPG
The Nantes Brest canal below Carhaix.jpg
Thehairs1970
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Re: Please help solve a route planning dispute for family trip in France

Post by Thehairs1970 »

No idea about Loire. Looks flat from what I have seen. If your family don't like hills, I wouldn't do Roscoff to Morlaix as suggested above. It has hills.

Also, my family didn't rate the off road stuff down to Carhaix much. You can't see much as the track us densely wooded and the surface gets very soft after rain.
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MrsHJ
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Re: Please help solve a route planning dispute for family trip in France

Post by MrsHJ »

Thehairs1970 wrote:No idea about Loire. Looks flat from what I have seen. If your family don't like hills, I wouldn't do Roscoff to Morlaix as suggested above. It has hills.

Also, my family didn't rate the off road stuff down to Carhaix much. You can't see much as the track us densely wooded and the surface gets very soft after rain.


As mentioned in the rather long prelim the family and I have already cycled from Redon to Morlaix on the canal (we passed on the piece from Carhaix ) and has a wonderful trip. Him indoors was keen to experience something similar this time and I’m lucky enough to have already extensively covered Brittany from both Roscof and St Malo. So no plans to do Brittany again this time although no doubt we may in future.
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MrsHJ
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Re: Please help solve a route planning dispute for family trip in France

Post by MrsHJ »

Richard Fairhurst wrote:
MrsHJ wrote:He will only eat pizza whilst travelling so density of pizza places is helpful! (not kidding).


In which case you will love the Loire! Honestly not kidding... I rode it last summer (in the 40°C heat) and pizza appeared to be the national food of France. One night I pitched up at a campsite outside a small town and a pizza van turned up shortly afterwards. As I'd had pizza the two previous nights I figured I'd walk into town to try and find something else to eat. No joy. It was all pizza. I gave up and came back to the campsite for the van.

It's a great route, pizza notwithstanding. Much more varied than you'd think. I did a write-up at https://cycle.travel/route/loire .



Thank you everyone for the help and a 10/10 to Richard for the route write up. Pizzas and castles here we come!

In a personal note I may well bolt on a Le Puy to Nevers link at some point by myself (fly in and out of Lyons for a week). I’ve already cycled the source of the Loire to Le Puy so that would satisfy some completeness if I get the rest of Brevins to Nevers route done at some point with or without thy the family.
bretonbikes
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Re: Please help solve a route planning dispute for family trip in France

Post by bretonbikes »

Morzedec wrote:Dartmouth? Will that mean Plymouth to Roscoff?

Roscoff - Morlaix - Carhaix - Nantes Brest Canal to Nantes. Train home. Alternatively Portsmouth-St Malo, and routes south from there.

Off-road for 98% of the time so stress free; easy riding, and enough to see for a first trip. Camp sites everywhere (mainly the cheaper Municipal type), or local budget hotels.

Not, however, a chateau in sight - but then, when you've seen one of them, you've more or less seen them all.

PM me for more information.

Happy days,


Just for accuracy you pass at least two magnificant Chateaux - the hulking great military lump at Pontivy and the chocolate-box one at Josselin;-)
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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Morzedec
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Re: Please help solve a route planning dispute for family trip in France

Post by Morzedec »

Oh, all right then, Breton: I've ridden past the Josselin lump so many times that I just don't notice it any more.

Arriving in to Joss from the west we turn left then right to visit the boulangerie and buy breakfast; then turn right over the bridge and have coffee in Le Triskel - the previous night having been spent on the campsite at Rohan.

Sadly (for you, no money) Gouarec never quite fits into our schedule for a night's stay: our 'Day 2' on the way south is nearly always Mael-Carhaix to Rohan, but we often stop in Gouarec for morning coffee (des Ducs, next the hall). Quite fond of the new(ish) Brocante just around the corner from you (Loic): always worth a visit.

Happy days,
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Josselin chateau from the east.jpg
Bon Repos (you can tell by all the people!).jpg
Rohan - remarkably empty for a change.jpg
nez
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Re: Please help solve a route planning dispute for family trip in France

Post by nez »

Morzedec wrote:Dartmouth? Will that mean Plymouth to Roscoff?

Roscoff - Morlaix - Carhaix - Nantes Brest Canal to Nantes. Train home. Alternatively Portsmouth-St Malo, and routes south from there.

Off-road for 98% of the time so stress free; easy riding, and enough to see for a first trip. Camp sites everywhere (mainly the cheaper Municipal type), or local budget hotels.

Not, however, a chateau in sight - but then, when you've seen one of them, you've more or less seen them all.

PM me for more information.

Happy days,


I used to live near your proposed loop and think it's a great suggested route.
bretonbikes
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Re: Please help solve a route planning dispute for family trip in France

Post by bretonbikes »

Morzedec wrote:Oh, all right then, Breton: I've ridden past the Josselin lump so many times that I just don't notice it any more.

Arriving in to Joss from the west we turn left then right to visit the boulangerie and buy breakfast; then turn right over the bridge and have coffee in Le Triskel - the previous night having been spent on the campsite at Rohan.

Sadly (for you, no money) Gouarec never quite fits into our schedule for a night's stay: our 'Day 2' on the way south is nearly always Mael-Carhaix to Rohan, but we often stop in Gouarec for morning coffee (des Ducs, next the hall). Quite fond of the new(ish) Brocante just around the corner from you (Loic): always worth a visit.

Happy days,


Loic's is a dangerous place - luckily on a bike you don't have too much room so most of his wonderful emporium is out of bounds;-) Hope one day you'll to the extra to get to us instead of Mael-Carhaix - it's mostly downhill after all (and there's no pump noise from a nearby quarry!). Rohan is a lovely place to stop though.
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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Morzedec
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Re: Please help solve a route planning dispute for family trip in France

Post by Morzedec »

Breton, hello,
Problem is that the ferry gets in to Roscoff at either 3pm (off and clear by 3.40), which means a quick dash to the campsite at Henvic, or early in the morning after a sleepless night (narrow beds) so the 95 km to Mael-Carhaix is quite enough to start with.
The routine has been in place for - gosh, i've just had a count-up - over 15 years by now, but by co-incidence the Boss and I have been map-reading this evening and planning different routes that might take us down to our house.
So much depends on the weather: I cycled back across in October and had five days of solid headwinds and rain, so knowing exactly where one can stop (even if the sites are closed) is a psychological bonus. Was the never-dry tent ever heavy by the time I reached Roscoff!

Happy days (or at least character-forming).
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The viaduct at Guily Glas.jpg
Morlaix railway viaduct.jpg
Gorge du Daolas, Bon Repos.jpg
VV6 climbs away westwards, close to Gouarec.jpg
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