Brittany May 2024

[simonineaston]

Have booked a ferry Plymouth to Roscoff for me and my bike in early May. I’ll arrive in Roscoff at 8pm and leave a week later at 1.20pm giving me 6 days full days of riding. Looking for ideas and recommendations for where to go please. I’m thinking of camping, nothing too hilly and up to about 50 miles/80 km per day. Thanks in advance.

I may have misunderstood the gist of the original post.

[Lazybird]

Sorry. I’d forgotten I wrote that. You mentioned lb which I didn’t recognise as Lazybird.

So Eurovelo 4 around the coast from Morlaix to Pleubian is hilly? The route profiles on the Eurovelo website are missing or not downloading for some of the segments. Total ascents are about 300m on 20-30k but its difficult to see how the climbing is distributed. On Ride with GPS the segments don’t look too bad with the possible exception of Morlaix to Plougasnou which is 26k and has some ups and downs. The estimated time is still only 1hr 36m. I guess the hills are when you go up and down into the coastal villages. If it is too much for me, I suppose I could cut some corners off by going inland.

[st599_uk]

Don't think so, the around Treguier is called the Amroured Coast for a reason, it's granite and there are lots of high cliffs. It's beautiful, but not flat.

For example in Treguier the cycle route will cross the only bridge, just upriver of the marina, which is near sea level, but Treguier itself is up a relatively steep hill.

Dinan is beautiful, but it's built on a hillside and cobbled.

[MrsHJ]

Sorry. I’d forgotten I wrote that. You mentioned lb which I didn’t recognise as Lazybird.

So Eurovelo 4 around the coast from Morlaix to Pleubian is hilly? The route profiles on the Eurovelo website are missing or not downloading for some of the segments. Total ascents are about 300m on 20-30k but its difficult to see how the climbing is distributed. On Ride with GPS the segments don’t look too bad with the possible exception of Morlaix to Plougasnou which is 26k and has some ups and downs. The estimated time is still only 1hr 36m. I guess the hills are when you go up and down into the coastal villages. If it is too much for me, I suppose I could cut some corners off by going inland.

https://cycle.travel/map/journey/538292

Click on the mountain symbol for the profile. If you do it over 2 days it’s around 650m a day so a bit like Devon/cornwall. Not terrible but a bit rolling.

[simonineaston]

I have that, Brittany is like Cornwall, Normandy more like Devon, thing in my mind too. Also agree that both departments are less hilly inland that their respective coasts, the extreme example of flatness being the red herring that is the Nantes to Brest canal! It has its charms but is also not a route that’s likely to tempt ladybird, I think.

[MrsHJ]

I have that, Brittany is like Cornwall, Normandy more like Devon, thing in my mind too. Also agree that both departments are less hilly inland that their respective coasts, the extreme example of flatness being the red herring that is the Nantes to Brest canal! It has its charms but is also not a route that’s likely to tempt ladybird, I think.

My recommendation would be to not follow EV4 too diligently- it really does go round the houses a bit and seems to seek out climbs and if the writer finds the route a bit steep there are options. The area around really roscoff isn’t horrendously hilly- i would say less hilly than round here but if you stick to ev4 you might have to climb every hill.

[Ron]

Have booked a ferry Plymouth to Roscoff for me and my bike in early May..

It would be worth checking in advance that any camp sites you might want to use in northern France are open in May/June. They seemed to take a long winter hibernation when I was there a few years ago.

[Lazybird]

I’ve emailed several campsites but had no reply, I’m guessing either because they aren’t open yet or because they don’t respond to emails in English. Thanks for the tip off about the hills. Will look again.

[simonineaston]

Good Luck with your trip. I’m sure it’ll be great fun - let us know how you get on

[roubaixtuesday]

I’ve emailed several campsites but had no reply, I’m guessing either because they aren’t open yet or because they don’t respond to emails in English. Thanks for the tip off about the hills. Will look again.

Local French tourist information are normally very helpful if you email them. But they might be shut too now!

[MrsHJ]

I’ve emailed several campsites but had no reply, I’m guessing either because they aren’t open yet or because they don’t respond to emails in English. Thanks for the tip off about the hills. Will look again.

I agree that the local tourist infos are usually very helpful.

Www.Campingfrance.com has wide coverage and has opening dates, I wouldn’t rely on these 100% but they’d give a starting point for likely contenders,

Don’t get put off by the hills. It isn’t too bad and there are trains, voie vertes and the canal if you need some respite. I’ll be heading on the same ferry 3/4 weeks after you and I’ve always quite enjoyed that area for cycling, I’ve done it too often though so I’m cycling to Morlaix for the train to Saint malo and starting my route from there this time (it’s slightly better timing than me getting the train to Portsmouth and the ferry from there).

[tatanab]

I’ve emailed several campsites but had no reply,

Try searching the Tourist information office for the town of interest. They often show campsite opening periods - e.g Quimper which shows lots of commercial sites and the municipal in this link https://www.quimper-tourisme.bzh/campin ... municipal/

[simonineaston]

My first ever trip to Brittany was from Roscoff to Benodet and back. I copied the route from a guide book describing sundry cycle routes around Brittany. It had a slightly home-made feel to it and came complete with a choice of short, medium and longer length tours and hand drawn maps. I don't know what happened to it. I miss it. That was back when you could sail there and back via Brittany Ferries for less than twenty quid and enjoy their silver service dining to kick off the holiday. Oh yes.

[Jdsk]

I’ve emailed several campsites but had no reply,

Try searching the Tourist information office for the town of interest. They often show campsite opening periods - e.g Quimper which shows lots of commercial sites and the municipal in this link https://www.quimper-tourisme.bzh/campin ... municipal/

And the summary information about the site shown on Google Maps.

Jonathan

[simonineaston]

As per, I forgot to make my point, which was: I recall the route as being comfortably flattish - except for one modestly bulky hill, somewhere in the middle and we stayed in a couple of 2 star hotels along the way, which back then at least, meant “cheap”. Great fun. We had diner one night at a place that farmed buffalo and deer.