For
one who wants to
cycle western France
PLAIN SAILING FOR CYCLISTS
Cruise the finest regions of France with your bike.
BEAUTIFUL BIKING BRITTANY
Enjoy over 1,500km of cycle routes.
CONQUER NORMANDY BY BIKE
Combine cycling with exploring the local must-sees.
THE BIG LOOP
Discover the circular route joining France with the UK.
Discover cycling
in western France
France
FERRY YOUR TWO WHEELS TO
France is the undisputed king of cycling.
Home to the iconic Tour, cycling is a national
pastime. Brittany and Normandy are two of
the most accessible cycling regions in France
and are within easy reach from the UK with
Brittany Ferries – you can simply head out
straight from the port! Join the 1 million
riders every year that choose to explore
France on two wheels.
The attractions of cycling in western
France are many – quiet roads and tolerant
motorists, beautiful scenery and plenty of
delicious eateries along the way. But the
feature that resonates most amongst the
cycling fraternity is the variety of routes
dedicated to pedal power. From dramatic
coastlines and rolling countryside to
mountain peaks and plenty of fantastic
sights – these regions in western France have
everything for riders of all abilities.
Plymouth
Le Havre
Sail by day, cruise overnight or go high speed and arrive in as little as three hours,
it’s up to you. Better still, you can mix and match our routes and services, leaving
you free to plan your cycling tour to western France, your way.
•
Cherbourg
•
Bayeux
Honfleur
Caen
• Rouen
Giverny
•
Normandy
Mont-SaintMichel
•
St Malo
Roscoff
Why fly, drive, or even cycle the long way to France, when you can sail direct to
the fantastic cycling regions of Brittany and Normandy with Brittany Ferries?
Whether setting out on your bike from the port, or travelling with your car –
complete with bikes on the back – Brittany Ferries’ routes from Portsmouth, Poole
and Plymouth, take you far closer to where you want to be, with easy links to the
regions’ huge cycling network.
Portsmouth
Poole
Brittany
•
Cruise across in style
Quimper
On board, you’ll find plenty to keep you
occupied (and refuelled!). Our awardwinning service and facilities include a
choice of à la carte and self-service
restaurants, stylish bars, shops, cinemas
and comfortable en suite cabins.
Over the coming pages discover how easy it
is to explore Brittany and Normandy on two
wheels, whether you’re wanting to emulate
your Tour heroes by following a stage route
or looking to take a somewhat more relaxed
pace, meandering through sleepy traditional
French villages.
Santander Bilbao
Pamplona
Gijón •
• Santiago de
Compostela
León
•
•
Burgos
•
Contents
•
Ferry your two wheels to France 2-3
Porto
Sail direct to the finest cycling of France
with Brittany Ferries.
Madrid
Cycling in Brittany 4-5
Cycling in Normandy 6-7
The Tour de Manche 8-9
Discover the circular route joining one of
France’s most iconic sites with the UK’s
spectacular Jurassic Coast.
France on Two Wheels 10-11
Travel writer and French cycling aficionado
Adam Ruck muses on the delights of France
on two wheels.
2
•
Forget excess baggage
The beauty of cycling to France from the
UK with Brittany Ferries is that unlike
planes, there is no need to dismantle your
bike to box it up – or wonder whether it will
arrive from the luggage hold in one piece.
Simply check in, walk your bike on board –
for safety, where possible, we invite cyclists
to load ahead of vehicles – secure it with
one of our team, and relax.
If you wish to take your panniers, or have kit
you might need during the crossing, you’ll
find that many of our cruise ferries have a
luggage room – as well as shower facilities.
Hotels, cottages and
apartments too
Navigating to Normandy
Drive and ride
If you’re looking for a more laid back route,
planning to stay longer, or taking on a couple of
Tour de France stages, you can of course take
your car, packed with your bikes and everything
you need for a great cycling holiday.
Our routes from Portsmouth and Poole
offer a choice of three access points
to Normandy, with (from west to east)
Cherbourg, Caen and Le Havre. These routes
also enjoy a wide choice of sailing times and
services, as well as cruise, high-speed, and
no-frills économie options.
Sailing to Brittany
Sail from Plymouth to Roscoff, our most
westerly port, and enjoy easy cycle access
to both the heart and coastline of this
beautiful region. Alternatively choose
Portsmouth and our most popular crossing
to the pretty walled town of St Malo, where
a convenient evening sailing time allows
you to relax and enjoy everything on board.
As well as offering the widest choice of
routes to France, Brittany Ferries also
offer a range of holiday accommodation,
with prices including your return
ferry travel.
Choose a country cottage, or beachside
apartment from which to explore, or plan
a cycle route using our superb choice of
hotels, throughout France.
To find out more about Brittany Ferries’ sailings and holidays visit www.brittanyferries.com/cycleshow or call 0330 159 6754
3
Perros Guirec
Lannion
Roscoff
Brignogan
Brest
Morlaix
Guingamp
Carhaix Plouguer
Camaret
Saint-Brieuc
Rostrenen
Brittany
Loudéac
St Malo
Quimper
Morbihan
Concarneau
Lorient
Auray
Carnac
Arzon
Quiberon
Josselin
Vannes
Le Mont St Michel
Ille et
Vilaine
Saint-Méenle-Grand
Rennes
Pontivy
Châteaulin
CYCLING IN
Pléneuf-Val-André
Dinan
Côtes d’Armor
Finistère
Douarnenez
Paimpol
Vitré
The eight major cycle routes criss-crossing
Brittany make it a fantastic French destination
in which to plan cycling holidays.
Visit www.cycling-brittanytourism.com
for a complete description of the Véloroutes
and Greenways, including cyclist friendly
accommodation along the route, not to be
missed sites, bike rental, and much more.
Ploërmel
Following on from Brittany’s very popular coastal
hiking path (the Chemin des Douaniers), the region
is now creating a coastal cycle route called
‘La Littorale’ following the rugged coastline as
closely as possible. You can already try out some
stretches along Brittany’s west coast: Côte du
Léon (from Roscoff port); Rade de Brest and
Mer d’Iroise; Pointe du Raz; and the invigorating
peninsulas of Quiberon, Rhuys and Guérande.
©CRTB
6 East to west greenways
212km St Malo - Questembert
Redon
Presqu’île
de Rhuys
This cycle route mainly follows a disused railway
line. Leaving the ramparts of the historic corsair
town of St Malo, riders head for the legendary
Brocéliande Forest, the main focus of Brittany’s
rich Arthurian legends, and to Ploërmel, a favourite
home of the medieval dukes of Brittany. Beyond
Questembert, the route has yet to be set up.
Nantes
St Nazaire
©Emmanuel
Brittany is a first class cycling destination. With over 1,500km of well-laid-out cycle routes,
the variety of cycling is enormous; you can choose from flat rides through pretty countryside,
to challenging hilly coastal rides where the sea is always in sight. Spectacularly surrounded by the
Channel and the Atlantic, Brittany offers miles of coastal cycle routes with minimal traffic and good
visibility. And as the roads are well maintained and wide, passing vehicles are never a problem!
The more relaxed family rider will love inland flat and traffic-free greenways. Along rivers and wellgroomed canal towpaths, disused railway lines, or quiet country lanes, you’ll cycle through glorious,
unspoilt countryside and characterful towns.
332km Roscoff – Saint-Nazaire
3 Arthurian legends
Malestroit
Arzal
5 The Littorale
Eight major cycle routes to build your
own itinerary!
Ber thier
1 The Velodyssey
385km Roscoff – Nantes
Brittany’s section of the
Velodyssey – a cycle route
stretching more than 1,200
km from Brittany down the Atlantic coast to the
border with Spain – follows the Nantes-Brest
Canal along a fair stretch. This canal is considered
one of greatest technological feats of 19thcentury France, with its 238 locks, its feeder
channels and its many works of art.
Cyclists can make the most of a specially
adapted railway line to explore inland Brittany.
The Argoat area goes as far as the point where
the Monts d’Arrée hills plunge into the sea in
western Brittany. In the future, this route will
start in Camaret, and go further west to Vitré.
4 The Tour de Manche
359km Roscoff – Mont St Michel
The Roscoff - Mont-Saint-Michel route has a
strong maritime flavour, going along Brittany’s
north coast, and makes up a section of the
enchanting cross-Channel Tour de Manche cycle
route through the attractive landscapes of the
Pink Granite Coast
and the Emerald
Coast.
© Yannick Le Gal
7 Trans-Finistère
147km Roscoff – Concarneau
2 Follow the canal
Linking the Channel to the Atlantic, this route
leads you to the gently spectacular Bay of
Morlaix, and shares the way with Velodyssey’s
cycle route up to Carhaix Plouguer. Then it makes
its own way across the Montagnes Noires hills to
the reputed seaside resort of Concarneau.
110km St Malo - Rennes
On this bucolic cycle route, riders travel
alongside the boats on the Ile-et-Rance Canal
and can explore the three typical Breton Cités
d’Art et d’Histoire (historic and artistic towns)
of St Malo, Dinard and Dinan. The route will soon
extend all the way to Arzal.
128km Carhaix - Saint Méen le Grand
©Emm
anuel Be
rthier
8 North to south
175km Saint-Brieuc – Lorient
From the Bay of Saint-Brieuc to Lorient, this
cycle route going north-south across inland
Brittany takes you via the Hilvern Channel and
the beautiful Blavet Valley with its arty chapels.
©Pierre
©Emmanuel Berth
4
ier
Torset
www.cycling-brittanytourism.com
5
Calais
Plymouth
Normandy
CYCLING IN
Dieppe
Saint-Valery-en-Caux
Seine Maritime
Etretat
Cherbourg
Utah Beach
Port-en-Bessin Arromanches
Luc-sur-Mer
Bayeux
Manche
Granville
Avranches
443km from Paris to Normandy
The Veloscenic runs from Notre-Dame in Paris
through the best of Normandy’s countryside
to reach your destination the magical MontSaint-Michel, doubly a UNESCO world heritage
site. Along the way explore the hills of the
Perche region, the city of Alençon famed for its
lacemaking, the delights of the moated château
of Carrouges and the quaint spa town and forests
of Bagnoles-de-l’Orne.
The Mon
ichel
t-Saint-M
© Dietm
ar Feich
tinger Ar
chitectes
SBP - M
History buffs and families will love this route which
gives you the chance to explore the D-Day Landing
Beaches and two unique UNESCO listed sites: the
Bayeux tapestry and the Mont-Saint-Michel. Along
the way, take in the sites at the busy fishing village
of Port-en-Bessin, Arromanches with its Mulberry
Harbour, Utah Beach, the wild wetlands of the
Cherbourg Peninsula, the medieval masterpiece
of Bayeux, the Souleuvre Viaduct with bungee
jumping fun, the ‘Bocage Normand’ district with
its cider and rolling hills and the magical bay of the
Mont-Saint-Michel.
Les Barils
Orne
Flers
Domfront Bagnoles-de-l'Orne
y Houye
Breuilpont
Saint-Georges-Motel
Mortagne-au-Perche
Carrouges
Mortain
Alençon
Condé-sur-Huisne
La Rochelle
4 The Avenue Verte
626km coastal route in Normandy
406km from London to Paris
This cycle route, part of the EuroVelo European
route from Kiev to Roscoff, will eventually run
along the full length of the Normandy coast from
Le Tréport to the Mont-Saint-Michel. The three
existing sections of the Normandy coastal route
already have some fantastic vantage points and
great places to visit: along the Alabaster Coast
from Le Tréport to Le Havre, from the stretch
which starts at the seaside resort of Cabourg to
the port of Ouistreham and then finally from the
town of Carentan to the major port of Cherbourg,
heading back south inland through the ‘bocage’
to arrive at the Mont-Saint-Michel, a double
UNESCO world heritage site.
This itinerary links London and Paris. Once
you arrive in Normandy, in Dieppe, with the
white cliffs of the Alabaster Coast behind you,
head inland to taste the local heart-shaped
cheese from Neufchâtel. Then travel through
the unspoilt landscapes of the Vexin and the
Epte Valley with the impressive Château of
Gisors. Why not make a detour to Giverny to
visit the house and gardens of Monet, father of
Impressionism, before you head on to Paris?
5 The Seine Impressionist
164km from Le Havre to
Caudebec-les-Elbeuf
Arriving in the Channel port of Le Havre, with
regular sailings from Portsmouth, set off along
the River Seine and take in the medieval abbeys,
fruit orchards, thatched cottages and towns of
Rouen, La Bouille and Caudebec-en-Caux which
so inspired the impressionist painters.
l
The Alabaster coas
t ©Daniel DECAMPS
Beauvais
Gisors
Paris
Evréux
Broglie
242km in Normandy from Cherbourg to the Mont-Saint-Michel
For more information, please see pages 8 - 9.
Paris
TOUR DE FRANCE
Next year all eyes will be on the
Mont-Saint-Michel for the Grand
Départ of the Tour de France on
2nd July. The Tour will cross the
Cotentin peninsula to Utah Beach
and Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. Day two
will travel from the historic town
of Saint-Lô to the majestic port of
Cherbourg, along the Côte des Isles.
On day three the Tour will set out
from the bustling seaside town of
Granville, leaving the Manche behind.
6 The Vélo Francette
607km from Normandy to La Rochelle
The Vélo Francette is a new itinerary which runs from the
Channel port of Ouistreham to La Rochelle on the Atlantic
Coast which links up with three other cycling routes:
the Veloscenic, the Loire by Bike and the Vélodyssée. In
Normandy, start out from the seaside resort of Ouistreham,
with regular sailings from Portsmouth, past Pegasus Bridge
through the lively city of Caen, home to William the
Conqueror’s castle and abbeys, and then follow the idyllic
Orne Valley in the picturesque ‘Swiss Normandy’ with
trekking, paragliding or canoeing on offer and then onto the
medieval hilltop town of Domfront before heading south.
7 Greenways and shared paths
These include five greenways in the Eure which form
a network of over 130km, offering you the chance to
take in the rich local history like the fortified Château
of Gisors or the Abbey of Le Bec-Hellouin together with
some local waterways.
Dieppe ©Dani
el DEC
©Thie
rr
Livarot
Vimoutiers
Thury-Harcourt
Clécy
Falaise
Gacé
Roche d’Oëtre Argentan
L’Aigle
Rouen ar
anches
Pinterville
Giverny
Vire
Calvados
THE TOUR DE MANCHE
3 Coastal cycle route
Poses
Verneuil-sur-Avre
Saint-Malo
ebaol
ariska Tr
Arrom
6
209km from the D-Day Landing Beaches
to the Mont-Saint-Michel
Honfleur
Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf
Deauville
Le Bec-Hellouin
Cabourg
Ouistreham
Lisieux Bernay Eure
Gournay-en-Bray
Normandy
Viaduc de la
Souleuvre
Le Mont-Saint-Michel
Cycling is a wonderful way to see Normandy and with more
than 550km of cycle paths, you can combine the great outdoors
with a spot of sightseeing. It’s a fun way of soaking up the local
atmosphere and with routes to suit everyone’s ability, cycling with
friends and family couldn’t be easier.
2 D-Day Beaches
Caen
Saint-Lô Villers-Bocage
Coutances
Rouen
Le Havre
Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue
La Haye-du-Puits
Carentan
1 Veloscenic
Neufchâtel-en-Bray
Forges-les-Eaux
chitectur
e colom
bage ©Va
lérie Joan
on
AMPS
www.cycling-normandy.com
7
Portsmouth
Dorchester
Exeter
Poole
Weymouth
Plymouth
Linking the legendary Mont-SaintMichel with the cliffs of Southern
England’s Jurassic Coast, the Tour de
Manche bike route offers a unique
circular trail comprising more than
1,200 kilometres of minor roads and
green ways, clearly signposted and
dotted with accommodation that
makes special provision for cyclists.
The route is broken up into small
chunks to suit pedal power enthusiasts of all
fitness levels, with a good mix of flats and
hills. There are suggested sections of the route
that are ideal for family days out, experienced
cyclists and weekend breaks. If you want to
follow a smaller route in its entirety, the
‘Petit Tour de Manche’, a 450km
cross-Channel route, offers a
taster of its ‘big brother’.
The Tour de Manche
A CYCLING ADVENTURE FROM ENGLAND TO FRANCE
The Tour de Manche is a 1,200km cycling itinerary boasting some of the most glorious sea views, coastline and
countryside through northern France and South West England; an epic journey through Brittany, Normandy,
Jersey, Devon and Dorset. Savour unspoilt countryside, remarkable coastlines, bustling market towns, picturesque
villages, ancient ruins and momentous buildings.
8
The downloadable route maps
offer plenty of practical information
including tourist offices, bike-friendly
places to stay, bike repair and hire shops,
stations, maps and GPS tracks. The many
cultural stops and top attractions are also
marked, along with local food experiences for
hungry two-wheelers.
Daily ferry crossings that accommodate
bicycles operate in six ports on either side of
the Channel linking Southern England to
Normandy and Brittany, so you can add all the
pleasures of a cruise to those of a cycle tour!
Cherbourg
Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue
Utah Beach
Guernsey
Port-en-Bessin Arromanches
La Haye-du-Puits
Carentan
Jersey
Manche
Bayeux
Coutances
© Simon BOURCIE
Avranches
Perros Guirec
Roscoff
Finistère
Morlaix
No
Viaduc de la
Souleuvre
R
Granville
Lannion
Calvados
Saint-Lô
Paimpol
Saint-Brieuc
Vire
Mortain
Le Mont-Saint-Michel
Pléneuf-Val-André
Saint-Malo
Ille et
Vilaine
Côtes d’Armor
Brittany
Morbihan
© Simon BOURCIE
R
From the celebrated Corfe Castle to the historic
Normandy D-Day Landing Beaches, via St Malo
and the Pink Granite Coast, the Tour de Manche
offers the ideal cycling holiday for all from the
most dedicated, to the more leisurely cyclist.
Visit the website: www.tourdemanche.com for
more information.
www.tourdemanche.com
9
Cycling
in France
– AS EASY AS RIDING A BIKE
Roll on, roll off. Cycling is a simple pleasure
and the home of la petite reine is the best
place in the world for it. The back roads are
quiet, the landscape delightful, the weather
usually favourable, and at the end of the
day’s pedalling French food and wine are on
the table.
At every cycling level, France delivers. For a
challenge and a goal, test your limits on the
hairpins of the famous Tour de France climbs in
the Alps and Pyrénées; or embark on a longhaul crossing of the continent: Home to Rome,
the Compostela pilgrimage or the Vélodyssey,
a cycling route down the Atlantic Coast from
Brittany to the Basque Country that might be
renamed the Vinodyssey: from cider to Muscadet,
Pineau, Cognac and Bordeaux. The great rivers
that traverse western France are a great ride, the
Loire most popular among them with its cycle
trail, La Loire à Vélo, rolling through the garden of
France from Nevers to the Atlantic.
What to take
Cyclists who prefer the soft pedal will plot
gentler meanders through favourite parts of
France profonde, touristique or historique,
savouring the treats of French country life
at a slow pace: farm visits, vineyard tastings,
battlefields, châteaux and cathedrals; a
family outing for a swim and a picnic on the
river bank.
There are many ways to do it, whether you buy
a holiday off the peg or travel independently.
Stay in comfortable hotels or load up the
bike for the unsupported cyclo-camping
experience. Make excursions from a rented gîte
or a boat on the Canal du Midi.
The Dordogne, the Lot and the Tarn run through
more challenging terrain, but the road along the
famous Tarn Gorge is downhill all the way from
Florac to Millau and one of the most spectacular
rides in France, as long as you don’t attempt it
in July or August, when the road is hogged by
camper-van drivers with only half an eye on the
road. Below Millau, after Lord Foster’s famous
motorway bridge flies overhead, the road empties
... and becomes a lot more hilly.
Travel writer and French cycling aficionado Adam Ruck
muses on the delights of France on two wheels - and offers
some tips for first timers.
10
Hills are hard work, but hard work has its rewards
and one of the first lessons France taught me was
that a headwind is the cyclist’s enemy number
one. In western France the wind is most likely to
blow from the west and I would factor that into
route planning. Next time I would do La Loire à
Vélo in reverse, and if an east wind blew, at least
the sun would be shining.
Luggage transport, included in most but not all
self-guided holidays, is the main advantage of
the package. Logis Hotels (www.logishotels.
com) has 440 bike-friendly members that
offer luggage transport, for a fee. Many regions
produce lists of bike-friendly hotels as part
of the national accueil vélo mission. In my
experience bike-unfriendly hotels are rare,
and I’d rather have a list of good hotels. This is
what I have tried to compile in my ‘narrative
guide book’ France On Two Wheels.
Voies vertes and véloroutes
For details of France’s 20,000km cycle route
network ‘VVV France’ see www.af3v.org.
This is a work in progress – about half
complete, or so they claim. Bear in mind that
not all routes clearly marked on the internet
are as complete or easily identified on the
ground. A good map is essential.
Voie verte (greenway) – no motorised traffic
or hills steeper than ‘about 3%’. Voies vertes
are good for safe family cycling and those that
follow canal towpaths and disused railway
lines offer an easy way through hill country.
But the surface is variable: not ideal for road
bikes or long-haul cycling.
Véloroute – a cycling itinerary composed of
a mixture of greenways and minor roads, also
promising no steep hills.
Eurovélo – these long international itineraries
are a great inspiration for cyclists in want of
a target. There are 14 of them on the map
(including 7000km through France) not so
many on the ground, yet. www.eurovelo.org
Useful cycling vocab:
Puncture: crevé
Tyre: pneu
Inner tube:
chambre à air
Pump: pompe
Spoke: rayon
Patch: rustine
Mountain bike: VTT
Hybrid bike:
VTC/vélo hybride
e-bike: vélo éléctrique
Road bike: vélo de route
Light: lampe
Battery: pile
Spanner: clé
Lock: cadenas
France on Two Wheels
For Adam Ruck, France and
cycling go together like ripe
camembert and Bordeaux...
In this book he undertakes
six journeys through the
most beautiful French
regions. Adding insight to
anecdote, France on Two
Wheels is packed with practical
tips: on rail travel with a bicycle, mending a
puncture in French, and the best stopovers.
The essentials are suncream, sunglasses,
waterproofs, lights, pump, lock, a puncture repair
kit and spare inner tube. After that, it’s all about
comfort and the look you favour. Cycling with a
back pack soon becomes uncomfortable – attach
it to the bike. Don’t cycle with your mouth open,
or your next meal may be a wasp.
Where to stay along
the way?
Accueil Vélo (Cyclists Welcome) is a national
mark guaranteeing a high quality of welcome
and services for cyclists across France.
Whether a hotel, bed and breakfast, campsite,
youth hostel, or lodge,
all the cyclist-friendly
accommodation to ensure
a perfect stay for riders can
be found under the banner
Accueil Vélo spotted by its
green logo.
Located within 5km of the cycle routes and
greenways, the ‘Accueil Vélo’ accommodation
guarantee services and amenities tailored to
cyclists’ needs:
✓ Secure shelter for your bike
✓ Cleaning area for cycling and clothing
✓ Information and helpful tips
✓ Breakfast
France on Two Wheels, by Adam Ruck, is
published by Short Books @ £8.99
www.france2wheels.com
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