[Closed] Bike touring / day tripping around northern France - Normandy/Brittany

Portsmouth - Caen (they still do that route??), ride the D-Day beaches and see the Mont Saint Michel. That'd do it for me if you're not wanting to put in serious miles each day.

iiwy I'd be heading to brittany, the further south the better, the better the weather! Portsmouth to St Malo? Then head to brittany to pick a centre for day riding. For a bit of a tour I've often thought of parking at Portsmouth, get the ferry with bike to Cherbourg and then cycle down to St Malo. Or you can get a ferry to/back to Caen from Portsmouth too.

Portsmouth - [s]Caen[/s] Ouistreham*, then along the D-Day beaches (I know some nice little places to stop en route, used to live there!) and home via the Cherbourg - Portsmouth route.

*The ferry doesn't go to Caen. 🙂

I've just got back from 4 days around Normandy - sailing to Dieppe, first time touring and loved it,

Dieppe - Neufchatel en Bray
Neufchatel - Jumieges
Jumieges - Saint Valery en Caux
Saint Valery - Dieppe.

This website is brilliant - http://www.freewheelingfrance.com/where-to-go/information-on-cycling-in-normandy.html

Also - http://www.seinemaritime.fr/nos-actions/loisirs/itineraires-cyclables/veloroute-du-littoral.html

I planned to do 60-70 miles a day, but was riding my MTB with panniers / tent and quickly settled into a 10mph average, 50 miles per day and plenty of refreshment along the way.

The ferry doesn't go to Caen

Quite. Tell the ferry companies though

Go Portsmouth - Cherbourg and Dieppe - Newhaven and you can do this:

Brix - Bayeux: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/7899484
Bayeux - Honfleur http://ridewithgps.com/routes/7981489
Honfleur - Dieppe: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/7949429

Cracking route, mostly quiet lanes. I found climbs best undertaken after a 3 course lunch and a couple of cidres, with a calvados digestif.

The ferry does go to Caen http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/ferry-routes/ferries-france/portsmouth-caen

It really doesn't.

The ferry does go to Caen

As above, it really doesn't. I used to live on the coast and work in Caen, do you not think I might have a little inkling about it? Would have been quite a site to see a big car ferry in the Port de Plaisance!

Then again, I assume you think London Luton Airport is in London! 🙂

Dieppe to Calais is a nice trek.
It's 200km and we did it in a day (report [url= http://agataonabike.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/our-french-adventure-300km-in-under.html ]here[/url]) but you could easily break it up into a few legs.

We've also done the parallel journey on the English coast (Brighton - Dover) and the French side was notable for its friendliness, courteous drivers and relaxed feel.

Then again, I assume you think London Luton Airport is in London!

Luton is about 3 times further from London than Caen is from Ouistreham. Do you have any other rubbish analogies to share with us?

Plenty. Especially if it would irk you some more. 🙂

I've just been over there, loads to see if you're interested in WW2 history. I went Poole-Cherbourg then followed the coast east. There's a nice campsite at Saint mer Eglise - that's where the first D-Day paratroppers landed (I think) and they have a good museum and stuff arond the town. As others have said, you can then go via Bayeux, Agincourt, etc for more history/wine/pastries then up to Calis/Dunkirk for the ferry home. I had dreadful headwinds the whole time but prevailing winds are west-east so should work in you favour if you get good weather.

WHAT - Luton isn't in London!!

Next you'll be telling me Stansted isn't either PAH!!

And on a cycling note, not been from Portsmouth but Dover-Calais/Dunkirk sees some good riding Brugges or Ypres way for WWI battlefields.

ransos..

Nicked that route, cheers !!!

On the route Ransos had above, a few things to do;
Courseulles - Lunch on the Quai des Allies, E or O. Bistrot du Port on O used to be lovely.
Luc Sur Mer - They've got a whale there, you know. And erm, that's about it! 🙂

TVM..

Thats late Octobers trip sorted... 8)

Thanks chaps, looks like the sailing is going to be into Cherbourg and out of Caen 😉

With a mish mash in between.

out of Caen

Pick your boat....
[img] [/img]

Grrr! 🙂

did a nice route couple of years back, sailed on the thursday overnight to St Malo & then cycled to Caen stopping at b & b's on the way to catch the sunday evening fast cat back from ouistreham

mont dol & fougere are worth a visit & keep an eye out for the converted railways, nice relaxing riding away from traffic

i would like to pick blue one but with the pop music and a lot to eat and drink.

Plenty. Especially if it would irk you some more.

I suppose pointless pedantry is mildly irksome, but you have to get your kicks somehow.

Forget all that ^^

[url= http://www.larouteducidre.fr/ ]La Route du Cidre[/url] is all you'll need 😀

The route du cidre passes through some very classic Normandy/Calvados villages

Caen is easier to spell than Quistrehem so perhaps that's why they use it on the route designation 😉 Caen is inland on the river (as per CFH's picture) and the town into which the Ferry goes is the "Q" place.

As for routes I would suggest out to Caen and back from St Malo could be good. One note of caution both of those are longer crossings and if you need a cabin on Caen and on St Malo if you do the night crossing. Cabins sell out faster than places and sleeping on the floor/chairs is quite dull (been there done that)

town into which the Ferry goes is the "Q" place.

It's actually the "O" place... Ouistreham. Anyway, yes to booking a cabin, save yourself a night of accommodation on shore, wake up freshish. The chairs you'll wake up feeling like you barely slept (also done that too many times to want to do it again) and that's a bit crap before a nice ride.

Yup a long user of the P'mth/Malo ferry, get a cabin. Seating is 😕

@atlas told you it was confusing 😳 and I've used the route many times

just ticking the box so I can find this thread again, got a hankering to do some tandem riding round this way

and in sweden /norway

and ireland

and scotland

and further south in france

and along the Camino de Santiago...

Nbt +1

Met some guys in the queue for the Newhaven - Dieppe ferry a few months ago who were soft-luggaged up on road bikes/gnarmaccers for a weekend bivi trip to Mont St Michel and back. They'd started in Horsham.

I've been wondering if any of them are on here...

I wrote a couple of short articles for grit.cx, about the riding in Picardy, slightly further north. I hope you'll forgive some self promotion..

http://grit.cx/adventure/2015/06/picardy-part-one

http://grit.cx/adventure/2015/06/picardy-part-two