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Just been for a five day tour on the northern French coast, loop around the Cherbourg peninsular, on my Fargo. As cyclists you are treated with respect, not one scare with a car, not a thing... They gave us so much space, waited till it is safe to pass, great. Plus we were given mugs of hot tea, cheese, champaign, pâté and I even got kissed by a bar man.
Back in to Poole this arvo. Idiot still on the actual ferry almost runs his own wife over despite being in full view. Bitch almost gets me on ferry bridge trying to overtake when there is zero room (so that is the first 200m of English roads and I am a wearing hi-viz vest) And the some chav pr1ck called Martin a c*** for simply being on the road in swanage.
France is £50 and three hours away. Poole ferry is one hour ride from my home. I really can't see myself doing much on road touring in the uk now.
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next step is to move abroad
Living on the South Coast is rude not to nip over to France. Getting to Normany/Brittainy is as easy as anywhere (fast-cat ferry or chunnel) else and probably one of the best easy Frnce cycling options. Brittany's a bit more hilly than Normandy maybe and if your French is lacking the better option. bit like Salcombe Devon but without the Hooray Henry's 🙂
Agreed. 560 incident free wonderful miles in France the other weekend. Only to be wiped out by a 4X4 towing a horsebox overtaking us and immediately turning left with no working indicators upon our return
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Pretty much everywhere else in Europe other than the UK seems to respect cyclists on the road as other road users. I've ridden a lot in France and Belgium as well as Luxembourg recently and have had almost entirely positive experiences. In the UK it's far more of a mixed bag.
If i lived down your way Charlie i would be over the channel all the time 🙂
Whats the laws regaurding beachriding?, a D Day beach tour on the pugsley would be ace 😉
Excellent and agree if it was was easy for me to get I'd be there regular too.
I dusted off the road bike this summer - several 50ish mile rides across the Loire Atlantique without incident.
Mind you, the onions kept hitting the bars 😐
I lived in Normandy for a while, and I can confirm that Normandy is indeed ACE!
I have also lived in the south, near Castres. And I can therefore confirm that the South is also ACE!
I've spent a lot of time in Paris and Bordeaux and will have to say that they are also ACE!
Oh, and I ski in France too.
It's all ACE.
Apart from Metz. Which is a dump.
I love France. I harbour a not-particularly secret desire to up sticks and go and live in the Alps or somewhere, but the wife isn't very keen, and I don't speak French very well, so that's not going to happen.
But every time I visit it's a seriously painful experience to come back home again. Admittedly last time that was mostly because EasyJet cancelled our flight and I had to hang around Geneva for an extra 24 hours with a bored 4 year old, but still...
I would love to live in France. I have had two holidays (one winter, one summer) in Les Arcs this year and I just love the place.
I'm even trying to develop a career in the nuclear power industry just to increase my chances of being able to work there one day 😆
Those gravel roads look good - is there much of that in N France Charlie?
Yeah, but they ****in hate us!
Trying not to feel too smug here after living in the most beautiful country in the world for 4 years as of tomorrow. However, I now find that my expectations of car drivers has probably changed and find the drivers not so great as many people rave about, sure it’s not at the level of having Mc Donald’s wrappers thrown at you by passing cars or having someone stop and punch our club secretary as we ride past on a club run, but in deepest rural away from the tourist hotspots France, the crazies do exist.
We went family touring in Denmark this summer*. Now that was a real eye opener, even with 2 kids under 5, with the eldest being on his own bike usually attached via a follow me tandem we felt like royalty the way the cars treated us. In Copenhagen we didn’t spend much time visiting museums etc as we didn’t want to stop riding our bikes it felt that good and relaxed and easy.
*2 days before we went I thought I would need a 20T sprocket. Unfortunately Charlie couldn’t get it to me (one thing against France: The bike monger is across the channel!). He suggested we came and toured in the UK instead so I could pick it up :lol:. In the end 32:18 was perfect with panniers, camping kit and Pia in her trailer.
Indeed it is
Jameso... Gravel.... Yep, we rode loads, and old railways too. Gravel is good for dead peaceful touring.
Google earth a coastal loop out of Cherbourg, clockwise, when you get to the top right corner of the peninsula, stick to the coast, right on the coast paths. Down to Utah beach. Head inland to Carentan, old railway across the peninsula to portvail, then get up the coast through the dunes heading north, behind the army camp things get pretty sandy, but it's all good.
Vague directions but you can work it out.
That's where my Mum's from. I love cycling there.
Cheers.. will stick that in the quick-trip file.
Never had a problem riding on the road in the North East. But then I am a big b@stard. Only ever had to rip one door mirror off a car when I was clipped and the bugger didn't stop, only to be stopped at a level crossing a few yards up the road. It was in Lincolnshire though. France is especially good for cycling and food and wine, lovely people.
The thing that confuses me every time I drive on the autoroutes in Northern France is... who is this Nancy Mullhouse the signs keep on about?
Nah, France is rubbish, stay at home! 😉
"Yeah, but they hate us!"
Nope I spend some time working in Cannes and they were delightful and interested. They blamed the Parisians for Propagating their standoffish attitudes.
Yeah, but they **** hate us!
No, they hate you personally, there's a difference. Given I've spent years of my life in France, I've almost never encountered a genuine dislike of the British in France. In fact, the vitriol in the UK for the French is not reciprocated on a general level at all.
Apart from Metz. Which is a dump.
Compared to the cities around it (Nancy and Thionville) it's a shining beacon of loveliness and culture. I can manage the odd half day in Metz but the time it took me to ride to the station in Thionville was long enough there. Even the people who work for me from Thionville have nothing good to say about it 😉
However, I now find that my expectations of car drivers has probably changed and find the drivers not so great as many people rave about
That too. The closer to the mediterannean you get, the worst the driving gets. Honestly it's funny but after livin for 4 years in the UK, I can't wait to come back. From where I stand French are the most despicable type of people. Rude, selfish, impatients, anti-social and they would make ****son looks like the most well behave person on a car.
From where I
stand French are the most despicable type
of people. Rude, selfish, impatients, anti-
social and they would make ****son looks
like the most well behave person on a car.
enough about you Juan 😉
The closer to the mediterannean you get, the worst the driving gets.
Isn't that why a lot of pro teams moved their training bases to Girona or Tuscany?
I train a lot on the French Basque coast and it's not great here either. More respect on the other side of the border. Although my San Sebastian club kit probably marks me as a target, no love lost there.
I had a little riding holiday in Normandy this summer when I went to see my mum. It was hard having to cut the rides down to 3 hours to spend time with family as the quality of the roads (even in the middle of no where!) was so great, drivers so courteous and experience so pleasurable!
The road from the main road, past the road to my mums (if that makes sense) was used in the tour a few years back. The tarmac is perfect. Grippy but fast rolling, sweeping up on bends so it is almost burmed, a beautiful stretch of maybe 2 miles, undulating perfectly so you can carry momentum up the hills and hammer through the downs.
I hear the mountain biking is pretty good too!
The closer to the mediterannean you get, the worst the driving gets.
It's wierd. I drive between Lyon and Montpellier on a fairly regular basis and it has always been my impression that there is no gradual deterioration. Somewhere between Montelimar and Valence there is an imaginary line, that once crossed erases any road-sense or courtesy from you.
My driving is, of course, beyond reproach 😆
A pleasant ride on the Pilat in the mist, above St Etienne on Saturday with the eldest whilst the rest of the region was under a deluge and a cramp-ridden mudfest with the sun coming out for the last 15k on Sunday near Montpellier made my weekend.
France [i]is[/i] ace!
Much as it's a great country, I've experienced a fair bit of hostility touring and working there.
It's wierd. I drive between Lyon and Montpellier on a fairly regular basis and it has always been my impression that there is no gradual deterioration. Somewhere between Montelimar and Valence there is an imaginary line, that once crossed erases any road-sense or courtesy from you.
Really? I ride a fair bit around Montpellier on and off road and I've always thought that the driving standard is pretty good (with respect to cyclists), as long as you don't get too close to the city. It's a different story if you're in a car though.
It's possible that I am still making unconscious comparisons with being in the UK, or that things are really a lot better further north!
France is fab*
In a recent bit of bad timing I got the last ferry back from Roscoff before the bloomin' strike. Damn! I could still be there 😉
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/8308384@N06/sets/72157631581520666/ ]Flickr - Brittany by Bike[/url]
* (possible new French Tourist Board marketing slogan 😉 )
Happy hols, good on ya. I did some roadie in the Alps and found the French drivers would actually cut blind corners on steep roads to give me space, instead of waiting a few moments until they could see before going round. It was bloody terrifying, especially because I knew I'd soon be turning around and coming back down the same way.
OC rider, are you based near the Pilat?
We had our wedding reception there. Never made it back since.
We now live 3km form St Etienne...de st Geoirs, i.e. where Grenoble Isére airport is.
Somewhere between Montelimar and Valence there is an imaginary line, that once crossed erases any road-sense or courtesy from you.
It's the stress of all those northern Europeans converging before they hit the A8 and charge downhill to the coast, desperately elbowing each other out of the way to get stuck in the traffic jams on the Prom' des Anglais.
mugsys_m8 - Is St Etienne as dismal as it seemed when I passed through a few weeks ago. Stopped for lunch and can't see me going back based on that experience.
Never thought of France for beach riding, but looking at Google earth there are some great beaches near Cherbourg.
What's the law on wild camping in France?
....Living on the South Coast is rude not to nip over to France. Getting to Normany/Brittainy is as easy as anywhere (fast-cat ferry or chunnel) else
Anywhere in the SE really, not just the coast - cost, hospitality and culture on offer in Northern France makes trips "up north" seem like the worst value ever...
..as for a "hostile reception", I've been made to feel more welcome in France than in any part of Scotchland.....
Really? I ride a fair bit around Montpellier on and off road and I've always thought that the driving standard is pretty good (with respect to cyclists), as long as you don't get too close to the city. It's a different story if you're in a car though.
I mean as a car driver on main roads and motorways and as someone living 5mins by foot from the place de la Comedie 😉
They're generally shite to each other in cars, but nice to cyclists.
OC rider, are you based near the Pilat?
I'm in Montpellier, but I have a family member who has the misfortune of living in St Etienne. It's just as well the surrounding countryside is nice, because the city isn't as dismal at it seems, but far, far worse!
beach riding seems pretty damned legal... judging by the amount of motorcross bikes, and land yauhts etc.
Wild camping is cool. it may not be legal, but I slept on a rural bmx track, didnt wake to around 11am (a bit of a no no when sneaky camping) and had a council worker say hello, he was cool. We found loads of spot where we would be out of sight, and could of camped.
You can see the berm behind my tipi
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big big beaches....
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Another francophile here
Love the place. Still making my clumsy efforts at learning the language in an attempt to eventually live there
Never ridden there much apart from the cycle lanes on the riviera
Must plan a cycling holiday there. I'll be in Brittany in April/May on a boating holiday, taking a bike seems like a good idea
I love cycling in France, but their population density is so much lower than ours. I guess that's one reason why there are so many quiet lanes and courteous drivers.
Evilsam and I took the bikes over to Brittany from Plymouth in early Sept, had a lovely time camping in the van on deserted beaches. Didn't pay a penny, no one seemed to mind. Did a bit of Mtb ing in Les Monts des Aree too - nothing too taxing, well sign posted and fun. Mmm cheese...
Just to redress the balance slightly.
Last year three riders died on the same day in separate incidents in Breatagne.
Club licences have more than doubled in price due to the insurance costs. At our club meeting we were told that 'guests' can no longer be accepted on club runs as they have no insurance.
I stopped going on our club ride when it does the busy Limoges circuit. A couple of years ago an irate motorist launched a handful of rocks into the bunch. The bloke next to me ended up in hospital with bad cuts and a broken nose.
A nasty trick I've seen a few times. A car comes past, diesel, then changes down and boots it's belching out a could of filth for you to ride through. I expect that happens in the UK too.
SB
What strato says. To be honest it's one thing when you spend a few days as holiday, but it's another story when you live in there. The south east is just horrible. Yes we have the best weather, the best riding, but we do pay a lot for that wether it's in money, in the number of ****ers per square meter on the fact that we have the shitiest road and the highest rate of antisocial behaviour in France. If I could move back to the UK, I'll do it in a heartbeat.
Just rode from St Malo to Bordeaux in a week. Agree with most of the upbeat assessment but it sucks pretty badly if you're vegetarian. What is great in terms of national identity seems on the flipside to be a cultural monoculture preserved in the static Frenchness of my childhood. Great to be able to ride the whole of Brittany on a traffic-free route though. Can't even get 7 miles agreed in Sussex cause of local politics and no will. Singular Peregrine which is usually monstercross was excellent touring. Highlight for me was hanging on the tails of a courier who very kindly showed me the fastest route through Paris. Lowlight, landing in Newhaven
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8172/8045238710_74ab5e1d63.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/36574813@N06/8045238710/ ]IMG_3409[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/36574813@N06/ ]Birdage[/url], on Flickr
Can't even get 7 miles agreed in Sussex cause of local politics and no will
Hmmm, that sounds like a possible reference to the proposed Ouse Valley route from Lewes to Newhaven. The great thing about Newhaven is it leads to Dieppe, formerly my favourite French Channel port until I discovered Roscoff a week or so ago 🙂
Great to be able to ride the whole of Brittany on a traffic-free route
Did you use one of the Verte Voies? We checked a couple of sections out on our recent trip, but TBH, preferred the more scenic backroads that had more architecture and coffee stop possibilities
Birdage, I was reading in the local rag that route continues all the way to Hendaye on voies verts (might not be finished yet, only scanned the article as I was reading it in the shop). It's all traffic free to Bordeaux?
And if you think the touring in the north is good, try the mountain biking in the more lumpy bits...!
also redressing the balance
half french francophile here. Nearly got taken out by a clio full of screming yoofs on hols near Biarritz, kind of pretended to run me off the road
I'm a big b*gger though - scared the merde out of them when I caught them in traffic
but yes overall its deffo nicer there for cycling
(I won't tell them our secret eh charlie.......)
I've been cut up and almost sideswiped a few times riding in France. The vehicles all had GB stickers on the back.
Twunts keeping the whole valley awake? Germans and Brits. Only the Germans shut up when asked mind.
and the cheese! the wine! the bread! If only ...
France is ace? Oh yes indeedy. I toured from Montpellier to Caen earlier this year over 2 weeks. Got cut up about twice the whole time (both French cars), everyone else absolutely fine - trucks, buses included.
I'm planning for next years trip at the moment...
The south east is just horrible. Yes we have the best weather, the best riding, but we do pay a lot for that wether it's in money, in the number of ****ers per square meter on the fact that we have the shitiest road and the highest rate of antisocial behaviour in France.
Ah, the Cote d'Azur. Paris on the Med. 😉
I live in France and whilst I do think it's "ace" I also think the general standard driving here is dreadful compared to the UK. Now I didn't do much road biking in the UK so perhaps they maybe a bit more "bike aware" than than the Brits, but for roughly the same number of cars on the road they have double the number of annual road deaths - says it all really.