2 weeks in July over the Channel. Ideas please?

Grianan

Grianan

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I’m looking for some new ideas for this year’s summer holiday (second half of July). I try to research a few areas so we can see what forecast is like nearer the time.

Excluding travelling to/from Calais we will have 14 or 15 nights and we’re happy to travel up to 1200km or so from Calais (but less is fine) so France, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, SW Poland and Denmark are all within striking distance ...

Priorities, in order of importance, ...
- dry, warm and preferably sunny weather
- nice villages, countryside and towns, we don’t really enjoy cities much
- we don’t want to book ahead
- love rivers (and lakes) but we’re not beach types in high season
- flattish cycling
- good food

Some of the places we’ve been to that we’ve enjoyed
- the Mosel and the Alpenstrasse in Germany
- Normandy, Loire, Cévennes, Provence, Tarn, Lac de Pareloup, Sommieres, Collioure out of season

If you like similar things I’m really interested to know where else you’ve enjoyed ...

Thanks!!
 
A few days drifting down the A75 in France with all those lovely old villages and smashing views.
Across the hills to Lac de Pareloup, providing the weather is playing ball. (Absolutely love it there (y) )
Then carry on south to Gruissan for some wonderful cycling in the sun. Lots of cycle paths along the coast and through the vineyards. Flat if you want easy riding, hills and climbs if you’re a masochist. :LOL:

That’s the trip we hope to be doing at least once this year.
 
I’ll watch this thread with interest. We’re planning a trip sometime in July / August ourselves.
 
Been to most of the places you list with the van and all good for different reasons, if going to Denmark I'd recommend driving a little further and do Norway really stunning place which I think you'd like. If you book early enough you'll get a good deal from Newcastle so save a bit of a drive.

We did Poland and Czech Republic 3 years and loved Poland, the place was lovely with really friendly locals and through in cheap beer and food.

Have you thought of Slovenia another stunning little country and well worth a visit.

If thinking of Austria why not Switzerland, we did Interlaken and loved it. I think you would love that area as loads to do outside with some stunning walks.

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Agree with Longer - we really enjoyed Switzerland and Austria. And if the weather is not playing ball, then Slovenia and Croatia are not too much further.
 
Thanks so much. Do you think Slovenia and Croatia are doable in 2 weeks mikebeaches lorger Mike and Gerry?

I’d put them on my post-retirement list but that’s still 8 years off so I’d love to get there sooner!
 
I recall you recently travelled to the South of France, and made great progress getting there, so I think it might be doable.

I'd be inclined to head for Austria in the first instance, and see what the weather is like. It's a beautiful country when the sky is blue and the sun is shinning.

On our last trip in that direction we'd planned to go to Istria in Croatia, but didn't get further than Austria because the scenery and weather were stunning.

Our first trip to Croatia (then Yugoslavia!) by car with a tent on board, was in our early 20s. We caught a ferry to Ostend and planned to camp the first night in Austria. It was June and wet snowing there, so we just carried on non-stop to Yugoslavia, where the weather was of course delightful for two weeks on the coast.
 
West of Dijon in France you will find Lake Settons, a much overlooked region but lovely and relaxing, great flat cycling around the lake. We did a 3 week tour of the area a few years ago taking in the Burgundy region as well. Cluny is a nice medieval town.
 
Mountains, lakes and reasonably flat cycling - try the Bodensee (Lake Constance to us Brits). Cycling round the lake you can visit Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with Lichtenstein only a cycle ride away. It's popularly known as 'Germany's South Coast'. Plenty of campsites and stopping places. While in the area you can visit the Rheinfall waterfall near Schaffhausen.
 
Croatia could be uncomfortably warm in July. In two weeks you could amble down to the Cevennes area then follow the Loire down to the coast. From there up to Brittany then back home via Normandy. You could also get a ferry back to the UK from Roscoff or one of the other Channel ports such as Cherbourg.
 
Grianan said:
Thanks so much. Do you think Slovenia and Croatia are doable in 2 weeks mikebeaches lorger Mike and Gerry?

I’d put them on my post-retirement list but that’s still 8 years off so I’d love to get there sooner!
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We visited Croatia a long time ago as young lads it was Yugoslavia back then and we had a great time around Pula ,Rijeka, Istrian area. It was done in two weeks and was a very interesting drive stopping at Lucerne and a French forest the name escapes me but needed a rest when we all got home .
 
If you are going anywhere near the coast in France in the last two weeks in July or the first two in August you will probably need to book campsites, as everywhere will be very busy. Same applies to popular tourist places inland.
 
Croatia is great and do able, we did if from Calais in 1 & 1/2 days and after a week there slowly worked our way back via France and Switzerland. you may want to book at that time of year though. We manged to find a couple of small campsites as most of the sites in Croatia on the coast are huge.

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Sorry but I've been to Croatia / former Jugoslavia about 8 times now and only once in summer holidays. Love the place but would never go again in July or August , its horrendously packed.
 
autorouter said:
Mountains, lakes and reasonably flat cycling - try the Bodensee (Lake Constance to us Brits). Cycling round the lake you can visit Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with Lichtenstein only a cycle ride away. It's popularly known as 'Germany's South Coast'. Plenty of campsites and stopping places. While in the area you can visit the Rheinfall waterfall near Schaffhausen.
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+1 on that.
 
Lots of brilliant ideas thank you.
Tempted by Burgundy as an option (thanks Parrot Face) and Cevennes up to Atlantic Coast and Brittany (thanks DBK).
Happy to leave the coast till October break but Austria/Switzerland/Slovenia all to be explored (thanks lorger, mikebeaches, autorouter).

Not keen on busy beach campsites in Croatia but might see what there is inland and look at the weather guides too.
 

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