Ou est le cycling routes

[ToBoldlyGo]

What resources do you all use for finding cycling routes in France?

 

[OwnedbyCollies]

France Vélo Tourisme: All cycling routes in France

All cycling routes and itineraries in France : prepare your bike trip with your family, friends or as a couple for a weekend or during your holidays.

en.francevelotourisme.com

Starter for 10 ...

 

[Grianan]

Voies vertes de France, balades à vélo et roller

Portail national des voies vertes, site des itinéraires vélo pour tous, randonnées, roller, fauteuil, véloroutes et voies vertes, cartes et infos. Préparer vos balades sur les meilleurs parcours.

www.voiesvertes.com

 

[2x2camper]

What resources do you all use for finding cycling routes in France?

Surely you just unlock your bike from your motorhome and cycle off. There are lots of roads

 

[two]

Look on-line for the area you're interested. There's usually a good path alongside canals and a good littering of Velo Vertes but the minor roads are not busy so reasonably safe. Just get on the bike(s) and explore, using your senses.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[WillH]

Local tourist office is a good resource.

 

[63720]

Update your Google maps and there's a new icon in the menu for cycling routes.

 

[clanjones]

It depends on what you want to do. Do you only want to cycle on cycle ways or do you mean good routes to cycle?

We have cycled extensively in France using nothing more than good maps, Google and Strava. We don't really use cycle ways but there is an excellent cycle path along the Loire. Google voie verte for French cycle paths if that is what you are looking for.

 

[ToBoldlyGo]

Thanks OwnedByCollies and Grianan.

2x2camper. I want to think of mh routes I'm going to do and what
aires we may stay at, having first looked at what cycling areas /
routes might suit us, and very preferably not too much on roads. The
general plan is go down the E side of France in March maybe until we
hit the south of France, so I'm initially looking at cycle friendly routes
that way but I want to build up some cycling links for anywhere in France.

Sillious Sodus ooh that sounds great, thanks!

clanjones. We're not cyclists at all really we bought them in 2018
and I guess we've cycled 40 miles since then. I will probably convert
the bikes to ebikes later in the year but to begin with I want to find
easy routes and then progressively get more ambitious so that by the
time we swap to ebikes we've a bit more fitness and general savoir
faire on the bikes.

>Do you only want to cycle on cycle ways or do you mean good routes to cycle?

I mostly mean easy green routes and very quiet small country roads.
What for you makes a good route?

two exploring is what it's all about but I want to know something
about an area first, eg I don't want to tell my oh we're going to
pop along a nice looking short route only to find it means ascending
the massif central

 

[Grianan]

Our first time cycling in France we cycled 750km from Bordeaux to Port La Nouvelle. over 10 days. We had our (then) 9yo son and 15yo daughter with us. We carried tents, clothes and cooking equipment with us. Predominantly, we cycled on flat tow paths and that would still be my preferred option now.
Our last time in France this summer we cycled a little along the Med coast (on the flat) and along the Loire. Other, much fitter folk, tackled the hills!
Burgundy looks as if it has good cycle networks along the canals where you can do shorter loops from your motorhome and this is on my ‘hit list’.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[PhilMary]

ToBoldlyGo Last year, with help from this very forum, I started off with the Canal du Midi. As the name suggests it is alongside the canal so no hills at all. Since that I have done a few of the canal/river routes nearly all of the on the flat.
I do the planning by looking for an area I want to visit then look on the map for either the Velo route or a canal. I then stop at an Aire, the first day I ride back the way I came and then back to the Aire, the second day I ride the other way and back to the motorhome, on the third day I move to a new Aire further along my route and pitch up for two nights and repeat the process moving my way along my adventure.
I do have the big advantage of no time restraints and have been able to see lots of things I had previously missed by rushing through to get to ....
Phil

 

[Clarky]

If you want a combination of easy flat and safe cycling combined with sun and sea try Gruissan, near Narbonne.
Couple of aires or a campsite, lots of cycle paths and quiet lanes and no one worries when you ride around the marina and along by the beach.
You can ride into the centre of Narbonne, along the coast to Narbonne Plage and through vineyards and woods.
Cyclists have priority at many road crossings and French drivers give you plenty of room if you are on the road.
We will be back there again just as soon as the weather gets a bit warmer and if you are heading that way in March I can show you some smashing easy rides.

Richard.

 

[yodeli]

Bon.... très bien tout ça! MAIS .... ça ne s'appelle pas des "cycling routes" , ça s'appelle des "pistes cyclables"
So when in France look for the French word for it. If asking at the reception of a small Mairie, you might face someone who will just understand the French words for it. ..... Just Saying

 

[Devon Sue]

Excellent off road cycling along the Gironde estuary, we like to stay at St Palais sur Mer

 

[clanjones]

ToBoldlyGo re. Routes - it is really what ticks your boxes. We took up tandem cycling 4 years ago and I never dreamt we would achieve some of the rides we have done.

So as you say start slowly and build up. Mountains ticks our boxes, but it is not for everyone hence my original thoughts!

The key thing is whatever you do make sure you enjoy it! The French Green Routes would be a good starting point I think.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[ToBoldlyGo]

Here's another example of the kind of websites I'm looking for to plan out our tour from calais to somewhere round the côte d'azur:

Carte interactive des voies vertes, pistes cyclables, circuits et itinéraires vélo et Velib en France

A l’aide de notre carte interactive des voies vertes en France, pistes cyclables, circuits vélo et itinéraires vélo, réservez votre location proximité d’une voie verte, d’une piste cyclable, d’un circuit ou d’un itinéraire vélo.

www.ma-voie-verte.fr

 

[ToBoldlyGo]

That sounds just the thing, thanks Richard. Let me just go find where Narbon ne is .. I found it now, it's further west than I was thinking of, but the idea is to spend the whole of March on this tour and frankly I know so little about France and this will be only our second tour, it's easy for me to say we'll go a particular way buto unless it's one of the areas I be heard of such as Alsace I've no idea whether the routes enjoyable or not.

If you want a combination of easy flat and safe cycling combined with sun and sea try Gruissan, near Narbonne.
Couple of aires or a campsite, lots of cycle paths and quiet lanes and no one worries when you ride around the marina and along by the beach.
You can ride into the centre of Narbonne, along the coast to Narbonne Plage and through vineyards and woods.
Cyclists have priority at many road crossings and French drivers give you plenty of room if you are on the road.
We will be back there again just as soon as the weather gets a bit warmer and if you are heading that way in March I can show you some smashing easy rides.

Richard.

 

[ToBoldlyGo]

Thanks. I learnt "Le chenille" through the forum not something that language apps teach and pistes cyclables is another phrase to add to my motor homing vocabulary!

Bon.... très bien tout ça! MAIS .... ça ne s'appelle pas des "cycling routes" , ça s'appelle des "pistes cyclables"
So when in France look for the French word for it. If asking at the reception of a small Mairie, you might face someone who will just understand the French words for it. ..... Just Saying

 

[yodeli]

Thanks. I learnt "Le chenille" through the forum not something that language apps teach and pistes cyclables is another phrase to add to my motor homing vocabulary!

Errrr... escuse me sir, I have to put you right here, it is LA chenille .... I know, masculine and feminine are a pain, but if you have to learn, then best to learn the proper words !

 

[ToBoldlyGo]

I love Fun, I even get language lessons

Errrr... escuse me sir, I have to put you right here, it is LA chenille .... I know, masculine and feminine are a pain, but if you have to learn, then best to lear the proper words !

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[yodeli]

Actually thinking of Chenilles, we usually use plural , so LES chenilles , as you seldom have a prob with one only. While we use LA chenille for children's ride!
Makes me think of a song we usually have for weddings parties!!! happy day everyone!