Facilities (hire, accommodation, etc.) and green tracks are multiplying, safely meshing together along a coastline that welcomes cycling tourists looking for a new approach to the seaside. Travelling with family or friends, you can move from a pirate citadel to a little fishing port, or from a sandy beach to salt marshes, in just a few spins of the wheel.
The wild coasts and sea mists are all yours!
Along the Nord-Picardy coastline
From Dunkirk to the Bay of the Somme, landscapes of cliffs and beaches, where the green of the country blends with the emerald green of the North Sea and the Channel. The ride takes you past Boulogne-sur-Mer, Hardelot, or even along the famous beach at Le Touquet.
The routes:
Picardy Coast Cycling Map:
www.baiedesomme.org/html/fr/plan_velo/info_pratique/index.htm (Green trails round the bay of the Somme)
Along the coasts of Normandy
From Dieppe to Mont-Saint-Michel, via Deauville, Honfleur or Cherbourg, landscapes alternate between high chalk cliffs, seaside resorts and long sandy beaches, including those famous for the 1944 Landings.
Routes and ideas for breaks:
Channel Cycling Routes: www.mancherandonnee.com/circuits_cyclo.html (Green trails along the Channel coast)
Butterfield&Robinson: www.butterfield.com/index.asp?navid=5083&csid1=7&csid2=11 (Organised trips)
Loire Valley Travel: www.loire-valley-travel.com/bretagne/bretagne_lvt-br1.htm (Organised trips round Mont-Saint-Michel)
and www.loire-valley-travel.com/normandie/normandie_lvt-nm1.htm (Rides from Bayeux to Honfleur)
Discover France: www.bikingfrance.com/regions/normandy_sg.html (Organised trips)
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Along the coasts of Brittany
A rich historic heritage takes the visitor to Saint-Malo, Perros-Guirec, Brest, Bénodet, Quimper, Lorient or Vannes, on the coast of the Gulf of Morbihan. Little ports alternate with pebble beaches and wild creeks in this land bathed in legend, where nature is protected. |
Routes and ideas for breaks:
The green trails of Brittany: www.randobreizh.com/VoiesVertesDeBretagne.htm (Map and contacts)
Loire Valley Travel: www.loire-valley-travel.com/bretagne/bretagne_lvt-br5.htm (Trip round the Morbihan)
La Bicyclette Verte: www.bicyclette-verte.com/bv1.htm (Trips in northern and southern Brittany)
Cycling in Brittany: www.formulesbretagne.com/fr/rando/velo/bretagne_sud.cfm (Organised trips)
Discover France: www.bikingfrance.com/regions/brittany_sg.html (Organised trips)
Along the coastline of Western Loire
The River Loire joins the Atlantic Ocean at Saint-Nazaire, not far from La Baule and Pornic. At Guérande you ride across the salt marshes before extending the ride along the Côte dAmour. After the Loire comes the Vendée with its farmland, Saint-Jean de Mont, Les Sables dOlonne and lîle de Noirmoutier
Routes and ideas for breaks:
Cyclable trails in the Region: www.enpaysdelaloire.com/new/fr/circuits/ and http://pistes-cyclables.vendee.fr (Vendée)
Vélocéan: http://ports-plaisance.loire-atlantique.fr/4_visiter/velocean/velocean.html (Loire-Atlantique green trail)
Eurovéloroute des fleuves: www.euroveloroute.com (Green trail to Nantes)
Loire Valley Travel: www.loire-valley-travel.com/vendee/vendee_ve1.htm (Organised trips in Vendée)
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Along the coasts of Poitou-Charentes
From La Rochelle, pedal off for the delightful Ile de Ré nearby, a cyclists paradise, then head south for the oyster farms or the hills of Cognac. The route goes via Rochefort, the Ile dOléron, Brouage and its Vauban citadel, or Royan |
Routes and ideas for breaks
La Bicyclette Verte : www.bicyclette-verte.com/bv1.htm (Organised trips round La Rochelle and the Ile de Ré)
Ile de Ré: www.iledere.fr
Discover France: www.bikingfrance.com/regions/poitou_sg.html (Organised trips from La Rochelle to Cognac)
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Along the coasts of Aquitaine
Between the Garonne estuary and the Basque Country explore the Médoc, a land of wines and chateaux, Bordeaux, the Arcachon basin and its imposing Pyla dune, long beaches fringed with pine forests, until you come to Biarritz. A perfectly maintained uninterrupted green trail all along this coast, via Lacanau, Biscarosse and Cap-Breton. |
Routes and ideas for breaks
La Transeuropéenne: http://transeuropeenne.free.fr/transeuropeenne.aquitaine.htm (Green trail from the Pointe de Grave to Hendaya)
Cyclable trails in the Gironde: www.tourisme-gironde.cg33.fr/cdt_piste_cyclable.asp
La Bicyclette Verte : www.bicyclette-verte.com/bv1.htm (Organised trips round the Landes)
Loire Valley Travel: www.loire-valley-travel.com/vendee/vendee_bo1.htm (Organised trips round the Médoc)
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Along the coasts of the great South East
From Cap dAgde, near the Canal du Midi, via the seaside resorts of Languedoc-Roussillon like La Grande Motte and Saint Cyprien; discover the wild Camargue, the landscapes of Provence via Aix-en-Provence, Marseilles, and Six-Fours-les-Plages, and finally come to the lively Côte dAzur and the towns of Saint-Tropez, Cannes-Mandelieu, Saint Maxime, and Nice. |
Routes and ideas for breaks
From Lac Léman to the sea: www.dulemanalamer.com (Around the Camargue)
Butterfield&Robinson: www.butterfield.com/index.asp?navid=5083&csid1=23&csid2=11 (Organised trips in Provence)
Discover France: www.bikingfrance.com/regions/languedoc_sg.html (Organised trips in Languedoc-Roussillon)
and www.bikingfrance.com/regions/provence_sg.html (Organised trips in Provence)
Additional contacts and information
Association Française de développement des Véloroutes et Voies Vertes : www.af3v.org
Fédération du Cyclotourisme en France (FFCT): www.ffct.org/sejours (Theme breaks)
Cyclo-Camping International: www.cci.asso.fr
Details and presentation of trails:
http://240plan.ovh.net/~afv/rechercher_vvv.php (Many trails with descriptions)
Rides programme: www.ffct.org/pratiquer/cn_ran.htm (Calendar of excursions)
Specialist Agencies
La Bicyclette Verte : www.bicyclette-verte.com/bv1.htm
Loire Valley Travel : www.loire-valley-travel.com
Discover France : www.bikingfrance.com/bikeindex.html
Butterfield&Robinson : www.butterfield.com/index.asp?navid=5046&fid5=2
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Away from the crowds and the traditional tourist haunts, cycling routes and green trails are a good, original way of enjoying and exploring the coasts of France. Cycling is economical, and gives you easy access to the magnificent landscapes overlooking the ocean as you enjoy a natural environment or unique history at your own speed. In the land of the Tour de France, the best way to explore the coastline is by pedalling! | |