Tour de Manche

[geocycle]

Just back from doing 480 miles of the tour de manche, a cycle route along the French and English sides of the channel.  I went from Poole to Cherbourg and headed west through Normandy and Brittany back to Roscoff and the ferry to Plymouth. Had wonderful weather and food! Here are a few shots to whet your appetites.

[Etienne]

  --- nice to ear this---- since 2 years ... I am dreaming about it ...

(but just came back from a 4 days in Isles of Wright !- where it is a bit dangerous to bike -especially with a recumbent !)

Allow me some questions -

a)  Always on save route ?
b) Sleeping opportunity (only via advance booking or many camping facilities ?)

kr,

[geocycle]

I followed the downloaded route quite closely. It was generally very well thought out and signed. Because it follows the coast in many places there are opportunities to take short cuts if needed. I used prebooked hotels but camping would have been possible.

Here's another pic at St Lo, by the Vire cycle path:

[jags]

can you post your route by any chance.
thanks for the pics there class.


anto.

[geocycle]

can you post your route by any chance.
thanks for the pics there class.


anto.

This is the route http://en.tourdemanche.com I stopped in Poole, Carentan, Vire, mont st michel, st cast le guido, st quay and Lannion. Did 60-70 miles a day.  The Normandy sections are mainly flat and largely off road on good cycle routes. Brittany is more small lanes and regular sharp hills.

Here's a cake stop French style!

[honesty]

How long did it take you? I rather like the look of the petit tour de man he as a short week tour.

[geocycle]

I did 6 days cycling in France. The first was actually a long afternoon after the ferry docked in Cherbourg. The petit tour would be a very pleasant trip. The first voie Verte was long and dusty with the odd rough area but surfaces were generally good and fine on the RST. You'd not take a carbon frivolity on it though. Very few dog walkers or other users. There was a tendency to feel you are in a bit of a green tunnel for miles on the old railway sections. This actually worked ok given the heat I encountered but it was good to break things up through villages etc. parts of it along the Vire were idyllic. On the petit tour the only hills are just out of Cherbourg and just before the town of Vire. You do then climb again to 320m but the gradient is over 15km and imperceptible.

Here's the approach to Mont St michel

[jags]

Thanks for that i  toured  in france few years back back it was a total disaster .love to give it another go sometime,starting point would be Cherbourg.

cheers
anto.

[Slammin Sammy]

  Thanks so much for this thread. There's another tour added to my bucket list - the TDM in June!

(with any luck, it'll be next June...)

[John Saxby]

Great post, geo -- good to have a reference for a week of quality cycling.