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Long way home, Bridgwater to Vienna Spring 2010

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kingoftheworld:

Hi Guy's.

Picking up my EXP in the spring. The plan is then to cycle to Portsmouth
get the ferry over to Le Havre. From there I was thinking of following the Seine
to the source (Dijon). From there I'm not sure Switzerland & then into Austria.

Anybody out there that might have cycled the Seine ? Or have you any other
possible ideas for a nice route ? I'm easy on which Port I go from. 

 

Fred A-M:
Hi Kingoftheworld

I'm not sure that the Seine would be a particularly picturesque route, certainly not as you approach Paris and liable to be traffic laden.  Unless you know it to be well served by cycle paths and minor roads, my instinct would be to avoid the Seine either side of Paris or any major cities such as Rouen and Le Havre as long stretches are likely to make for uncomfortable/unpleasant cycling.   

A lot of cyclists seem quite content to cycle along easily avoidable major roads, which to my mind defeats the whole purpose of cycle touring, not to mention being quite dangerous.

 If your really looking to get the most out of your journey across France, I'd buy a Michelin road atlas of france (£8/9) and tear out relevant pages for your actual trip.  It's sufficiently detailed to identify more rewarding rural backroads and  picturesque routes are clearly marked in green - planning accordingly has generally served me well.  I'm fairly certain that with a bit of additional research, you could generate a much more rewarding route.

Best of luck with your trip, look forward to hearing about it.

geocycle:
How about looking at this http://www.eurovelo6.org/folder_listing?set_language=en as a guide.  I know it is a bit further south than you mentioned but that's no bad thing in France!  It is certainly on my list of routes to try but I've only touched parts of it and cannot really comment.

kingoftheworld:
Good morning guys.

Great information.

Fred thanks for getting me of the Seine part, your right, it does seem to be way to busy
& going by the lack of information I found for cyclists, not the most loved route either!

Geocycle you've sold me on the idea of cycling the Loire. I crossed it this year
on my way from Strasbourg to Pamplona (www.keepOnCycling.com) go to Journals
then video's for snippets.

So the Loire it is.Works well with the ferries from Portsmouth, also the more South I am the
better chance of good weather (theoretically) . I've cycled the Danube part many times.
I know it like the back of my hand, but I certainly never get tired of it.



 

geocycle:
Well I love the Loire region but have not yet had the chance to cycle there.  Others on here (Fred?) might have.  Everywhere else I've cycled in France (mainly provence) has been fantastic.  Let us know how you find EV6.  Great web site by the way.

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