first trip to france

[ricardo33]

hello people, i'm new to the forum and new to my blackbird only brought it a week ago and love it already!

i'm planning on a trip to france in a few weeks going from my house in ashby de la zouch heading to portsmouth to catch the ferry to cherbourg then riding down the west coast of france.

it's the first time i have been on a adventure like this so any advice on places to visit or see would be great or even any tips?

thanks in advance

rich

 

[MAG man]

Welcome to the forum. You've done well to figure out that this is the place to ask sensible questions. The coffee shop frequently degenerates quite rapidly.

How far are you going? I did that route as far as the Pyrenees and Barcelona.

The 973 south from Cherbourg is picturesque and takes you to Mont St Michel, sort of.

Head west and you get to Bayeux, the tapestry is well worth a look. Then there's the North coast beaches, Arromanche is where the bulk of the British troops landed on D day and has a museum, 360 theatre with war time footage shows. Bikes park for free at the 360 theatre and there's a free road train for touristy types takes you into the town.

South West of Cherbourg is Le Mans and its' race track.

A few ideas for you.

 

[ricardo33]

thanks for the reply mag man.

i dont know how far we are going to go we are going to ride down the east coast for 3 or 4 days then make our way back.

do you think we should book our hotels/b&b's before we leave or would it be easy enough just to find one on our travels?

really looking forward to doing lots of tours somthing i always wanted to do but was stuck with a grumpy ex wife but now i'm free!! lol

hey thanks for the ideas mag man they sound like great things to do.

rich

 

[Duck n Dive]

Welcome to the nuthouse ricardo33 w4lc0m3


I'm sure you'll have a great trip ... @tu*

 

[tabletenniser]

If you are going to Bayeux to see the tapestry, why not pop to Ste-Mere-Eglise, see where the american para was caught up in the clock tower ( from the film The Longest Day ) A word of warning, we found touring france adictive. We came over, like yourself as a one off touring holiday, it became the first of about 20 trips, we like the place that much, we now live in france. Couple of tips, book hotels before you go, carry ALL documents at all times, watch speed throught villages. Go and enjoy.

 

[MAG man]

I usually use camp sites in France, fairly cheap and very easy. Look out for the "municipal" sites run by the local council, Very cheap. Some are absolutely stunning, some are a right flea-pit.

As for hotels, used them rarely, usually when it's been pissing down and I really can't be arsed to put the tent up. Never had a problem finding one with a room available at short notice. However, if you have a specific hotel in mind, in a particular location, I guess it's best to book in advance just to make sure you get what you want.

 

[stormer]

Travel light use Formule1....

 

[MAG man]

Travel light use Formule1....

They're shit, so are Etap. OK for a brief overnight stop, but if you want a base to tour from, find something better.

I was in France recently, 5 of us were camping (municipal site) and it was fabulous. 20 others stayed at an etap and regretted it. Poor place on an industrial estate next to a main road.

 

[stormer]

They're shit, so are Etap. OK for a brief overnight stop, but if you want a base to tour from, find something better.

I was in France recently, 5 of us were camping (municipal site) and it was fabulous. 20 others stayed at an etap and regretted it. Poor place on an industrial estate next to a main road.

Allright if you want to carry weight for camping and forgo a lot of your bikes pleasure if not weighed down. If you want to travel and stay in one place yes pack your stuff but if you want to travel far and pleasantly with a quick morning start.....................couple of pairs of wash and go shorts and tops:yo: When I go to France I want to be on the move not in one place with the same roads.....

 

[ricardo33]

thanks for all the reply's you have been very informative@tu*

been looking at b&b's some really nice one's theres even one with a pool for 50 euros the night!

just a question for you lot.....how many miles would you ride in a day? i want to get to the mileage done but this is somthing i want to enjoy so i dont want to over do it and not see some nice places on my travels!

rich

 

[stormer]

Just judge your comfortable distances as you would uk miles then slip in an easy rest day when saddle sore.:yo: The toll roads make for relaxed mile gobbling and are less frantic than our Mways but still boring. You will find the heat your main concern...

 

[Stevebrooke]

As you're heading down that way try to visit Oradour-sur-Glane. It's about 10miles NW of Limoges.

The town was destroyed by the Germans in WW2 as revenge for an attack on a German convoy. All the townspeople were rounded up into the church and machine-gunned and then the church set on fire with them in it. It has never been rebuilt and the whole village stands as a monument to those who perished. I believe that only 6 villagers survived the massacre.

 

[Duck n Dive]

just a question for you lot.....how many miles would you ride in a day? i want to get to the mileage done but this is somthing i want to enjoy so i dont want to over do it and not see some nice places on my travels!

rich

Max I've ever done in one day was about 600 miles split into two 300 mile sections with a few hours break between.

I'd suggest making sure you stop every two hours or so at least .. stretch your limbs (proper leg/arm stretch/exercise) & have a walk around.

If you do that it's amazing how long you can go for.

If you've got any worries though plan for short legs each day .. you can always do more if you like but if you've planned/booked based on long daily mileage and it's uncomfortable your scuppered...

Don't forget one it all adds up ... a bit uncomfy end of day 1 can be very, very sore by end of day 2 etc. You need some time to recover... no fun if your tired and sore....


Good luck @tu*

 

[Harry the B.]

Rich, If you want somewhere to stay in Normandy this place comes recommended, http://www.normandybeach.co.uk/index.htm at Arromanche and by the 360 cinema, Me and Carol stayed there in June, Lots of local history and easy to get to plenty of sites.
H.

 

[joescot18]

French Petrol Stations

hello people, i'm new to the forum and new to my blackbird only brought it a week ago and love it already!

i'm planning on a trip to france in a few weeks going from my house in ashby de la zouch heading to portsmouth to catch the ferry to cherbourg then riding down the west coast of france.

it's the first time i have been on a adventure like this so any advice on places to visit or see would be great or even any tips?

thanks in advance

rich

France ,, I arrived via Germany , filled up the BIRD and it would not start due to the imobiliser . Reason , French petrol stations use the same frequesncy as a few alarm systems , solution - push the bike off the forecourt or keep the ignition on . joescot g0551p

 

[Austin Colle]

Il de Re

Just got back from Il de Re on the West coast of France next to La Rochelle - beautiful place an well worth a visit - see some pics

 

[Punchy]

.....just a question for you lot.....how many miles would you ride in a day? .....rich

If touring and having a look round at the views I aim for 175-225 miles a day.
If your wanting to cover distance then it could be anywhere from 350-500 a day, it just depends on how comfortable /tired you are. If I havnt booked accommodation I like to start looking for somewhere to kip by no later than 4pm as I'm too feckin old to sleep in a bus shelter / under a hedge etc.

Roy
TOC
.

 

[Steve398]

Hi, Appreciate that you've probably done your trip by now but here we are anyway..

I've done a fair number of French biking trips now and have used Municipal campsites as suggested, Les Routier accommodation, Formule 1, and Chambre d'hote as well. enjoyed all of them too.
The F1 are generally on industrial estates but that's no probs if all you need is sleep, breakfast is available for about a fiver, all you can eat. They are franchised so quality varies.
Municipal camp sites are generally good but can vary widely in quality, as stated.
Chambre d'hotes are a sort of b&b and find them where you can.
Les Routier is truckers restuarant, excellent value on the plat du jour, but accommodation tends to be basic.

Important stuff

1) Speak French whenever you can even if you're crap they'll appreciate it. Speak loud English and they'll ignore you.
2) Take all of your driving documents and watch speed limits, they are very harsh if you get caught hammering it.
3) Carry spare bulbs etc, there's loads of info on the site of what you are required to carry.

France is very biker friendly, the roads are generally lovely and the coffee excellent. For your first trip I would suggest you avoid the motorways, if you have a satnav set it to other roads which will take you onto the D(omestic) and N(ational) routes and you get the real France, otherwise a motorway is just a motorway.

Take your time, enjoy yourself and you'll be as hooked as the rest of us!

 

[57grant]

My best advice

Take spare rectifyer and lots of cash credit cards etc, money solves most problems. Buy "Europes best roads DVD" from flea bay. It gives you the very best places to ride, Gap, Sospiel, Route Napoleon etc etc.

If you have time check out my two touring on tghe blackbird articles on the IXXRA site

Enjoy

Grant

 

[Paddysteel7]

One thing that will save you is a Visa card debit or credit. They seem to work in most automatic petrol pumps.
They also work in cash points but not sure about extra charges. Ive had most luck with visa debit.
I did 24 hours on the twistys everything in the sticks is closed from 12 till 230 and then closes at 630pm or 7pm.