Our Route

France is beautiful country to ride in.  Beautiful scenery, lovely villages, great cycle paths and the beast baguettes!

France is a very cycle friendly country and the roads separate bikes from cars most times and we felt safe at all times.

Camping has a defined time in France, July and August and slowly tapers off, closing during September to October.

Although wild camping is illegal, you can find spots along the canals easily.

Beware of shops opening hours, most close after midday and reopen around 4pm. Also many are closed Sunday afternoon and Monday mornings. (except the large supermarket chains).

France is part of the EuroVelo, a network of cycle routes criss-crossing Europe.

We rode along the Western Front on quiet roads, then EuroVelo 3 through the Loire Valley following canals.  We crossed to the Mediterranean along the Canal des Deux Mers.

France is a bike friendly country and has bike lanes in all cities, including Paris which has a very large cycling network.

France roads always separated bikes from cars so we had no fear riding.

We arrived in France early August and the weather was perfect  for riding.  We had fine weather until October when the weather became cooler causing damp tents every morning .  When we arrived at Bordeaux in mid October, then the rain started.

Population:  68 million
Language:     French
Capital:          Paris