OK, myself and @Trickedem did our ride/tour home from Geneva. Into France, over the Jura mountains, through France and on to Calais.
So a few observations on my first long road trip through France. Some of these may have already been mentioned in posts above. None of this is in contradiction to anything else that may have been posted by others but solely our own observations from the ride.
The French roads.
We mainly traveled on D roads. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to the numbering system (ie low numbers/high numbers). One D road can be totally car free for miles upon miles, yet another can have juggernauts and cars motoring along at fast speeds. The French drivers do like to speed along these roads though, as they are mainly very long and straight with great sight-lines due to there being not much in the way of hedges like we have in the British countryside. This is quite disconcerting at first, being used to being past on the right rather then the left. However, the majority of drivers give you plenty of room. In 6 days I can count on one hand the number of close passes we had. One of those a Brit and It was noted that the closer you get to the UK the closer the passes seem to be
In 535 miles we must have come across 1 crappy potholed road. We were continually amazed at how good the roads are. Humble D road back routes had some of the most glorious, smooth, clear tarmac. We should be ashamed of the state of the UK's equivalent roads, really shameful.
The distances between small villages and towns can be quite far. But if you can see a church steeple in the distance it means a village ahead. For food and sustenance, stock up either before you set off for the day or stop in the morning time at a Boulangerie, as at around lunch time, most shops in small towns and villages close... for lunch. There may be a bar/tabac open (if there is one), but not all do food. Don't let the look of a Tabac/bar from the outside put you off. Some may look a little shabby, but the welcome was always warm and the service was always good. In a small village, the Tabacs/bars seem to be very close to the church.
Almost no one in the countryside or small towns speaks English or even attempts to. And that's fair enough, why should they?. However, a mix of smiles and a smattering of French usually does the trick and you can get by and it's a bit fun trying. A Bonjour, Bonsoir, Merci, Au Revior goes a long away. Upon leaving, a Bon Courage was usually given in return (also heard shouted at us by random people as we pass). Also walk into a bar/tabac and most people will say Bonjour to you as you walk in. It was quite fun walking onto a place and getting your Bonjour in first then getting back a chorus of replies.
Priorite a Droite.
Now I was a bit worried about this after reading the thread initially. However we did find that they were very few, far between and were always well signposted, Perhaps in some regions of France they are more in use and prevalent then others but we didn't find it a problem at all. Once again, French mortorists seem to be very courteous, polite and cyclist savvy. Waiting at a junction for you to pass before they proceed. The original tip was great in the sense that it did make us very aware and to look out for them.
Wild camping.
We did the hotel thing on our tour, however, we where amazed at how vast the French countryside is. I knew that France is a big country, but the scale of it, especially the agricultural areas and the woods/forests is vast. Very little seemed to be fenced in. We both did think that there would be ample places to wild camp. Many a time us old men had to stop for a waz on the road side and a few steps into a wood showed that a small tent could easy be pitched without being seen from the road (or elsewhere for that matter).
I thoroughly enjoyed our ride/time through France. Far more then I thought I would. The place is beautiful, the people are beautiful and the roads are beautiful. I can't wait to go back and discover more.
So a few observations on my first long road trip through France. Some of these may have already been mentioned in posts above. None of this is in contradiction to anything else that may have been posted by others but solely our own observations from the ride.
The French roads.
We mainly traveled on D roads. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to the numbering system (ie low numbers/high numbers). One D road can be totally car free for miles upon miles, yet another can have juggernauts and cars motoring along at fast speeds. The French drivers do like to speed along these roads though, as they are mainly very long and straight with great sight-lines due to there being not much in the way of hedges like we have in the British countryside. This is quite disconcerting at first, being used to being past on the right rather then the left. However, the majority of drivers give you plenty of room. In 6 days I can count on one hand the number of close passes we had. One of those a Brit and It was noted that the closer you get to the UK the closer the passes seem to be
In 535 miles we must have come across 1 crappy potholed road. We were continually amazed at how good the roads are. Humble D road back routes had some of the most glorious, smooth, clear tarmac. We should be ashamed of the state of the UK's equivalent roads, really shameful.
The distances between small villages and towns can be quite far. But if you can see a church steeple in the distance it means a village ahead. For food and sustenance, stock up either before you set off for the day or stop in the morning time at a Boulangerie, as at around lunch time, most shops in small towns and villages close... for lunch. There may be a bar/tabac open (if there is one), but not all do food. Don't let the look of a Tabac/bar from the outside put you off. Some may look a little shabby, but the welcome was always warm and the service was always good. In a small village, the Tabacs/bars seem to be very close to the church.
Almost no one in the countryside or small towns speaks English or even attempts to. And that's fair enough, why should they?. However, a mix of smiles and a smattering of French usually does the trick and you can get by and it's a bit fun trying. A Bonjour, Bonsoir, Merci, Au Revior goes a long away. Upon leaving, a Bon Courage was usually given in return (also heard shouted at us by random people as we pass). Also walk into a bar/tabac and most people will say Bonjour to you as you walk in. It was quite fun walking onto a place and getting your Bonjour in first then getting back a chorus of replies.
Priorite a Droite.
Now I was a bit worried about this after reading the thread initially. However we did find that they were very few, far between and were always well signposted, Perhaps in some regions of France they are more in use and prevalent then others but we didn't find it a problem at all. Once again, French mortorists seem to be very courteous, polite and cyclist savvy. Waiting at a junction for you to pass before they proceed. The original tip was great in the sense that it did make us very aware and to look out for them.
Wild camping.
We did the hotel thing on our tour, however, we where amazed at how vast the French countryside is. I knew that France is a big country, but the scale of it, especially the agricultural areas and the woods/forests is vast. Very little seemed to be fenced in. We both did think that there would be ample places to wild camp. Many a time us old men had to stop for a waz on the road side and a few steps into a wood showed that a small tent could easy be pitched without being seen from the road (or elsewhere for that matter).
I thoroughly enjoyed our ride/time through France. Far more then I thought I would. The place is beautiful, the people are beautiful and the roads are beautiful. I can't wait to go back and discover more.
Last edited:
