Roscoff to Narbonne

[Midge]

France, Roscoff to Narbonne - Thinking of cycling via cycle paths and quiet roads from north to south any pointers would be appreciated.

 

[jay clock]

Have a look at the Velodysee route.. I did some of it on my 2012 ride. https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=2fV&doc_id=11271&v=P1

Personally I would not divert round to Nantes but use the bridge at St Nazaire

I also did some of the same route in reverse in 2016 and personally I don't like the Canal du Midi.. https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=2fV&doc_id=17453&v=DE Very bad surface at the eastern end and very monotonous

 

[jay clock]

https://www.velodyssey.com/

 

[Heltor Chasca]

What do you think of this as a rough idea?

http://cycle.travel/map

Similar thoughts as above on the Canal du Midi. I loved the west coast but the constant sand in my chain made me a bit wild. I wish I knew what I do now about lubes and chain maintenance.

 

[jay clock]

What do you think of this as a rough idea?

http://cycle.travel/map

Similar thoughts as above on the Canal du Midi. I loved the west coast but the constant sand in my chain made me a bit wild. I wish I knew what I do now about lubes and chain maintenance.

that link not showing a route

Basically you can't go wrong. Avoid the Massif Central unless you want loads of hills though

 

[Midge]

Have a look at the Velodysee route.. I did some of it on my 2012 ride. https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=2fV&doc_id=11271&v=P1

Personally I would not divert round to Nantes but use the bridge at St Nazaire

I also did some of the same route in reverse in 2016 and personally I don't like the Canal du Midi.. https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=2fV&doc_id=17453&v=DE Very bad surface at the eastern end and very monotonous

I agree did a small part of the canal a few years ago and it was so boring. Thanks

 

[aegis]

The bridge at St Nazaire is not very bike friendly at all. It's fast multi-lane road traffic, there's no hard shoulder to speak of and big concrete curbs. It's surprisingly steep and can be windy.

Of course I rode over it at night.

I'd stick to the Velodysee route into Nantes.

Here's a nice video of the bridge. If I'd seen it before I got to the bridge and it wasn't so late, I'd have gone via Nantes.

https://experiencefrancebybike.com/saint-nazaire-bridge-crossing-by-bike-update/

 

[gom]

Avoid the Massif Central unless you want loads of hills though

Yes it’s hilly, but beautiful. Went on an organised tour some years ago & would love to go again. However, I can’t argue away the hills, which are certainly there.

 

[jay clock]

The bridge at St Nazaire is not very bike friendly at all. It's fast multi-lane road traffic, there's no hard shoulder to speak of and big concrete curbs. It's surprisingly steep and can be windy.

Of course I rode over it at night.

I'd stick to the Velodysee route into Nantes.

Here's a nice video of the bridge. If I'd seen it before I got to the bridge and it wasn't so late, I'd have gone via Nantes.

https://experiencefrancebybike.com/saint-nazaire-bridge-crossing-by-bike-update/

That posting on the website is over-alarmist in my view. One of the comments fundamentally disagreed. As do I. My take is here https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=2fV&page_id=302220&v=BO and what I said at the time was The St Nazaire bridge over the Loire is huge, and is 4km long, and rumours varied from cycling being either illegal, dangerous or both, and one person (non-cyclist it must be said) suggested I push the bike over! The reality was – easy! Long and quite steep climbing to the top, but a shoulder of about a metre and respectful drivers. Once at the top I took some on the go photos and sped down, instantly peeling off into St Brevin les Bains, a dated but laid back French resort.

My view is that if you are brave enough to consider a long distance tour you are fine to try this bridge.

 

[aegis]

My view is that if you are brave enough to consider a long distance tour you are fine to try this bridge.

Perhaps. It is however quite a shock to the system if you've come off the Velodysee route. That is almost totally traffic free and a great route for beginners.

 

[Tigerbiten]

My view is that if you are brave enough to consider a long distance tour you are fine to try this bridge.

I've also done it and didn't think it was that bad.
But I'm on a bent trike so I cannot wobble which makes a big difference if you hit it when it's both busy and windy as the bike lane is only ~1 meter wide.
So think a 40/50 mph english A road with a wide lane so you'll get close overtakes.

 

[dimrub]

Has anyone any news about this bridge? EV6 starts/ends in Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, and me and the kid are sticklers that way, starting the ride from the Saint-Nazaire side just doesn't quite cut it. On the other hand, fighting dangerous traffic (if it's indeed dangerous) doesn't sound like a great idea for a beginning of a tour. We might take a bus (if bikes are allowed on it) if the recent intel is that it is indeed dangerous.

 

[jay clock]

I commented in 2018 above and friends recently did it in June this year and coped fine. And one of them is a wary cyclist

My only comment would be is to not do it is very strong wind as quite exposed

 

[jay clock]

The bridge at St Nazaire is not very bike friendly at all. It's fast multi-lane road traffic, there's no hard shoulder to speak of and big concrete curbs. It's surprisingly steep and can be windy.

Of course I rode over it at night.

I'd stick to the Velodysee route into Nantes.

Here's a nice video of the bridge. If I'd seen it before I got to the bridge and it wasn't so late, I'd have gone via Nantes.

https://experiencefrancebybike.com/saint-nazaire-bridge-crossing-by-bike-update/

I have just watched that video again. Apart from the wind noise from the camera it shows a narrow shoulder and not a single car passing on the inside Lane.

 

[bluenotebob]

Has anyone any news about this bridge? EV6 starts/ends in Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, and me and the kid are sticklers that way, starting the ride from the Saint-Nazaire side just doesn't quite cut it. On the other hand, fighting dangerous traffic (if it's indeed dangerous) doesn't sound like a great idea for a beginning of a tour. We might take a bus (if bikes are allowed on it) if the recent intel is that it is indeed dangerous.

As far as I can see, the EV6 stays on the south side of the Loire so you wouldn't need to cross the bridge towards St-Nazaire mentioned upthread.