Читать книгу Cycle Touring in France. Eight tours in Brittany, Picardy, Alsace, Auvergne/Languedoc, Provence, Dordogne/Lot, the Alps and the Pyrenees онлайн

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For timetables and further information visit www.ter-sncf.com for regional networks, or www.voyages-sncf.com for train journeys from one region to another.

Roads

The condition of French roads varies considerably. One moment you may be cycling along a recently resurfaced road with a cycle lane – the next you are avoiding potholes on a bumpy stretch of cracked asphalt! The reason for this is usually a régional, départmentale or communale one. In effect, there are three levels of local government.

Near Gabre (Route 6)

France is divided into 22 regions, sub-divided into 96 départments, and these are, in turn, sub-divided into about 36,000 local communes – the equivalent of a parish or borough. The regional councils are responsible for Autoroutes (motorways) and Routes Nationales (main trunk roads), often marked on maps and road signs as ‘N’ or ‘RN’ roads. Bicycles are not allowed on Autoroutes, which are marked as ‘A’ roads and their road signs are blue. ‘D’ roads are the responsibility of the départmentale councils and are quieter secondary roads, while ‘C’ roads are rural roads that the local commune looks after (or not, depending on funding). Most of the roads covered in this guidebook are in good condition or have recently been resurfaced, many with cycle lanes or paths running alongside them. It is also not uncommon to discover, for example, that the D77 (that you have been cycling along) suddenly becomes the D52 for no apparent reason. This is probably due to you having crossed the boundary line between départments.