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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Route 8 Rugged and Remote: Auvergne and Languedoc

Stage 1 Meymac to Riom-ès-Montagnes

Stage 2 Riom-ès-Montagnes to St Flour

Stage 3 St Flour to Marvejols

Stage 4 Marvejols to Florac

Stage 5 Florac to Alès

Appendix A Glossary: Bicycle Parts and Other Useful Cycling Terms

Appendix B Accommodation

Appendix C Further Reading

Appendix D Regional Specialities and Wines of France

Appendix E Information Centres

Appendix F Embassies and Consulates

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INTRODUCTION

Twice as big as the United Kingdom and four-fifths the size of Texas, France is a country rich in diverse landscapes and beautiful scenery, offering some of the best cycle touring in the world.

The routes in this guidebook have been specifically selected to give cycle tourists a taste of eight individual areas of France. Whether you want to tackle some of the steep mountain climbs of the Tour de France, or simply cycle alongside meandering rivers overlooked by hill villages and châteaux in the Dordogne and Lot, there is something here for everyone. The rugged, rocky coastline of Finistère and the magical, mythical woods near Huelgoat in Brittany; the vineyards and battlefields of the Marne, and beautiful forests of Retz and Compiègne in Picardy; the lavender fields and olive groves of Provence; the Route des Vins d'Alsace near the border with Germany; the volcanic Auvergne and wild Cévennes in the Massif Central – there is wonderful cycling country wherever you decide to go.