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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The eight routes – ranging from 209km (131 miles) to 354km (221 miles) in length – have been divided into several stages. Newcomers to cycle touring or cycling in France may wish to consider Routes 1, 2, 3, 5 (excluding the optional climb of Mont Ventoux) and 7, since none exceeds 2000m in total ascent, and all offer a splendid introduction to the country. Routes 6 and 8 (and the climb to Mont Ventoux in Route 5) will appeal to cycle tourists who are looking for more challenging rides in more remote or mountainous parts of France. Route 4 is reserved for those who want to attempt some of the classic Alpine climbs of the Tour de France, involving nearly 6000m of ascent between Geneva and Grenoble with some steep inclines at altitude.

Which Route and When to Go

Route 1 Finistère, ‘the End of the World’: Brittany

Character and terrain

This circular tour starts in Morlaix and heads north to Carantec and the Ile Callot (an island that can only be reached during low tides) before veering west across undulating farmland to Le Folgoët, which has one of the finest Gothic basilica in Brittany. The route then follows the rugged, rocky coastline of northwest Finistère down to the most westerly point of France, the Pointe de Corsen, crossing steep-sided, narrow estuaries, known locally as Les Abers. Follow the coast road round to Brest, cross the Rade de Brest by ferry to Le Fret and cycle the length of the Crozon peninsula to Le Faou. The route then becomes fairly hilly as it continues east across the Parc Naturel Régional d'Armorique to Huelgoat and its fascinating forest. From Huelgoat head north to return to Morlaix.