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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Best time to visit

Spring and summer.

Northwest France suffers more rain than anywhere else in the country because of the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean. The blustery weather that whips its way up the English Channel separating France from the UK has shaped the rugged Breton coastline. On a fine day (and there are many in Brittany!) this is an enchanting corner of the country. Spring and summer are generally mild, despite the occasional downpour, and some Summers can get unusually hot. July is usually the driest month, followed by June and August. It is often damp, misty and rainy from October through to March. Coastal campsites can get quite full from mid-July to mid-August.

Route 2 Champagne and The Kings' Forest: the Marne Valley and Picardy

Character and terrain

Leaving from Paris CDG airport you immediately cycle across undulating farmland to Vareddes and the tranquil Canal de l'Ourcq. Once Charly-sur-Marne is reached you are on the Route Touristique du Champagne, following the wide Marne Valley with its vineyard-covered slopes all the way to Dormans. Here you will find the magnificent Mémorial des Deux Batailles de la Marne, a huge memorial chapel dedicated to the war dead on the battlefields of the Marne.