V
vernon
Guest
Rather than a blow by blow account of the ride I've grouped aspects together
Route - adapted version of a CTC Channel to the Med route listed on their
website. The original route was from Calais to St Tropez. I followed it as
far as Orange then veered westwards to Montpellier via the Carmargue.
Scenery - totally boring from Calais through the Somme becoming more
interesting from Troyes southwards. Riding through the Somme provided me
with the opportunity to visit some war cemeteries. It came as a surprise to
me to find that there were German, French and American war cemeteries too.
They'd never figured in any of my UK based encounters with WW1 history at
school, in books or on TV. The large expanses of monoculture around the
Somme emphasised the sparse population of the area. Rhone/Saone gap into
Provence was much more interesting and the proliferation of vineyards made
for some interesting views of hillside terraces. I'd have hated to be a
grape picker on the hill sides. Enjoyed passing through some of the major
towns and cities including Amiens, Troyes, Dijon, Macon, Orange, Avignon,
Arles and Sete. Lyons was a lovely city but a nightmare to navigate across.
Buildings - surprised by many towns containing churches that appeared to be
bigger than the town could sustain. Some of the modern designs were very
striking in their simplicity. The older ones were stunning. Modern buildings
appear to be more adventurous in their designs than UK based buildings. The
Roman amphitheatre at Orange is breathtaking. Saw the pont at Avignon and
admired the walls of the city. Several aqueducts spotted.
Food - the fruit was amazing in its variety and depth of flavours. Sampled
many roadside wild plums and grapes from vineyards along with local melons,
tomatoes, peaches and plums. The patisserie products were works of art and
I managed to restrict myself to four purchases of cake throughout the tour
though I'm not prepared to divulge the magnitude of the purchases
.
Roadside lunches of baguette, cheese, tomato, pate and red wine were daily
occurrences and I'm certain that my calorie intake was less than expenditure
yet I never suffered from bonking.
Mechanical problems - the sole of a newish (worn 8 times) spd shoe detached
itself towards the end of the first full day's ride. I lost half a day
finding a bike shop that was open on a Monday. A spoke pulled through the
rim of my rear wheel and I managed to scrounge a lift to a Decathlon in
Macon to purchase a cheap replacement. Everything else worked well.
Weather - scorching first day followed by two days at 12 degrees and
rain/mist. Moderately overcast for several days before warming up to max at
27 degrees in Provence and the Carmargue. A couple of nights were cold
enough to warrant having to supplement the insulation of my summer weight
sleeping bag. Overall though, the weather was perfect for cycling.
Roadkill - rats, rabbits and hedgehogs were very common and I had to wait
until the Carmargue to see my first exotica - a freshly killed Coypu. My
excitement turned to boredom within 10km as I spotted a further five example
in various stages of flatness and decay. Saw a couple of dead snakes too.
Flora and Fauna - roadside plums were common, I couldn't identify what was
the source of the heady herby/woody scents that would fill the air as I rode
through provence. Discovered rice fields in the carmargue. Spotted praying
mantises, countless lizards and brightly coloured butterflies plus several
flocks of flamingos in the lagoons at the Carmargue coast.
Language - I managed to communicate with the French in French all of the
time. I know that I made some grammatical and tense errors but on several
occasions I was complemented on my language skills which I found pleasing.
My comprehension of the language improved with time and by the end of the
trip I was able to respond immediately in French without having to spend
time framing my phrases. The Rough Guide to France has a very useful section
dealing with bike parts which allowed me to specify a thirty six spoke
wheel to replace the one that I had with a broken rim. Subsequently
discovered that Sheldon Brown has an English/French lexicon of cycling.
Coach Travel - European Bike Express was wonderful. Jason the host is an
amazing bundle of energy and wit. The coach journeys were comfortable and
using the company removed all the hassle of having to book and use several
trains at each end of the journey plus the ferry crossings. I'll be using
the company again next year. I have every intention of exploring a smaller
area of France at a slower pace.
Route - adapted version of a CTC Channel to the Med route listed on their
website. The original route was from Calais to St Tropez. I followed it as
far as Orange then veered westwards to Montpellier via the Carmargue.
Scenery - totally boring from Calais through the Somme becoming more
interesting from Troyes southwards. Riding through the Somme provided me
with the opportunity to visit some war cemeteries. It came as a surprise to
me to find that there were German, French and American war cemeteries too.
They'd never figured in any of my UK based encounters with WW1 history at
school, in books or on TV. The large expanses of monoculture around the
Somme emphasised the sparse population of the area. Rhone/Saone gap into
Provence was much more interesting and the proliferation of vineyards made
for some interesting views of hillside terraces. I'd have hated to be a
grape picker on the hill sides. Enjoyed passing through some of the major
towns and cities including Amiens, Troyes, Dijon, Macon, Orange, Avignon,
Arles and Sete. Lyons was a lovely city but a nightmare to navigate across.
Buildings - surprised by many towns containing churches that appeared to be
bigger than the town could sustain. Some of the modern designs were very
striking in their simplicity. The older ones were stunning. Modern buildings
appear to be more adventurous in their designs than UK based buildings. The
Roman amphitheatre at Orange is breathtaking. Saw the pont at Avignon and
admired the walls of the city. Several aqueducts spotted.
Food - the fruit was amazing in its variety and depth of flavours. Sampled
many roadside wild plums and grapes from vineyards along with local melons,
tomatoes, peaches and plums. The patisserie products were works of art and
I managed to restrict myself to four purchases of cake throughout the tour
though I'm not prepared to divulge the magnitude of the purchases
.Roadside lunches of baguette, cheese, tomato, pate and red wine were daily
occurrences and I'm certain that my calorie intake was less than expenditure
yet I never suffered from bonking.
Mechanical problems - the sole of a newish (worn 8 times) spd shoe detached
itself towards the end of the first full day's ride. I lost half a day
finding a bike shop that was open on a Monday. A spoke pulled through the
rim of my rear wheel and I managed to scrounge a lift to a Decathlon in
Macon to purchase a cheap replacement. Everything else worked well.
Weather - scorching first day followed by two days at 12 degrees and
rain/mist. Moderately overcast for several days before warming up to max at
27 degrees in Provence and the Carmargue. A couple of nights were cold
enough to warrant having to supplement the insulation of my summer weight
sleeping bag. Overall though, the weather was perfect for cycling.
Roadkill - rats, rabbits and hedgehogs were very common and I had to wait
until the Carmargue to see my first exotica - a freshly killed Coypu. My
excitement turned to boredom within 10km as I spotted a further five example
in various stages of flatness and decay. Saw a couple of dead snakes too.
Flora and Fauna - roadside plums were common, I couldn't identify what was
the source of the heady herby/woody scents that would fill the air as I rode
through provence. Discovered rice fields in the carmargue. Spotted praying
mantises, countless lizards and brightly coloured butterflies plus several
flocks of flamingos in the lagoons at the Carmargue coast.
Language - I managed to communicate with the French in French all of the
time. I know that I made some grammatical and tense errors but on several
occasions I was complemented on my language skills which I found pleasing.
My comprehension of the language improved with time and by the end of the
trip I was able to respond immediately in French without having to spend
time framing my phrases. The Rough Guide to France has a very useful section
dealing with bike parts which allowed me to specify a thirty six spoke
wheel to replace the one that I had with a broken rim. Subsequently
discovered that Sheldon Brown has an English/French lexicon of cycling.
Coach Travel - European Bike Express was wonderful. Jason the host is an
amazing bundle of energy and wit. The coach journeys were comfortable and
using the company removed all the hassle of having to book and use several
trains at each end of the journey plus the ferry crossings. I'll be using
the company again next year. I have every intention of exploring a smaller
area of France at a slower pace.