Dates: 6th to 13th June 2026
Location: Alba Hôtel Lac d’Orient, 7 Rue de la Basse Bataille, 10140, Mesnil-Saint-Père
Join us for our 2026 cycling holiday to the southern and lesser known region of Champagne.
This is a centre based cycling holiday, there will be daily organised rides with a selection of routes and paces to suit all but also opportunities for those inclined to :
– Tour the Route de Champagne & visit champagne house(s), we will aim to organise at least one trip for a tasting;
– Do some water sports – lots of facilities on the lake, or just go to the ‘beach’ for a swim;
– Off-road cycling close by in the Foret
– Walking
– Visit the Wildlife Park
– Visit local sites eg Troyes is very pretty.
You can do as much or as little as you wish, non-cycling partners and families are very welcome, there is plenty to do…..or just relax!
We will base ourselves at the Alba Hôtel Lac d’Orient at Mesnil-Saint-Père for the week which provides:
• 3* medium sized hotel with 60 rooms
• Located in Mesnil Saint Pere in the Parc Naturel Regional de l’Aube in the Foret d’Orient and next to the Lake (Lac d’Orient which is one of the 3 big lakes in the champagne region)
• Indoor heated pool, sauna, fitness room.
• 3 room types incl family rooms, doubles and twins available.
• Restaurant with half-board.
• On site car parking
• Bikes can be taken into the rooms which are all a good size and on one level, the hotel is completely happy with this or each room has a small terrace where they can be kept if you prefer. They don’t have a dedicated bike store.
We have gone for half board as this seems to be the general preference and makes logistics for eating simpler. The hotel is used to hosting cycling groups and knowing that we’ve struggled in the past to cater for all, we checked and this is what they have said about dinner : “The half-board option offered is specially adapted to our regular cycling touring clientele. It will take into account the needs of good eaters, as well as vegetarian or other dietary needs upon prior notification. The chef will adapt the menus accordingly.”
The Cycling options:
• South on the route de Champagne (Cote des Bar), through the vineyards and pretty champagne villages. The vineyards are smaller than those of the larger houses around Reims and Epernay and very picturesque.
• Through Foret d’Orient and around the lake on well maintained cycle tracks
• West to visit Troyes, beautiful and historic town
• North to the other lakes in the region
• East towards Chaumont
• Further North towards Epernay and the big champagne vineyards if you fancy a longer ride.
How to get there?
By car… Ferry or Eurotunnel – then about 4 hrs from Dover, 4.5 hrs from Dieppe (bit longer if you’re on a bike)
Means no additional nights needed on outbound or inbound days.
By Train… The nearest station is Vendeuvre which is a few km away. Troyes is also an option, approx 30km.
Links & More information
All about the region and attractions :
https://www.aube-champagne.com/en/
Cote des Bar Champagne … https://www.champagne.fr/en/visit-champagne/the-champagne-region/champagne-wine-trails/cote-des-bar
Mountain bike trail examples… https://www.komoot.com/guide/515359/mtb-trails-in-foret-d-orient
Walking Trail examples … https://www.komoot.com/guide/3630346/easy-hikes-in-foret-d-x27-orient
Couple of Road bike routes from ride with GPS:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42965177
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/47786570
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49290264
Troyes … https://en.troyeslachampagne.com/
