Simon Potter organised a fantastic tour in north France, part Brittany and part Normandy – 6 riders, who had the luxury of our bags being transported in a support vehicle driven by Simon’s dad, Roland.
Day 1 To the ferry, 55km & 528m elevation gain
6 of us set off riding from Alton, heading to the ferry in Portsmouth for our overnight crossing to St Malo. It was a hot afternoon, so stopping for ice cream on the way definitely helped and got us into the holiday spirit.
Day 2 To St Brieuc, 102km & 1004m elevation gain
We started the day with amazing pastries and coffee in St Malo, which we had to queue out of the door for. A bit of rain then descended on us, but it was already 20 degrees, so the rain didn’t bother us. It got up to 34 degrees, and pretty exhausting with some headwind. Arrived at the glorious hotel in St Brieuc, red faced, gasping and dripping with sweat, but thankfully, they let us in! Cold shower, beer and then dinner all helped to revive us a little bit.
Day 3 To Dinan, 99km & 888m elevation gain
Rode with the wind today, along quiet lanes – riding well together so whizzed along. It was 10 degrees cooler than yesterday which made a huge difference to our energy levels. The last 10km were alongside a river – so it was flat and pretty. Dinan delighted us as we came around a bend in the river – a medieval village and our hotel was right next to the river. Here we were staying 2 nights, and so all but one of us went for a day ride, and one of us explored the cobbled steep streets, the castle and ramparts. Found a restaurant with traditional French dishes and good wine.
Day 4 To Ducey via Mont St Michel, 77km & 370m elevation gain
Started our ride along the river heading towards St Malo, then headed east, again with the wind. Met Roland at the car park at Mont St Michel, so we could change shoes and clothes, keep our bikes securely in the van, while we explored the Mont. Wow, it was busy – so many tourists, and it’s not even peak season yet. Impressive place, and the ice cream was good. Then a visit to an American War Cemetery, which was very sobering, followed by a short 20km to our hotel. Here we had 2 nights in Ducey, and we each had a room with sink, fridge microwave, coffee machine. Little did we realise that roadworks meant that the few restaurants in the main street were closed, but thankfully after scouring the small town, we found one place open and it served burgers, galettes, pancakes and beer!
Day 5 Day circular ride to Fougères, 95km & 1,078m elevation gain
Fougères is home to the largest medieval fortress in Europe (Château de Fougères), so a great day ride with lunch and a wander around this pretty town.
Day 6 To Utah Beach 132km & 1,510m elevation gain
Headed north after a big pastry breakfast – a long ride but felt good. Sandwich lunch and pastries from a boulangerie – what would we do without these French boulangeries and patisseries. Stopped at Marigny German War Cemetery, which felt very different to the American one in many ways, but again reminded us of how many people of different nationalities lost their lives and finally to Utah Beach, where the first of the D-Day landings took place. Huge expanse of sandy beach where many thousands died. Our hotel was just back from the coast and was a beautiful old stone building with a pretty courtyard, a warm welcome and great restaurant – we splashed out on our last night!
Day 7 To the ferry in Cherbourg 53km & 359m elevation gain
A warm but drizzly morning ride to the ferry in Cherbourg, a boulangerie stop, perfectly timed for the ferry. Surprisingly, we were rewarded by glorious sunshine as we got nearer to England’s shores and back into Portsmouth! A few rode back to Alton, and a few of us took the easier option of getting a lift home. Fish and chips takeaway in Alton felt well-deserved that Friday night, with the weekend needed to recover!
