Cycling Calais to Nice unsupported. Any tips/suggestions?
Discussion
Morning all
For years I've been planning a trip to France to cycle from Calais to Nice, and it looks like I have finally set a date (next Sept).
My intention is to cycle unsupported, staying in B&Bs/Hotels, and get there within 7 or 8 days (I want it to be an endurance challenge as well as a jolly, and have a young family so cant be away for too long). My wife will then meet me in Nice for a few days. It looks like the route will be 1250-1300km, and I'd like to include Mt Ventoux if possible. I'd like to carry as little as possible so will be getting a new bike with rear panniers (I really don't want to camp).
Does anyone have any experience of such a trip? Do you have any hints/tips?
Suggestions of stopping points or specific B&Bs/towns would also be gratefully appreciated.
Any ideas for the best way to get my bike back (how would I put it on a plane without a bike bag/box)?
Or is cycling 80-100miles per day for 7 days for a holiday a stupid idea?
For years I've been planning a trip to France to cycle from Calais to Nice, and it looks like I have finally set a date (next Sept).
My intention is to cycle unsupported, staying in B&Bs/Hotels, and get there within 7 or 8 days (I want it to be an endurance challenge as well as a jolly, and have a young family so cant be away for too long). My wife will then meet me in Nice for a few days. It looks like the route will be 1250-1300km, and I'd like to include Mt Ventoux if possible. I'd like to carry as little as possible so will be getting a new bike with rear panniers (I really don't want to camp).
Does anyone have any experience of such a trip? Do you have any hints/tips?
Suggestions of stopping points or specific B&Bs/towns would also be gratefully appreciated.
Any ideas for the best way to get my bike back (how would I put it on a plane without a bike bag/box)?
Or is cycling 80-100miles per day for 7 days for a holiday a stupid idea?
I’ve cycled Bilbao to St Malo ferries at both ends for convenience.
Buy the cheap Michelin maps and plan your route then cut them down to keep the bits you need. It’s also worth having a list of main towns on your route.
I used Logis de France for booking hotels but there are plenty of apps these days I would phone a head for the next days hotel, you will find some gaps where there’s not much choice, it’s not good finding somewhere closed at the end of the day and having to go another 20 k.
Did find some hotels were quite happy for you to have an earlier start to avoid the heat of the day often finishing at 3:00pm.
Little tip graveyards in France have running water good for bottle refills and churchyard’s usually have some shade to sit in
Good luck
Buy the cheap Michelin maps and plan your route then cut them down to keep the bits you need. It’s also worth having a list of main towns on your route.
I used Logis de France for booking hotels but there are plenty of apps these days I would phone a head for the next days hotel, you will find some gaps where there’s not much choice, it’s not good finding somewhere closed at the end of the day and having to go another 20 k.
Did find some hotels were quite happy for you to have an earlier start to avoid the heat of the day often finishing at 3:00pm.
Little tip graveyards in France have running water good for bottle refills and churchyard’s usually have some shade to sit in
Good luck
I've done a few 1000km+ rides of that ilk before taking anything from 5 days up to around 8 to complete. The best thing I did was get a portable charger for the phone and a multiout USB plug. I use the portable charger for the phone in the day and then charge phone, charger and bike computer overnight. You can even use a top tube bag with a clear window if you want sat nav.
I might have an idea of where the next nights accommodation would be but I wouldn't book anything until the lunch time (or later) on the day. I like to be flexible and make it up as I go along. 99% of the time it works very well.
Most of my routes have been sourced from the Euro Velo website which is good but there will almost certainly be similar routes on line for your route. If you can ride down river paths and canal paths then you can make good progress and it will be lovely and quiet.
I'm planning on doing Calais (or Rotterdam) to Morzine around June time. I'm excited just thinking about it!
I might have an idea of where the next nights accommodation would be but I wouldn't book anything until the lunch time (or later) on the day. I like to be flexible and make it up as I go along. 99% of the time it works very well.
Most of my routes have been sourced from the Euro Velo website which is good but there will almost certainly be similar routes on line for your route. If you can ride down river paths and canal paths then you can make good progress and it will be lovely and quiet.
I'm planning on doing Calais (or Rotterdam) to Morzine around June time. I'm excited just thinking about it!
No specifics, but encouragement. We've done a few trips in france, and thorougly enjoyed it.. so I'd say not stupid.
Depending on you the mileage seems reasonable, assuming you've got nothing else to do - i.e. leisurely fashion, ride, sit down lunch, ride, eat sleep repeat.. We did about that on a supported ride which was fine.
Unsupported less, but that Mrs version of camping is on the 'comfortable' side (small price considering) - but paniers and about 15kg of 'stuff' slows progress. Upside - very easy to sit down at lunch and see where you want to be at the end of the day/book a campsite, loads in france, which gives a lot of freedom plan-wise. but obviously a lot more weight. I'd definitely recommend (a lighter weight version of..) the camping option..
Equally B&B/Hotel sounds good, but can't advise. I suspect you do need to book in advance & commit to being in place X on day Y.
Depending on you the mileage seems reasonable, assuming you've got nothing else to do - i.e. leisurely fashion, ride, sit down lunch, ride, eat sleep repeat.. We did about that on a supported ride which was fine.
Unsupported less, but that Mrs version of camping is on the 'comfortable' side (small price considering) - but paniers and about 15kg of 'stuff' slows progress. Upside - very easy to sit down at lunch and see where you want to be at the end of the day/book a campsite, loads in france, which gives a lot of freedom plan-wise. but obviously a lot more weight. I'd definitely recommend (a lighter weight version of..) the camping option..
Equally B&B/Hotel sounds good, but can't advise. I suspect you do need to book in advance & commit to being in place X on day Y.
Thanks for the tips so far.
I intend to have every hotel booked well before I go, which I appreciate limits flexibility, but I'd like to know I have a warm shower and bed lined up. I'm not planning to do much in the way of touristy things. Would be nice to visit a vineyard as I pass through the champagne region though.
As for maps. I was intending on creating a route and loading it into my Garmin. I've looked online hoping that there were some set routes but not found anything.
I have a bit of experience of this, having done the London to Paris, but that was supported and the route was well marked.
I intend to have every hotel booked well before I go, which I appreciate limits flexibility, but I'd like to know I have a warm shower and bed lined up. I'm not planning to do much in the way of touristy things. Would be nice to visit a vineyard as I pass through the champagne region though.
As for maps. I was intending on creating a route and loading it into my Garmin. I've looked online hoping that there were some set routes but not found anything.
I have a bit of experience of this, having done the London to Paris, but that was supported and the route was well marked.
Northern France can be pretty boring to cycle through as there's not much to see and there's a lot of it.
I can understand wanting to do a French "end to end" type ride, but personally I'd start further down and spend more time in the Alps, especially if you're short of time.
We did Geneva to Nice as credit card tourists and that was great.
I can understand wanting to do a French "end to end" type ride, but personally I'd start further down and spend more time in the Alps, especially if you're short of time.
We did Geneva to Nice as credit card tourists and that was great.
outnumbered said:
Northern France can be pretty boring to cycle through as there's not much to see and there's a lot of it.
I can understand wanting to do a French "end to end" type ride, but personally I'd start further down and spend more time in the Alps, especially if you're short of time.
We did Geneva to Nice as credit card tourists and that was great.
Part of me agrees with the start lower down and do some more interesting stuff in the alps. However, as you said, I'm kind of set on the cycling the full length of France thing. For some reason is makes it feel more worthwhile. I can understand wanting to do a French "end to end" type ride, but personally I'd start further down and spend more time in the Alps, especially if you're short of time.
We did Geneva to Nice as credit card tourists and that was great.
Hey, great idea. I'm doing my first big ride in 4 weeks, JOGLE. Having not done anything like this before it took a LOT of planning.
I micro managed my route, asking for advice on negotiating cities and used goole maps/blogs/cycling forums to interrogate the route komoot gave me but probably saved me 1000m of climbing for a few extra miles. It took a long time and then booked all my accommodation in advance on popular booking website. Only 1 stop over had to change due to zero availability but that changed the days length by some 20 miles, which impacted the next etc.
Book ASAP. I have 8 of 9 nights in B&B/hotels and I think it averages about £75 a night. I can cancel upto a week beforehand without fees.
I also bought over £600 of equipment over what I normally use for daily cycling. I have been keeping a packing list which although not complete, might help you.
First aid kit :
Dressing colloid
Gauze
Tape
Sudacrem
Small plasters
Paracet
Brufen
Migraine
Spares:
Cleat nuts
Cleat
5mm hex nuts
Inner tubes
Tyre
Light bungy
Quick links
Lube
De-greaser
Chain cleaner
Bungy
To pack:
Wet wipes
Roller
Chamois cream
Lenses
Ereader
Power bank
Cleat covers
Lock
Face mask
Gerber
Disp gloves
Shower cap
Small towel
toilet roll
small bags
Headbands
Hydration tabs
Take carb gel/drink
Protein bars
I bought some cheap gels, tablets, bars (expiry date) thinking it was genius but they weigh LOTS and I'm having to forward mail them to some of my stopovers. LOL
Good luck and if I think of anything else I will let you know, but plenty of PHers know more then me.
I micro managed my route, asking for advice on negotiating cities and used goole maps/blogs/cycling forums to interrogate the route komoot gave me but probably saved me 1000m of climbing for a few extra miles. It took a long time and then booked all my accommodation in advance on popular booking website. Only 1 stop over had to change due to zero availability but that changed the days length by some 20 miles, which impacted the next etc.
Book ASAP. I have 8 of 9 nights in B&B/hotels and I think it averages about £75 a night. I can cancel upto a week beforehand without fees.
I also bought over £600 of equipment over what I normally use for daily cycling. I have been keeping a packing list which although not complete, might help you.
First aid kit :
Dressing colloid
Gauze
Tape
Sudacrem
Small plasters
Paracet
Brufen
Migraine
Spares:
Cleat nuts
Cleat
5mm hex nuts
Inner tubes
Tyre
Light bungy
Quick links
Lube
De-greaser
Chain cleaner
Bungy
To pack:
Wet wipes
Roller
Chamois cream
Lenses
Ereader
Power bank
Cleat covers
Lock
Face mask
Gerber
Disp gloves
Shower cap
Small towel
toilet roll
small bags
Headbands
Hydration tabs
Take carb gel/drink
Protein bars
I bought some cheap gels, tablets, bars (expiry date) thinking it was genius but they weigh LOTS and I'm having to forward mail them to some of my stopovers. LOL
Good luck and if I think of anything else I will let you know, but plenty of PHers know more then me.
Don’t bother booking hotels,do it on the fly,also have a look at warm showers and see if there is anybody local.France is back at work in September so everything will be back to normal after the holidays.
I would camp,nobody gives a toss if you pitch a tent at the side of the road or at the local soccer pitch.
I would camp,nobody gives a toss if you pitch a tent at the side of the road or at the local soccer pitch.
Sarkmeister said:
I intend to have every hotel booked well before I go, which I appreciate limits flexibility, but I'd like to know I have a warm shower and bed lined up.
The problem with that approach is that if you have a mechanical or difficult navigation you are screwed. It works the other way too where are you forced to finish at 3pm as you've hit the hotel. We generally follow the Eurovelo routes which can be changeable under foot but have done 100km and 200km on different days. No change in effort just sometimes it's harder going than others. Sarkmeister said:
Or is cycling 80-100miles per day for 7 days for a holiday a stupid idea?
No its a brilliant idea. Not done France, but did JoGLE in 2020. I did mine supported and we had fixed end points each night that I Pre Booked, downside was lack of flexibility up side of it, it made me stay on track and kept me focused each day.Appreciate you are self supported but my advice is pack light and only take what you need, half the stuff I took with me never came out of the bag I packed it in. Also have a dry run with the panniers etc all loaded up
Others have given a decent list of spares etc, but one thing I would take is spare spokes, even if you dont have the skills to replace a broken one if you take spares with you and you do break one you may find a local shop who can fit the spare spoke you have with you especially you are running something out of the ordinary wheel wise.
Dont under estimate how much you'll need to eat covering that sort of milleage each day either and also if you are taking energy gels / drinks with you make sure you try them before the ride itself, it wont be any fun to find out on the 1st day that what you've taken with you doesnt agree with you / upsets your stomach. for example my stomach wont tolerate Science in Sport Energy drinks.
Lastly, take plenty of pictures and try and enjoy savour the experience !
Sarkmeister said:
outnumbered said:
Northern France can be pretty boring to cycle through as there's not much to see and there's a lot of it.
I can understand wanting to do a French "end to end" type ride, but personally I'd start further down and spend more time in the Alps, especially if you're short of time.
We did Geneva to Nice as credit card tourists and that was great.
Part of me agrees with the start lower down and do some more interesting stuff in the alps. However, as you said, I'm kind of set on the cycling the full length of France thing. For some reason is makes it feel more worthwhile. I can understand wanting to do a French "end to end" type ride, but personally I'd start further down and spend more time in the Alps, especially if you're short of time.
We did Geneva to Nice as credit card tourists and that was great.
Eurostar from Ebbsfleet to Paris
Cycle Paris to Nice (avoiding a lot of the boring Northern France bit)
Finish in Nice
Nice to Paris on TGV (we have used this many times and it is excellent)
Paris to Ebbsfleet on Eurostar
Avoids any need to put a bike on a plane and we have found the TGV to be reasonably priced (even for 1st class)
Other than that, good luck! I would love to do it but have too many commitments at home at the moment.
I would advise against booking every hotel.
You only need one problem and your whole schedule is off.
Road closures due to surfacing work is one example, punctures, mechanical problems, physical issues,
There are so many things that can cause delays, I had to have a wheel trued, I split a tyre due to braking on mountain descents with the extra weight of panniers. Nearest bike shop was 30 k from where I was staying lost half a day getting new tyre.
Being flexible is key.
You only need one problem and your whole schedule is off.
Road closures due to surfacing work is one example, punctures, mechanical problems, physical issues,
There are so many things that can cause delays, I had to have a wheel trued, I split a tyre due to braking on mountain descents with the extra weight of panniers. Nearest bike shop was 30 k from where I was staying lost half a day getting new tyre.
Being flexible is key.
Thanks for the advice everyone.
It seems booking the hotels in advance seems like the debatable choice. I didn't think about what I would do if I had a big mechanical, or if I was making good progress and wanted to carry on one day. I'll put some more thought into that, and maybe use this September to see how easy booking things last second would be. I could maybe do a combination of the two (not sure how that would work).
I'm still against camping, especially next to a road. If I'm doing 100 miles a day I'll be wanting a nice warm soft bed and somewhere to charge things.
Good list of tools as well. I'll make sure I'm well covered there.
It seems booking the hotels in advance seems like the debatable choice. I didn't think about what I would do if I had a big mechanical, or if I was making good progress and wanted to carry on one day. I'll put some more thought into that, and maybe use this September to see how easy booking things last second would be. I could maybe do a combination of the two (not sure how that would work).
I'm still against camping, especially next to a road. If I'm doing 100 miles a day I'll be wanting a nice warm soft bed and somewhere to charge things.
Good list of tools as well. I'll make sure I'm well covered there.
I did Sussex to about 7Mimizan a few years ago with 3 mates. We took 2 small tents and split the gear across the 4 bikes with paniers that mounted off the seat post.
We did roughly 100 miles a day and it was class.
What was fantastic was not being tied to specific stops or even a route. We did some big detours as the mood took us - one day heading well off route and onto a ferry near Royan purely because we fancied some sea food and having an early finish one day when the heavens opened.
It was really liberating and we were able to camp very easily both wild or at proper sites (with warm showers rather than the rivers and lakes we washed in half the time) and we ate everything that got in our way!
We left the bikes with some friends who were down there with a bike rack and flew home.
Either way you'll have a great time - but dont plan the fun out of it and make it a training session rather than an adventure !!
We did roughly 100 miles a day and it was class.
What was fantastic was not being tied to specific stops or even a route. We did some big detours as the mood took us - one day heading well off route and onto a ferry near Royan purely because we fancied some sea food and having an early finish one day when the heavens opened.
It was really liberating and we were able to camp very easily both wild or at proper sites (with warm showers rather than the rivers and lakes we washed in half the time) and we ate everything that got in our way!
We left the bikes with some friends who were down there with a bike rack and flew home.
Either way you'll have a great time - but dont plan the fun out of it and make it a training session rather than an adventure !!
Some years ago I was having lunch at a pub in Burton upon Trent. It started raining really heavily and a couple of elderly cyclists arrived to take shelter. I got chatting to them. They were on their way to their house in Nice. By coincidence it turned out they knew my sister and persuaded her to buy the house next door. They are in the village of Gillette in the mountains just out of Nice.
Good luck with you trip OP.
Good luck with you trip OP.
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff