Posts Tagged With: Cycling in France

Beauty amid the smoke and soot in Rouen, France

Posted on July 2, 2020 by carolinehelbig
Black smoke from chemical explosion in Rouen

Some of you may remember a major European news story from September 26, 2019. An explosion at a chemical plant in Rouen, France spewed massive quantities of smoke and soot over the capital city of Normandy and beyond. We just happened to be there at the time. Our short visit to Rouen— the last stop on our Brittany and Normandy cycle trip—was made even shorter by this catastrophe. This post is a collection of photos taken over a couple of hours before we came to our senses and hightailed it to the train bound for Paris.

Continue reading →
Categories: Biking, France | Tags: , , , , , | 44 Comments

Honfleur and Étretat: Gems between a nasty cycle

Posted on June 20, 2020 by carolinehelbig
The cliffs of Étretat

The towns of Honfleur and Étretat are highlights on our cycling trip along France’s Normandy coast. Honfleur is charming old port town and Étretat is small resort town bounded by dramatic white cliffs. They’re only about 50 km (31 mi) apart, but our bike ride between the two was a stressful mess of crappy signage, big trucks, an enormous bridge and poor planning. I guess that only one “off” day in nearly three weeks of cycling is pretty good, and we can say that we conquered one of the world’s largest cable-stayed bridges on bike.

Continue reading →
Categories: Biking, France | Tags: , , , , | 42 Comments

The grand cycling approach to Normandy’s Mont-Saint-Michel

Posted on May 13, 2020 by carolinehelbig
Cycling approach to Mont-Saint-Michel

I can barely contain my excitement as Mont-Saint-Michel gets closer with every pedal rotation. Much has been written about France’s iconic abbey, but this post is as much about the approach as it is about the final destination. Those who follow my blog will know that Mont-Saint-Michel is one of the star attractions along the V4 cycling route and it marks the end of our time in Brittany and the start of our onward journey in Normandy.

Continue reading →
Categories: Biking, France | Tags: , , , | 34 Comments

20 views from our bikes on Brittany’s V4 cycling route

Posted on April 30, 2020 by carolinehelbig
The V4 near Pointe de Primel

The V4 cycling route that we rode from Morlaix to Mont-Saint-Michel, in northern France, has its share of A-list attractions, but we quickly found out that the “stuff” in-between is pretty special too: charming towns, impressive cathedrals, historical sites, locals-only beaches… This post pays homage to the journey— roadside views and unexpected treasures depicted in 20 photos taken directly on Brittany’s V4 cycle route.

Continue reading →
Categories: Biking, France | Tags: , , , | 36 Comments

Oyster extravaganza and medieval splendours in Brittany

Posted on April 19, 2020 by carolinehelbig
Dinan, Brittany

On our cycling journey along the North Brittany coast we don’t detour too far off the V4 cycling route. We make exceptions for the towns of Dinan and Cancale. Dinan is one of the best preserved medieval period towns in Brittany, and Cancale is the oyster capital of the region. For those with a car and limited time, both towns can be easily visited as day trips from Saint-Malo. Even on a bike, this is doable, but spending a night in each of romantic Dinan and delicious Cancale is a real treat.

Continue reading →
Categories: Biking, France | Tags: , , , , , | 45 Comments

Cycling in Brittany: The V4 from Morlaix to Mont-Saint-Michel

Posted on March 3, 2020 by carolinehelbig
Cycling Brittany’s north coast

In a recent post, I wrote about the highlights of our 3.5 week independent cycling trip along France’s North Brittany and Normandy coasts. This post features an overview of the Brittany portion of our trip—from Morlaix to Mont-Saint-Michel—focussing on logistics: our route, itinerary, accommodations, and helpful resources. If you’re thinking about an independent cycling trip, hopefully this will give you a few pointers. If not, enjoy the photos. Brittany makes a great travel destination whatever your mode of transportation.

Continue reading →
Categories: Biking, France | Tags: , , , | 32 Comments

Cycling France’s Brittany and Normandy coasts: Top 10 highlights

Posted on January 16, 2020 by carolinehelbig
Along the V4 cycling route in Brittany, France

Last September, Mike and I cycled in coastal Brittany and Normandy. Our 732 km (455 mile) independent journey took us to charming French towns, pink-granite seascapes, iconic monuments and World War II battlegrounds. We feasted on huîtres (oysters) and moules-frites (mussels and fries) washed down with wine and cider. Except for a few killer hills, and one day of route-finding mayhem, it was a marvellous 3 1/2 weeks of slow travel. In future posts, I’ll provide details on logistics, but for now let me entice you with my top 10 highlights.

Continue reading →
Categories: Biking, France | Tags: , , , , | 42 Comments

Blog at WordPress.com.

%d bloggers like this: