personal account. Contact your bank to activate your bank card for use in Europe, or put cash on a travel card for use abroad.
Telephone and internet
The whole route has mobile phone coverage. Contact your network provider to ensure your phone is enabled for foreign use with the optimum price package. The international dialling code from the UK (+44) to France is +33.
Almost all hotels, guest houses and hostels and many restaurants make internet access available to guests, usually free of charge.
Electricity
Voltage is 220v, 50HzAC. Plugs are standard European two-pin round.
What to take
Clothing and personal items
Even though the route is predominantly downhill, weight should be kept to a minimum. You will need clothes for cycling (shoes, socks, shorts/trousers, shirt, fleece, waterproofs) and clothes for evenings and days off. The best maxim is two of each: ‘one to wear, one to wash’. Time of year makes a difference as you need more and warmer clothing in April/May and September/October. All of this clothing should be washable en route, and a small tube or bottle of travel wash is useful. A sun hat and sunglasses are essential, while gloves and a woolly hat are advisable except in high summer.
In addition to your usual toiletries you will need sun cream and lip salve. You should take a simple first-aid kit. If staying in hostels you will need a towel and torch (your cycle light should suffice).
Cycle equipment
Everything you take needs to be carried on your cycle. If overnighting in accommodation, a pair of rear panniers should be sufficient to carry all your clothing and equipment, although if camping, you may also need front panniers. Panniers should be 100% watertight. If in doubt, pack everything inside a strong polythene lining bag. Rubble bags, obtainable from builders’ merchants, are ideal for this purpose. A bar-bag is a useful way of carrying items you need to access quickly such as maps, sunglasses, camera, spare tubes, puncture kit and tools. A transparent map case attached to the top of your bar-bag is an ideal way of displaying maps and guidebook.
Your cycle should be fitted with mudguards and bell, and be capable of carrying water bottles, pump and lights. Many cyclists fit an odometer to measure distances. A basic tool kit should consist of puncture repair kit, spanners, Allen keys, adjustable spanner, screwdriver, spoke key and chain repair tool. The only essential spares are two spare tubes. On a long cycle ride, sometimes on dusty tracks, your chain will need regular lubrication; you should either carry a can of spray-lube or make regular visits to cycle shops. A good strong lock is advisable.
Safety and emergencies
Weather
Stage 1 is exposed to mountain weather with winter snowfall that can remain on the ground until April. The rest of the route is in the cool temperate zone with warm summers, cool winters and year-round moderate rainfall which increases for the last few stages as you near the Atlantic.
Road safety
Throughout the route, cycling is on the right side of the road. If you have never cycled before on the right you will quickly adapt, but roundabouts may prove challenging. You are most prone to mistakes when setting off each morning. France is a very cycle-friendly country; drivers will normally give you plenty of space when overtaking and often wait behind patiently until space to pass is available.
Much of the route is on dedicated cycle paths, although care is necessary as these are sometimes shared with pedestrians. Use your bell, politely, when approaching pedestrians from behind. Where you are required to cycle on the road there is often a dedicated cycle lane.
Many city and town centres have pedestrian-only zones. These restrictions are often only loosely enforced and you may find locals cycling within them – indeed, many zones have signs allowing cycling. One-way streets often have signs permitting contra-flow cycling.
Contra-flow cycling is often permitted in one-way streets
France does not require compulsory wearing of cycle helmets, although their use is recommended. Modern lightweight helmets with improved ventilation have made wearing them more comfortable.
Emergencies
In the unlikely event of an accident, the standardised EU emergency phone number is 112. The entire route has mobile phone coverage. Provided you have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) issued by your home country, medical costs of EU citizens are covered under reciprocal health insurance agreements – although you may have to pay for an ambulance and claim the cost back through insurance.
Theft
In general the route is safe and the risk of theft very low. However, you should always lock your cycle and watch your belongings, especially in cities.
Insurance
Travel insurance policies usually cover you when cycle touring, but they do not normally cover damage to, or theft of, your bicycle. If you have a household contents policy, this may cover cycle theft, but limits may be less than the real cost of your cycle. Cycle Touring Club (CTC) offer a policy tailored to the needs of cycle tourists (www.ctc.org.uk).
About this guide
Text and maps
There are 26 stages, each covered by maps drawn to a scale of approximately 1:150,000. These maps have been produced specially for this guide and when combined with the detailed stage descriptions it is possible to follow the route without the expense or weight of carrying a large number of other maps, particularly after Nevers where signposting and waymarking is excellent. Beware, however, as the route described here does not always exactly follow the waymarked route. GPX files are freely available to anyone who has bought this guide on Cicerone’s website at www.cicerone.co.uk/842/gpx
Gradient profiles are provided for Stages 1–6, the hillier part of the route. After Roanne there are few hills and except for an alternative route that goes uphill to Sancerre (Stage 12) no ascents of over 50m are encountered.
Place names on the maps that are significant for route navigation are shown in bold in the text. The abbreviation ‘sp’ in the text indicates a signpost. Distances shown are cumulative within each stage. For each city/town/village passed, an indication is given of facilities available (accommodation, refreshments, YH, camping, tourist office, cycle shop, station) when the guide was written. This information is neither exhaustive nor does it guarantee that establishments are still in business. No attempt has been made to list all such facilities, as this would require another book of the same size. For full listing of accommodation, contact local tourist offices. Such listings are usually available online. Tourist offices along the route are listed in Appendix C.
Although route descriptions were accurate at the time of writing, things do change. Temporary diversions may be necessary to circumnavigate improvement works and permanent diversions to incorporate new sections of cycle track. This is particularly the case between Bourbon-Lancy and Decize (Stage 9) and after Nantes (Stage 26), where much of the route is classified as ‘provisional’ and work to provide a separate cycle route is ongoing. Where construction is in progress you may find signs showing recommended diversions, although these are likely to be in French only. Deviations and temporary routes are waymarked with yellow signs.
Some alternative routes exist. Where these offer a reasonable variant, usually because they are either shorter or offer a better surface, they are mentioned in the text and shown in blue on the maps.
Language
French is spoken throughout the route, although many people – especially in the tourist industry – speak at least a few words of English. In this guide, French names are used with the exception of Bourgogne