Cycling to the South of France

I used to live about 25 miles

I used to live about 25 miles east of Carcassonne. My observation is that there are D roads and then there are D roads.

Some D roads are country lanes – single carriageway, no centre line. (EDIT – corrected link)

Some D roads are wider, with centre line

Some D roads are modern fast traffic dual carriageway.

Some of the wider D roads are actually major local traffic routes widely used by HGV transports e.g. the D612 between Castres and Mazamet. Google Street View can give you an idea of the traffic but its time consuming and not perfect.

Regarding accommodation, the Freewheeling France web site has a searchable list of bike-friendly accommodation.

Other tips:

Rural France is very empty. Some villages may have no shops at all, and of those that do, they will likely be closed from midday to mid afternoon. Do not expect to find anything open on a Sunday. My local supermarket closed for Sunday afternoons. Petrol stations are your best bet for being able to get water and snacks. English is not widely spoken if you wander away from the major tourism areas.

If cycling in the summer, it will be hot. We got up to 42C several times over the last 7 years or so, so heatstroke is a real risk in those conditions. Wear sunscreen. Many villages have “Eau non potable” supplies like this one or fountains (which should be dry during heatwaves but….) and I would use these to douse myself from head to toe and then set off again to get some windchill from the evaporation. Such supplies seem to be more common around churches and cemeteries. Some of the local riders would fill their water bottles from them but I figured I hadn’t developed the immunity from childhood that they had acquired so I steered clear. Some more advice is available here.

It can also be windy, particularly as you approach the south and get into the wind funnel produced between the Pyrenees and the Montagne Noire. Steady 30kmh winds are not uncommon, mostly moving West to East, but frequently East to West too. Be ready for a long slog of a day if it goes against you!

Looking forward to the write-up. Good luck!

I’ll add my ten pence worth

I’ll add my ten pence worth to the excellent  advice already given, I always like to have the last word.

I have done this ride twice in the opposite direction, and it is not a bigdeal. How you do it depends on your riding style, sense of adventure, and the size of your wallet.

I took a carradice saddle bag along with with a tent and a sleeping bag, and the minimum of spare clothing. If you are into masters racing 100+ miles per day should be quite possible. Mobile phone for absolute emergencies and to send a text home every day. Maps torn out of an old road atlas, one spare inner tube, and tool kit. Credit Cards.

Of course your bike should be in good nick (isn’t it always?) with new tryes. Don’t get hung up about carrying loads of spares. Nothing went wrong in the last 1000 miles, why should anything go wrong in the next 1000? There are bike shops in France.

Get on the bike early each morning, ride for a few miles and stop for breakfast in a cafe, stop again mid morning if you fancy a coffee, raid a supermarket for lunch, loads of time if you want to look around a village. About 16:00 hrs I start looking out for a campsite and try to pick up some food. If there are no campsites, sleep in a field.

Job Done!

That’s the one. I didn’t

That’s the one. I didn’t realise it’s got a stretch from London too. With that and a bit of the EV Pilgrims route, you can get from London to the middle of France.

edit: The French bit of the AV route would be ok on a road bike – the English bit, no so much…

I was planning something

I was planning something similar for last year (across Scandinavia, and cancelled, obviously) and through my own experience and chatting with an audaxer friend of a friend when reseraching it, my general advice for long trips/tours would be:

1. have a phone with you at all times, and make sure it is charged and has service. That’s your lifeline. You may well be going through some isolated places, and if you get an unfixable mechanical or have an accident 50km from anywhere (especially in 40 degree heat), you’re potentially in bother.

2. I’d have a good bike computer (like a Wahoo or similar) with a carefully chosen route. Charge it every evening.

– for 1&2, remember plug adaptors!

3. The idea of travelling very light is appealing, but you will need spares (tubes etc) and supplies, or you’re taking a risk. Consider panniers.

4. Make sure your bike fit is dialled in: what is a bit uncomfortable over here after a couple of hours will be bloody murder by hour 6 of day 5. Make equipment choices based on comfort and reliability.

5. Get your bike properly checked over by a professional mechanic before you leave, and if in any doubt, replace worn consumables. You do not want to develop a serious problem in the middle of le nowwheresville.

6. Carry enough cash for incidentals. In my experience (though things may have changed these days), not everywhere takes cards in rural France.

All the doom aside 🙂 I’m envious. I love the south of France, and went to Carcassonne on honeymoon. I’ll end with the note that I am now divorced, but in all seriousness, it sounds an epic trip.

I also recommend Baguette-sur
I also recommend Baguette-sur-Loire.

I did this a few years ago.

I did this a few years ago. Three recommendations-

a) Even if you can fit all your luggage in panniers, still get a handlebar bag with a KlickFix attachment then keep everything valuable in that. It takes a second to detach it and carry it with you into shops etc. Also ensure the bag has a plastic map wallet on top, for the following reason.

b) Get a small map of France and draw a straight line on it from your start point to finishing destination. Then get a series of much more detailed maps (Landranger are best) and work out the route closest to that line, not using busy roads. If you’re not sure how busy one is, look at it in Google Streetview. Then get a few cards – I only needed 6 to go from St Malo to Marseilles – and write on them the major towns and villages on your route plus the road numbers in between. Then every time you get to a junction, roundabout, fork or crossroads, instead of fannying around with a map you just need to glance down at the card you’re currently on, in the map pocket of your handlebar bag, and you’ll see that you need to look for the N1234 to Baguette-sur-Loire.

c) For accommodation, aim for a town or village that has a railway station. It will almost certainly have a Hotel du Gare and hence a clean, inexpensive room with a shower, plus a restaurant offering a modest 3-course meal for ten or twelve quid. After cycling for the whole day you don’t want to be wandering around the locale looking for a restaurant; and Hotels du Gare are used to single diners. 

One of the best rides I ever did. The sense of utter freedom is extraordinary. Bon chance!