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CYCLING SOUTH WEST COAST OF FRANCE (Part 1 of 4)
 
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  bike on cyclepath in Les Landes

I cycled the South West Coast of France from a village north of La Rochelle down to Dax in August 2004. Great weather and some of the best cycle lanes on the planet - perfect if you're planning a cycle trip with young children. What more could a cyclist ask for? Click on the images to enlarge them.

 
Jeremy's Main D'or ready for action
All ready to go... Front and rear panpack panniers, a Jack Wolfskin bike 'n' hike tent (with a broken pole) and a Vaude handlebar bag. The bike itself is 20kg of Main d'or, a hand-made Belgian frame.

 
gravelly tracks next to the canal
Great cycling across the marshy area to the North of La Rochelle. There are many canals and quiet cycle lanes running parallel to them. A bit of gravel but nothing too difficult.

 
other cyclists
At La Rochelle, I took a ferry over to the island of Oleron. A wonderfully quiet island with great cycle tracks. The only problem being that although the ferry does takes bikes, you have to take all your equipment off and the carry it up and down steps... not easy.

 
a cycletrack by the sea
The campsite that I stayed at cost 10 euros and was clean and pleasant and a stone's throw from the beach. Early morning cycling along the coast, hardly anyone about.

 
cycletrack next to the railway line
Further south the quality of the cyclepaths improved, as did the weather. The ferry from Royan was excellent and I was soon heading south again on the southern side of the Gironde. I cycled through a nudist area where half the population were cycling around naked. Quite an, er, uplifting experience.

 
Want to see the original tracks from the war? Click on cycling west coast of France 2