Cherbourg to Biarritz

[Luigi Da Squeegee]

I'm riding down from Cherbourg to Biarritz next month as part of my 'long way round' trip to WDW2007. I'm looking for a hotel / B&B along the way roughly somewhere around the La Rochelle / Niort area. Any suggestions?

Also any roads you'd recommend? - I don't mind going off the beaten track for an interesting road instead of the shortest route between A and B.

[nogaromill999]

Well, when I get to Biarritz, I usually try to stay in the Hotel du Palais.....very bike friendly, though you wouldnt believe it to see it from the outside...and its got excellent security too, good restaurants....highly recommended ! As for roads.....the problem with the coastal route is that apart from the woods its actually relatively featureless...but call in on Cognac on the way down, and experience what is locally known as 'The Angel's Share'.....you can smell the amber nectar for miles around !

[Luigi Da Squeegee]

call in on Cognac on the way down

Unfortunately, I have an aversion to Sherry and Brandy. This was brought on by me drinking a bottle of South African Sherry one night when I was a youngster Any drink that tastes anything like it I can't stand now.

A lot of the roads in the northern half of France are pretty uninteresting because of the generally flat landscape - Belgium without the charisma!

[nogaromill999]

Then my recommendation is to scrub the Cherbourg route, and go Plymoth to Santander, then blast across to Pamplona, and alongside the lake there is a 28 mile section of real twisties, then you can head up into the Pyrenees to cross into France, turn left and head up past the track at Nogaro and to Biarritz that way.....much more interesting, and you can drop in on the Gugelheim in Bilbao on the way past......

[Luigi Da Squeegee]

I was originally going Portsmouth to Bilbao until the ferry company decided to move the ship to another route. By this time I had made all my other reservations and booked the time off work etc. I managed to get on the 'Vomit Comet' from Poole to Cherbourg for £85 and keep to my original timetable.

The plan is to spend a few days riding down the Pyrenees crossing back and forth from France to Spain. I have a rest day booked in Montpellier and will probably use it to do the Millau bridge and the Gorge du Tarn. After that its following the autoroute along the French Riviera and into Italy. Rather than going straight across Italy we'll ride down to somewhere near Florence before cutting across to Rimini.

I've been to Bilbao once on a business trip and liked the place. It reminded me of Paris except without the Parisians!

[nogaromill999]

Well then Luigi, while you are heading East across the southern coast of France, you MUST ride the road up to the French border at Andorra le Vell, its one of those 'must do once' roads, as is the Gorge de Verdun, which you'll find on the Route Napoleon.......and so is the D904 around Digne les Bains/ Barcelonnette.....you can cross into Italy from there too.......

[crazy harry]

If you just want to see and ride the millau bridge, then approach from the south side, you can cross it, go into the viewing area, and then return accross again without paying the toll!

[Luigi Da Squeegee]

If you just want to see and ride the millau bridge, then approach from the south side, you can cross it, go into the viewing area, and then return accross again without paying the toll!

I think we'll be coming up from the South - didn't know about the viewing area and going back over. Thanks for the info.