2024 Tour Programme
These multi-day tours are open to group members who semi-regularly come on normal group day rides. Where it is necessary to limit the number of participants on these tours due to accommodation or logistics limitations, priority will be given based on attendance on the normal group rides since the last multi-day ride. The intention will be for our usual day ride in France, plus one or two tours in Europe and then one later in the summer, in the UK.
At the a planning meeting on January 23rd the consensus for the summer tour in June was a centre-based trip from an hotel in Bagnoles de l'Orne.
Day ride in Brittany - 22nd to 24th April
After Brittany ferries released their day trip offers, we had a meeting on Zoom to firm up the details for a trip on 13th to 15th May. However, when we tried to book, there were no cabins available for the day trip offer for these dates so we tried for 22nd to 24th April. Again, there insufficient cabins allocated for the offer but after some negotiations were able to secure cabins for the thirteen who could make those dates. We have three cars taking the ferry with nine people and nine bikes and four going by bike.
We will take the overnight ferry departing from Portsmouth at 20:15 on Monday 22nd April, disembarking at 08:15 on Tuesday 23rd April at St Malo and returning on the same ferry [it stays at St Malo during the day] departing at 20:30 and arriving back in Portsmouth at 07:45 on Wednesday 24th April.
The plan for the day ride from St Malo is for those driving to make their way to the car park at Parc de la Briantias where those riding from the port will meet them. This is a free car park on the outskirts of St Malo near the Rance Barrage off the junction of Rue Maurice Nogues and Rue de l’Achille [https://maps.app.goo.gl/vr6C4ibMvG9kr2oeA ///slides.uses.spellers] Note the car park has a 1.90m height barrier at the entrance.
The 2024 day ride route [37 miles and 580m ascent] starts from the car park and crosses the Rance Barrage and follows the coast around the most scenic part of Dinard before heading inland across the peninsula to Saint Briac sur Mer. It then crosses the river and heads south to Ploubalay where it leaves the built-up areas behind and follows Eurovelo route EV4 to Tremereuc for a short section on the V42 rail trail to Pleslin where we started last years ride. After a short diversion to the riverside we cross the Rance on Pont St Hubert then to head north back on the EV4 to St Malo on the east side of the Rance, taking in the pretty village of Saint Suliac on the way. There should be plenty of bars and restaurants along the way, although if the weather is nice, we may pick up supplies for a picnic for lunch.
The route is largely on quiet roads but the short section from the start and across the Rance Barrage is on a busy dual carriageway [two lanes either direction, concrete central crash barrier and no hard shoulder]. We have previously ridden this section but for those that would prefer to avoid it they can be driven to a pleasant meeting point beside a beach and park in Dinard [point 5 on the route] to wait for the remainder of the group to arrive – there is roadside parking and along the adjacent Rue de l’Isle Celee. For those starting from there, this reduces the ride to 34 miles and 530m ascent. I have assumed that at least one driver going to Dinard will drive back to Parc de la Briantais and start the ride from there and could shuttle drivers at the end of the ride if necessary.
The route for those riding from the ferry port [41 miles and 650m ascent] follows mainly quiet roads around St Servan with some pretty views along the way to meet the others at the car park [a change from when we first did this as then we just followed the main roads in the traffic to the Rance].
At the end of the ride, the car park is close to La Madeleine shopping centre with a Carrefour hypermarket to pick up any wine and French delicacies wanted. These day trips are good fun occasions - you can read about last year's trip HERE
Main Summer Tour - Bagnoles de l'Orne, France - 10th to 14th June
This is a centre based cycling holiday, rather than a tour, based at Hotel Spa du Beryl in Bagnoles de l'Orne, south of Caen in France. David has organised the holiday with help from John on logistics. There are sixteen participants travelling in six cars, with two cars taking the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Ouistreham on 9th June, with the remainder on the 10th June morning ferry. The hotel has a swimming pool and spa to relax after each day's ride and there is secure storage for the bikes. David has booked dinner at the hotel for the arrival day when the routes for the day rides will be decided. At the end of the holiday all are returning on the 1630 Brittany ferry on the Friday 14th afternoon from Ouistreham to Portsmouth. For more details about this trip see - Normandy - Summer 2024
Dreilandergiro, 18th to 27th June 2024
This is a tour based on the Munich to Venice cycle route between Holzkirchen in Bavaria, through the Tirol in Austria, over the Brenner Pass through the Alps into Italy and through the Dolomites to Belluno then branching off on the SxPiave cycle route to Feltre and then the Valsugana cycle route to Trento. For more details about this tour, see - Dreilandergiro, 18th to 27th June 2024
Late Summer Tour - Bicester to Cambridge - 9-12th September
This tour was originally intended to be Oxford to Cambridge and back but lack of long term parking in Oxford meant this was less practicable. We will drive with our bikes to Bicester and park there for the duration. The ROUTE follows the NCN51 to Cambridge and returns via the National Byway, Britain's secret cycle-touring network - a meandering signposted route following the quietest lanes through the sleepiest villages. The route from Bicester passes the NT Claydon Estate, goes through the middle of Milton Keynes and passes Cranfield to our overnight stop in Bedford. The next day we pass through St Neots then beside Grafham Water to Huntingon and Godmanchester to St Ives where we take the perfectly flat cycle path beside the guided busway all the way into Cambridge for the second overnight stop. The route back picks up the National Byway near Duxford that wanders around the coutryside to Sandy, then skirting Biggleswade to Bedford area for our overnight stop. The last day continues on the NB through Ampthill, past Woburn Safari Park and skirts Leighton Buzzard on the way back to Bicester.