6 days to France Summer 2024

[grantmac]

Although a long way off we need to plan for our annual Club outing. The majority want France so France it will be. Question is where to go. I have a number of options but interested in some feedback.
Option 1 = same as our last tour Normandy round trip. WW1 & WW2 battlefields
Option 2 = Down to the Morvan and back
Option 3 = Vosges

Plan is 6 full riding days from Rotterdam south. I can plan my routes fine but interested in any feedback on the options

 

[Wapping]

Go somewhere new.

Six days, return trip Holland to Holland. Let’s assume you want two full days (three nights) at the destination. Both the Morvan and the Vosges are possible. Then it’s just separating the two by distance, if nessary.

Rotterdam to the top of the Morvan is about 400 miles. Doeable in one day or two, so that works.

Rottedam to the top of the Vosges is about the same. So that works.

I like both, though the Vosges is maybe a bit better, at roughly 3,000 square miles, versus the 1,000 of the Morvan. Toss a coin.

 

[Wapping]

By way of simple comparison, Norfolk is roughly 2,000 square miles.

 

[wessie]

The Vosges is the better riding area of the three, especially when you factor in you can cross the Rhine into the Black Forest. There are plenty of WW1 & WW2 sites to visit.

A lot depends on the group, its size and whether you want to stay together or form smaller sub-groups. My regular touring group that has peaked at 11 people tends towards the latter so I choose a base where there is stuff to do without riding but plenty of twisty roads for those who want to ride all day, every day. We then come together for pre-dinner beverages and even then, might split into sub-groups for dinner as not everyone wants the €30+
Table d'hôte menu.

Perhaps let us know the likely size of the group if you want more suitable recommendations, and the bias towards riding or visiting landmarks.

 

[grantmac]

Thanks. Our group will be around 5-6. We prefer to avoid the motorways but from NL to France we also like to avoid Belgium - crappy roads.
So my guess is Rotterdam through Belgium on the Motorway, then onto the B roads southwards. Never been to the Morvan area and more than happy to ride from stop to stop so no base location required. Probably going for the Logis hotels options which experience shows to be reliable in terms of accommodation and food. Also based on above will all stick together as 1 group

 

[wessie]

Thanks. Our group will be around 5-6. We prefer to avoid the motorways but from NL to France we also like to avoid Belgium - crappy roads.
So my guess is Rotterdam through Belgium on the Motorway, then onto the B roads southwards. Never been to the Morvan area and more than happy to ride from stop to stop so no base location required. Probably going for the Logis hotels options which experience shows to be reliable in terms of accommodation and food. Also based on above will all stick together as 1 group

If you go to Normandy, avoid the Logis hotel in Valognes on the Cotentin Peninsula. Nothing Grand about the Grand Hotel du Louvre. It really should be delisted from the scheme.

On the other hand, the Logis just a few km from Arromanches and the new British Normandy Memorial is wonderful. Best restaurant I've used for many years. https://goo.gl/maps/dJn273CEs3Lq3Nfe9

In the Vosges, this hotel near Munster is excellent as well. Great food, part of the Logis Elegance range https://www.hotel-panorama-alsace.com/en/ - there are great views to the Petit Ballon and there is WW1 museum and German graveyard up the hill https://www.linge1915.eu/index.php/en/

For the Morvan, Wapping and I stayed in the Dak Hotel in Avallon. Part of the Brit Hotel chain which is similar to the Logis group i.e. independent but linked for marketing. There's a Logis in the town as well. I'd stay there for an overnight but it's quite a small town and I think I might gravitate to Autun if going again as it looked nice on a daytrip from Beaune. In fact, with the proximity to Beaune I might find it difficult not to stay there again as it is a favourite place!

 

[Wapping]

I agree with Wessie about Avallon.

Quarre les Tombes is good, though there are several other nice large’ish villages / small towns in the Morvan.

Similarly, the Vosges is very well served with hotels, all catering for all sorts of budgets and expectations.

 

[grantmac]

thanks Richard and Wessie, some great tips. Love the look of the hotel panorama! Now I need to start making some routes!

 

[Wapping]

In the Morvan, Lormes, is not a bad town on a multi-leg crossroads. I often stop at the cafe there. From memory, there used to be a Logis hotel, but I never stayed there and it might now be gone Likewise, Saulieu or Semur en Auxois; both are a little outside of the Morvan proper, in Côte d’Or.

In the Vosges, again, lots of places. Turckheim, is OK (not far from Colmar, on the eastern edge) but you might want something a bit more central, perhaps?

 

[wessie]

The old town in the centre of the otherwise quite industrial Colmar is lovely. It has a Little Venice and a mini Statue of Liberty. Plenty of hotels on the edge of this compact centre. They seem to have clamped down on parking bikes in the old town and it is no longer possible to park on the street outside the St Martin hotel we used.

Kaysersberg is a nice town. Logis there I used a few years ago.

Obernai is further north. We were booked into the Hotel la Diligence for 2020 but did not get to try it!

In the Nord Vosges, I like the Hotel des Pins on the edge of Haguenau. Good food again, or stay in the Kyriad across the road for less cash and eat in Les Pins!

In the Nord Vosges, Wissembourg looks lovely and I noted a couple of reasonable looking hotels by the train station. It's only a 6 hour schlep down the motorway and no Belgium if you go via Venlo, Koblenz etc. or motoway to Venlo and then get on the smaller roads through the Eifel and stop overnight.

 

[Rasher]

+1 on Wessie posts, he probably done more than me around both.

I like Morvan heading down towards south, we often stop at Troyes at end of day 1, and then hit Morvan early day 2 and avoid motorway for rest of way to the Alps. Its not big, top to bottom is under 2 hours, wouldn't mind a full day looping about but with 6 days the Ardennes, Lux and Eifel gives much more, Black Forest also good (and can be combines with some of above) and Vosges and Black Forest also a good combo.

Could take a bit of all of that in 6 days ;-)

The Natzwiler concentration camp in the Vosges is worth sparing a couple of hours for.

 

[Wapping]

I can do top of the Morvan (Avallon) to Calais in a day, in time to catch a late afternoon / very early evening Chunnel train, back to the UK. This is on a route which misses motorways entirely. Grant, you will want to go to Rotterdam’ish, which is obviously further. The route could be adapted at the top end, to pick up the motorway (on a diagonal) across to Holland..

 

[grantmac]

I think we will go for the Vosges. I have been there before and also the Natzwiller camp which indeed is well worht a visit. The roads in the Vosges can really vary; some nice long sweeping bends especially up by the ski area to some crazy twisties. Also links in nicely to avoiding to much motorway.

 

[leedude03]

If going to the Vosges pop into one of the many tourist info places and see when the tours of fort mutzig are running its well worth a visit, and also the Eco museum (sounds shit) but is actually very good links for both below.

Fort of Mutzig / Feste Kaiser Wilhelm II - Visit Alsace

Built from 1893 to 1916, the Mutzig fortress was named "Feste Kaiser Wilhelm II" in 1895. It was the first German fortification to be made of concrete ...

www.visit.alsace

Écomusée d'Alsace: France's largest open-air museum

Visit the Écomusée d'Alsace and immerse yourself in Alsace at the beginning of the 20th century. Discover its popular arts and traditions, activities and events.

www.ecomusee.alsace