inspiration for roads from Mont Saint Michel to Rennes and surrounding Rennes

[the woodster]

Here, I’ll save you the bother. You can keep this one.

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10-12 month advanced planning. Not 6-8 weeks.

We booked our hotels for the trip in June Last September/October, to guarantee our staying together. Some have neglected the opportunity, might have issues with having digs, but we will work something out.

I thought as much, however on a trip a couple of years ago I tried to book the same two hotels for the next year and they wouldn't accept the booking. It was during Covid. Some of the more cynical amongst my campaneros believed they only wanted Spanish guests in case of lockdown.

 

[the woodster]

It takes a lot of time and you just have to be a bit dictatorial when herding cats, especially if eleven people on seven bikes like I had a few years ago . This year, I could not find anywhere south of Munich around Tegernsee so I simply announced we would go into Austria and stay at Bregenz on Lake Constance instead. It means we won't go further east than Oberammergau on the German Alpenstrasse but we will ride in the Hahntenjoch instead.
Sometimes, especially for a single stopover, you take the easy option and book a city centre Ibis or other chain hotel. At least then, being in a city centre, you should have a choice of places to eat & drink. Hence this year, we will assemble at the Campanile Reims Centre Cathedrale before heading to an independent hotel in Obernai, Alsace for a few nights.

I agree with the 'a bit dictatorial' thing. I organise the trips and write the routes because no-one else will and although I try to accommodate wishes, it isn't always possible. I try and build in places to see and stay in towns for exactly the reason you state above. My guys are very grateful to be fair, so I don't get any issues in that respect. They are a great bunch and follow the rules we have decided jointly. I've never had any issues with collecting money and a daily whip sorts out the 'Who had what for lunch and how many drinks' etc.

 

[Jersey_GS]

What Arsey said in post #14 but think he meant N164 west out of Rennes then the D767 at Guerlédan to Guingamp from Morlaix the D785 is epic.
Auray and Vannes are also worth a visit if you have time.

 

[wessie]

I agree with the 'a bit dictatorial' thing. I organise the trips and write the routes because no-one else will and although I try to accommodate wishes, it isn't always possible. I try and build in places to see and stay in towns for exactly the reason you state above. My guys are very grateful to be fair, so I don't get any issues in that respect. They are a great bunch and follow the rules we have decided jointly. I've never had any issues with collecting money and a daily whip sorts out the 'Who had what for lunch and how many drinks' etc.

I did have someone, peripheral to the main touring group, have a hissy fit last month. He had not joined an overseas trip before, just one of the UK weekends. He left our private Facebook group and unfriended me. All I did was set a time limit for expressions of interest and when he asked to join 3 weeks after I booked the accommodation, I said no.
I don't take money from people. They get their own ferry/train and hotels are booked with cancellation options. We pay a premium for that facility but we are all getting on and life happens with illness, caring responsibilities etc, so changes are inevitable when booking several months ahead. I have been doing this sort of thing since the mid 1990s and have not lost anything yet.

 

[the woodster]

I did have someone, peripheral to the main touring group, have a hissy fit last month. He had not joined an overseas trip before, just one of the UK weekends. He left our private Facebook group and unfriended me. All I did was set a time limit for expressions of interest and when he asked to join 3 weeks after I booked the accommodation, I said no.

I remain baffled by people like this. We had a guy who was always late, which he did deliberately to wind me up. He's no longer part of the group.