Thoughts on a trip to France

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Wow thanks everyone for the ideas and thanks arsey for the road highlights. Will consider that when planning the routes in the next few weeks.

Yes I am definitely going to Brittany. Right decision I think for April! :)


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Wow thanks everyone for the ideas and thanks arsey for the road highlights. Will consider that when planning the routes in the next few weeks.

Yes I am definitely going to Brittany. Right decision I think for April! :)


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What dates are you going ? I might be at my place in Brittany so could show you around a bit ?
 
Weather will be a tad uncertain anywhere in Brittany in April, so I would suggest you leave plans very fluid. I have seen drizzle & thick fogs enveloping the north for days on end in April, not unlike Cornwall. Sometimes the south coast gets markedly better weather or you could bimble down to La Rochelle & the Ile de Re or even take the Bac at Royan, across the Gironde to the Medoc vineyards.

Searching the travel section will reveal some good route ideas.
 
For feck’s sake he’s booked his tickets and has just a few days away; three to be precise. Just how ‘fluid’ is he meant to leave things? Got any ideas?
 
Weather will be a tad uncertain anywhere in Brittany in April, so I would suggest you leave plans very fluid. I have seen drizzle & thick fogs enveloping the north for days on end in April, not unlike Cornwall. Sometimes the south coast gets markedly better weather or you could bimble down to La Rochelle & the Ole de Re or even take the Bac at Royan, across the Gironde to the Medoc vineyards.

Searching the travel section will reveal some good route ideas.

Weather is uncertain all over France in April. One year I rode down to a friend’s place near Bourg en Bresse in early April in 25 degree sunny weather but then heavy snow overnight lead to an unexpected 5 days snowed in. Won’t happen in Brittany, I’m sure.
 
Another question for those in the know about French roads. Are 'D' class roads generally equivalent to British 'B' roads? I like to avoid single track lanes if possible due to a couple of bad experiences on them in the UK. i.e. shit road conditions, inconsiderate drivers. I have checked a few with Street View - even if there is no white line down the middle, they seem wide enough for 2 vehicles right?
 
Another question for those in the know about French roads. Are 'D' class roads generally equivalent to British 'B' roads?........



It’s a good rule of thumb that D (departmental) roads are near enough the same as our B roads. Some will be N (national) roads that have been declassified to D or turned over from the state to the local department (a bit like our counties). The best clue as to what a road will be like is to look at a Michelin map and / or on Google street view, as you have done.

I would be comfortable riding any D road on a GS, a bicycle, a FireBlade, a scooter / moped ..... or my 1600, not least as I done all five at some time or another.

This might be handy....

https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showt...d-toll-roads-explained?highlight=French+roads

I need to do it again but it will give you a decent start.


In short, look at the legend on any decent Michelin map. It will tell you, with pretty good accuracy, what type of road to expect. Don’t forget that the vast number of people on the road drive a car, not a motorbike. These maps are dedicated to the majority of road users. It follows that Michelin will go to great lengths to detail the quality of the roads on their maps correctly, so as to avoid upsetting millions of car drivers. If a road is yellow or red it will be comfortably drivable, two cars abreast, just as it will in England. If the road is coloured white or with the designation ‘C’ and is narrower, then it is going to be smaller than a ‘D’ road. It doesn’t meant that it is undrivable or narrowly dangerous; it is just a minor road, very similar to one you’d find in the UK. If the legend shows a road with a broken border, then the chances are it will have a broken road surface. Again, if it looks narrower on the map, it probably is.

You’ll be fine. Trust me.
 
Another question for those in the know about French roads. Are 'D' class roads generally equivalent to British 'B' roads? I like to avoid single track lanes if possible due to a couple of bad experiences on them in the UK. i.e. shit road conditions, inconsiderate drivers. I have checked a few with Street View - even if there is no white line down the middle, they seem wide enough for 2 vehicles right?

a D road can be anything from a declassified Route National equivalent to our A trunk road to a single track over a mountain pass with 25% hairpin bends.

The D dignifies road maintenance is by the Departement rather than the National State (N) or local Communales (C) I believe. In general, road maintenance is much better than B roads in the UK.

Google Maps Streetview is your friend but you will miss some of the best views by avoiding some very wide but single track roads over mountain passes

As they are Department roads, they are the ones most likely to be infested with speed camera
 
I am not sure that a country the size of France is infested with speed cameras. But hey, it’s a risk worth taking... or take the motorways.
 
I am not sure that a country the size of France is infested with speed cameras. But hey, it’s a risk worth taking... or take the motorways.

Les Gilet Jeune may disagree as they have been using traditional techniques of vermin control using fire and chemicals to eliminate the problem
 
Les Gilet Jeune may disagree as they have been using traditional techniques of vermin control using fire and chemicals to eliminate the problem

Unfortunately the government are starting to replace them and the new models are harder to spot, they don’t have reflective stickers on them, they are mainly black and they are up high on poles out of your eyeline :mad:
 
Becksy.....

This picture illustrates things perfectly:

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If you look at La Lande les Maures, you can see the red D98 running west to east, the yellow D42 running south, down to the coast at Port de Miramar and what appears to be a white road running north to join the D14. The roads are not the same width on the map and only two are apparently D roads, one of which is red and therefore quite major.

However a bit of closer inspection shows that things might not be as they seem.

The D98 is indeed a pretty major road, justifying its red colour.

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The white road, which might have put you off, turns out to be the D88. It’s not a full blown yellow D road but it’s quite nice and quite safe to ride along, as these pictures show:

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Now compare the D88 with the yellow, green bordered D41 to the right, it is probably what most people whether in a car or on a motorbike would imagine a nice drive to be:

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Which will then bring you to the D14, running west to east, part scenic running eastwards:

b6f35baee37a7b74f92b95352f87b121.plist


Part regular (not green bordered) running westwards:

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I hope this has given you enough confidence to be sure that Michelin maps, coupled to a bit of imagination (mixed with common sense) and help from Google (if you need it) will see you right, more often than not. As they are primarily designed and published with car drivers or even lorries and bicycles in mind, they lean towards the side of caution; a motorbike will be fine, trust me. I did all this on a iPad, so it can’t be too hard.

If you want a great way to see Michelin maps and zoom in, get this free app:

363b545df0e8c2535e7428ea738024b5.plist


But don’t forget to take a paper map, too.
 
Thanks for the research Wapping. Yes, using maps and google when not sure, should be fine. Have a road atlas for France too, will download that app as well p. Cheers!


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I'm sure everyone wants to know how the planning is going for my trip. Cannot post pictures of the draft routes however (draft in Google then finalise in Basecamp is my Modus Operandi)

Day 1 - St Malo to St Nazaire, via Guingamp and Vannes via the D767
Day 2 - St Nazaire to Pointe du Raz peninsula, basically reverse of the Ride route Quimper to St Nazaire.
Day 3 - From there to somewhere on the north coast a short hop from St Malo, using part of the Ride route around Quimper via Camaret sur Mer and Brasparts then up the D785 to Morlaix
Day 4 - Short trip to the ferry.

Approx 200 miles a day.
 
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