At almost 1500 kilometres, the Vélomaritime is the longest cycle route in France. It starts in Roscoff, then runs along the north coast through Brittany, Normandy and Hauts-de-Frances. It forms the first stage of EuroVelo 4 (Central Europe Route), which ends in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.
0. introduction
1. the EuroVelo 4
2. the Breton coast
3. the Velomaritime
4 Mont St Michel and St Malo
5. the Cotentin and the landing beaches
6 Bayeux and Caen
7. from LeHavre to the Some estuary
8. to Calais and Dunkerque
Eurella 4 starts at the seaside town of rosov but for the first 30 km up to the small town of mle it follows the same route as urel 1 which I had conquered a few years ago so I don’t bother with this stretch via S po Leon because the
Cumbersome transport of the bicycle to moay has been taxing enough there I leave the railway station above the town center with its striking 60 M High 19th century Railway Bridge and take a hotel the next day my cycle tour begins with a cot de Granite Rose you’re 4 crosses Europe from west to east starting point is rosov in the far west of Britany the destination is KF the capital of Ukraine in some respects one could say that although it runs 200 km further north it runs parallel to the UR 6 in other words parallel to that European
Cycle rout which go goes from the mouth of the lir to the Black Sea however the character of UR 4 is completely different and so are the demands on the cyclist while Ur 6 always follows Rivers Ur 4 is characterized by diverse Landscapes not only Rivers but steep
Coasts wide Plains and mountain ranges the diversity of its Landscapes reflects a Europe that will hopefully have a future Without Borders The Breton Coast Northeast of mle will comes me with a bright blue sky a strong easterly wind and lots of steep hills after endless cool downpours a particularly stable high pressure area
Lies Over Western and Central Europe from miday it gives me a good 4 weeks of sunny weather without a drop of rain until I reach o end it is really worth the constant headwind the headwind makes the hills steeper and higher it is almost as bad as in Wales and that
Really says it on the road I meet a German couple on their bikes who complain bitterly about the many climbs even though they are traveling on EB B however there are very few cyclists on tour here despite the beauty of the landscape that is not Surprising my first destination for the day is Lano and I soon realize that I have been overconfident in the French cycling guide the stage was labeled with three bikes the highest level of difficulty I didn’t take this very seriously that was a mistake it feels like the vomar team not only climbs
Every Hill but also doesn’t miss a single Bay fortunately the last part of the route runs a little further from the coast on a country road nevertheless I arrive Just Before Sunset and have only covered 70 kilm I have to postpone my visit to the Church of bines until the
Next morning situated on a steep hill the church originally belonged to the Templars and featur both Romanesque and Gothic style Elements as it is already evident that I have planned a too long trip for tomorrow I cycle directly from lanor to the CIT H in a northeasterly direction I reach the sea at the mean Rus lighthouse in the village of Plum manak the cot Granit Rose stretches from treor to
Peros and is characterized by its weathered pink Granite Boulders which come in bizarre rounded shapes to the east of peras the velari team runs a little further Inland from the coast there the hills are not quite as numerous or as steep but you could never call it a coastal plane I spent the
Night in the village of pleier Before I reach it I visit re again situated on a hill with its pictures old town and the Cathedral of SEL the following day I return to the coast via lead and pul along the C de gilo and the C de P the vomar team runs very
Close to the coast the whole way only turning slightly Inland again near s Meo meanwhile I know what is loock the coastal cycle paaths are and have chosen shorter stages I stay overnight near s Le Ando the scenery along the rout is exceptionally beautiful however there is not a continuous cycle path but stretches on country roads and dedicated cycle paths alternate sometimes I also cycle on former railway tracks the abidi boo near pul and the landscape around cap freil are particularly impressive the Abby was built in the
High Middle Ages and originally belonged to the premon tenian order it was plundered and devastated and is now privately [Applause] owned At capil the Atlantic Ocean lashes against the cliffs and the heath landscape with its many spring flowers repeatedly presents picturebook views over towering Cliffs and small small base there’s one photo opportunity after another but of course I hardly cover any distance anyway it gives me more time to admire the great Sites To the east of sasu the vomar team leads me back in land it bypasses the congested bridge over to samalo and crosses the Bas deas further south at pler suros this leg is a joy to cycle and the hills are not so steep the route along the eastern shore
Of the basad deos is very Scenic it follows small country roads directly along the coast not only do I pass small idilic villages and magnificent aristocratic residences but also the lon tidle Power Station it was built in 1967 and remained the largest one in the world for 40
Years I reach s Malo the granite Citadel on wi Saturday in almost summery weather all the hotels are accordingly full and tourists crowd every place the granite didn’t help against the Allied bomber fleets that targeted the city during the second world war because it had been turned into a
Fortress by German troops 80% of the buildings were destroyed but have since been rebuil and restored to their former glory particularly worth seeing are the gray City walls and the rebuil S Cathedral From samalu I take another shortcut I don’t cyle to conal following the velari team but head straight for more s Michelle because of the vits Sun Holidays accommodation is a problem and I have to make do with the SE about 20 km south of the famous monastery Mountain fortunately this time the route
Takes me through a really flat Coastal plane shortly before pontos I crossed the border between Britany and Normandy more Sam Michelle originally belonged to Britany but now belongs to Normandy due to the relocation of the river Le quino Dasa In addition to Normandy and Britany the ofr region was also involved in the planning and realization of the vomar team at the end of 2018 the three regions founded a cycle route committee together with other partners its task was to plan and design the first stage of UR of 4 this stage is
Almost 1,000 500 km long it is by far the longest in any of the seven countries the UR 4 crosses some of the ideas of the French British partnership for the Tour de March were also integrated the vomar team is not quite as welld developed as its somewhat
Shorter counterpart the valod on the west coast of France due to the many and often very steep climbs you have to put in some effort to cycle however the vomar team is also much more interesting and varied the medial Town centers The Landing sites in Normandy the historic towns on the English
Channel and the Magnificent Cliffs are undoubtly worth the many steep hills there is not yet a cycle route guide for the develar team in German but there is a book in French that is similar to The Bike Line tour guides for me it has two major disadvantages my French is too
Poor to understand the description of the sites and unlike the bike cycle guides the French Willow guide does not include contour lines fortunately there’s still a very good official version of the vomer team cycle guide on the internet this is also made available in German and English by the tourism organizations involved
I have reserved a whole day for the visit of more s Michelle first I have to cycle 15 kilm to reach it the journey goes via ptoo 3 km before Mor Michelle all cars and buses have to stop only shuttle buses pedestrians and cyclists are allowed to continue cyclists have only
Enjoyed this privilege for some years and it is also subject to a few restrictions you can’t use your bik inside the Castle Hill but there is a bicycle parking space near the entrance although it is a wi Monday the morning Rush of tourists to France’s most famous world heritage site is still
Limited I have have the distinct impression that the over turism here is not yet as bad as in Cent or Venice the three story complex is also surprisingly spacious so that I am almost alone in some of the halls but maybe I’m just lucky that day and my visit correspondence with the peak meal times I own visit the mo s Michelle at low tide but the views from the various
Chapels churches and Courtyards are impressive and unique the Glorious spring day with its bmy Breeze adds to this the magic of the place is evident even if you don’t believe in the Legion of the invisible line that stretches from skic Michael to the caramel Monastery in Israel the line of the
Invisible word is more or less correct but only on a map of Europe or using an atlas if you use a globe which would actually be appropriate you are looking at a Cemeter After a wonderful day at m s Michelle I set off the next morning in the direction of the cot peninsula in Good Spirit the weather is fine and for the very first time on the vom mar te the landscape is perfectly flat just as a coastal plane should be yet it is here
That the cycle path takes me further Inland in frce than at any other point in its 1,500 km this is because the west coast of kotata is skipped by the velari team my first day destination on the peninsula m bage is almost 50 km from the coast surprisingly the cycle paths
Here are particularly welld developed they are carfree for almost the entire room and often run on former railway [Applause] Lines from Mage I set off in 3 days stages to Utah Beach the westernmost Landing Beach of the alleys during the second world war the vomar team takes me via the small towns of V Salo and Carata the nice flat terrain soon ends and the hills become almost as steep as in Britany from time to time I can travel on river banks but mostly there are steep descents and climbs not even the many flower filled Meadows can sweeten this Trail the impressive vict of sura
Designed by Gustav eiel is a good example it is rebuilt into a single large play and fun facility so driving over it is not an option it goes deeply down into the valley and just as deeply back up again I reached the small town of Salo the following day the town with its
Cathedral was 95% destroyed during Operation Overlord and sized by the alleys 2 months after the landing from here on the weather gets steadily worse it is not raining but it is windy quite cool and very cloudy it also looks like rain all the time a French cyclist I
Meet a few days later tells me that the cotton pan insula is notorious for its bad Weather so I skipped the northern part of Cota around the habber town of chabur and head directly East to Utah Landing Beach here the weather is even in a real stormy mood but the Americans are in a celebratory mood they are driving around in old Jeeps and other military vehicles
Celebrating the 79th anniversary of dday the landing of the Allied air Land and Sea forces in Normandy these celebrations last 2 weeks from the end of May to the beginning of June they come with parades breath slaying ceremonies and Regional festivals and celebrations I encounter these again and
Again over the next 3 days as I slowly make my way from Utah Beach to swer beach near K from Utah Beach I cycle directly to Maha Beach the second major Landing site for the US troops to the east of gold Landing Beach where mainly British troops arrived I stay overnight near the
Small coastal town of B basar Hoopa for two Days My main propose is a detour to Bay the famous town is only 10 km from the coast but nevertheless ignored by the vomar team as I have never been there before I want to visit nram Cathedral the current building dates back to the high Middle Ages and was built in the gothic style
It survived the Second World War without major Damage I also visit the M de taper where the bay tapestry is on display it is 68 M long and shows 58 individual Scenes before cycling back to the coast I find out all about the Allied Landings in Normandy during the second world war at the muse Dei the following day I am faced with a problem that there’s still a gap in the v Mar team in other words there’s no proper cycle route across the lir EST to leav the vomar team pages in the internet say laconically the section from ofl to is not safe enough for
Cyclists and therefore suggest using a bus with bicycle transport you have to book in advance in French so I make a different choice I continue cycling along the coast and SP Beach to the or EST there I take the well-maintained cycle path that leads South along the Canal de K Alia to the city of KH in car I take a whole liury day for
Sightseeing I visit the habber cathedral old town and the chatau dean the extensive castle of K was built in 1060 on the orders of William the Conqueror it is one of the biggest fortifications in Europe it also houses several interesting Museums the next day I take a regional train and travel directly to leav I leave leav station in the early afternoon and start cycling towards the hab the har the city with the second largest Hab in for was also almost completely destroyed in the second world war and then rebuilt in concrete
Architecture nevertheless the city received a world heritage award well what to say leav is located on the alabaster Coast which stretches as far as trior just before the mouth of the Som this steep Coast which attracts many tourists has unpleasant side effects for the cyclists on the Mar team very
Similar to the coast in Britany it implies deep Hills the gradients are considerable I cover the almost 200 kilm from leav to leor in four legs I spent the night in ATA voet Seria yep and AR rest in the Bay of s the destination of my first day stage ATA is
Framed on both sides by Towing Cliffs fortunately I’m here out of season anyway I can’t get a room for less than € 100 but the crowds are still limited there hasn’t been any fishing here for a long time it is all been replaced by mass tourism On the next stage I experience even more of the impressive cliffs in F and vet suia in F I admire the P Benedictine with the herbal liquor of the same name is Distilled I then cycle further East Via the town’s three haers and reach boet suir in the evening the tourist season hasn’t even started here and I have the beach and the cliffs almost to Myself a Gusty Wind Blows the next morning I make a few video shots in s Valeri or Co and then cycle on to vo lose the village of 500 inhabitants was named one of the most beautiful villages in force in 2017 and boasts another record too the
Vo which flows into the sea here is the shortest river in force measuring 1159 m this leg ends in yep after climbing a lot of Hills there is a consolatory conclusion coming from the plateau of the cliffs you enter the town with a wonderful view of the castle and the ha of Yep the following day I reached hipur and its neighboring town of M the alabaster Coast ends with this twin town and comes to a worthy conclusion with the highest chalk cliffs in Europe at 110 M here too there are beautiful views of the hab and Town Center As I cycle east of deep towards the S Delta I finally return to an area that is flat and can widely be described as a coastal plane there also plenty of tourists here even a lot of cyclists the accommodation in s valer Soom is so expensive that I prefer to stay in a
Small village 10 km away on the periphery of the Delta from the mouth of the Su four legs take me to the French Belgian border at Braun there are still a few climbs to conquer especially in the cap GES area however this is nothing compared to the alabaster coast and only
Affects a small part of the Route leaving the Som I first cycle to back before I reach the town with its sandy beaches I crossed the extensive nature reserves and bird sanctuaries in the Eastern Bay of the S this route is very beautiful but I don’t meet many Cyclists from back where I get the impression that the season is still a long way off I continue to Bologna surir there is a strange Coastal forg right by the Sea But not further England not far from back near a tle I visit one of the largest military cemeteries of the first world war more than 10,000 fallen soldiers are bured Here the next morning the coastal Fork Has Lifted from the seaside of bolog suir I first troll through the ha and then cycle off towards Cal I visit another large British military cemetery and then cycle along Coastal paths to the cup Greeny on a clear day you can see England from the Cape of the gry nose as this is the narrowest point of the English Channel at 33 km on this day however visibility is too Poor In C the capital of the Opel Coast I take a short stroll through the town and have a look at the ha the town hall and in front of it the Monument of the citizens of Cal by AUST the last stage on the vomar team takes me via Dunkirk to the French Belgian border duner is part of a pretty ugly industrial area but at least there are a few dedicated cycle paths although they usually run 2 to 3 km from the coast in
Many places I can see piles of shopping carts and small groups of migrants moving along the highways after the dissolution of the cay jungle the center of irregular migration shifted to Don K French critics See England as responsible for this because its economic model creates a high demand for
Jobs in the informal sector I tend to Agree From Jun c i cycle through a beautiful Dune landscape the path is carfree and I don’t notice any border that’s how it should be in Europe Right A