With nearly 700 kilometers of trails entirely dedicated or shared between marshes, bocage and D-Day landing beaches, the Norman part of the Vélomaritime offers fans of bicycle rides around thirty marked routes between Mont Saint-Michel and the port of Dieppe. . Our selection.
Par
Rodolphe Geisler
Published
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View of Paris, the idea of a weekend in Normandie too often boils down to simply taking a train to breathe a good bowl of very invigorating iodine on the boards of Deauville in Calvados or on the heights of the cliffs of Étretat in Seine-Maritime. Penetrating the lands of this still preserved region and discovering the charms of its dense countryside, far from the beaten coastal paths, has nevertheless become a pleasure within everyone’s reach thanks to the “bicycle routes”, which are more and more numerous there. .
Between hedgerows, orchards, marshes, traditional hedgerows and… gourmet stops, there are now nearly thirty marked and secure routes, on average 15 to 60 kilometers long, to take the time to (re)discover Normandy in a different way. Everyone at their own pace. By bike SO, Le Figaro selected three stages of different levels.
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With the family: the “postcard” stage of the Manche, between Saint-Lô and Saint-Jean-de-Daye
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Level : very easy.
Distance : 25 km.
Elevation: plat.
It’s a bit of a postcard stopover: departing from Saint-Lô, take the towpath on the banks of the Vire to Saint-Jean-de-Daye. Apple trees, cows and horses guaranteed along this green and tree-lined path almost entirely dedicated to cyclists and hikers. Here, the vegetation, greasy and fragrant, varies with the seasons and the work in the fields. A scent of tranquility floats between its sometimes century-old hedges and yet so fragile in appearance. The beauty of a meandering stream in the middle of a meadow suddenly forces you to slow down your bike and your heart rate. We stop. We finally breathe. Silently.
- The board : before taking the train again at Saint-Lô station, don’t forget to visit its famous Haras national.
” READ ALSO – Holidays in La Manche, why you have to (re)discover this corner of Normandy
With friends: on the paths of Calvados, between Caen, Ouistreham and Cabourg
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Level : facile.
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Distance : 39 km.
Elevation: plat.
It’s the perfect stage for, after an effort (however very measured with its flat slopes) to treat friends to small gourmet and festive comforts such as calvados knows how to offer it so well: restaurants, trendy bars and casinos. Arrived by train in Caen, take the old mining route, now converted into a green track, along the Orne to the port of Ouistreham (16 km). Then, to Cabourg (23 km), you will follow the hinterland, in particular an ornithological reserve, a paradise for more than 400 species of birds, passing the famous Pegasus Bridge, immortalized in the film one longest day.
- The board : in the footsteps of Marcel Proust, have a drink at the bar Grand Hotel de Cabourg and book your Art Nouveau style room: 414.
” READ ALSO – Norman stroll with Marcel Proust: rediscover lost time in Cabourg
Between confirmed amateurs: sus on the heights of the Seine-Maritime, between Le Havre and Étretat
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Level : difficile.
Distance : 44 km.
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Elevation: 145 m.
A journey through history and literature. After having walked the long avenues of Le Havre imagined by the architect Auguste Perret in a very post-war “reconstruction” taste, without forgetting a passage through the Oscar Niemeyer space, do not forget an oil to massage your calves. Then towards the cliffs ofEtretat, where the shadow of Arsène Lupin still hangs. It is possible to take a bus, line 122, to cross the Normandy bridge. The opportunity to revise your bike brakes before the last descent.
- The board : before arrival, enjoy the bucolic viewpoints of the Valley of Antifer.
” READ ALSO – La Seine à Vélo: our guide to preparing for your trip to Deauville or Le Havre
Practical notebook
USEFUL
Websites of regional tourist offices (Seine-maritime-tourisme.com ; Calvados-tourisme.com ; Normandie-tourisme.fr) regularly updated.
lavelomaritime.fr : the itinerary and practical information.
GO
By carfrom Paris, allow 2 hours for Le Havre (200 km) via the A13, 1h50 for Caen (200 km), and 3h30 for Saint-Lô (300 km).
By train, departing from Gare Saint-Lazare, allow a 2.5 hour journey to La Havre, and 2 hours to Caen. For Saint-Lô, correspondence in Caen then plan another 1h20.
” READ ALSO – From Mont-Saint-Michel to the cliffs of Étretat, our advice and itineraries for exploring Normandy by bike
