cycling holiday – Page 2 – Postcards from Provence and beyond

Three Weeks Today: Planning the Route from Devon to Provence, by Bike

August 1, 2026

Three weeks today we’ll be setting off from Devon on a cycle ride home to Provence. In this post I share how we’re planning the route, and the decisions behind choosing quiet roads, and the best places to stop along the way. Whether you’re planning your own long-distance cycling adventure or just following the journey, this is where the ride begins. … More Three Weeks Today: Planning the Route from Devon to Provence, by Bike

Day 13 cycling Provence to Roscoff : The Perfect Coastal Finale… Peaceful Roads & Incredible Sea Views

June 27, 2026

Day 13 and the last full day of our cycle ride from the lavender fields of Provence to the granite coast of Brittany. It has ended with a beautiful ride along the coast, with the beach at our side and the scent of the sea, in the air. It’s been quite a trip. Now we can start planning the pedal back to Provence, in a few weeks time . We’re not ready to slow down yet. … More Day 13 cycling Provence to Roscoff : The Perfect Coastal Finale… Peaceful Roads & Incredible Sea Views

Day 10 Cycling Provence to Roscoff: Across Northern Brittany to Carantec: Chasing the Estuary Breeze

June 24, 2026

Day 10 of our cycle adventure that has taken us from Provence to Roscoff. Today, we pedalled across northern Brittany, seeking a sea breeze and some respite from the fierce heatwave that we have had for the last 10 days. The good news is we found it and for the first time, since leaving home, feel comfortable this evening … More Day 10 Cycling Provence to Roscoff: Across Northern Brittany to Carantec: Chasing the Estuary Breeze

Day 7: Rest Day in Saumur & Changing Course as the Heatwave Hits

June 21, 2026

A day off the bikes today, on our ride from Provence to Roscoff. With the danger to
Life heat warnings, we have replanned our onward trip, experiencing the frustration of booking bikes on trains and have spent today exploring Saumur, finding out more about its past, and its fascinating WW2 history too. An evening with the Fete de la Musique and on again tomorrow … More Day 7: Rest Day in Saumur & Changing Course as the Heatwave Hits

Day 16 … Wet, but happy in Bordeaux

September 5, 2025

Well, what a wonderful last 2 weeks this has been, and yesterday, we pedalled the last leg of the trip through western France, arriving in Bordeaux. We had really enjoyed our couple of days cycling along the lanes around Duras, avoiding the storms that had been a constant feature of the weather forecasts. But, on … More Day 16 … Wet, but happy in Bordeaux

Day 15 … Second breakfast in Marmande.

September 3, 2025

Since deciding to accept that we will just ride from Duras to Bordeaux and avoid the storms that had been predicted, we’ve just relaxed into enjoying our time here. Today, we decided that as we cycled in from the north, pedalled the roads to the east yesterday, and will be riding out west to Bordeaux … More Day 15 … Second breakfast in Marmande.

Day 14 … Exploring the Dropt valley

September 2, 2025

Last night, we had a long chat about the plans for the next few days, coupled with looking at every possible weather forecast we could find, hoping that one may give us (even the slimmest chance) of being able to camp (storm-free) on Wednesday night. But however hard we sought for a glimmer of hope, … More Day 14 … Exploring the Dropt valley

Day 13 … Hiding from the cloudburst

September 1, 2025

We really enjoyed our day off in Mussidan yesterday, and after another good night’s sleep, we were ready to go on again this morning. I had planned various routes to Duras, which we had decided would be our next stop, on the revised route towards Bordeaux. We had the ‘If it’s bucketing with rain’ route; … More Day 13 … Hiding from the cloudburst

Day 11 … Into the Dordogne

August 30, 2025

All I can say, is that cycling 740km to Angouleme to watch the first rugby match of the season for Provence, was worth every turn of the pedal. We had spent a lovely afternoon exploring the town, before I put on my Provence T-Shirt to wear to the match. I have carried it in my … More Day 11 … Into the Dordogne

Day 9 whoops, where are we staying?

August 28, 2025

We had such a lovely evening yesterday, staying in the camp site that we had visited so many times before, albeit, the last time being in 1999. We did the evening walk that had been our favourite walk, all those years ago, taking the quiet road to the Tour de Broue, the last remaining part … More Day 9 whoops, where are we staying?