[Holidays] Cycling tour in Normandy - 8 people, 6 bikes, 200 miles, and a lot of cider
Today is very much a day of recovery. I got back very early this morning from my holiday, and although I had a lot of fun isn't wasn't exactly the most relaxing of holidays - I spent a week cycling around France with a group of friends from the orchestra I play in! The group had previously done a cycling tour of vineyards in Burgundy, and this year thought that they'd do something similar. Except instead of wine, they'd tour the cider (or should I say cidre) region of Normandy.
Since I rather enjoy cycling they invited me along, and I eagerly said yes. I promptly spent quite a lot of money getting my bike ready for the trip; I took the opportunity to replace a few parts that were getting a bit old (the saddle, handle bar grips, rear tire, and brakes), and fitted pannier racks front and back. I also had to buy some panniers, although fortunately only a front pair as I was able to borrow a set of rear panniers from one of the others.
I was slightly apprehensive about being able to cope with the amount of cycling that we'd be doing, particularly the hills. But in the end I was absolutely fine. The pace was reasonably leisurely, we took plenty of breaks, and although there were some pretty nasty hills there was also plenty of downhill to have fun with. We covered about 180-200 miles over seven days, which isn't too shabby really.
A quick Google maps representation of our route. Each colour is a different day - not all of them were equally difficult! (Credit: David Brown)
Apologies for the long post, but as this was a bit of an unusual venture for me I've gone into it in a bit more detail than is customary for most of my holidays!
After getting the overnight ferry from Portsmouth we shambled off the ferry at about 7am French time, and promptly hit our first delay. One of the two tandems had some rear wheel issues - not a puncture as such, but some issues with the tire being fitted wonkily and rubbing on the mudguard. Some quick adjustments with tools and brute force, and we were on our way about 8am.
We passed across Pegasus Bridge before heading off into the countryside along country lanes. The weather was beautiful, and we made pretty good time all morning, despite several stops along the way for faffing and snacks. We eventually stopped for lunch in Mezidon-Canon, where we found a boulangerie that was miraculously open on a Sunday and ate in the town square next to the market. In the sunshine. It was great.
Parked up for a quick snack stop on the first morning, somewhere between Ouistreham and Mezidon-Canon.
If only the weather had been this nice all week! (Credit: David Brown)
The rest of the day sort of went downhill after that. The weather grew more and more overcast, and the terrain got gradually more hilly the closer we got to the campsite. There were two particularly memorable hills - one that was not hugely steep, but very long, and one that was incredibly steep and which we tackled from a standing start. Not fun. We also took a detour from the route we'd originally planned when we found that the cycle path was more of a bridle way, and thus covered in gravel and very, very bumpy. So we elected for the easier going of the road!
We made it to our campsite about 5pm. The farm at Les Noyers was more used to taking caravans than tents, and was a little bumpy and very, very squelchy. But we made the best of it, and fortunately the worst of the rain held off until we'd set up camp. The campsite was picked at least partly because it was also a cider farm, so we bought a couple of bottles from the owners, enjoyed dinner and a few drinks, and had a relatively early night after what had been a long day of cycling.
We also attempted to go for a walk before hitting the hay, but thwarted by an unexpected guest. As we left the campsite one of the two dogs that belonged to the owner came running along behind us, and followed us all the way to the main road. I ended up making a new friend as I dragged her out of someone's garden, then away from the road, and eventually back to the farm. It seemed like she'd only listen to me, but she was very, very cute.
Our tents set up on the campsite at Les Noyers. It was a little rustic, but pretty nice really. (Credit: David Brown)
We also attempted to go for a walk before hitting the hay, but thwarted by an unexpected guest. As we left the campsite one of the two dogs that belonged to the owner came running along behind us, and followed us all the way to the main road. I ended up making a new friend as I dragged her out of someone's garden, then away from the road, and eventually back to the farm. It seemed like she'd only listen to me, but she was very, very cute.
My two new friends. They were so cute, and incredibly friendly. I really wanted to bring one home with me. (Credit: David Brown)
Day 2 (Monday 26th May) - Round trip around Les Noyers (~15 miles; red route)
After a long day on Sunday, we took it fairly easy on the Monday. After a lazy morning we left camp about 11am and made the short trip down the road to Vimoutiers, where there was supposed to be a market on. Unfortunately it turned out that the market only started at 2pm, so we killed a couple of hours wandering around the town and having lunch. When it did arrive the market was somewhat disappointing, with only a few stalls, but we did manage to get some nice fruit.
During the wait we'd also done some research on possible cidreries in the area, and found one on the edge of Vimoutiers. So on our way out of town we popped in. The lady in reception was very friendly, and gave us an impromptu tasting session with some very nice cider, pommeau (a fortified cider), and calvados (an apple brandy, and a local speciality). We bought a few bottles, then cycled along the main road to Livarot for coffee. Some of us then went back to camp, via Carrefour, for dinner, while the others went into Vimoutiers to find a restaurant.
Once everyone was back at camp, it was time to fire up the chiminea! One of the others had brought a small one with him, and although it was designed for tea-lights he filled it with wood and had great fun causing fire to shoot out of the top. Lots of cider and wine was drunk, and we enjoyed the warmth of the chiminea well into the night. My new friend also came to join us for a while, being rather better behaved this time (assuming it was the same one, I couldn't actually tell).
After a long day on Sunday, we took it fairly easy on the Monday. After a lazy morning we left camp about 11am and made the short trip down the road to Vimoutiers, where there was supposed to be a market on. Unfortunately it turned out that the market only started at 2pm, so we killed a couple of hours wandering around the town and having lunch. When it did arrive the market was somewhat disappointing, with only a few stalls, but we did manage to get some nice fruit.
During the wait we'd also done some research on possible cidreries in the area, and found one on the edge of Vimoutiers. So on our way out of town we popped in. The lady in reception was very friendly, and gave us an impromptu tasting session with some very nice cider, pommeau (a fortified cider), and calvados (an apple brandy, and a local speciality). We bought a few bottles, then cycled along the main road to Livarot for coffee. Some of us then went back to camp, via Carrefour, for dinner, while the others went into Vimoutiers to find a restaurant.
Once everyone was back at camp, it was time to fire up the chiminea! One of the others had brought a small one with him, and although it was designed for tea-lights he filled it with wood and had great fun causing fire to shoot out of the top. Lots of cider and wine was drunk, and we enjoyed the warmth of the chiminea well into the night. My new friend also came to join us for a while, being rather better behaved this time (assuming it was the same one, I couldn't actually tell).
The chiminea in action! It actually gave out a lot of heat for its size, and even though we were all expecting it to crack it managed to survive the night! (Credit: David Brown)
Day 3 (Tuesday 27th May) - Les Noyers to Pont l'Eveque (~30 miles; green route)
We'd originally planned to stay at Les Noyers for three nights, but that had been based on the assumption of a 7 night trip. Which it was, but only if you included the night on the ferry! So we decided to up sticks an move on, leaving some money to cover the camping fees when we weren't able to find any of our hosts!
We had two possible destinations in mind - Lisieux, where we knew there was a campsite, and Pont l'Eveque, which was further away but also had a couple of sites. We planned out a route than would be fairly easy going, and set off. After the first climb out of Les Noyers, which we all walked, the route was indeed pretty good. We had an awesome descent down to a river valley, then followed the road alongside the river all the way to Lisieux. The weather wasn't the best - cold and grey, with a little drizzle at one point - so we were glad to find somewhere warm for lunch. We also took the chance to find a bike shop, as one of the bikes had a cracked pedal.
After the ever-so-French meal of pizza, and a quick look around Lisieux cathedral, we decided to head on up to Pont l'Eveque since we were making such good time. Plus the campsites there had much better reviews. Continuing along the valley we made excellent time, and ended up at the municipal campsite, which was very well presented, had great facilities, and was pretty quiet. We were given pitches in one corner of the site, and took full advantage of the space
We'd originally planned to stay at Les Noyers for three nights, but that had been based on the assumption of a 7 night trip. Which it was, but only if you included the night on the ferry! So we decided to up sticks an move on, leaving some money to cover the camping fees when we weren't able to find any of our hosts!
We had two possible destinations in mind - Lisieux, where we knew there was a campsite, and Pont l'Eveque, which was further away but also had a couple of sites. We planned out a route than would be fairly easy going, and set off. After the first climb out of Les Noyers, which we all walked, the route was indeed pretty good. We had an awesome descent down to a river valley, then followed the road alongside the river all the way to Lisieux. The weather wasn't the best - cold and grey, with a little drizzle at one point - so we were glad to find somewhere warm for lunch. We also took the chance to find a bike shop, as one of the bikes had a cracked pedal.
Enjoying a gentle cycle ride along the river valley from Les Noyers to Lisieux. (Credit: David Brown)
After the ever-so-French meal of pizza, and a quick look around Lisieux cathedral, we decided to head on up to Pont l'Eveque since we were making such good time. Plus the campsites there had much better reviews. Continuing along the valley we made excellent time, and ended up at the municipal campsite, which was very well presented, had great facilities, and was pretty quiet. We were given pitches in one corner of the site, and took full advantage of the space
All set up at our second campsite, the municipal camping ground in Pont l'Eveque. The facilities were a little better than
at Les Noyers, and there was more space to boot (Credit: David Brown)
Day 4 (Wednesday 28th May) - Cider Route (~35 miles; light blue route)
Wednesday was the day that the whole trip had really been planned around - the Normandy Cider Route. This is a 40km route around a region of Normandy just to the west of Lisieux. Around the route there are several cider producing farms and houses; some offer tasting, some offer tours, some offer sales, some offer a combination of all three. It's well signposted, and very popular, and we were going to do at least some of it. Weather wise the day didn't start too auspiciously, being grey and overcast, but from lunchtime onwards it was really rather sunny and warm.
Before starting the Cider Route we first had to get there! It was a bit of a ride from Pont l'Eveque, including some pretty epic hills, but we eventually joined the route just after passing through Bonnebosq, and set off in search of our first cider. Sadly our usual lazy start had meant that it was lunchtime, and typical French opening hours meant that the first couple of places we found were shut for lunch. We did eventually come across a small farm owned by a Monsieur Desvoyes. He was having lunch when we arrived, but did come out to meet us, give us a little tasting, and sell us a couple of bottles to have with lunch. He was almost monosyllabic, but friendly enough.
After leaving the Desvoyes farm we carried on around the route to Beuvron en Auge, where we stopped for lunch. It was a beautiful village, and apparently the hub of the Route, so we spent some time exploring. By the time we were done, and the obligatory cup of tea had been had, it was well into the afternoon, so we decided to cut off the second half of the route and head home, stopping at another cidrerie on the way if we passed one. Sure enough, as we were going along the main road I spotted one just in time, and we pulled into the grounds of the Calvados Dupont house. There we found a fantastic shop with several lovely ciders, a Calvados cream that was a little like Baileys (which I bought as a present for my brother), and a vast array of Calvados vintages stretching back for several decades. The range of colours in the different bottles was amazing, and several purchases were made. We didn't get a tour of the facilities, sadly, but there was a section of the barn that was open for viewing and which contained fermentation machines. The smell was delicious.
On our return to the site we decided that we would try to cook a local speciality - chicken in a Calvados cream sauce. This turned out to be a bit of a faff, and we had to use five camping stoves and every pan that we had to do it! Cooking the ingredients separately and combining them afterwards seemed to work though, and if it didn't look exactly like the picture it certainly tasted good. Plus we got to witness John trying to flambe the Calvados using a lighter - by the time he was done he had very little hair left on his right hand!
Wednesday was the day that the whole trip had really been planned around - the Normandy Cider Route. This is a 40km route around a region of Normandy just to the west of Lisieux. Around the route there are several cider producing farms and houses; some offer tasting, some offer tours, some offer sales, some offer a combination of all three. It's well signposted, and very popular, and we were going to do at least some of it. Weather wise the day didn't start too auspiciously, being grey and overcast, but from lunchtime onwards it was really rather sunny and warm.
Before starting the Cider Route we first had to get there! It was a bit of a ride from Pont l'Eveque, including some pretty epic hills, but we eventually joined the route just after passing through Bonnebosq, and set off in search of our first cider. Sadly our usual lazy start had meant that it was lunchtime, and typical French opening hours meant that the first couple of places we found were shut for lunch. We did eventually come across a small farm owned by a Monsieur Desvoyes. He was having lunch when we arrived, but did come out to meet us, give us a little tasting, and sell us a couple of bottles to have with lunch. He was almost monosyllabic, but friendly enough.
Monsieur Desvoyers had a nice farm, and made some delicious cider. It's a shame he was so uncommunicative,
but I suppose that we did interrupt his lunch. (Credit: David Brown)
After leaving the Desvoyes farm we carried on around the route to Beuvron en Auge, where we stopped for lunch. It was a beautiful village, and apparently the hub of the Route, so we spent some time exploring. By the time we were done, and the obligatory cup of tea had been had, it was well into the afternoon, so we decided to cut off the second half of the route and head home, stopping at another cidrerie on the way if we passed one. Sure enough, as we were going along the main road I spotted one just in time, and we pulled into the grounds of the Calvados Dupont house. There we found a fantastic shop with several lovely ciders, a Calvados cream that was a little like Baileys (which I bought as a present for my brother), and a vast array of Calvados vintages stretching back for several decades. The range of colours in the different bottles was amazing, and several purchases were made. We didn't get a tour of the facilities, sadly, but there was a section of the barn that was open for viewing and which contained fermentation machines. The smell was delicious.
Left: cider production facilities at the Calvados Dupont house. It smelt amazing. Right: All the Calvados! Those are mostly different vintages,
going back all the way into the 70s. (Credit: David Brown)
On our return to the site we decided that we would try to cook a local speciality - chicken in a Calvados cream sauce. This turned out to be a bit of a faff, and we had to use five camping stoves and every pan that we had to do it! Cooking the ingredients separately and combining them afterwards seemed to work though, and if it didn't look exactly like the picture it certainly tasted good. Plus we got to witness John trying to flambe the Calvados using a lighter - by the time he was done he had very little hair left on his right hand!
Chicken in a Calvados & cream sauce, with rice. Not exactly how it's supposed to look, but it tasted good. (Credit: David Brown)
Day 5 (Thursday 29th May) - Day trip to Honfleur (~22 miles; yellow route)
On Thursday we took a day trip to the coastal town of Honfleur. John and I rode our bikes there, but everyone else wussed out and took the bus. It was a fairly nice ride, up a ridge, across the top, and down the other side. This meant that we had a big hill to start the route both ways, but we ended with some pretty awesome downhill where we got up to close to 35mph! Climbing the hill on the way out of Honfleur at the end of the day was a killer though.
Honfleur itself was definitely a tourist trap town, with lots of restaurants, and shops selling artwork, trinkets, cider, etc. etc. There were also tour groups everywhere, and if the weather wasn't amazing it had tempted enough people for the town to be absolutely heaving.
We split up for a wander around town before meeting up for lunch in one of the quieter restaurants, which we followed with a boat trip around the harbour and delicious ice cream. The day would have been much nicer if the town had been a little quieter, but Honfleur was an interesting place nonetheless. One of the main attractions is the central church, which is rather unusual. It's supposed to look like an upturned boat hull (I don't see it personally), and the inside is mostly wood rather than the stone that we're used to. The main belltower is also a separate building, which is a bit odd. Sadly I didn't get to look around it as much as I would have like owing to a lack of time, and to the sheer number of people inside!
On Thursday we took a day trip to the coastal town of Honfleur. John and I rode our bikes there, but everyone else wussed out and took the bus. It was a fairly nice ride, up a ridge, across the top, and down the other side. This meant that we had a big hill to start the route both ways, but we ended with some pretty awesome downhill where we got up to close to 35mph! Climbing the hill on the way out of Honfleur at the end of the day was a killer though.
Honfleur itself was definitely a tourist trap town, with lots of restaurants, and shops selling artwork, trinkets, cider, etc. etc. There were also tour groups everywhere, and if the weather wasn't amazing it had tempted enough people for the town to be absolutely heaving.
The main church at Honfleur is a little unusual, and quite pretty. (Credit: David Brown)
We split up for a wander around town before meeting up for lunch in one of the quieter restaurants, which we followed with a boat trip around the harbour and delicious ice cream. The day would have been much nicer if the town had been a little quieter, but Honfleur was an interesting place nonetheless. One of the main attractions is the central church, which is rather unusual. It's supposed to look like an upturned boat hull (I don't see it personally), and the inside is mostly wood rather than the stone that we're used to. The main belltower is also a separate building, which is a bit odd. Sadly I didn't get to look around it as much as I would have like owing to a lack of time, and to the sheer number of people inside!
Honfleur is a beautiful place, but a massive tourist trap. (Credit: David Brown)
Day 6 (Friday 30th May) - Pont l'Eveque to Cabourg (~25 miles; purple route)
Friday was easily the nicest day of weather that we had. We struck camp and set off from Pont l'Eveque in beautiful sunshine, and it stayed that way the rest of the day. On the downside it was also pretty hot once we got past mid-morning, particularly in the afternoon which wasn't ideal.
We started the day off by riding up to Deauville, where we had a quick stop for coffee and to go for a paddle. The beach there was beautiful, and seemingly endless; I wish we'd been able to spend more time there actually. From Deauville we cycled along the promenade to Villers-sur-Mer, where we bought some lunch and ate on the seafront in the sunshine, enjoying the view of the beach and the English Channel. I don't think that any of us wanted to leave, as we spent quite a while just sitting there and relaxing.
After lunch we headed out along the road, aiming further along the coast for Houlgate and Cabourg. Unfortunately the only road available to us was the main road, which was insanely busy and up a very steep hill, which led to some hairy moments caused by impatient traffic and speed differences between different bikes in the group. We ended up pulling into the side several times to let cars and buses past, and everyone was getting a bit antsy. To make up for it, the road down into Houlgate was much quieter, and another epic downhill that I really wish I'd been able to do without my bike being fully laden.
We took a look at the campsite in Houlgate, but decided that it wasn't for us. We then cycled a little further along the coast to Cabourg, where we spent the next hour cycling around in circles trying to find a campsite. We asked at tourist information, but all the places they told us about turned out to caravan sites rather than camping sites. Everyone was getting frustrated and snapping at each other (I was in a particularly vile mood) thanks to the heat and the needless cycling back and forth, and we were all starting to despair of finding somewhere to stay for the night. Fortunately a kindly caravan site owner took pity on us, and cleared out some space in his site's 'garden' for us to pitch our tents on. After chatting with us about our trip he also gifted us with a bottle of cider.
After a failed attempt at a swim in the sea, we walked into Cabourg for a nice dinner. We took the promenade, and part way to the town centre we came across an outdoor exercise park/children's play area, which we naturally had to try out. That led to some shenanigans, and combined with dinner really helped to remove the memory of the problems earlier in the day.
Friday was easily the nicest day of weather that we had. We struck camp and set off from Pont l'Eveque in beautiful sunshine, and it stayed that way the rest of the day. On the downside it was also pretty hot once we got past mid-morning, particularly in the afternoon which wasn't ideal.
We started the day off by riding up to Deauville, where we had a quick stop for coffee and to go for a paddle. The beach there was beautiful, and seemingly endless; I wish we'd been able to spend more time there actually. From Deauville we cycled along the promenade to Villers-sur-Mer, where we bought some lunch and ate on the seafront in the sunshine, enjoying the view of the beach and the English Channel. I don't think that any of us wanted to leave, as we spent quite a while just sitting there and relaxing.
Going for a paddle at Deauville. The beach was amazing, and seemingly endless. (Credit: David Brown)
After lunch we headed out along the road, aiming further along the coast for Houlgate and Cabourg. Unfortunately the only road available to us was the main road, which was insanely busy and up a very steep hill, which led to some hairy moments caused by impatient traffic and speed differences between different bikes in the group. We ended up pulling into the side several times to let cars and buses past, and everyone was getting a bit antsy. To make up for it, the road down into Houlgate was much quieter, and another epic downhill that I really wish I'd been able to do without my bike being fully laden.
We took a look at the campsite in Houlgate, but decided that it wasn't for us. We then cycled a little further along the coast to Cabourg, where we spent the next hour cycling around in circles trying to find a campsite. We asked at tourist information, but all the places they told us about turned out to caravan sites rather than camping sites. Everyone was getting frustrated and snapping at each other (I was in a particularly vile mood) thanks to the heat and the needless cycling back and forth, and we were all starting to despair of finding somewhere to stay for the night. Fortunately a kindly caravan site owner took pity on us, and cleared out some space in his site's 'garden' for us to pitch our tents on. After chatting with us about our trip he also gifted us with a bottle of cider.
All set up in our third and final campsite. Thank you so much friendly caravan site owner for letting us stay. (Credit: David Brown)
After a failed attempt at a swim in the sea, we walked into Cabourg for a nice dinner. We took the promenade, and part way to the town centre we came across an outdoor exercise park/children's play area, which we naturally had to try out. That led to some shenanigans, and combined with dinner really helped to remove the memory of the problems earlier in the day.
Shenanigans occur at the exercise park! (Credit: David Brown)
Day 7 (Saturday 31st May) - Cabourg to Ouistreham (~12 miles; pink route)
Our last day was taken at a fairly leisurely pace, as we were a mere 12 miles from the ferry port and only had to be there at 3ish. So we took another walk into Cabourg along the promenade to buy breakfast, and then were treated to coffee by our very friendly host. We eventually set off about 11am (which seemed to be the time that we left every day, no matter what time we got up!) and made our way to Ouistreham. On the way we split into two groups - one took the main road, while my group took the rough track through the fields, which was a lot of fun. Both routes converged at the end though, with a lovely cycle track along the side of the river towards Pegasus Bridge.
We stopped off for a cuppa at the Pegasus Bridge Cafe (the first building to be liberated on D-Day), and were treated to the bridge opening to allow some yachts through. After a brief stop we cycled the last few kilometres up to Ouistreham and the ferry.
Our last day was taken at a fairly leisurely pace, as we were a mere 12 miles from the ferry port and only had to be there at 3ish. So we took another walk into Cabourg along the promenade to buy breakfast, and then were treated to coffee by our very friendly host. We eventually set off about 11am (which seemed to be the time that we left every day, no matter what time we got up!) and made our way to Ouistreham. On the way we split into two groups - one took the main road, while my group took the rough track through the fields, which was a lot of fun. Both routes converged at the end though, with a lovely cycle track along the side of the river towards Pegasus Bridge.
We stopped off for a cuppa at the Pegasus Bridge Cafe (the first building to be liberated on D-Day), and were treated to the bridge opening to allow some yachts through. After a brief stop we cycled the last few kilometres up to Ouistreham and the ferry.
Watching Pegasus Bridge (well, the modern replacement anyway) open up for some yachts. (Credit: David Brown)
Overall thoughts
This was something completely different for me. I'd never done any kind of cycle touring before, and as I said at the start of the post I was slightly worried about being able to survive the week given the problems I've previously had with my knees. But the cycling turned out to be absolutely no problem, mostly thanks to the overall pace of the group being relatively gentle. The people I was with were a lot of fun, and I got to try some nice cider. What more could you ask for.
The happy cyclists. Thanks so much to all of them for a brilliant trip. (Credit: David Brown)
I really hope that the orchestra arrange something similar next year, and I will be going if at all possible (i.e. if I don't have work commitments). It's given me a lot more confidence on my bike, and made the hill that I have to cycle on my way to work seem much easier!
(Credit: David Brown)
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