best location for a flattish cycle holiday

priory

sorry if this doesn't fit the usual macho mountain climber tiny and fit genre
but I have a week off in september and the wife likes it flattish. We have been to mallorca and fuertaventura a few times, and they were fine.
where else would you suggest for 20 to 40mile not very tough day-rides from a fixed base?
needs nice cake stops if possible .

crispybug2

Around La Rochelle, simple as that!

Stevo_666

Norfolk !

meanredspider

From Amsterdam there are loads of very pleasant routes - out to the coast or along rivers and past windmills. Plenty of places to buy cakes and I'm told the muffins in the coffee shops can make you feel very mellow

capt_slog

A colleague was telling me yesterday about his in-laws going on a cycling holiday along the Danube.

It struck me as a good route. You follow the river valley, it can only ever be downhill. They had stops which were pre-bought but somehow could be made flexible so they could stay more than one night if they liked the location.

Pross

crispybug2 wrote:

Around La Rochelle, simple as that!

This and the Ile de Re. Possibly Denmark too from what I've heard (I haven't been there though).

Anonymous

Loire Valley?

Matthewfalle

Belgium. Flat, really cool people, stunning women, top food and beer, proper riding attitudes (i.e. Big smiles and everyone happy).

veronese68

coriordan wrote:

Loire Valley?

I was just thinking that.

Anonymous

I'm going there the 2nd-3rd week in sept and while it doesn't look like hardcore roadie heaven if you follow the river, it's dead easy totally segregated tarmac along the river with copious amounts of wine to be consumed from Sancerre to Angers. What's not to like!?

I have a load of guidebooks, but this one is absolutely incredible, breaks the journey up into 30-50km days, detours, places to go, see, stay etc. It really is dead easy.

http://www.cartovelo.fr/en/the-complete ... -1067.html

Only deciding now if we're going E-W or W-E....My GF thinks E-W will be 'downhill' but it could also be quite headwindy...

veronese68

coriordan wrote:

What's not to like!?

Went there for a wedding a few years back and as you say not really hard core roadie heaven, but for a leisurely cycling holiday with the Mrs I reckon it's ideal. Have fun.

Ben6899

East Yorkshire. Watch out for the locals burning wicker men and pointing at aeroplanes.

ronnierocket

I second the Loire Valley but you should also look at Provence. Many years ago when I was not a proper cyclist I did 2 holidays with Headwater holidays. You ended up back where you started at the beginning of the trip with them taking the bags to the hotels along the way, not great mileage but highly enjoyable and they picked up any wine you might have have purchased during the day at he vineyards along the way.

It 's worth checking out their website for ideas of good routes.

laurentian

Different part of the world and perhaps not what you're looking for but me and Mrs Laurentian went to Cambodia cycling in February/March. Pan flat all over. We followed the Mekong up from Phnom Penh then down to Siem Reap and stayed at a different place each night . . . not sure how a fixed base would work but if you need any details I can provide them

You would have to do this on CX or mountain bikes as most of the roads wouldn't suit a road bike.

orraloon

Has anyone experience of southern Burgundy, Dijon, Chalon-sur-Saone, Macon, EuroVelo route 6? From web search, looks to have canal-side / converted railtrack route options, plus back roads type routes through Beaune etc.

Also on the hunt for 30-40miler flattish days to keep Mrs O happy. And September should be nice and warm there...

Stevo_666

Ben6899 wrote:

East Yorkshire. Watch out for the locals burning wicker men and pointing at aeroplanes.

Bit like Norfolk then.

mercia_man

orraloon wrote:

Has anyone experience of southern Burgundy, Dijon, Chalon-sur-Saone, Macon, EuroVelo route 6? From web search, looks to have canal-side / converted railtrack route options, plus back roads type routes through Beaune etc.

Also on the hunt for 30-40miler flattish days to keep Mrs O happy. And September should be nice and warm there...

Yes it's a good and popular area for relatively easy leisure cycling. The river/canal-side and converted rail track routes are excellent and you can combine them to do a week's touring holiday. All tourist information offices will have the necessary maps and guides and you can also get English language ones on the Internet. For example, there's a good route running south from Chalon through interesting towns like Cormatin and Cluny all the way to Macon. And then you could go back up north alongside the River Saone.

orraloon

Mercia Man wrote:

orraloon wrote:

Has anyone experience of southern Burgundy, Dijon, Chalon-sur-Saone, Macon, EuroVelo route 6? From web search, looks to have canal-side / converted railtrack route options, plus back roads type routes through Beaune etc.

Also on the hunt for 30-40miler flattish days to keep Mrs O happy. And September should be nice and warm there...

Yes it's a good and popular area for relatively easy leisure cycling. The river/canal-side and converted rail track routes are excellent and you can combine them to do a week's touring holiday. All tourist information offices will have the necessary maps and guides and you can also get English language ones on the Internet. For example, there's a good route running south from Chalon through interesting towns like Cormatin and Cluny all the way to Macon. And then you could go back up north alongside the River Saone.

Thanks MM. Have been trawling the francevelotourisme.com web site, and that area looked good for what we need. Mrs O is not a 'hard core roadie', mind you neither am I come to that. Clocked the circular route Cluny, Macon and back up the Saone. Thinking about Chalon-s-S as a base, and e.g. taking train up to Dijon for return or east to Besancon or Belfort and then pootling back, rather than the out and back.

priory

thanks to all for the replies, there is a lot to look into.
For my part I can give specific info about day rides out of playa de palma mallorca or corrallejo fuertaventura or javea costa blanca or l'escala /girona area or monchique portugal
I was not expecting such a useful response , but it has turned into a good thread .

DeVlaeminck

Done a bit of riding round Macon and it's very nice, some quite big climbs if you venture West of the river mind you but not steep. For my money it's a nicer area than round LaRochelle.

sloppyschleckonds

Somerset levels

homers_double

I can't help but reccomend Lake Como, Stunning location and following the lake road is flat(ish). If you stay aroung the centre of the lake there is a ferry which crosses all three main villages so getting about isn't a "there and back" ride.

See https://www.strava.com/activities/689310389 as an example. Ignore the 1500m of climbing as that was to a specific point and then the climb back up to our house. Have a look at the elevation profile and if you stay in accomodation around the lake and you won't climb much at all.

Food is readily available along the route as every village has several restaurants and cafes.