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Post by pilgrim on Jan 7, 2011 13:25:42 GMT
Happy New Year to you all! We're off! Here are the proposals for the Easter Weekend in Brittany.GOOD FRIDAY 22nd April. Arrive and meet-up at La Gacilly towards mid-day. After lunch a ride round to see some features close to 'home'. Redon and Rochefort en Terre. SATURDAY 23rd April. Legends and Mythology! We'll be searching for King Arthur and Merlin in the Brociliande Forest and if we get away from the Val sans Retour we're off to find that Ring belonging to the Lords. Rohan, Gondor and Sauron! EASTER SUNDAY 24th April. Water, water everywhere..... This is a river/coastal sortie following the Villaine down to the Atlantic Sea, an ice-cream at Piriac sur Mer maybe, the walled town of Guerande and Le Croisic, up through the Parc Regional de Briere then on to La Roche Bernard. EASTER MONDAY 25th April. Sadly departure day back up to the ferry ports. I hope it'll be barbecue weather and you wont find a better venue for that than here! There are shops and restaurants in La Gacilly, of course; a kebab shop too! (how very french, but excellent food!) B&B hotel is Europ'Hotel in the centre of the town. www.hotel-lagacilly.comEdit: they are open at Easter except Easter Monday evening. The local campsite doesn't open until June but other sites are open. I'd go to the lengths of camping here as there's plenty of room. Edit: I'll put up a dry tent space with table and chairs, basic cooking stove and kettle etc. depending on the need. Barbeque just nearby too. That's a brief run down for the weekend. Ask away if you have any queries. Please register your interest in the Run Sign Up board but all info on the weekend will be posted here. Above all I can offer you great hospitality, oh and the odd glass of wine.............
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Post by ContourMac on Jan 8, 2011 12:50:38 GMT
What would be the best ferry/chunnel for this meet?
I can see St Malo is closest but the overnight LDlines into Le Havre is normally cheaper and Caen Fastcat quicker. Is it a relatively straightforward route down from these ports?
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Post by pilgrim on Jan 8, 2011 15:07:40 GMT
I was sorting out ports and routes when I saw your reply Mac. A brief look at the available ferries and routes to get here Good Friday morning / lunchtime: Brittany Ferries:- St Malo overnight Thurs, arrives 08:45 the next day. 90 minutes ride, dual carriageways N137 to Rennes and N24 to Guer then south past Carentoir to La Gacilly. It is sign posted from Guer! Cherbourg early Friday morning arrives 10:30 am, 3hrs ride to here. Dual carriageway N13/N174 down to St. Lo, across country to meet the A84 motorway to Rennes, then Guer and La Gacilly as above. Caen overnight Thurs, arrives 06:00 the next day, again about 3hrs ride to get here on the A84 to Rennes, then Guer and La Gacilly as above. No motorway tolls on the A84. LD Lines:- Le Havre overnight Thursday gets in at 08:00 am, a good 4 hrs ride on the motorway and tolls to pay. Take the Pont de Normandie, free for motorcycles I believe, then the A13 to Caen. Pick up the A84 from there, rest as for Caen above. There are ferries into Dieppe and Calais of course and the Tunnel too. They are a long way from here, 6 or 7 hrs plus toll motorways making them tedious and expensive. Worth considering if you're leaving from Kent or Sussex, maybe. The link below will get you to Google Maps. You can put in your itinerary (box in the left hand corner, eg: St Malo to La Gacilly) and scroll in to find the route, depending on your chosen port of course. maps.google.fr/maps?hl=fr&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Rennes,+Ille-et-Vilaine,+Bretagne&ll=49.624946,-1.94458&spn=3.786409,11.590576&z=7 You'll have to check on prices as I wouldn't want to mislead you!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2011 18:47:33 GMT
I checked Portsmouth/Poole to Cherbourg. £78 return. Hadn't tried any others although Dover Calais was very cheap.
I was actually planning to head to France in June-ish.
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Post by pilgrim on Jan 8, 2011 18:56:33 GMT
Prices are cheaper going up to Calais. You have to guage that against extra riding time/fuel/tolls/fatigue! We're on for Easter now Bev and not June, sorry. "I refer the right honorable gentleman to the answer I gave earlier.........." in 'Possible Brittany Run?'. Pilgrim.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2011 19:10:02 GMT
I know you're on for Easter.
My trip in June was already in my plans although I'm still toying with a trip to Colditz castle instead. Will be a solo run as Bevy's Mrs will be doing her best impersonation of her father in law, she's due in August.
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Post by m40man on Jan 9, 2011 10:44:59 GMT
Need to negotiate with the boss (no - not MrsM40man!) for leave - but I hope to come along. (Want a couple of days extra as it would be the 'long way round' as I'm very keen to stop by the Loos Memorial along the way.)
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Post by ContourMac on Jan 9, 2011 14:39:26 GMT
Man of your age will need to stop at loo's on a regular basis I should think
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Post by pilgrim on Jan 9, 2011 20:31:25 GMT
A few points to note: Make sure your documents are up to date. Insurance should be International Green Card and carry a 'Constat Europeen d'Accident' with you (and a pen). This is a basic report form in case of an accident to avoid roadside hassles. Make sure you have 'recovery' for you and your bike to get back home. Here the system, included in standard car insurance, will get your vehicle to the nearest participating garage for repair and you back to your current place of residence, eg: back to the campsite or hotel if you're on holiday. Have a current European health card (was E111) so that you get equivalent treatment to what you would get at home. If you have to use it you might have to pay for treatment or medicines up-front and claim it back when you get home. Beware of Highway Code (Code de la Route) anomalies. The most obvious one here is that roads used to be prioritized and 'give-way' is not always to traffic arriving from the left at road junctions and round-a-bouts! If there are no physical road markings or signs giving priority, even though you think you are on the major road, you may be expected to give way to traffic arriving/emerging from the right! It is rare to find this but a lot of older drivers still operate it. That is why you'll find white diamond shaped signs with a symmetric yellow diamond inside it which states that you have the right of way. In town and villages there is no such signage, or very rarely. Obey the speed limits! If you get caught you can be fined on the spot. Fines for some speeding offences are immediate and the police will escort you to the nearest cash distributor to get the cash if you don't have it with you. High-viz vests are not obligatory to wear or have with you. That applies to vehicles that the driver has to step out of.......... By all means make yourselves as visible as you want to. I always have spare bulbs and a tyre repair bomb for emergencies. Bikes are expected to have dipped beam headlights on in the day-time. No doubt some-one will tell me if I've omitted something........ ;D Pilgrim.
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Post by pilgrim on Jan 21, 2011 22:04:25 GMT
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Post by mikestrong on Jan 22, 2011 12:03:56 GMT
Pilgrim,
Run looks good unfortunately I am already commited to a ride to Lisboa over Easter.
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Post by molestrangler on Jan 29, 2011 10:23:06 GMT
Hi Pilgrim, Just been discussing this tour with Mrs Molestrangler and we are starting to get very interested. Is the tour still on as I see no-one has signed up for it as yet. We are considering coming over on Thursday 21st April and stopping at the hotel you have provided the link for. Before we start booking things I just wanted confirmation this trip is still happening. Thanks Ian
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Post by pilgrim on Jan 29, 2011 12:35:24 GMT
It certainly is. Would be glad to have you over here. You might just turn one or two others to come and join in. M40man was interested too, just waiting for him to decide. I'm waiting for the weather to warm up so I can complete the run routes.
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Post by neilmud Lord Protector on Jan 29, 2011 13:12:01 GMT
Is that right you are offering camping in your garden?
Neil
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Post by molestrangler on Jan 29, 2011 13:12:54 GMT
OK, Will e-mail the hotel and confirm a booking with them and let you know. Please will you add our details to your sign up sheet. Ian and Patricia Welch. As we no longer own a Divvy we will be on a VFR800. Look forward to meeting you. Ian
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Post by m40man on Jan 29, 2011 13:55:57 GMT
... M40man was interested too, just waiting for him to decide. Waiting for contract decisions at work . I'll post my intentions as soon as I know .
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Post by pilgrim on Jan 29, 2011 14:23:32 GMT
IMPORTANT NOTE ON HOTEL AT LA GACILLY
Europ'hotel are usually closed on sunday evenings during winter, from october to april, BUT WILL BE OPEN FOR EASTER SUNDAY so you can book from thursday 21st or friday 22nd through to Easter Monday 25th April. (They will be closed though Easter Monday evening.)
You may need to contact the hotel directly. I'll help out if anyone needs assistance, just let me know.
Pilgrim.
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Post by pilgrim on Jan 29, 2011 14:46:43 GMT
Is that right you are offering camping in your garden? Neil Yes. Plenty of room with fine views! Pilgrim.
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Post by molestrangler on Jan 29, 2011 15:02:56 GMT
Pilgrim, Hotel and ferry booked. Ian & Pat
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Post by coastaldivvy on Jan 30, 2011 11:48:10 GMT
never been on a run before but thinking of joining our local club in Lymington hampshire to get longer run experience and very interested in this brittany run, will have to look into cost of ferry , hotel or camping and get back to shortly i guess portsmouth to a st malo run.
Any other people looking to go to st. malo via ferry could hook up with on the boat and run down together.
or cherbourg
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Post by pilgrim on Jan 30, 2011 14:27:31 GMT
Be glad to have you along coastaldivvy. If you're not very experienced on long runs then choose the ferry which will give you more comfortable stints of riding. You're not far from Portsmouth and there won't be an enormous difference in fares for bikes with Brittany Ferries into their three 'western' channel ports. St. Malo will give you the shortest ride to get here, Cherbourg much longer. The 'formal' meet up is Easter Friday around mid-day. It doesn't have to be too expensive, I've offered to have campers here if you prefer roughing it against a comfortable Hotel bed. (I can put up a communal DRY tent with table/chairs, basic cooking stove, kettle etc..........just next to the BBQ too!) It is easier to ride with others than on your own so hopefully you can find some company from the port. The ride-outs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday will have stops in them to get the full ambiance of interesting sites, take photos, comfort breaks etc. but the pleasure of riding on the easy empty country roads. Let me know if you need more help or advice and hope you get the trip organized. Pilgrim.
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Post by neilmud Lord Protector on Jan 30, 2011 15:32:36 GMT
Portsmouth Le harve looks the best bet travel overnight & arrive next morning fresh & rested (tired & emotional) about £75 return. This is the way I shall come if I am let out to play Neil Portsmouth - Le Havre : LD Lines Portsmouth Depart: Thu 21 Apr @ 23:00 Le Havre Arrive: Fri 22 Apr @ 08:00 8h 0m Le Havre Depart: Sun 24 Apr @ 17:00 Portsmouth Arrive: Sun 24 Apr @ 21:30 5h 30m £75.00 Other Information: Onboard Accommodation/Seating of 'Reserved Seat - free' has been used for the outbound journey for this quote. This may be changed on the following page if required. Checked single fare to give a choice of return £64! they whant you to use their ferry both ways,
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Post by pilgrim on Jan 30, 2011 16:04:48 GMT
Portsmouth Le harve looks the best bet travel overnight & arrive next morning fresh & rested (tired & emotional) about £75 return. This is the way I shall come if I am let out to play Neil Portsmouth - Le Havre : LD Lines Portsmouth Depart: Thu 21 Apr @ 23:00 Le Havre Arrive: Fri 22 Apr @ 08:00 8h 0m Le Havre Depart: Sun 24 Apr @ 17:00 Portsmouth Arrive: Sun 24 Apr @ 21:30 5h 30m £75.00 Other Information: Onboard Accommodation/Seating of 'Reserved Seat - free' has been used for the outbound journey for this quote. This may be changed on the following page if required. Checked single fare to give a choice of return £64! they whant you to use their ferry both ways, I've gone that way (in reverse of course) many times and with the bike three times because it was cheap. Personally the choice is a blast down the Auto route or a slower ride through the countryside. A bit of tolls to get to Caen, after that it's free. The Pont de Normandie is free I believe. Might you be camping then Neil? See previous post to coastaldivvy. Is that let out to play from home or from work? Pilgrim.
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Post by neilmud Lord Protector on Jan 30, 2011 16:34:01 GMT
That will be home Camping yes. Neil
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Post by molestrangler on Jan 30, 2011 18:16:13 GMT
We have booked the Brittany Ferry from Poole to Cherbourg for Thursday 21st April sailing at 08.30 and docking at 12.00. For the return sailing we are booked onto the 11.30 sailing from Cherbourg docking in Poole at 13.00. If it helps Coastaldivvy you are welcome to join us. Ian
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Post by coastaldivvy on Jan 30, 2011 21:22:56 GMT
Molestrangler what hotel have you booked into and how much was the ferry
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Post by molestrangler on Jan 30, 2011 21:37:35 GMT
We are booked into the Europ Hotel as suggested by Pilgrim, if you read the posts you will need to ring the hotel and book over the phone as their website will not let you book for the Sunday. The lady I spoke to spoke excellent english, their phone number is on their website, the link on Pilgrim's first post takes you to their website. The ferry has cost me £110 return but there are two of us traveling. We are booked into a Travelodge in Bournemouth for the Wednesday night which has cost us £29 so we can get the ferry in good time. Hope to see you there, any more questions please ask. Ian
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Post by coastaldivvy on Jan 30, 2011 21:49:54 GMT
Ferry is fully booked up for the return journey so may have to come back via portsmouth , just means leaving cherbourg later in the day. I may get the night boat from portsmouth to st malo on thursday night with cabin and ride back up to cherbourg to get fast ferry back to portsmouth on the monday, thats £130 all in so not bad
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Post by molestrangler on Jan 30, 2011 21:53:25 GMT
Makes sense, we need the early crossing home as I am at work on Tuesday. Ian
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Post by pilgrim on Jan 30, 2011 22:11:31 GMT
CAMPERSFor anyone interested I've included an edit on the head post about basic camping equipment supplied here under a dry tent, as offered to coastaldivvy and neilmud Lord Protector. Being a biking camper myself I know you can't take everything with you. It'll make packing a bit easier and a lighter load. You'll still need your own tent and bedding though. Pilgrim.
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