Hi, Chris from Bike Hire Direct Charente Maritime is complaining he’s too busy this month to write a Blog, so he has asked me to do it!
This is me as “Working Man” Jakub. Chris calls this outfit the “full touring pack”, it’s my favourite… I’ve got road tyres and everything!
Life has been pretty good since my brothers, sisters and I moved here to South West France.
The scenery is nice, the people are friendly, the sun shines more here and we all love the smooth flat cycle paths!
This season I’ve spent time in all the above outfits and enjoyed quiet weeks collecting baguettes and cycling around sunflower fields and vineyards.
However, I’ve also done the “Velodyssey” Bordeaux to La Rochelle 4 times!
But I do love my job… helping people explore and enjoy the beautiful Charente Maritime!
Life is GOOD as a Bike Hire Direct bike!
Join Jakub on an adventure!
You can hire me and Chris from Bike Hire Direct Charente will deliver me direct to you across the Charente Maritime area for FREE!
For more information email Chris at charentemaritime@bikehiredirect.com or visit the Bike Hire Direct website where you can also find more information on bike routes in the Charente Maritime.
5. Outdoor eating – people watching and Moules-Frites!
There are hundreds of variations to the route below, and it’s great to just head off exploring and discovering. 160km of bike routes just in La Rochelle and another 100km on the Ile de Re – always clearly marked and easy to find – and flat!
La Rochelle fulfils the ‘hustle and bustle’ from my list. A beautiful city with so much going on. I’ve started at the old port (easy to find car park), but the train station and the airport are both within an easy distance.
The bridge to the island is hard to miss and, although the road is busy, the cycle path is completely separate from the cars.
Once on the island it’s easy to get a map like above and plan how far you wish to go. The Island is about 30km long and 5km wide, but literally cross crossed with safe cycle paths.
The island is ideal to be explored by bike! For more information on bike routes in the Charente Maritime, including on the Ile de Re, take a look at the local ‘Cycling Routes in Charente Maritime‘.
The Estuary Route is a 56 km round trip, but one of my favourites. If you’re in no rush, and are happy to spend the day in the saddle, then this route has some great places to visit, lunch and photograph. You can also pick any part of the route for shorter rides.
… Great little detour for panoramic views of the estuary, but it’s a fairly steep climb through the village of St Romain and access to the look-out point is from the back of the hill. Keep going and the next stopping point is Mortagne Port, there are several restaurants/cafes here, but the village itself is up the cliffs – a steep ride! But worth it….
The pedestrianised streets are packed with artisan shops and cafes, which makes this a great place to stop and explore.
This is a largish town with supermarkets, shops, beaches and a popular tourist destination thanks to the cliff dwellings. Market days are very busy and it’s very easy to spend several hours soaking it all up. Just past Meschers there are several coves with lovely secluded beaches.
Each one has its own café, shop and toilets, but they are never as busy as the larger beaches of St George de Didonne, Royan and La Palmyre. Having said that the roads in this northern part of the route are much busier than where we started, and you’ll note that I haven’t paid a lot of attention to the ‘route’ itself. There are designated cycle paths for some sections and quiet back roads, but as long as you have the sea on your left there is no chance of getting lost!
You’ve earned a rest here because if you’ve done the whole route that’s 28km! But now I turn and head home. Hope you enjoy. For more photos and ideas please visit my Charente Maritime Pintrest page.