The view from Roche Torin is breathtaking, taking in the vast sweep of tidal flats and salt meadows that is Mont Saint-Michel Bay. Seagulls sluice above shallow patches of water, and clouds chase one another across a late July sky, while my nine-year-old daughter charges about on the nearest sprawl of mudflats. In the distance, Mont Saint-Michel appears to hover slightly, like a mirage.
The Roche Torin headland lies towards the western end of the Veloscenic – a spectacular, 450km cycle route stretching from Paris to Mont Saint- Michel. The Veloscenic was only my second venture into the wonderful world of electric bikes – and the first for Tamara – and it’s fair to say, cycling will never be the same again for either of us.
It’s an easy and accessible route (and for the most part, fairly flat), with around half its length lying along greenways which are delightfully traffic-free, and the other half lying on shared roads which in general see only light traffic – all of which makes it an excellent introduction to long-distance cycling for families and children. The part of the Veloscenic we’re cycling is the section between Bagnoles-de-l’Orne, in the heart of the Orne département, and Mont Saint-Michel.
Castles to bell towers
We set out from the bijou spa town of Bagnoles-de-l’Orne, with its large ornamental lake fringed by boardwalks and geraniums, turning left down a 4x4 track about 6km outside town. This leads us to Perrou, from where we continue uphill into the beautiful medieval town of Domfront.
Denne historien er fra November 2019-utgaven av France.
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Denne historien er fra November 2019-utgaven av France.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Paindemic In Paris
For American actor and writer Alexander Burnett, a shortage of bread at his local boulangerie was one of the biggest challenges of lockdown in his adopted home city
VEULES-LES-ROSES
Between the white cliffs of the Côte d’Albâtre and the bucolic landscapes of the Pays de Caux, discover a village that combines coast and country,
Taking the BISCUIT
France is known for its exquisite pâtisserie and extravagant gâteaux but the not-so-humble biscuit deserves recognition too
PICTURE PERFECT PISTE
After a decade away from the slopes Janet Brice finds her ski legs in val d'arly, a hidden gem in the shadow of Mount Blanc
Let there BE LIGHT
Lyon’s annual Fête des Lumières brightens up the darkest of December nights in spectacular fashion, finds David Atkinson on a winter visit to the Rhône capital
Shop ‘til YOU DROP
In the first of our new Insight guides, Helen Parkinson delights in the French shopping experience
Floating YOUR BOAT
Spending a day on the River Seine in Paris, Heidi Fuller-love samples some of the city’s top entertainment that can be enjoyed afloat
Creamy Dijon Chicken With Bacon And Spinach
Enjoy this hearty dish from Bisous & Brioche, a cookbook shot on location in Burgundy
A Moveable Feast
Philip Sweeney embarks on a voyage gourmand along the Vallée de la Gastronomie travelling from Dijon to Marseille
BOND RETOUR 7
To celebrate the return of everyone’s favourite globe-trotting British intelligence officer in No Time to Die, Helen Parkinson rounds up five of James Bond’s top cross-Channel escapades