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The River Rhone Cycle Route

From the Alps to the Mediterranean

ISBN

9781786310828

Availability

Published

17 Jan 2023

Edition

Second

Pages

264

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.45cm

Weight

310g

Delivery & Returns

Free Royal Mail 48 postage on UK orders. European postage is £3.50 per item. Worldwide postage is £5.50 per item. If you're not happy with your purchase for any reason, we'll give you a full refund.
More information...

Guidebook to cycling the Rhone Cycle Route, an 895km ride through France and Switzerland from the Swiss Alps to the Mediterranean Sea. Divided into 20 stages, each approximately 45km long, the route can be completed by most cyclists in 10 to 14 days. Includes information on preparation, navigation, accommodation and amenities on route.

Seasons

Except for the prologue and stage 1 in the high Swiss Alps, the route can be cycled between April and October. The Furkapass is free of snow from around mid-May to mid-October, allowing the route to be cycled in its entirety.

Centres

A point-to-point route passing through Martigny, Montreux, Geneva, Lyon, Vienne, Valence, Montélimar and Arles.

Difficulty

A straightforward route that is generally downhill or level (though there are a few short ascents, and the optional prologue stage involves some 900m of climbing). Mostly asphalt surfaces in good condition that are suitable for hybrid or touring cycles. Much of the route follows dedicated off-road cycle tracks, suitable for family cycling, though there are a few short sections where main roads are used.

Must See

The Rhone glacier, Furka pass, Lake Geneva, Château de Chillon, Montreux, Lausanne, Geneva, Lyon, Vienne, Valence, Montélimar, vineyards of the Côtes du Rhone, papal city of Avignon, Roman Arles, Camargue delta.

ISBN

9781786310828

Availability

Published

17 Jan 2023

Edition

Second

Pages

264

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.45cm

Weight

310g

Delivery & Returns

Overview

Guidebook to the River Rhone Cycle Route, an 895km bicycle ride from the Alps of central Switzerland to the Mediterranean Sea, near Marseille, France. The route - which is mostly downhill, except for an optional 15km climb to the start point at Furkapass - is divided into 20 stages (averaging 45km per stage) and can be completed by most cyclists in 12-14 days.

The route uses two waymarked national cycle trails: the Swiss R1 Rhone Route and the French ViaRhona, which together have been adopted by the ECF (European Cyclists' Federation) as EuroVelo route EV17.

The guide provides detailed route descriptions and 1:150,000 mapping for each stage, as well as two route options along either the north or south shore of Lake Geneva. It also includes plenty of practical advice such as preparing for the journey, transport options there and back, what to take, accommodation en route and a French/German glossary.

Updates

November 2022

Travelling with a cycle on Eurostar

After 3 years since they ‘temporarily’ ceased carrying cycles because of covid, Eurostar have begun carrying them again, but with a very limited service and with conditions of carriage that are not attractive to touring cyclists. Before covid, all trains to Paris and Brussels carried up to six cycles, two fully assembled and four dismantled, in specially designed fibreglass bike cases. Eurostar provided the cases and tools to dismantle/reassemble bikes in an area dedicated to this procedure.

The reinstated service carries bikes only on trains to Paris (not Brussels) on selected departures from London between 07.55 and 15.31 or from Paris between 11.13 and 18.13. Fully assembled bikes are not being carried. Four dismantled bikes can be carried, but cyclists must deliver their bikes already boxed to the baggage counter in either London or Paris. Pre-booking is compulsory and riders must now travel on the same train as their bikes. After completing the journey, boxes must be collected directly from the train and cycles reassembled on the platform.

This is far from ideal, and until Eurostar fully reinstate their previous cycle carriage policy, cyclists are recommended to take their bikes by plane, ferry or Euroshuttle when heading to the European mainland. The situation could potentially change.

The Cycling UK website www.cyclinguk.org has a page dedicated to Eurostar cycle carriage policy, which is updated regularly to contain any new information.

Downloads

The River Rhone Cycle Route - GPX File

By Mike Wells

After a career in marketing, culminating as marketing director of a leading supermarket group, Mike Wells started to write walking and cycling guides in his fifties. He has been a keen cyclist for over 25 years. After completing various UK Sustrans routes, such as Lôn Las Cymru in Wales and the C2C route across northern England, he then moved on to cycling long-distance routes in continental Europe and beyond. These include cycling both the Camino and Ruta de la Plata to Santiago de la Compostela, a traverse of Cuba from end to end, a circumnavigation of Iceland and a trip across Lapland to the North Cape. Even further afield he has ridden the Congo-Nile trail from the Congo basin to the source of the Nile in Rwanda's Nyungwe national park. On all these trips he was accompanied by his partner Christine, who sadly died in 2020.He has written 10 cycling guides for Cicerone, including a series following the great rivers of Europe. For a full list of Cicerone books and articles by Mike Wells, visit his author page.

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