For those who love to cycle in France, the going just got better as the regional tourist board of the Champagne & Ardenne regions has just released a new free cycling guide covering over 1000 km of long distance cycle paths.
Suitable for all abilities, adrenalin junkies to complete beginners, the routes cover a range of stunning landscapes from river valleys, canals, vineyards, rural villages to historic cities and spa towns. The 68 page guide has practical information about cycling in these areas, including detailed maps and lists of services and accommodation with helpful suggestions of where to eat and sleep along the way.
All recommendations are under the quality label “La Champagne à Vélo” and “Les Ardennes à Vélo” with over 150 partners offering accommodation, bike rentals and other services. Members offer a warm welcome to cyclists and provide special facilities such as a safe place to store bikes overnight, a place where bikes can be cleaned and repaired, plus additional services like picnic lunches, and even transporting luggage to the next hotel.
The guide covers 6 main itineraries:
- The Meuse by bike
- From the Ardenne to the Marne Valley
- The Marne Valley
- The canal between Champagne and Burgundy
- The Seine Valley
- The valley of the Aube and the Côte des Bar
New cycling paths in the Ardenne
The ‘Trans-Ardennes’ cycling path, following the river Meuse south from Givet, has been extended by 40 km, with a new Charleville-Mézières to Remilly-Aillecourt section, passing through historic Sedan.. This cycling path now covers a distance of 120 km between Givet and Remilly-Aillecourt.
The final 10 km of this ‘voie verte’, from Remilly-Aillecourt to Mouzon, will be completed in 2017. At Mouzon, the cycle path will link up with a network of country roads along the riverside which will take the cyclist 250 km to the Source of the Meuse: to the west of the spa town Bourbonne-les-Bains in the Haute-Marne. A project to signpost the cycle paths will continue during 2016, so that the full route, “la Meuse à vélo”, from the source to the mouth of the Meuse will be completed in 2017.
New cycling paths in Champagne
The lateral canal to the Marne
The latest section of the towpath along the Marne canal, between Condé-sur-Marne (east of Epernay) and Cumières (just north of Reims) has been transformed into a properly surfaced ‘voie verte’, creating an additional 23 km to the cycling path along the canal. This crosses the heart of the champagne landscape that in July 2015 was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. The cycle path will eventually continue to the town of Dormans, 23 km to the west of Cumières.
The « voie verte” of Troyes
The two cycling paths of the Haute-Seine Canal and the Orient Lakes Forest were linked by a third cycling path in 2015 that passes through the centre of the medieval town of gorgeous Troyes. This new cycling path now links the 10 km between Barberey-St-Sulpice, to the north of the town centre, and St-Julien-les-Villas, just to the south.
Time to get the bike out and va va voom along these terrific new cycle routes!
Visit the Champagne & Ardenne tourist board www.champagne-ardenne-tourism.co.uk for more information on the region, downloadable brochures, maps and ideas of what to do and see.
More on Champagne and Ardenne
Troyes – one of the jewels in the crown of Champagne with its medieval architecture and half timbered houses
The incredible puppet festival of Charleveille-Mezieres – this quirky fete is held bi-annually and sees the whole town go puppet crazy!
Lovely Les Riceys – off the beaten track in Champagne in a town where the Champagne is absolutely magnifique and where a pink wine is made that is fit for a King
10 reasons to visit Champagne-Ardennes
