The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Germany:




On July 3rd 2022 I arrived at the Hook of Holland in The Netherlands, turned around and pedalled off in the direction of France. It was an anti-clockwise tour of France; the EuroVelo 12 along the Belgian coast, the EuroVelo 4 to Dieppe, LโAvenue Verte to Paris, La Vรฉloscรฉnie to Mont St Michel before rejoining the EuroVelo 4 to Roscoff, the EuroVelo 1 / Vรฉlodyssรฉe to Royan, the Canal de la Garonne to Toulouse, the Canal du Midi to Sรจte, the EuroVelo 17 beside the Rhรดne to Andermatt in Switzerland and finally the EuroVelo 15 / Rhine Cycle Route all the way back to Rotterdam and the return ferry to Hullโฆ I arrived back at the Hook of Holland on September 3rd 2022.
Pre-trip Posts to CyclingEurope.ORG:
- A Wanda Around Europe, Explained
- Le Grand Tour: The Inevitable Animated Map
- Le Grand Tour: T โ 1 Month (Or Thereabouts)
- Le Grand Tour: T โ 3 Weeks (Or Thereabouts)
- Le Grand Tour: T-2 Days
- Le Grand Tour: T-1 Day โ Packed!
Posts to CyclingEurope.org During the Cycle:
- Le Grand Tour: Day 0 โ Halifax To Hull (17km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 1 โ The Hook Of Holland To Ouddorp (32km + 41km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 2 โ Ouddorp To Vlissingen (64km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 3 โ Vlissingen To Ostend (63km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 4 โ Ostend To Oye-Plage (94km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 5 โ Oye-Plage To Saint-Quentin-en-Tourmont (91km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 6 โ Saint-Quentin-En-Tourmon To Dieppe (96km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 7 โ Dieppe
- Le Grand Tour: Day 8 โ Dieppe To Forges-Les-Eaux (57km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 9 โ Forges-Les-Eaux To Dangu (77km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 10 โ Dangu To Paris (101km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 11 โ Paris To Chartres
- Le Grand Tour: Day 12 โ Chartres To Nogent-Le-Rotrou (79km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 13 โ Nogent-Le-Rotrou To Alenรงon (93km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 14 โ Alenรงon To Domfront (73km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 15 โ Domfront To Mont-Saint-Michel (83km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 16 โ Roz-Sur-Couesnon / Forward Planning
- Le Grand Tour: Day 17 โ Roz-Sur-Cousenon To Saint-Briac-Sur-Mer (72km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 18 โ Saint-Briac-Sur-Mer To Hillion (80km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 19 โ Hillion To Saint-Quay (50km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 20 โ Saint-Quay To Louannec (72km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 21 โ Louannec To Morlaix (36km + Train)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 22 โ Morlaix โ โIf They Bite You, Bite Them Backโ
- Le Grand Tour: Day 23 โ Morlaix To Gouarec (98km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 24 โ Gouarec To Rohan (68km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 25 โ Rohan To Frossay (91km + Train + 19km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 26 โ Frossay To La Bernerie-En-Retz (93km โ 18km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 27 โ La Bernerie-En-Retz To Saint-Gilles-Croix-De-Vie (86km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 28 โ Saint-Gilles-Croix-De-Vie To La Rochelle (140km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 29 โ La Rochelle To Saint-Fort-Sur-Gironde (Train + 39km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 30 โ Saint-Fort-Sur-Gironde To Bordeaux (44km + Ferry + 42km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 31 โ Bordeaux
- Le Grand Tour: Day 32 โ Bordeaux To La Rรฉole (80km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 33 โ La Rรฉole To Agen (89km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 34 โ Agen To Grisolles (94km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 35 โ Grisolles To Toulouse (31km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 36 โ Toulouse To Alzonne (92km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 37 โ Alzonne To Pouzols-Minervois (71km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 38 โ Pouzols Minervois To Montagnac Via Sรจte (134km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 39/40 โ Montagnac To Chateauneuf-du-Pape Via Sรจte (77km + Train + 24km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 41 โ Chateauneuf-Du-Pape To Montรฉlimar (93km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 42 โ Montรฉlimar To Tain LโHermitage (96km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 43 โ Tain LโHermitage To Lyon (By Train)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 44 โ Lyon To Sault-Brรฉnaz (81km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 45 โ Sault-Brรฉnaz To Seyssel (112km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 46 โ Seyssel To Excenevex, Lac Lรฉman (97km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 47 โ Excenevex, Lac Lรฉman To Aigle, Switzerland (67km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 48 โ Aigle
- Le Grand Tour: Day 49 โ Aigle To Sierre (81km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 50 โ Sierre To Ritzingen (74km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 51 โ Ritzingen To Andermatt Via The Furka Pass (54km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 52 โ Andermatt To Valendas (62km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 53 โ Valendas To Buchs (83km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 54 โ Buchs To Konstanz (64km + Ferry)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 55 โ Konstanz To Kembs (59km + Train + 19km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 56 โ Kembs To Kehl (120km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 57 โ Kehl To Phlippsburg (123km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 58 โ Philippsburg To Gernsheim (110km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 59 โ Gernsheim To Braubach (135km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 60 โ Braubach To Hรผrth / Cologne (121km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 61 โ Hรผrth/Cologne To Arnhem (16km + Train + 70km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 62 โ Arnhem To Rotterdam (161km)
- Le Grand Tour: Day 63 โ Rotterdam To The Hook Of Holland (39km)
EPISODES OF THE CYCLING EUROPE PODCAST PUBLISHED DURING THE CYCLE:
- Episode 052: Le Grand Tour, Part 1 โ The Dutch Coast / EuroVelo 12
- Episode 053: Le Grand Tour, Part 2 โ The Belgian & French Coasts To Dieppe / EuroVelos 12 & 4 / LโAvenue Verte To Paris
- Episode 054: Le Grand Tour, Part 3 โ La Vรฉloscรฉnie From Paris To Mont-Saint-Michel
- Episode 055: Le Grand Tour, Part 4 – La Vรฉlomaritime From Mont-Saint-Michel To Morlaix / EuroVelo 4
- Episode 056: Le Grand Tour, Part 5 – La Vรฉlodyssรฉe From Morlaix To Royan / EuroVelo 1
- Episode 057: Le Grand Tour, Part 6 – La Vรฉloroute Des Deux Mers From Bordeaux To Sรจte / Canal De La Garonne & Canal Du Midi
- Episode 058: Le Grand Tour, Part 7 – La Via Rhรดna / EuroVelo 17
- Episode 059: Le Grand Tour, Part 8 โ The Rhine Cycle Route / EuroVelo 15
LE GRAND TOUR; THE FILMS
- Le Grand Tour – Part 1 – La Vรฉlomaritime (EuroVelo 4) / L’Avenue Verte / La Vรฉloscรฉcenie
- Le Grand Tour – Part 2 – La Vรฉlodyssรฉe (EuroVelo 1) / Le Canal des 2 Mers (de la Garonne / du Midi)
- Le Grand Tour – Part 3 – ViaRhรดna (EuroVelo 17)
- Le Grand Tour – Part 4 – The Rhine Cycle Route (EuroVelo 15)

CYCLING UK: CYCLE MAGAZINE – JUNE / JULY 2023




Here’s an animated map of my planned route…
…and here is a bit of background information regarding my decision for choosing to set off to France, Switzerland, Germany and The Netherlands rather than cycle around the Baltic Sea as I had planned for the summer of 2022.
STAGE 1:
Rotterdam to Calais: EuroVelo 12 / North Sea Cycle Route (Netherlands / Belgium / France)
This stage: 260 km / Cumulative: 260 km
Official website: EuroVelo.com/ev12

Ken Wynn @HighFielder80: “How are you getting from Hook to Belgium? Amazing road through Brielle, one of my favourite Dutch towns, and down the coastal defense dijks, the Oosterscheldekering, an astounding feat of engineering, to Middelburg and canal to Vlissingen for Breskens ferry. Ev12 seems to ferry from Hoek to the Maasvlakte europoort extension, instead of Maassluis ferry to Rozenburg for Brielle, then later it sticks to the coast for vlissingen instead of via Middelburg. Would be a shame to miss Middelburg its such a beautiful city.“
STAGE 2:
Calais to Dieppe: EuroVelo 4 / La VeloMaritime (France)
This stage: 180 km / Cumulative: 440 km
Official website: LaVeloMaritime.com

STAGE 3:
Dieppe to Paris: L’Avenue Verte (France)
This stage: 240 km / Cumulative: 680 km
Official website: AvenueVerteLondonParis.com

STAGE 4:
Paris to Mont Saint Michel: La Vรฉloscรฉnie (France)
This stage: 450 km / Cumulative: 1130 km
Official website: Veloscenic.com

STAGE 5:
Mont Saint Michel to Roscoff: EuroVelo 4 / La Vรฉlomaritime (France)
This stage: 430 km / Cumulative: 1560 km
Official website: LaVeloMaritime.com

STAGE 6:
Roscoff to Royan: EuroVelo 1 / La Vรฉlodyssรฉe (France)
This stage: 870 km / Cumulative: 2430 km
Official website: Cycling-LaVelodyssee.com

Malcolm Glover (via Facebook): “If youโre coming anyway near Carhaix in Brittany youโre more than welcome to stay with us. We are just a few hundred metres away from Velo 1.”
STAGE 7:
Royan to Sรจte: Le Canal des 2 Mers ร Vรฉlo / Les Canals de la Garonne Et du Midi (France)
This stage: 680 km / Cumulative: 3110 km
Official website: CanalDes2MersAVelo.com

STAGE 8:
Sรจte to Andermatt: EuroVelo 17 / Rhone Cycle Route (France / Switzerland)
This stage: 1250 km / Cumulative: 4360 km
Official website: ViaRhona.com

STAGE 9:
Andermatt to Rotterdam: EuroVelo 15 / Rhine Cycle Route (Switzerland / France / Germany / The Netherlands)
This stage: 1500 km / Cumulative: 5860 km
Official website: EuroVelo.com/ev15

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