Author Topic: Day Trip from Calais  (Read 1251 times)

Day Trip from Calais
« on: 22 October, 2014, 11:09:00 am »
My parents live just outside Dover and I want to take the bike with me, jump on an early ferry and do a day ride out of Calais. Has anyone got any circa 100km rides that include a nice lunch stop taking in rural France that they can send me.

Many thanks

Simon

Re: Day Trip from Calais
« Reply #1 on: 22 October, 2014, 11:16:36 am »
Go on a tandem and make some money on the way back, OK I'll get me coat......

Re: Day Trip from Calais
« Reply #2 on: 22 October, 2014, 11:19:04 am »
^ ;D

Re: Day Trip from Calais
« Reply #3 on: 24 October, 2014, 09:51:53 pm »
Along the coast to Le Touquet might be nice.

I am often asked, what does YOAV stand for? It stands for Yoav On A Velo

Re: Day Trip from Calais
« Reply #4 on: 25 October, 2014, 11:00:13 am »
Gravellines and St. Omer are nice places to visit, both fit well in a 100k loop from Calais.
You can also check the www.ffct.org permanets section if the local club has some interesting permanents.

Re: Day Trip from Calais
« Reply #5 on: 25 October, 2014, 01:30:16 pm »
am sure I am overreacting- but recent tv coverage of the crowds trying to hop lorries to get into the uk makes Calais look less than appealing

dont think that a bike is a great option for an illegal immigrant but it all looks a bit threatening

Re: Day Trip from Calais
« Reply #6 on: 25 October, 2014, 01:37:04 pm »
Not a problem. The lorry area is quite far away from the usual ferry terminal. I've passed through Calais harbour a few times, ocasionally you see a shadow diving away behind a container but nothing coming close.

Steph

  • Fast. Fast and bulbous. But fluffy.
Re: Day Trip from Calais
« Reply #7 on: 02 November, 2014, 05:27:04 pm »
Go to the French Customs controls and immediately after them is a turn to the right with a black and white sign for centre ville. That takes you to a roundabout. Go straight over that and you ride north past the factories/oily stuff until a turn left takes you on a hump-backed bridge over the motorway. That gives you access to a network of lanes that lead through bird reserves to Gravelines, which is an old fortified town with a star plan.
Eat there. Head south through more small lanes towards Guines, where the road rises to go through woods (crested tits abound). Loop round on some other bits and you are back to Coquelles and a run in to Sangatte and an easy climb to Cap Blanc Nez. Whoosh back down through Bleriot plage and Sangatte to the seafront and your ferry.
Mae angen arnaf i byw, a fe fydda'i

Torslanda

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Re: Day Trip from Calais
« Reply #8 on: 09 November, 2014, 04:51:25 pm »
Go to the French Customs controls and immediately after them is a turn to the right with a black and white sign for centre ville. That takes you to a roundabout. Go straight over that and you ride north past the factories/oily stuff until a turn left takes you on a hump-backed bridge over the motorway. That gives you access to a network of lanes that lead through bird reserves to Gravelines, which is an old fortified town with a star plan.
Eat there. Head south through more small lanes towards Guines, where the road rises to go through woods (crested tits abound). Loop round on some other bits and you are back to Coquelles and a run in to Sangatte and an easy climb to Cap Blanc Nez. Whoosh back down through Bleriot plage and Sangatte to the seafront and your ferry.

Thanks for that. I'll do that one day . . . [Apols for hijack]
VELOMANCER

Well that's the more blunt way of putting it but as usual he's dead right.

Wowbagger

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Re: Day Trip from Calais
« Reply #9 on: 09 November, 2014, 05:08:54 pm »
Mrs. Wow and I cycled to Boulogne, ate a large meal and then got the fast boat (Norman Arrow?) back to Dover. It's a remarkably hilly route from Calais to Dover. That was August though and it was a delight, made even better by the fact that it was warm and sunny there but we could see what the clouds were doing to Kent.  ;D
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Torslanda

  • Professional Gobshite
  • Just a tart for retro kit . . .
    • John's Bikes
Re: Day Trip from Calais
« Reply #10 on: 09 November, 2014, 05:51:39 pm »
AFAIK there is no longer a ferry out of Boulogne. (Fast or otherwise since the demise of Speed Ferries around 5 years ago) . . .
VELOMANCER

Well that's the more blunt way of putting it but as usual he's dead right.