UKC

Looking for some help with this one.

Last year 2 of my students at school decided to cycle 100 miles over 2 days around the Peak District for charity. As a very keen cyclist myself I offered to help and rode with them - they did absolutely brilliantly considering they were only 10 years old at the time!

No sooner had we finished, one of them looked at me and said she wanted to cycle 100 miles in 1 day! Their parents and I are now at the planning stage and are looking at doing it during the Easter holidays - they will be 12 by then so still a serious achievement if they manage it (which they will!).

I have suggested that we need to keep the route as flat as possible whilst also managing to go through some really nice areas. The parents have done some research and found the cycle routes from the D-Day beaches to Mont Saint Michel.

We are looking at the route from Port en Bessin to Mont Saint Michel. Has anyone done this and if so does anyone have GPX files for it? What are the roads like? Any other advice about this route most gratefully received.

In reply to jonathan watt:

I did a ride in that area with my two sons last summer, quick scoot around Guernsey and Jersey, over to St Malo, Mont Saint Michel, Avaranches, Coutances, St Mere Eglise, then down all of the D-Day beaches to Caen. We took 5 days so as we could visit all of the beaches and museums as well as Mont Saint Michel.
We used quiet roads all of the way and they were brilliant, fairly quiet and felt safe (late June). The only day that we encountered more hills than expected was the Avranche to St Mere Eglise, but I guess you'll stay south of that line.
The one thing that can catch you out is wind! To clarify, a lot of the area along the coast is pretty exposed, we thought we'd be fine, expecting a westerly or south westerly and instead got a constant easterly, it certainly made a difference and we took turns at the front.

IMO if you're going there you might as well make the most of it and visit some of the great sites, including Bayeux, especially as it's not the cheapest, or shortest, ferry ride to get there.

I've not got any GPX files and anyway you'll likely be on a different line to us, but plotting them on a free mapping site won't take long and will give you the distances, elevations etc.

And when you get back you'll be able to watch the 2016 TdF setting off from Mont Saint Michel.

In reply to Alan Bates:

Thanks for your reply Alan. I normally do put the GPX routes together myself but thought someone may have already got one as I don't know the area that well. The plan is certainly to try to see as much as possible such as Bayeux whilst also trying to ensure we get the 100 miles in as that is the kids' main aim. I too expected a South Westerly but have been told by a friend to actually expect Easterly which suits us.