Cycling France: Saint-Malo to Mortain-Bocage
European bicycle tour update: France cycling, Saint-Malo to Mortain-Bocage. 66 miles. The ferry last night was very busy with bicycles. I’ve never seen so many, but then I suppose it is a bank holiday weekend in the UK. Mind you, I say bicycles, a few of them were electric, and we don’t class them as bicycles!
I must admit that it’s great to be back in France. Sixty-six miles, all on cycle lanes, routes and Greenways, and even on the odd occasion that I did go on, were fairly traffic-free.
The route from Saint-Malo to Mont St Michel was familiar; I’ve cycled it so many times, but I still enjoy it. And the route stayed familiar until I reached Pontaubault, where normally I would turn left and head up the coast. But today, I went straight on. I stayed on country lanes for a few miles before I reached a disused railway line that had been made into a Greenway.
Ever since I joined the disused railway line, it’s been steadily climbing. Until the last couple of miles, that is. Then it turned into a rather steep hill, which took several attempts to get up. I had to keep stopping. But on the bright side, at least I’ve got it to go down tomorrow, first thing. I think it was worth the struggle to get up the hill, as I’m in a very cheap campsite tonight. It only cost me three euros, and it has all the facilities you need.
Tour Information
It’s been years since I took this ride, but the memories (and the data) are all archived:
- Photos: See my photos on Flickr
- The route: View my route
- Videos: Check out my YouTube videos
- Tour page: Ride overview
Follow & Support
If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can always support me by buying me a beer. Or subscribe to my blog and follow me as I travel around on my bike. As a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.
If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page. And for an insight into the gear and logistics that keep me on the road, see my Life at 10mph Guide.
Hi Gary, glad you are enjoying your trip. Love to cycle around the St.Malo area. We did it from home to Paris and then St.Malo.
Really disappointed by your comment on Electric bikes.
We tour Europe and the UK fully loaded with camping gear on ours. Just completed a 1100 miles tour of Northern England and the Scottish highlands in really foul weather. We use the assist when needed, mostly on hills, and the enjoyment we get from cycle touring is wonderful. We have the freedom to travel to places that would otherwise not be accessible.
I was only joking. It’s good that people get out and about. However, they do it. Don’t you have trouble keeping them charged? I find it’s hard enough keeping my phone charged!