Calais to Montpellier - 2021

I got to Dover by train on the evening of 14 September 2021 and back from Montpellier by train (because the European Bike Express service was not running) overnight Saturday/Sunday 25/26 September 2021.   I actually did the journey Calais to Montpellier in 11 days over a distance of 745 miles.  I did it on a Cube Katmandhu eBike and I just charged the bike overnight as the range was good enough for each day's ride, provided I kept in 'eco' mode for most of the time.

Rob & Jon's book, "Wine-ding Down Through France" was a very useful starting point although I didn't follow their route exactly and stayed predominantly in chambres d'hote (i.e. B&Bs) rather than hotels to be certain of somewhere secure for the bike.  

I didn't use a fancy Garmin thingy.  Instead, I decided on the route using a combination of Rob & Jon's book, Google Maps, iti.fr maps, hardcopy maps of France and my own preferences.  The route, once decided, was plotted on the hardcopy maps with a highlighter.  I then (colour) photocopied the maps, typed in Word some route notes (villages, road numbers, any special instructions etc.). I pulled out the notes/maps for each day's ride, put them in a plastic bag, folded it so I could easily hold it on my left hand and yet still hold the handlebars. Additionally, I had a handlebar mount for my mobile phone  and put the start/end points into Google maps, usually adding intermediate villages.  I either selected the 'bike' option or 'car - avoiding highways and toll roads' option.  Google was used as a secondary tool to my hardcopy maps because, frankly, it's not reliable enough. Perhaps you might consider holding a map (albeit folded into handsize) and the handlebar a tad dangerous, but it worked fine.

I took no rest/sightseeing days and I took the train back from Montpellier a few hours after arriving there.

Overall, a fantastic experience!