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Easy
ride to, and along the coast
to the Normandeliere beach & then back to Dolphin Gites.
(about
10
miles)
1.
Exit Dolphin Gites by turning right, contrary to the one way.
2.
At the main road (D12), turn right. Continue along main road for about
half km, taking care if you are cycling with young children.
3.
Take the 2nd left (chemin de Cormier) and continue into the countryside,
past the horse stables on your right.
5.
After the horse stables, about 100 mts further on, turn right on newly
graveled road (2nd right after horse stables).
6.
Continue along gravel track until junction on road, then turn right onto rue des
Fontaines.
7.
Continue right for about 500m, then turn left (1st proper left turn).
8.
Continue more or less in a straight line for about 4km, crossing
crossroads, etc until you arrive at the sea and the coastal cycle path (La
Vélodyssée).
Turn left
on to the cycle path and head towards the Normandeliere beach, about 3
miles along path.You will pass the the tourist centre of La Parée,
continue on to the Normandeliere beach along he cycle route.
To
return to Dolphin Gites from the Normandeliere.
1.
Turn right at roundabout & then turn 1st left, almost immediately.
2.
Continue along road, slightly uphill until you reach main junction.
3.
At main junction, cross-over on to dirt track.
5.
At end of dirt track, turn left and turn right.
6.
Continue straight along road until you eventually hit the busy main road,
then turn right on cycle path.
7.
You can then follow the cycle path all the way to La Chaize Giraud.
8.
Or, you can turn left after about 500 mts on cycle path, carefully
crossing the main road, follow the sign for 'La Peuble' by turning
right just after crossing the main road (avoiding industrial
estate) entering on to a country lane, which will take you back to the horse farm.
map
The
Normandelière Beach
.jpg)
Cycle
Directions
to the Normandeliere Beach:
(3
miles)
1.
Exit Dolphin Gites by turning right, contrary to the one way.
2.
At the main road (D12), turn right. Continue along main road for about
half km, taking care if you are cycling with young children.
3.
Take the 2nd left (chemin de Cormier) and continue into the countryside,
past the horse stables on your right.
4.
Follow the road until you reach the main Bretignolles road and cross the
main road turning right on to the cycle path.
5.
Follow cycle path until first left turn into housing estate
6.
Follow road, keeping right at the bend, until you reach the T junction at
the end
7.
At T junction, turn left then immediately right on to gravel road
8.
Follow gravel road until reach main road and carefully cross main road
9.
Continue along country road towards the coast.
10.
At the end of road, turn right and then left at the roundabout.
11.
Follow the pedestrian path to La
Normandelière Beach
12.
Lock up your bikes at the restaurant and enjoy Moules Frites.
The
Jaunay Lake
Directions
to the lake:
(10
miles/ 2-3 hours return)
1.
Exit Dolphin Gites turning left (East) on main road (D40) & take care
with children by perhaps riding on pavement, until you reach main roundabout on
D32.
2.
Cross the roundabout and take small road into the housing estate
3.
Continue straight for about 500m until you reach a dirt track off to right
4.
Follow dirt track until you reach the road and turn right.
At this point directions become complicated, so
simply follow map (see above), or your phone GPS. There are various routes to the
lake.
Set
phone GPS for Roche Guillaume (cycle past chateau and turn left at
bottom of hill on a path direct to the lake, then turn right at the lake).
Below
- Chateau of Roche Guillaume (on-route, close to the lake)
map
La
Vélodyssée
the coastal
path
The
cycle path along the coast, both directions North and South, is famous. It
is known as the La
Vélodyssée and stretches hundreds of miles from St.
Brevin les Pins in the North of France, to Spain in the South. You can pick it up in
Brétignolles-sur-Mer and enjoy cycling along
the famous cycle path in either direction, North or South.
Le
Marais (marshes) near
Olonne-sur-mer Directions Cycle
the coastal cycle path, South from the Normandeliere until you reach the
forest at Olonne. Continue along the cycle path, under the underpass, in
the woods for about 1km. You will then see more cycle paths diveging from
the main path with left turns into the marshes, as in the photo below. You
con navigate these paths until you reach the road near Vairé. 
Bike
Hire
We
recommend PSL Bike at Brem-sur-mer. They are reasonably
priced and will deliver the bikes to your gîte if
you hire them for a minimum of 2 days, otherwise, you can
leave you car in the car park while you enjoy your ride.
Brem-sur-mer is on the coast so you have direct access to
the coastal cycle path (La
Vélodyssée).
PSL
Bike
Brem-sur-mer
Tel.
02 51 22 12 98 www.pslbike.com
Other
Routes
There
are many more cycle routes in the local area. For example, exploring the
trails across the valley of the Jaunay river, through the bocage countryside,
etc. Many of these routes are directly accessible from Dolphin Gites.
Many
of these cycle routes are numbered, coloured and sign-posted along the
way.
You
can pick up good 'cycle route map' from the tourist
information in Bretignolles-sur-Mer with all the cycle
routes marked on.
The
Jaunay Lake:
The
Jaunay lake is the inland local reservoir. It is a very scenic landscape of
water, hills and forest and is very beautiful. The cycle ride to and around the lake is
quite challenging for the inexperienced cyclist, although very enjoyable
with fabulous views and great countryside. Take a picnic, or have lunch at the Pré restaurant
on the banks of the lake. Most of the ride is on small roads and dirt tracks,
although a couple of miles are on the main road so take this into account
when planning your ride. There are some hills and
some of the tracks are quite narrow, especially around the lake. It takes
about 40 minutes to reach the lake.
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