Maps

[sgtcalle]

Evening all.

I'm beginning to plan a euro jolly for the summer, currently thinking of getting the tunnel to France, putting the bike on an autotrain to Nice, and then using Nice as a starting point to do a week in Southern France, Northern Italy, and possibly Northern Spain.

I'm finding it quite tough to plan a route using the computer alone, so was wondering if anyone has any old maps lying around they would like to sell or lend?

Also would welcome any advice on my plan above!
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CBR600F '02
Manchester

[Itchy]

This one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Europe-2016-Michelin-Tourist-Motoring/dp/2067209515/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1455054794&sr=1-3&keywords=michelin+europe+map

I've bought this book 4-5 times now ( different year editions I always lose them).

They have green stripes on good routes.


At the very least I'd do the Nice to Gap route. You can do a lap on the N85 and the N202 using Dinge or Castellane as a way point.
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[Dave V4]

[rubyhorse2]

your doing exactly what we are planning, though we are just touring italy.

My plan -

eurotunnel to calais
ride to brugge
brugge to paris
motorail to nice (sleeper train for us)
tour italy
motorail back or ride back, not decided as yet

everyone who has advised me has said 'plan as little as you can' which is sound advise. i am booking the tunnel, hotel in brugge and the motorail to nice...from then on its 'see what happens'.

As for touring once you are there? we're going to plan each day the night before. i'll be relying on satnav and a detailed map. not really that worried about getting lost or not having a specific route, thats half the fun.

Where are you riding from out of interest?

[stinkwheel]

[sgtcalle]

Thanks all for the advice above, I will take a look at map and the links. I have been looking online and in the papers for good sections of road, but the difficulty is it's hard to link them into a feasible route on a computer screen as it's hard to see the big picture! Hence why I'd like a big map to lay out and sketch on.

Thanks for the offer of the Ride magazines, but I have plenty of my own too!

Yes, I have heard that not planning is the way to do it, I must admit that grates on me a little bit as I normally like knowing what's going on. I'd like to have a rough route in my head, but not necessarily stick to it.

I will probably have 7 days on the continent, so maybe I will have to limit my scope to just France and Italy, but the Mrs is coming on the back, and wants to see as much as possible!
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CBR600F '02
Manchester

[chickenstrip]

Have you thought of deciding on the places you want to see, then using sites like www.bestbikingroads.com to link them up?
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[Dave V4]

[Dave V4]

[rubyhorse2]

as above, my advise would be to decide where you want to visit as riding back from italy will basically be your holiday otherwise.

i am probably booking the train back to paris so can spend more time in italy.

[Enduro Numpty]

I wouldn't rule out using a computer for route planning. Some of the best roads I've ever ridden have been found by zooming in to squiggly lines on Google maps. It's got to the stage now that we don't even look at paper maps when we're going to Europe. I generally find the route I want to take and enter it into Sat Nav. This method came about a few years ago when my wife and me had an extended trip around Europe. The practicalities of carrying all the maps required forced us to change our method. The only time it went wrong was in Bosnia where I believed the Sat Nav screwed up but close examination on Google maps on our return showed I'd missed a crucial junction.
I'm currently trying to plan a route from Barcelona to Northern Germany which will encompass as many of my favourite roads plus hopefully a few new ones.

[sgtcalle]

I do plan on getting the train back too, recognising I don't want to spend the rest of my time ploughing through France. Ok, watch this space, I will have a crack at planning on the computer!
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CBR600F '02
Manchester

[Copycat73]

this is where i buy my paper maps ..

https://www.mapsman.com/

you cannot beat layin out a map for an overview of through route planning..

but for detail and practicality
a sat-nav is essential as is the ability to plot routes en-route on a computer..
i take a laptop with me,usin garmines software.
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Whatever I post I have no citation and no intention of providing one..
caveat emptor

[Fizzer Thou]

I rode all around France in 2014 with just a basic pocket size flip map of Europe and an ancient 1995 map of France.We had no plan of where we were going apart from wanting to return to Le Puy-en-Velay that I last visited in 1998 and to go and see the Millau bridge.I did carry a mobile sized GPS receiver and I had GPS on my mobile,but we never resorted to using either.It was far more fun to just spend nine days riding wherever,without using any Peage routes.We racked up 2300 miles and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves

https://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv23/WiNot_Rhencullen/Biking%20Abroad/Picture023_zpsc5b5ebec.jpg

This year I intend to do exactly the same but this time with Mrs.Fizzer to accompany me around France,Tuscanny/Italy and Germany over a 20 day Euro-tour
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Just talk bikes.What else is there?

Always have a 'Plan B'