Last updated 7th May 2008
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Welcome to the 'Breton Bikes Cycling Holidays in France' on-line brochure; your chance to read about some of the best cycling holidays in France. We have holidays for beginners, experienced cycle tourists, and all the family. You can have a weeks cycle camping from 165 pounds including top quality equipment - bikes, tents, sleeping bags etc, and a weeks hotel-based bike touring from 370 pounds (quick price guide here) - all using the best bikes in the business. We also have Gite Holidays (self-catering holiday cottages) available all year round - and from this year 'Daisy' the caravan, both are perfect for a family cycling holiday. This site is also a free resource for anyone wanting to cycletour - see our articles page and feel free to E-mail for any help planning a cycling tour.
Breton Bikes Cycling Holidays has been in operation since 1989, for the
last nineteen seasons has offered unique cycling holidays in
France. Our base in Gouarec is in the
middle of Brittany, the bit of France
that sticks out west into the Atlantic Ocean.
Kate and I used to spend all our holidays bicycle touring in France, and decided to offer the same holiday to other cyclists. After having cycled all over
France it was Brittany that captured our hearts, and so Breton
Bikes was born. Now we are the only company in France, or anywhere
else for that matter, offering real cycle
camping holidays in France. We are also one of the few English speaking
companies offering cycling holidays that is wholly based in France - we live here, cycle
here, even holiday here, and love every minute of it. Since 1990 we have also offered
Hotel based holidays and from 2005,
Gite based holidays. This year a very special little caravan has been added to the options - see Daisy! However at all times
we have remained true to our original idea of providing an experience
of real bicycle touring in France. If you want to know more about Kate and I and the company history have a look at 'Who we are' and 'the history of Breton Bikes'.
We can provide a holiday to satisfy all ages and abilities,
from a few months old to a youthful 85 (the current record). As
you can see from the picture below, we have our own children so
know exactly what is involved in taking them on a cycling holiday in rural france,
so children are very welcome
on our family vacations and we are uniquely well equipped for
them. As an example, in 2008 25% of our bookings were for families
with small children. The other 75% were equally well catered for
and of course for those escaping their own children many of our
routes will be child-free.
For all our holidays we supply everything you need, even for camping,
all you need to bring is yourselves. Have a look at what
happens when you arrive to prepare yourself...
Recently old customers have told us that we should emphasise how
good the bikes are, so if in doubt have a look at our page on
the bikes and equipment supplied.
We must be doing something right because on average around 30%
of our bookings come from people coming on their second, or even
sixteenth bike tour! See what these converts
have to say, see also our 'Mission Statement'...
You'll find this a big website, but by clicking on the links at the top of the page, or embedded in the text you should be able to find your way around, so if you fancy a bit of an adventure in france, read on...
All weeks currently available for 2008 - both Gite and fixed-centre holidays will continue through the winter, and our main holidays recommence at the end of May 2008.
Our main season begins with the last week of May and finishes with our two-week led trip beginning on the third and forth week of September, outside that period there are two options.
First our Gite based (self-catering holiday
cottage) holidays run all year - an option for people wanting
to cycle with us outside out normal season (and at a very special
low season price).
The only other option out of season (i.e. end of September to mid May) are our fixed centre hotel tours. These are available for the special price of £280 including all hire, maps, and accommodation including breakfast. The only difference during this period is that our normal full back-up doesn't apply. We leave a spare bike at the hotel in case of problems, and will be 'around' on and off during the week but we don't guarentee to be on-call during the day.
From a situation 15 years ago where there was only the ferry from Plymouth to Roscoff we now have an embarrassment of riches, including cheap flights to local airports, the Channel tunnel link, many ferries and self drive. For details see the 'getting to us in Brittany' page.
Please have a look at our www.cycling-in-france.com about this. Here you can read the full story of our adventures and get some idea of what our equipment is capable of when away from the gentle countryside of Brittany... You might be able to do somthing to help, and we've already had several very generous donations and the total raised now exceeds 12,000 pounds. Otherwise anyone on our holidays can request sponsorship forms for their own ride with us.
STOP-PRESS! Just announced - the route of the Tour de France will pass right by us - see the route of the Tour de France
Several people have asked about the possibility of hiring a gite (holiday cottage) for their holiday. After a lot of searching we've found the perfect place situated right in the quiet centre of Gouarec. Sleeping up to 10 this Gite is available all year round. The cost is only 350 pounds to be added to the basic camping price, so especially attractive to families and small groups. If you are interested in the gite email for details. And for 2008 we've bought 'Daisy' the caravan to add a caravan option.
2 years ago George Bailey brought his family and emailed to say "If you need American references anytime, we can unqualifiedly praise the gite, its location, its neighborhood and its facilities and its owners." So for anyone worrying about sending vacation money to some crook with a website; let me know and I'll pass on the address.
Having been dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century we finally accept credit/cash cards via the PayPal system. Using this system you can pay in Euro (though not in £ Sterling). See their site for details www.paypal.com. This is the safest method of credit card payment we know...
Our camping holidays use top quality light tents etc, but for those choosing the 'fixed centre' at Gouarec option we now provide small five berth frame tents. These have two bedrooms, standing up room and - camp beds!
Win Rampen just sent us a wonderful page she'd written about her holiday with us - somehow on one page she's captured much of what we are about without the usual waffle I indulge in...
The world famous chefs (Chefettes?) Jennie and Evelyn (who between them have been on 15 of our tours...) have written their own guide to the Breton Bikes diet plan - see it here...
In 2001 we also had a group who came and had a wonderful time and then wrote about their cycling holiday. If you want to see a 'diary' of the travails of a Breton Bikes holiday then here it is
I've just descovered that Wendy and Paul Beard produced a website on their holiday in 1999, it's not finished but fun nevertheless and the fact that they've been back three times since says it all - have a look at Tandem adventure
2007 was an good season with most weeks in the summer averaging 45+ (full...). So here I'd just like to thank all the people who came and helped make it such a success, especially those on the various led trips who were such marvellous company. I'd also like to thank the customers from far abroad - Australia, New Zealand, USA, Kenya, China, Canada, S Africa etc for their trust in sending money into the "wild blue yonder" on the strength of a web site!
CONTACT:
If you would like more information on camping, hotel or gite holidays just click on the appropriate links, phone one of the numbers below, or E-mail us.
The story of our charity ride
to the Pyrenees
How not to
starve on a Breton Bikes trip...
The route we took in Normandy in 1997
Patricia gives her impressions of several Breton
Bikes holidays!
WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT US! Including Cycling
Today magazine
A sales pitch as to why Brittany is
the place to go on your vacation...
Cyclecamping in France for those doing their
vacations themselves!
Carrying loads on a cycling holiday
Climbing the Tormalet on a bike
A Day cycling in the Mountains
Cycle Touring 100 years ago?
Tyres for cycletouring test
Test Of Brooks Swift saddle
Tents for cycle camping - Two person tent test
Only for cycling families? Test of the Burley
and Thorn child trailers
Test of Orbits "Gold Medal" touring bike
Steel Frames - why use steel for a touring bike
Ortlieb bike Pannier test
Test of the Giant "Tracker" touring bike
Gears for cycletouring
A Cycletouring bike on the Cheap...
Test of Jack Wolfskin Pocket Hotel tent - good for cycle camping?
Choosing a camera for a cycling vacation
How to carry touring loads on a bike
Test of Sachs top end cycletouring groupset
Test of DT hubs, to weak for a touring bike...
Review of Nick Crane's 'cycling in europe book'...
Test of the Orbit Romany Expedition Touring bike
Catching the train - by Sally Laws
Descending for the feint hearted (or how not to kill yourself cycling down a mountain) - by Rawdon
O'Connor
Cycletouring in the last century - no families
please note...
Cycle Wheelbuilding book review
Bike Hubs for touring
The wonderful YAK Bob trailer
Cycletouring tool kit
Brooks leather saddles
Reynolds 531 tubing - the answer to a cycle tourers prayer
What we do with our kids when we cyclecamp!
Our Satellite sites - all on our vacations, here mainly to help web crawlers find them - couple of nice pics though....
Another cycling in france site:-)
and this specially for UK based search engines...
Sitemap Google sitemapSee Breton Bikes new venture! For those wanting a place to drive their sportscar...!
