Cyclists Bunkhouse

Our 'new' bunkhouse - perfect for larger groups or cyclists or solos.

Big news for Breton Bikes! We've taken over the lockhouse at the entrance of the campsite and will be renting it out as 'bunkhouse' accommodation for 2019. It will sleep up to 10 in three dormitories, with a 'comfy' area and large kitchen.  This year we have fitted two shower cubicals and toilets which is ample for 10-12 people. There's a grassy garden with BBQ and picnic tables too. Costs are exactly the same as for camping so as an alternative to the fixed-centre camping holiday or gite for larger groups of cyclists - for those not on one of our holidays you can still rent the entire lockhouse for 120€ a night or one bed for 15€ - for single cyclists not wanting to 'tent' its' a lovely and very economical option.

The Lockhouse is even closer to restaurants (25m!) and just 100m from the centre of Gouarec and of course on the actual canal towpath...

 

 

 

Self Led Cycling Holidays

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Discover the Freedom...

All of Breton Bikes cycling holidays in France are self led and we don't carry luggage – that makes our holidays quite different to the majority on the market.

Why self-led?

A self-led holiday means that you cycle unguided – you find your way using our comprehensive route notes and maps and you decide how you divide a day up. This is the single biggest advantage of being self-led. If you are on a guided tour then you are inevitably in a group, and that group will be made up of English speakers (a positive or negative depending on what you want) but which greatly reduced the 'French' experience. Being in a group means that your itinerary for the day is dictated by the leader and the group. Of course the group leader may well be extremely knowledgeable and have a series of 'sites' for you to see, but when and how you visit them will be up to him/her. So for example if you decide that you want to stop off for a coffee somewhere, or spend an hour exploring a village market, or conversely do not want to spend an hour at a village market, then you are stuck. Your itinerary and timing is the group's itinerary.

Of course if you want to have this sort of structure, to be in a group of English speakers (who you may or may not get on with) and to stay in places geared for groups like yours then that's fine and there are lots of excellent companies in France that will supply just that.

But we don't;-) With us you are free to plan your day exactly as you want – stop where you want, eat where and when you want in total independence. Because we offer so many trips it's quite likely that you won't see any of our other customers and so fulfill our company's aim of offering independent, self-led cycle tours as if you had organised it all yourself. This freedom is, for us, what cycletouring in France is all about.

Why no luggage transfer?

Almost all companies offering self-led trips in France also supply luggage transfer. This is of course a popular choice but we don't do it because just like having a guide it imposes certain constraints. To transfer luggage, especially on longer trips, is very expensive. Working on an average of 50€ a transfer that makes 400€ for an 8-day trip like ours. That only works economically if the company organises customers as much as possible into groups (or charges a fortune). Now because it's self-led you don't have to cycle together, but again you will be in a group in the evenings and this has a big affect on the 'French feel' of the holiday. You also miss out on the 'cleansing' experience of living for a week with what you carry with you!

For us and our customers the other advantage to not not transferring luggage apart from cost is that because we don't have to make up groups, we can offer a much wider range of cycling holidays and even produce custom routes for you.

I can't carry all that weight!

We expect you to carry your gear so we supply bikes designed specifically for that purpose. So that means very stable but very lightweight and with a wide range of gears. Our bikes cost around £1000 each – rather better than you'll find elsewhere and the result is that you'll find that if you pack sensibly the weight has very little effect on your progress. But most important, you retain a total feeling of independence that for us is the very essence of cycletouring – we want you to have the kind of holiday that we love ourselves – never feeling part of some organised tour (unless you need us...).

So if that sounds like the sort of holiday you want then get in touch...

Breton Bikes Day Hire Centre

Day Hire of Bikes and Canoes/Kayaks

Breton Bikes also offers day-hire from the campsite in Gouarec France from April to the end of September. Simply call us on 02 96 24 86 72 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Sitting directly on both the canal towpath and just 300m from the V6 cyclepath this is a unique spot in Brittany for a day's very easy and safe cycling or Canoing – perfect for families. For example it is just a half-hour ride along the canal towpath to the ruined abbey at Bon Repos with it's visitors centre, shops, cafes and restaurants. Another km takes you to the Museum at Forges des Salles, or the Petit Train Museum -  For those who are more adventurous we will also supply routes all over the area that are free with the bike hire.

We also have several canoes and Kayaks and nowhere is as safe and easy as our pretty little section of canal - and in a day it's possible to canoe all the way to Bon Repos. 

Special Bike + Canoe Day

As a special offer you can come all day and use both bikes and canoes for the basic one-day price (20 Euro per adult, 10 per child). So a morning cycle can be followed by an afternoon pottering down the canal by canoe - a lovely day out...

 

The Bikes

As with everything we do 'quality' is paramount, and the bikes we hire are high quality and in perfect condition - well beyond normal hire bikes.  As well as more serious touring bikes and hybrids we also have tandems, children's bikes and even electrically assisted bikes. We've also a range of rather lovely Dawes 'traditional and Dutch' bikes which are just perfect for a gentle wobble down the Canal. These bikes come complete with panniers for your picnic, puncture repair kits and also with a back-up service should you break down. Thus we are not the cheapest bike hire, but we are the best...

Equipment for Children

As well as children's bikes (of the best quality) we also have child-back tandems, baby seats, trailerbikes and child trailers so we can cater for all ages - read about what we can provide for families here.

Prices

Adult bikes are 20 Euro per day, 15 Euro per half day.
Children's bikes - 10 Euro per day, 7.50 per half day.
Tandems – 30 Euro per day, 20 per half-day.
Electric bikes – 30 Euro per day, 20 per half-day.
Child trailers and trailerbikes – 10 Euro per day, 7.50 per half-day.
Child Seats – 5 Euro per day, 3 per half-day.

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Discover the freedom of cycletouring

France is the home of cycling and rightly most people's first choice for a cycling holiday. Brittany is probably the most cycle-friendly area of France and so that is where we have been based for the last 32 years. It's a magical place for cycling and I'm sure you'll fall in love with it as we have. Uniquely in France we offer cycling holidays based on camping, hotels and also the option to stop the whole week at our base in Gouarec – with costs from 295€ per week for a camping holiday to 710€ for hotel based tours, we have cycling holidays to fit all budgets and families are something of a speciality. Our holidays range from very gentle pottering on easy cyclepaths to much more serious cycling up to 80 km a day, but with the addition of high-quality electric bikes to our touring fleet groups of mixed abilities can still choose longer routes or even-up ability by taking a tandem. No other company offers this variety.

We provide all the equipment you need, whether for cycle camping or hotel based holidays. We're also there as cheerful support in case of problems – no sitting by the side of the road on a Sunday morning wondering where on earth you are going to find a replacement rear wheel...

Destinations

Of all the areas of France, Brittany has the most variety. The longest coastline in France, moorland, forests, lakes and all criss-crossed by cyclepaths and quiet country lanes linking pretty villages and market towns. In the heartland the roads are deserted, the cycling easy and the few drivers you meet are careful with cyclists.

Our base in Gouarec is set on the famous Nantes-Brest canal which forms part of the Velodyssee and the V6 Eurovelo cyclepath crosses the village. The historic port of Morlaix, the standing stones of Carnac (the largest megalithic monument in France), the Rose-Granite coast, the towering chateaux of Pontivy (very military) and Josselin (very French) and much more are all within easy reach, and on a week-long holiday you'll see something different every day. Surrounded by 5000 years worth of history and with a Celtic character distinct from the rest of France you could spend months touring here and never see the same thing twice. - Read more on Brittany...

Hotel based cycling Holidays

Over the last 30 years we've discovered some wonderful places to stay and our stops are at a combination of small family run hotels and Chambre D'Hotes. The latter are effectively B&B but with evening meals provided, some are really spectacular, some quirky, but all are places we'd love to stay ourselves. All hotels and Chambre D'hotes have rooms with en-suite and breakfast is included. Evening meals are available but not compulsory so you can explore other restaurants in an area if you prefer. - Read more on hotel-based cycling holidays...

Cycle-camping Holidays

As well as being the natural home of cycling, France is easily the No1 camping destination in Europe. Almost every large French village has a campsite with hot showers and our holidays use this unique network to take you on a very gentle introduction to cycle camping. Being so close together we can even produce routes of little more than 15 km a day, or as much as 80 km – it's all there for you to choose. - Read more on camping route choice...

The attraction isn't just the low price, but the freedom that cyclecamping gives. You carry your own home like a snail with its shell (hopefully a bit faster) and so although we supply a route you are free to alter that as you go along and we're there to give advice on this on a day-to-day basis. This flexibility takes the stress out of touring, especially with families as often you'll find you've underestimated your abilities and want to strike off further per day than you originally planned – with us that's all very easy - Read more on cycle camping holidays...

Of course it's also an option to camp the whole week at our beautiful campsite at Gouarec on the crossroads of two of the major cycle routes in France – the Velodyssee and the V6 - making it a perfect base for exploring gently by bike. The surrounding countryside is gorgeous and the huge Lake at Guerledan just 5 miles away. The village itself has a baker, supermarket, various bars and three restaurants –  Fixed-centre campers get a massive 5m diameter cotton tent (with beds!) and also get free use of the campsite canoes and rowing boats – all included in the price. - Read more on fixed-camping cycling holidays...

Gite Based Holidays

As an alternative to cycling from place to place we offer two options where you stay at Gouarec and cycle the local area – with the added advantage that the gite option is open all year. As well as camping we also have two beautiful houses in the village that are reserved for our cyclists - Read more on gite-based cycling holidays...

Cycling Holidays for Families

We cycled in France with our own three children from when they were tiny babies and have so many happy memories. This is a real 'family' holiday where everything is shared: the food, the getting lost and the moaning about a hill;-) But the experiences last a lifetime.

We are uniquely well equipped for children of all ages. As well as the usual baby trailers, we also have Burley trailerbikes, child-back tandems (which are great) and a range of children's bikes that are very high quality and cover all ages from 5 to 10 years-old – after which children generally get adult equipment. Some of our routes are also geared specifically for smaller children on their own bikes and are almost all off-road with very little in the way of hills so that parents can relax and let the kids strike off...

For children cycle-camping takes some beating. The children get involved with putting their own tents up and cooking, they have acres of grass to run around on in safety and parents end up playing cards in the evenings in a way we've almost forgotten. Toddlers love it that adults are at their level for much of the time – hard to describe but you'll find out when you try it.

But obviously camping isn't for everyone and for those wanting a little more luxury the gite or hotel options work really well – the big advantage of the gite being that you can swap around between equipment – a tandem one day, a canoe the next and so-on – all included in the price. The fixed-centre camping option is a sort of half-way house as the large tents have beds and lots of space in them and of course the wide open spaces of the campsite to play in. - Read more on family cycling holidays...

Cycling holidays for Groups

We are equipped to take groups of up to 30 people however larger groups may require 'special' routes that avoid our smaller hotels. On the campsite we have a lot of accommodation for groups doing a fixed-centre holiday and also the village Lock-House which can sleep up to 10 people and is ideal for family or club groups. 

Equipment

We've been cycletouring for 45 years – both as a couple and as a family and so we know what works and what doesn't. Because of this we onlyprovide gear to the same standard as we use ourselves. That's important for those considering bringing their own bike – we can't promise that you will love ours as much as yours, but you won't be disappointed -  Read more on equipment supplied for your cycling holiday...

What cycling holiday for you?

With so much choice both of routes and types of holiday there's obviously a lot to consider. Is the coast important to you? Do you want to stay put? How much will it cost? How far can you ride per day? Do you love camping? Do you want to ride all off-road? And so on... Once you've read the many pages on this website the simple answer is to drop us an This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we're always there to help you choose.

Food and Drink

At the end of the day you are spoilt by the best fruit and vegetables in France (a haven for vegetarians), locally raised meat all used in hearty peasant cooking Elizabeth David would be proud of. Brittany is also the source of the finest seafood in France and of course the local delicacies like buck-wheat crepes, mussels or Kig-ar-farce go perfectly with locally produced cider or apple juice. Though Brittany isn't a wine-producing area the choice is much the same both in quality and price as the rest of the France. I'm not a personal fan of French fizzy beer, but Brittany has a thriving small-brewery sector that produces some really fine beers for those extra hot days...

Lastly the bakeries... Most medium sized villages have one and not only is the bread delicious, but because Brittany is a dairy area all patisserie is cooked with butter. The croissants in Paris may look wonderful but there is absolutely no contest. If you're looking for a holiday where you'll lose weight this isn't the one...

Availability

Breton Bikes season starts on the 5th May and finishes on the 30th September – currently we have availability for all weeks. Between these dates all hotel, gite and fixed centre routes are available. Before the beginning of June some campsites are closed so whilst we can still offer moving-on camping tours it does sometimes involve changes or limitations re route availability. For those wanting short breaks, or wishing to add a day or two to a standard week we can always work something out - Read more on booking your cycling holiday...

Getting to us

The centre of Brittany is deep in the heart of the French countryside and yet it's increasingly easy to get to us. Combinations of low-cost flights, trains and ferries mean the choice can be bewildering, but for more information - Read more on travel to Brittany...

Read On!