Tuesday 2 October 2012

Vire or Bust!

On 35kms to go!
Towards the end of August I took Tom and Ben on a cycle ride from Mortain to Vire.  The route is 35kms long and follows the old railway line.  We had been on the section at the Vire end but only going a few kilometres before turning back.  This was when the boys were much smaller and we had waited until they were a bit bigger to take this on.

Mortain-le-Neufbourg Station
We set off, on a grey damp day, from just south of Mortain, having been conveniently dropped off  there by Rosie - who was conveniently picking us up in Vire later in the day.

The first part of the ride was a steady up hill but through some lovely woodland.  Being an old railway line none of the inclines were too bad.  In the woodland Tom and Ben found some tracks to buzz around on and play, which was great fun but I did have to remind them we had 34kms to go!

Route under or over roads
The track takes in some lovely scenery and many of the old railway buildings are still there.  Also, in the main, there are very few road crossings (except very minor roads) so it meant the boys could bomb off or get a bit behind or, as in Ben's case, practice 'no hands' with too much for me to worry about.
No hands

There are a few picnic areas placed along the route but we diverted off into the village of Sourdeval to pick up some lunch.  This was only a few minutes off the track and meant we didn't have to carry our lunch with us.  We had our picnic in one of the designated areas and some of these were covered.

Lunch Stop
From Sourdeval to Vire the route was pretty much the same as the morning.  Some of the sides of the track are banked and with the trees it does get a bit monotonous - especially for the boys.  I don't think it would matter which way we did the route as there seemed to be the same amount of ups and downs.  There was one road crossing which takes you away from the track for a few minutes and it was quite a steep climb - this did take the 'wind out of our sails' for a while.  I think it was a case of money saving on underpasses and the cycle route drew the short straw!


Banked Sides
Overall we enjoyed the day and the 35kms took us about 4 to 4.5 hours, with a lunch stop (and all the other stops that kids like to make). We were lucky with the weather, which was changeable throughout the day, but we did not get any heavy rain showers (until the end) and temperature wise it was okay.  I think the boys found it a little too long but have asked to go again (this time from Le Mont St. Michel), so it couldn't have been that bad!

1 comment :

  1. I clocked this ride on the last visit to your gaff and made a mental note for a trip when our girls get older. Glad to hear you have road tested it so I know what's involved!

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