Cycling Midlands to Monaco

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Why Midlands to Monaco?

I had some time to kill, and needed some headspace - this one was a solo trip.

Long before I ever got interested in Formula 1, a mate sparked my curiosity about Monaco (thanks Pete!) after a work jolly there.

But: could I visit this millionaires' playground under pedal power, and on a budget ?!

Challenge accepted !

And because I was living near Stafford at the time, the Midlands was my slightly less glamorous starting point....

Above: Incredible road (D22) and scenery en route to Nice.

Cycling Midlands to Monaco:

My Route

So after a bike service and some new threads (cycle shoes, shorts and gloves!), I set off for the white cliffs of Dover from Gnosall, Staffordshire.

Below: My Midlands to Monaco cycle route. 1104 miles and 17 days pedalled.

After the first day of riding which included almost 35 miles on canal towpaths, the second day through Milton Keynes on amazing cycle paths was a breeze.

And the sun came out too! 

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To my surprise, I enjoyed the Google Maps Bike route across London! The route even took me through the Olympic Park area. 

Below: A traffic-free route along the River Thames

Google Maps Bike gave me an incredible ride along the River Thames..... amazing boats, barges and characters.

My route took also me through a tunnel under the River Thames at Woolwich via stairs and a lift. The lift was oak- panelled inside !!

At first I thought that Google Maps had gone loopy! I didn't even know there was a tunnel under the Thames. A local guy came to my rescue, confirmed it was the right way and even helped me carry my bike down the stairs. (at that time the lift on this side was out of order!) 

The Royal Borough has two foot tunnels at Greenwich and Woolwich which are used by 1.5 million people a year to cross underneath the river Thames.

There are stairs and lifts at each entrance. Cyclists must dismount, without exception, when using the tunnels. Oops! 🚴🙊

Below - Cycle path alongside the River Thames, Woolwich area. 

Below: The Pilgrims Way and North Downs Way - both tricky, lumpy, scenic.

After only 3 days and a short morning pedal, I made it from the Midlands to the Port of Dover and managed to arrive 15 minutes before this Irish Ferries boat (below) left for Calais !

Winner 🚴👍

Now in France, between Arras and Laon: 

Google Maps decided to give me a tough time, taking me onto what initially looked like a scenic cut-through into a mud/clay/straw fight ! 🤦‍♂️

I lost the fight and had to do a U-turn !

I hate U-turns!! 

Above: Aftermath of the Arras to Laon mudfest.

Luckily there was a churchyard nearby (below) - great places in rural France to find drinking water, or in this case water to wash off mud! And lots of it!

Below: A quiet backstreet in Laon, early morning. A beautiful city with an impressive cathedral. 

In Courtisols I had the good fortune to stay at Mariyon and Didier's Airbnb - a gorgeous, ramshackle, homely place with a swimming pool 🤗

Better still Didier was an engineer, with tools galore! He repaired my broken luggage rack and had everything I needed to service and clean my bike. 

Above: All smiles with Mariyon and Mr.Fixit, aka Didier ! 🔧

Cycling from Dijon to Beaune: the route was awash with vineyards and stunning fields of sunflowers. 

Below: Miles of great river towpaths in the Champagne region of France.

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Below: The route to Montmerle Sur Soane included 25 miles on an old railway track, complete with tunnels.

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Below: The ride through Grenoble en route to Saint Bonnet en Champsaur was nice and flat. Some serious climbs to my destination followed this ! 

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La Chaffaut st Jurson (below): A hamlet full of character near Digne, and a lovely stay at Nathalie's Airbnb....

Where I was treated to an evening meal, breakfast and fresh figs from the garden.

Merci Nathalie ! 

Below: The scenic route to La Saulce on the N85.

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The stunning scenery and mostly sunny weather definitely took your mind off the more challenging parts of the route. Some serious but doable climbs and some tricky descents. 

Saint Julian du Verdon (below), a stunning little village.

Below: BREATHTAKING doesn't even come close to describing some of the roads/scenery in the South of France. 

Above & Below: Riding the D2, Parc Naturel Regional des Prealps d'Azur. 

If you want the one of the rides of your life - Just Do It! 🚴👍

CYCLE IT or MOTORBIKE IT or DRIVE IT

YOU DEFINITELY WON'T REGRET IT! 

Below: Looking down onto Lac Du Sautet from the N85.

Below: Looking across to the town of Tourette sur Loup.

Below: A happy chappie mugshot, having made it coast-to-coast from Calais to Cagnes sur Mur, just south of Nice.

18 days' Incredible-pedals from Midlands to Monaco (well ok - a budget base away !).

I booked an Airbnb in Saint Paul de Vence, as it was cheaper than staying in Nice or Monaco. 

The next day I jumped on a train to visit Monaco. My best decision yet.

As the Monegasque roads were super-busy and not very cycle-friendly!

Above : The amazingly tropical park area in Monte Carlo! Who'd have thought it ?! Close to the famous Casino. 

Below - Looking over Monte Carlo from up in The Old Town. 

I walked around Monte Carlo, had a coffee, expensive! Looked through the window of the BUGGATI shop! Drooling! (but no bicycles in sight!) Checked out the entrance to the famous F1 tunnel, visited the Old Town (well worth a visit) grabbed a guy to take my photo in the 'photo car'! And then headed back to the train and started to plan the next days itinery! 

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Cycling Midlands to Monaco:

Food & Accommodation 

Cycling Midlands to Monaco:

Food and Accommodation 

Food

Ok so food in France! Well for me it was not the best! ALDI was good though 👍😊 some homecooked food and a truckers cafe helped redeem the situation for me. 

Even the coffee was sometimes terrible! Maybe I just ate or food shopped in the wrong places! 

Accommodation 

It's fair to say that I generally booked accommodation the day/night before or even in the morning before heading out. Too many unforeseen possibilities make it the best way for me/us. 

Mechanical issues for instance! 

I camped only once on this trip. The first night in the UK. (I've tried to harden up BUT just don't get on with being cramped up!!) WIMP comes to mind!! 

Mostly I found Airbnb to be invaluable. Even in the remoteness of rural France 👍

Below - first stopover in France, Guines. Airbnb caravan. 12 miles from Calais.

The first time that I'd been asked to empty the loo cassette into the septic tank, before I leave in the morning. Bit of a shit job to be honest! 

My accommodation varied from a Airbnb caravan to having to carry my bike and gear up 5 flights of stairs in a city (where I was kept awake by strange noises/comings and goings throughout the night!) make of that what you will! We all have to make a living 😉🤦 

To 5 star Airbnb with outdoor pool. And lovely Airbnb owners who not only rent you a room or apartment but cook you dinner, repair your bike bits and even watch a movie with you too. 

Above - Didier and Mariyons Airbnb. 

Above - a great coffee for breakfast (Moka Pot that's the real deal!) Nathalie's place. 

Below - an incredible stop off at a Airbnb in La Saulce. Stunning and reasonable price. Great homecooked food too

Should you cycle to Monaco from the UK? 

Oh yeah! Wherever you live in the UK get to London to experience cycling the River Thames. Don't miss out on the Kent Downs. Get on that Dover-Calais Ferry and:-

LET FRANCE BLOW YOUR MIND! 

Practical Pointers

⭐ I feel that the majority of my route to Monaco was just spectacular. Again it was pure luck. Obviously looking at a direct route briefly then doing the usual booking accommodation/destination the night before. It definitely helps having no time constraints too. 

⭐ I averaged 65 miles a day with one rest day. So a 3 week trip should be good. (or shorter if you want to blast it!) To take in the sights and spend some time in Monaco. 

⭐ Make use of the free churchyard water, as rural France is vast (I found!) and it's not always easy to find shops/cafes.

⭐ As mentioned France is big and so carrying emergency rations for a couple of days is essential. 

⭐ I carried my tent/camping gear as usual! But never used it in France 🫡 So not sure about camping opportunities. 

Bonus section !

Cycling Monaco to Alicante

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Well, I wasn't quite ready to stop pedalling just yet... 

I mean have you seen the place names on this coastline..... Cannes, St Tropez, Marseille, Perpignan. Over the Pyrenees and Spain beckons.... Girona, Barcelona, Benidorm! 

Below - I took a photo of this painting whilst walking through St Tropez. Just beautiful - look closely. 

Above & Below: My coastal route southwards from Monaco

Below - stunning amphitheatre in the amazingly gorgeous town of Arles

Below - cycling towards Beziers on the D613 was very memorable! A biblical storm, including hail stones rained down. I took cover in a open JCB at the side of the road. Then my 'guardian angel' came to my rescue! 

The family pictured above told me to follow them to their small holding, where they shared a rundown shack! A hot drink and a chat about their life and I was on my way. True kindness. Thank you Gaia, Prune and Argant. 

Below - Beautiful Beziers. This building is in fact part painting - the tree and shop front for instance are painted.