2013-08-28 — /travelprnews.com/ — Cyclists riding the Petit Tour de Manche this autumn should make space in their panniers for a copy of a new guidebook to the route published on September 10, 2013.
The book, entitled Petit Tour de Manche: Weymouth 2 Weymouth via Poole, Cherbourg and Saint-Malo, has been written by cycling journalist Mark Porter, and published by Baytree Press.
To research the book, Mark Porter cycled all 440kms (273 miles) of the Petit Tour de Manche [‘small Channel tour’], a cross-Channel cycle route linking Dorset with Normandy, Brittany and Jersey. Regular ferry services between Poole, Weymouth, Saint-Malo and Cherbourg, serviced by Brittany and Condor Ferries, provide the links in between.
The new book, eagerly anticipated by touring cyclists, features Mark’s choice of the best places to eat, sleep and drink. It also includes route information and detailed mapping, as well as recommendations of places to visit along the way.
Mark Porter said: “I’ve cycled many routes over the years and what’s particularly appealing about the Petit Tour de Manche is the combination of cultures. We Brits love France so what better way to take in everything that country has to offer than a two-wheeled adventure? It’s also very manageable because there are few large hills, so it will appeal to cyclists at all levels of ability.”
The route passes along quiet lanes, ‘greenways’ and paths from Poole to Weymouth, taking in some of the South West’s most attractive landscapes. Cyclists then take the ferry from Weymouth to St Malo, with the option of a stopover in Jersey along the way. The route continues through Brittany and Normandy to Cherbourg and then back to Poole. Highlights include the Cotentin Regional National Park and Bessin Marshes, as well as the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Le Mont St-Michel and Dorset’s Jurassic Coast.
The Petit Tour de Manche is one of four routes that make up the €8,682,150 (£6.8 million) CYCLE WEST project. The 1,400km la Vélodyssée – a ‘there and back’ itinerary from Ilfracombe down France’s Atlantic coast to the border with Spain – was officially opened on 5th September 2012, and the larger 1,200km (750 mile) circular Tour de Manche was opened in June 2013. The 250km touristic circuit in Cornwall, known as Vélowest, will be launched on 30th September 2013.
The Petit Tour de Manche guide will be published on 10th September, priced £11.99. Copies can be ordered from www.baytreepress.com.
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