French public and school holidays 2024

French public and school holiday dates 2024

Here’s to a happy and healthy New Year to you all. 

 

January is the perfect time to start planning your French travel adventures and to make the most of them, it’s always useful to know when the public and school holidays fall. Things have changed a lot in the twenty years since we’ve been living here, but in many areas of rural France, shops are still likely to be either closed or only open in the mornings on public holidays.

 

The school holiday dates in France are split into three zones and most of the holidays are staggered so not everyone is trying to hit the ski slopes or beaches at the same time, although be prepared for extra traffic on the roads on all Saturdays during the school holidays, or better still avoid driving on these days.

 

This summer Paris will be home to the Olympics, with 329 events over 19 days in 41 venues, which will mean a busy city, plus it’s all change for the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes. 

Here is my guide to all the French public holidays, school holidays and other notable dates, plus how they are celebrated here in France, for 2024. 

 

Public Holidays in France 2024

1^st January, New Year’s Day, jour de l’an 

31^st March, Easter Sunday, Pâques 

1^st April, Easter Monday, lundi de Pâques (note there is no Good Friday holiday in France unless you live in Alsace or Moselle areas)

1^st May, Fête du Travail (celebrated with lily of the valley)

8^th May, Victory in Europe Day, Victoire 1945 

9^th May, Ascension Day, Ascension (note schools will have an extra day off on Friday 9^th May for the bridge (pont see below)) 

20^th May, Pentecost Monday, lundi de Pentecôte

14^th July, Fête Nationale (a Sunday this year)

15^th August, Assumption Day, Assomption 

1^st November, All Saint's Day, Toussaint

11^th November, Armistice Day, Armistice 1918 

25^th December, Christmas Day, Jour de Noël (note there is no Boxing Day holiday in France on 26^th unless you live in Alsace or Moselle areas)

 

Faire le pont

Except for the holidays linked to Easter: Easter Monday, Ascension Day and Pentecost Monday, the above dates are the same every year and the holiday is always observed on the actual date rather than being moved to the nearest Monday (as the UK would do). Public holidays can therefore fall on weekends; to make up for this it is not uncommon for people to faire le pont (make a bridge) if a holiday falls on a Thursday (Ascension Day) or a Tuesday, by taking off the Friday or Monday to give themselves a four-day weekend. This leave will be part of their annual holiday entitlement, or the hours need to be made up, so while most businesses will be open on bridge days, some staff shortages can be expected. 

French school holiday zones 
https://www.vacances-scolaires-gouv.com

 

School Holidays 

 

Here are the dates for 2024:

The winter holiday is from 10^th February to 10^th March. 

Zone C gets the first two weeks, Zone A the middle two and Zone B the last two.

 

The spring holiday is from 6^th April to 5^th May. 

Zone C gets the first two weeks, Zone A the middle two and Zone B the last two weeks.

 

Thanks to Ascension Day falling on 9^th May, everyone is off for a five-day long weekend from Wednesday 8^th May (Victory in Europe Day) to Sunday 12^th May, with Friday being a bridge day.

 

The summer holiday for all zones is from 6^th July until 1^st September.

 

The October holiday for all zones is from 19^th October to 3^rd November.

 

The Christmas holiday for all zones is from 22^nd December to 6^th January 2025.

 

Other dates to note and celebrate

6^th January, Epiphany, celebrated in France with a Galette des Rois (see here)

10^th January, winter sales begin, soldes d’hiver. Sales are regulated in France and the winter sales will run from 10^th January to 6^th February 

 

2^nd February Candlemas day, Chandeleur, celebrated in France with pancakes (see here)

13^th February, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras when carnival time begins in France and pancakes, or beignets (similar to doughnuts) are eaten.

 

24^th March, Palm Sunday, Rameaux a day where our local boulangeries bake something different (see here)

31^st March, clocks spring forward an hour to Central European Summer Time

 

1^st April, Poisson d’avril celebrated in France with sticky fish (see here)

 

26^th May, Mother’s Day, fêtes des mères

27^th May, National Resistance Day, journée nationale de la Résistance

31^st May, Neighbours’ Day, fêtes des voisins often celebrated in France with shared meals

 

6^th June, 80^th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy that will be commemorated with a number of events this summer 

16^th June, Father’s Day, fêtes des pères

21^st June, world music day, fête de la musique, celebrated with free concerts in towns and villages all over France

26^th June, summer sales begin, soldes d’été, and will run until 16^th July

 

29^th June to 1^st July, Le Tour de France, with a planned depart in Florence, Italy, and a finish in Nice, NOT on the Champs-Elysées in Paris because of preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

 

26^th July to 11^th August, Paris 2024 Olympic Games with the Opening Ceremony on 26^th July

 

12^th to 18^th August, Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, begins in Rotterdam and finishes in Alpe d’Huez, in the Alps

21^st and 22^nd September, European Heritage weekend, Journées Européennes du Patrimoine, many museums and other cultural sites will be open to the public, often organising special events, and with free or reduced price entry

 

27^th October, clocks go back an hour to Central European Time and Christmas will be with us before we know it

Free museum entry on the First Sundays of the month 

Did you know many national museums in France open for free on the first Sunday of the month? Whilst not exclusive, as there are often restrictions in July and August, and some museums will close for some of the winter months, this is certainly a secret worth knowing and we’ve had some interesting visits over the years, all for free. Note: not all museums are national and without the financial support from the government, locally or independently run places will not have the ability to offer free entries. If you fancy a cultural city break, it would be worthwhile checking the museum websites to see if they are taking part and plan your visit accordingly.

 

7^th January

4^th February

3^rd March

7^th April

5^th May

2^nd June

7^th July

4^th August

1^st September

6^th October

3^rd November

1^st December

 

I hope you’ve found this useful and that wherever in France 2024 takes you, you have a wonderful time. I’d love to hear about your adventures and new discoveries.

 

  

Tour des Gorges de Haute Dordogne

Cycling the Gorges de Haute Dordogne

We’ve managed our first getaway of 2021, and I can’t tell you how fantastic it was. We were only just over a three-hour drive from home, staying in a cosy self-catering apartment, in the quiet and rural Corrèze, but for cycling nutcases like us, it couldn’t have been any more perfect. 

 

Our accommodation in Neuvic

I lazily leave all the holiday and cycle route planning to Adrian and he certainly excelled himself this time. His start point is always the accommodation. Does it fit our budget? If yes, are there any good cycle routes nearby? The converted basement of a family house in a quiet residential street, with its own little terrace and access to the garden, near the lake in Neuvic, ticked all the boxes. With a large double bedroom and a living room with kitchen area, that led on to the shower room, there was plenty of space for the two of us and all the bike bits, all for only 41€ per night. 

The lake at Neuvic

 

The weather, which has been pretty rubbish all year, was on our side too and by the time we stopped for our picnic lunch on the way there, I had to begin stripping off some of the many layers that have encased me all winter. I’m pleased to say, it remained warm and sunny every day, until the evening we returned home. This meant we were able to get out on the bikes every day, including a quick early evening spin around the Neuvic lake the day we arrived. 

 

Adrian’s cycle route planning was also spot on. In the four full days available to us he had routes that took us up and down the gorges of the Haute Dordogne, through the volcanic landscape of the Corrèze and Cantal departments, up the Puy Mary (a summit finish on the Tour de France) and a hilly circuit that took as around the Puy de Sancy, the highest mountain in the Massif Central, and the location of the source of the Dordogne river. We managed a pretty impressive three hundred kilometres of cycling in terrain much more challenging than the flat lands of home. He is also very clever in that he plans the routes to ease me in gently. 

 

The abandoned old Transcorrézian tramway

The first day was a 64km ride through the gorges that began with the excitement of a coffee and croissant, on the sunny terrace of a bar, our first bar coffee since October last year. The route took us through undulating forest roads that often followed the route of the Transcorrézien, a steam tramway that ran from Ussel to Tulle from 1912 until it closed in 1959. Coming across odd remains of track, abandoned engines and carriages, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, gave us plenty of opportunity to take train photos.

 

The Resistance Dam

From Soursac, things got a bit more exciting with a climb up to a rocky gorge road which gave us tunnels and views over the Dordogne valley, followed by an easy descent to the impressive L'Aigle hydroelectric dam, also known as the Resistance dam. Work started on it in 1939 and was expected to be finished in 1942, however Resistance workers ensured enough delays to the project, that the occupying German troops never benefited from the electricity generated.

 

The washed away road

After lunch we played our favourite game of Route Barrée Call My Bluff, as so often road closures mean no vehicle access, but bikes can pass. The barriers had been pushed to the side of the road, so we decided to continue, even though the single-track, tarmacked road looked rather abandoned. The foliage at the sides was overhanging and slowly creeping in and along with the leaf and tree debris under wheel, nature was reclaiming this long-forgotten road. It was equally exhilarating and frightening to be so far off the beaten track, with no idea how far we could go before possibly being forced to turn back. It was peaceful, beautiful and with just the sounds of the river far below us, the birds above and the odd scurrying of unidentified things into the undergrowth as we approached. Three times we lost the track and had to walk the bikes through mud, stones and trickling water running down the gorge. It gave a real sense of achievement, along with relief when we found civilisation once more, although I was also a little sad to leave it behind.

 

The viewpoint over the Dordogne Gorges

The final fifteen kilometres were probably the hardest with a steady climb up the gorge, in the sun. Luckily, we stumbled on a shady table, by a cooling waterfall, that gave us the perfect flapjack rest point, before continuing on to a stunning viewpoint high above the Dordogne river valley. Our legs were certainly nicely warmed up for the rest of the holiday.

 

Eating a Mother-in-law's tongue in Salers

Day two was a much shorter day, but with a Tour de France mountain top finish, my legs felt every one of the 46km (or at least the 23 uphill ones). Our start point was the Plus Beau Village of Salers, where we had a wander of the quaint cobbled streets and although we didn’t find a croissant, we did get a delicious, chewy almond biscuit, big enough to share, with our morning coffee and hilariously called mother-in-law’s tongue. As we left for the twenty-kilometre climb up the Puy Mary, the village church bells were in competition with the deep-toned cow bells gently ringing in the fields all around us. It was so pretty, with rolling green hills and volcanic peaks in the distance, and white snow caps still visible in places. Even the cows here are beautiful, with their deep orange colour, slender, wide horns and huge lashed eyes. 

Climbing towards the Puy Mary

To begin with the climb is gentle and almost too easy, especially when it descends into the pine forest. The weather was perfect, warm but not hot, and then cool and shady in the forest, but not cold. With the snow on the Puy Mary looming large above us, I knew the easy ride couldn’t last much longer. 

Approaching the top at Puy Mary

With four kilometres to go, things began to get tough, and the final two kilometres were at an average gradient of 12% but significantly steeper in places. With my heart hammering and lungs burning, my legs kept their slow and steady turning of the pedals, until I reached the top, where the views were spectacular and worth all the effort. 

At the top of Puy Mary

This route was a defining day on the 2020 Tour de France route, and rewatching the footage, even the pro-cyclists struggled towards the end. I had a happy smile on my face at the end of the day and was ready for whatever Adrian had planned for the following two days.

 

Bort les Orgues

Having warmed my legs sufficiently, the third day was 75km, back in the Haute Dordogne gorges, with the volcanic rock formations resembling giant organ pipes at Bort les Orgues, our lunch destination. It was a meandering and undulating route, that was slow going in places, but with dramatic views that eased the suffering. The viewpoint above the town of Bort les Orgues provided an eye-level view of the pipes, a bench for lunch and a panorama which gave us a clear view of the Puy Mary to the right and the Massif du Sancy, our final cycling destination, to the left. 

The old station Bort les Orgues

 

On the sweeping descent to the enormous hydroelectric dam in the town of Bort les Orgues, we stopped to listen to cow bells, a sound I don’t think I’ll ever tire of hearing. Standing at the bottom of the dam made me feel extremely small and insignificant, and I have to say, I don’t think I’d like to live underneath it. It would seem I am not the only one as poor old Bort les Orgues, despite the impressive dam and rock formations was a rather sad and forgotten town. Even the station, that is home to a number of rusty and graffitied old engines, was derelict and deserted, and where nothing seemed to have moved for years.

 

Easy riding on the Voie Verte

The first part of the afternoon was along a voie verte, on an old railway line. The sun was out, the views were good, and we found a bench for a snack. It was a gentle, easy ride and a nice break from the climbing, but I knew we had a hard slog ahead to return to the Dordogne on the way home. It was a cruel, hot climb, and more so as no sooner had we reached the top, we had a long descent back to the river, that seemed to take forever. Every glimpse I took down the valley still didn’t reveal the water at the bottom, and the knowledge that the only way back out was a long climb up the other side, was tough. The bridge and water at the bottom were blissful and calming and if I’m honest, that final climb didn’t seem as bad as I’d expected, thanks I think to the shady tree cover. A picnic bench under a tree, hairy with moss and lichen, gave us a chance to catch our breath before the final few kilometres. It was one of those surreal moments, sitting in a cool, damp forest world, tired and sweaty, discussing the merits of hydroelectricity over wind turbines, on a Sunday afternoon. Today really proved that you don’t need to be in the mountains, or even near a Tour de France mountain stage to experience real climbing. Our elevation today was 1440m, significantly higher than the Puy Mary climb.

 

Above Le Mont Dore

Our final full day was a 75km route following the C11 cycling circuit around the Puy de Sancy, starting from Tour D’Auvergne and taking us to Le Mont Dore, Besse and Lac Pavin, never losing sight of the Puy de Sancy. I always find it weird cycling into ski resort towns, past ski-hire shops and seeing chairlifts rising in the distance. The first part to Le Mont Dore was a gentle climb through forests with great views over the volcanic landscape, but from Le Mont Dore it was a steep climb up the Col de la Croix Robert and then a chilly descent in the shade of the mountain. Our plan was to lunch in Besse, but a picnic bench in the sun was too good an opportunity to miss out on, so Besse provided an early afternoon patisserie stop instead.

 

Besse

 

Besse is classified as a Petites Cités de Caractère and with its narrow, cobbled streets and dark stone houses with deep red shutters, it was very sweet. It also had an open boulangerie where we sampled the sables aux myrtilles, a blackcurrant jam filled shortbread biscuit. It was delicious and probably the only thing that got me moving again. The rest of the afternoon was tough and slow, and despite the food I’d eaten, I was feeling the kilometres and the climbing. Thankfully the view over the almost perfectly round volcanic Lac Pavin was stunning and helped keep me going. 

 

Look, no road, just a stand-alone bridge

Most of the route so far had been on small, quiet roads, but the final part took us onto a busy main road, which then revealed the dreaded Road Closed ahead signs. Looking at the map, the diversion would add too many kilometres for my tired legs to cope with, so fuelled on haribos, we pushed on hoping to call its bluff once more. This one turned out to be a more serious closure, as a bridge was out, but as luck would have it, in order to get the construction vehicles in place to build the new bridge, the river had been diverted through some large pipes and a temporary gravel track laid over the top. We were able to walk the bikes right past and I was so relieved, it gave me the push I needed for the final twenty kilometres back to Tour d’Auvergne. It might have been a tough 75kms, but it was worth it for the views, the challenge and the patisserie.

A very pretty cow

 

As the sun was still shining on our last morning, we couldn’t resist a cycle into town for a coffee and croissant, then a quick 15km loop through forests and fields. It was a delightful ride with sunshine, dappled shade and cows, on sweeping single track roads up and down the valley and was a perfect post-exertion leg stretch, before the drive home.

 

Perfect holiday views

I really don’t think we could have asked for anything more for five-nights away and once again I am thankful for living in France, a country that offers so much to see, no matter where you are. The icing on the cake was returning home to some great news, but that’s for another blog post. 

Celebrating my Brompton bikeversary

Riding my Brompton is the best

Today I am celebrating the second anniversary of wheeling #KTTinyTourer out of the cycle shop in London and looking back on two years of fun, fitness and freedom on my brompton.

 

In our time together Katie the Tiny Tourer and I have cycled almost eight thousand five hundred kilometres, in three different countries, (the UK, France and Spain) and turned heads wherever we’ve been. I’ve earned a lot of respect from the cycling community as an almost fifty-year-old woman, on a Brompton, climbing mountains alongside younger men on high end road bikes, and the incredulous looks on some of their faces will stay with me forever.

 

Having a bike that is comfortable and fun to ride has given me the confidence to go further and push myself to achieve more, as well as the ability to enjoy long days in the saddle.

 

Climbing mountains on my Brompton

Some of our rides have been in full lycra with clipped in cycle shoes, some in dresses and normal shoes, with a picnic in my pannier. We’ve followed off-road cycle paths, quiet back roads, pilgrimage routes, mountain passes and conquered Tour de France epic climbs, including Mont Ventoux, the Col d’Aubisque and the Col du Tourmalet.

Boulangerie stop on my Brompton

 

We’ve enjoyed the flexibility of the folding frame and being able to put the bikes in the car for airport runs, so we can set off for morning coffee or a sunset apéro somewhere special before heading home. 

 

Cycling the lavender fields of Provence

The bikes have been there for the recycling and the shopping as well as days out, holidays and our legitimate daily exercise during confinement. They have taken us to the Atlantic coast, the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees. We have followed rivers and waterways, including the Thames, the Lot, the Garonne, the gorges de la Nesque and the canal lateral that runs between Bordeaux and Toulouse.

 

We have taken part in organised events including London Brompton Club social rides, and closed road sportives like Ride London and the col climbing Pyrénées Cycl'n'Trip.

 

For the last two years I have set myself cycling challenges on my Brompton, smashing my first target of 2019 kms last year so upping it to 2019 miles (3230 kms) and smashing that too. This year I set myself a series of challenges, and despite a difficult year with over one hundred days living in lockdown, I’ve achieved almost all of them. 

 

5 consecutive days on the bike, cycling a minimum of 50kms each day. Yes, in August.

 

5 trips to the supermarket using the bike instead of the car. Oh yes.

 

5 mountain cols or passes climbed by bike. Last count was thirteen.

 

5 days cycling 100kms in a day, as opposed to once a year for my birthday. Yes.

The seventeen departments I've cycled in this year

 

The only one I’ve not quite managed is to cycle in twenty different French departments (counties) this year, but we did manage to tick off seventeen and have cycled over five thousand kilometres in 2020. I’m definitely fitter than I’ve ever been and six kilos lighter than two years ago, in that bike shop, in London.

 

The uncertainties of living with Covid-19, possible travel restrictions or future lockdowns, aren’t making it easy for me to visualise being able to do a dream cycle tour across France next year, but I can’t let 2021, the year I turn fifty, go by without some form of challenge (or celebration on two wheels). Maybe it will have to be another series of challenges, but that raises my game from those I set this year. When I’ve decided what they will be, I’ll let you know. If you have any ideas, I’d be happy to hear them.

 

  

Poitiers, Tour de France

Tour de France, Poitiers 9th September 2020, caravane

Poitiers, Tour de France

Today sees the end of the three-week cycling fest that is the Tour de France. Thanks to Covid-19, it is later than usual this year, but it’s been no less spectacular, in fact France has looked resplendent in her late summer colours and I think the only bad weather was in Nice, of all places, on the first day. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Paris this afternoon as I know how unpleasant watching the final in the rain can be. Falling in September rather than July, also meant that I got to watch it on my birthday for the first time, and that was a treat. 

 

My Tour de France mask from the caravane

From the start, restrictions have been in place to try and eliminate the risk of a Covid-19 cluster breaking out and there were no guarantees that it would make its full three weeks, with all the teams still present, but it did. While the riders have played by the rules, keeping in their safe bubbles and wearing masks for their interviews, sadly some of the roadside fans have let their excitement get the better of them. Their masks slipped, or forgotten, as they carried on as usual; too close to each other and too close to the riders as they shout, cheer and run alongside them. It sometimes made for uncomfortable viewing.

 

We took the opportunity to catch some live action as Le Tour arrived in Poitiers on 9^th September. Not wanting the hassle of finding somewhere to park or navigating the closed roads around Ed’s flat where the route was passing, we decided to arrive by bike. A logical idea for two cycling nutcases, except for the fact Poitiers is over eighty kilometres from home and the wind was cruelly blowing directly at us for most of those kilometres. 

 

A quiet and people-free spot to watch the Tour de France, Poitiers

Having cycled over four thousand kilometres this year and climbed numerous big mountains, many of them Tour de France favourites, recent bike rides have been nothing but a pleasure. The weather has been lovely, yoga has improved my core strength and cycling position, and my legs have powered the pedals with ease. I was looking forward to a day in the saddle, excited to experience the publicity caravane and cheer the pro-riders as they raced by, before catching up with Ed and Pearl for a family pizza night. It didn’t go as expected. Cycling into the wind took so much energy, every pedal stroke was an effort and soon things began to hurt that haven’t hurt for a long time. I was so disappointed with myself, but a restorative flan from a patisserie just outside Poitiers ensured we made it to Route de la Cassette, about twelve kilometres from the finish line, which we thought would make a good viewing point. 

 

Tour de France publicity caravane, Poitiers

We found ourselves a quiet stretch of road, with a bit of shade, and waited for the caravane to arrive. As is usual for us, we were mostly ignored by those throwing the exciting promo gifts like cycling tops, caps and goodie bags, but we did pick up a few key rings (and I do like a key ring), a packet of sweets and some broken biscuits. Whether the biscuits are already broken, or break on contact when thrown, will probably always remain a mystery. We then settled down for the long wait for the actual race to come through, our tired legs enjoying the break, our sore bottoms not so happy to be sitting on the pavement. 

 

The Tour de France, Route de la Cassette, Poitiers

It was a fast and flat race towards the finish line and all breakaway riders had been caught by the main bunch, which meant we’d cycled 86km into the wind, for no more than a forty-five second blur of coloured lycra zoom past. It was madness, but for the buzz and the atmosphere I would do it all again next year. When we watched the television coverage later that evening, we were so glad we hadn’t tried to watch it nearer to the finish, or on the bridge by Ed’s flat as in both locations the crowds were ridiculously packed together and we wouldn’t have been very comfortable with that. 

 

Well done to Le Tour and all involved for carrying on and coping with a new normal in this weird old year of 2020. It was an exciting race all the way up to the deciding final minutes of yesterday’s time trial, with a variety of teams and riders doing what they do best, pushing their bodies to the limit and proving they’ve got what it takes to win. 

The Tour de France, Route de la Cassette, Poitiers

Pyrénées Cycl'n'Trip 2020

Col du Soulor 1471m Pyrénées Cycl'n'Trip 2020

Pyrénées Cycl’n’Trip 2020

 

This time last week we were having a blast in the Pyrénées, stretching our legs in the most extreme way; climbing mountains on our Bromptons. 

 

It was a lucky chance that I stumbled upon an advert on Facebook for the type of organised event that France does so well, Pyrénées Cycl’n’Trip 2020.

 

Col du Couraduque 1367m Pyrénées Cycl'n'Trip 2020

This in an annual five-day event that allows amateur cyclists to experience riding up the best cols (mountain pass climbs) that the Pyrénées has to offer on partially closed roads. Having enjoyed a traffic-free climb up Mont Ventoux earlier this year (thanks to road works) this seemed too good an opportunity to ignore, even if I’m still a little cautious about my mountain climbing abilities.

 

Col du Soulor 1471m Pyrénées Cycl'n'Trip 2020

On each of the days, from 9h to 12h, up to three different cols are closed to motor vehicles, but open for cyclists. The choice of cols each day includes a biggie like Hautacam (14.5km closed road at an average gradient of 7.4%), and a not so biggie, like Couraduque (7km closed road at an average gradient of 5.7%). You don’t have to book, or even put your name down in advance, just turn up at the start of the climb, at any time during the morning road closure. You are free to do as many or as few climbs as you choose, at your own pace, and although you can book a full accommodation or luggage transfer package, there is no obligation to do so. 

 

Volunteer-run fees zone Col du Soulor Pyrénées Cycl'n'Trip 2020

At the top of each col was a feed zone where cake, fruit, water and electrolyte drinks powder were on offer, along with a souvenir (a handy neck tube) and a stamp for your col-collector passport. The best bit; all of this was offered by the Hautes Pyrénées tourist board for FREE.

The first stamp in our passport Pyrénées Cycl'n'Trip 2020

 

We joined in three closed road climbs in two days (Col de Couraduque 1367m, Col du Soulor 1471m and Col d’Aubisque 1709m) and then went on to do another two (Col des Bordères 1161m and Col du Tourmalet 2115m) on our own before heading across the mountains to the Pays Basque. 

 

Starting the Col d'Aubisque 1709m Pyrénées Cycl'n'Trip 2020

Everyone is welcome and we saw couples, clubs, groups of friends, families, electric bikes, tandems, road bikes (from all price brackets) and hybrid bikes. The only Bromptons we saw, however, were ours. Everyone we met, from other cyclists, to the Gendarmes (joining in on their electric bikes), to the volunteers at the bottom and top of the closed roads, were friendly and encouraging. I’m so glad I saw the advert and that we decided to act upon it. This year we are all about seizing the moment and an extra, unplanned week away was magic.

  

The cycling equivalent of playing football at Wembley Stadium

As an organised event, with such great flexibility, and all for free, I give it 5 stars and I’d certainly recommend next year’s event to anyone wanting to try out the Pyrénean Tour de France greats in a safe and friendly way.

 

Stunning views cycling in the Pyrénées

You can read more (in French) on the Hautes Pyrénées tourist board website here and on the Cycl’n’Trip website here. More Pyrénean cycling information can be found on Freewheeling France here.

 

Big bikes and little bikes at the top of the Col d'Aubisque 1709m Pyrénées Cycl'n'Trip 2020