Summer cycle tour 2022: From Caen in France 🇫🇷 to San Sebastián in Spain 🇪🇸

May 25th — June 5th, 2022: 6 days cycling, 900km covered 🚴‍♂️

Noam
8 min readDec 11, 2022

Hello 👋

This was my first cycle tour. I did this to test my endurance, explore France, and sample the culinary delights of San Sebastián. I also needed some time alone, for my mental health — more on that in another post.

This post is:

  • A record for me
  • For friends and family to see what I got up to
  • For anyone interested in doing a similar ride

All the places I stayed in are cycle-friendly with a safe place to store a bike.

Updates also posted on my Strava and Instagram.

Overview of the ride

  • 🇫🇷 Start: Caen (northern France)
  • 🇪🇸 Finish: San Sebastian (northern Spain)
  • 🚴‍♂️ Cycling days: 6 days
  • 🏖 Rest days: 3 days
  • ⛴ Non-cycle travel: 2 days
  • 📏 Distance cycled: 900km
  • ⛰ Elevation: 5,500 meters

Each day of the trip

  • Day 1: Train to Portsmouth 🚆, ferry from Portsmouth to Caen ⛴
  • Day 2: Cycle from Caen to Moulay — 150km 🚴‍♂️
  • Day 3: Cycle from Moulay to Angers — 108km 🚴‍♂️
  • Day 4: Cycle from Angers to Niort — 165km 🚴‍♂️
  • Day 5: Cycle from Niort to Lège-Cap-Ferret — 231km 🚴‍♂️
  • Day 6: Rest day in Lège-Cap-Ferret 🏖
  • Day 7: Rest day in Lège-Cap-Ferret 🏖
  • Day 8: Cycle from Lège-Cap-Ferret to Soustons — 160km 🚴‍♂️
  • Day 9: Cycle from Soustons to San Sebastián — 100km 🚴‍♂️
  • Day 10: Rest day in San Sebastián 🏖
  • Day 11: Bus from SS to Bilbao 🚌, ferry from Bilbao to Portsmouth ⛴
  • Day 12: Overnight ferry ⛴, train home to London! 🚆

Day 1: Train to Portsmouth, then boat to Caen

Day 2: Caen to Moulay

Day 3: Moulay to Angers

Day 4: Angers to Niort

Day 5: Niort to Lège-Cap-Ferret

Day 6 & 7: Rest days in Lège-Cap-Ferret

Day 8: Lège-Cap-Ferret to Soustons

Day 9: Soustons to San Sebastián

Day 10: Rest day in San Sebastián

  • Resting and feasting! 🏖

Day 11: Bus to Bilbao, ferry to Portsmouth

Day 12: Overnight ferry, train home to London!

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