During my Ride up the Rhine in 2023, I came across EuroVelo an organisation devising, developing and promoting long distance, signed cycling routes around Europe. It was a brilliant discovery and purchasing the Europe overview map provided plenty of ideas.

I had never been to Roscoff in western Brittany, but with Eurovelo 4 starting there and generally following the coast northeastwards to join Eurovelo 12 to Rotterdam a plan was starting to form, sealed by the classic hit, football anthem and earworm The Beautiful South – Rotterdam (Or Anywhere) [Official Video] (youtube.com).

For us Brits, the northern coast of France is usually just a place to disembark a ferry before commencing a journey south to warmer climes. And as a long distance cyclist in the late 80s and 90s, I was no different having quickly passed through many of the French ports either starting or returning from various ‘grand’ tours to the ‘Med’ and beyond. There would always be another time to visit, and that time was now.

So with a wealth of experience from my 2023 Rhine trip the planning commenced. As usual, I asked my wife Cissy if she wanted to join me on the tandem but a planned 80 miles/day (which as she correctly tells me is always more) put her off (and someone needs to water the garden).

Wanting to maximise my time cycling overseas, I planned to take a train to Plymouth for the ferry to Roscoff and then back from Harwich on my return from Hook of Holland. However, with the train drivers dispute still unresolved after 2 years, there was always a risk that my ‘best laid plans’ could be scuppered up to two weeks before travel if Mick Lynch decided to call a strike (similar to my Rhine trip in 2023), but I’d have to work (or cycle) around that.

I had originally planned to go in late May, to coincide with the D Day celebrations in early June, but family matters put it back to the pre school-holiday slot of early July. As well as potentially better weather, this also had the added benefits of coinciding with the Tour de France and the knockout stages of the Euro 2024 (so much to fit in; so little time) and avoiding the UK election, although President Macron was seeking a vote of confidence.