MadeleineAS

We are planning to spend two weeks cycle camping this August and would really appreciate some advice on family friendly cycle camping routes i.e. not too hilly and camping opportunities not too far apart. We will have a 9 and an 11-year-old on their own bikes and wouldn't expect to cycle more than about 20 miles per day on average, though they have done 40. We live in London and need to end up in Piedmont, Italy, and will travel by train. My husband doesn't think Piedmont itself would be a good cycle camping destination as he doesn't think we'll find campsites - does anyone know different (can't find much on the net). Otherwise I am thinking of stopping somewhere along the train route from London to Turin for a cycle camping trip, possibly Burgundy. My third option was to go by train to Germany and travel the Via Claudia into Italy - Does anyone know about that route and whether camping might be possible along the way?
Any advice much appreciated!

axolotl

Burgundy would be an excellent choice because there is a well-developed and growing network of bicycle paths, canal towpaths, and signposted routes.

Here's information on the network: https://www.burgundy-by-bike.com/burg...ike--01en.html

A couple of years ago, I biked on the paved rail-trail in southern Burgundy near Macon northward through Cluny up to Chalon-sur-Saone, then along another route up to Beaune and Dijon. From Dijon to Auxerre, I biked partially on a canal towpath, partially on quiet backroads, to Auxerre. It was very nice and there were a variety of sites to visit along the way. One especially nice medieval village is Noyers, a bit east of Auxerre. It's not on any of the paths, but it was very much worth the detour through gorgeous countryside.

It would be easy to get from London to Auxerre by train, but you'd have to change rail stations in Paris.

MadeleineAS

Many thanks for your reply - it sounds great. Were you camping? though it's not usually a problem finding places to camp in France away from the coast.

axolotl

No, I wasn't camping on that trip, but there are lots of campgrounds in the region.