If we have either retired or simply downshifted in order to move to France one of the key benefits must be the increase in the amount of leisure time we have. I guess we have all found, or want to find, things to do in this additional time. A lot of my time has been spent cycling, well ‘When in Rome’…. or at least the country which practically invented the why not?

Living in the heart of the Cotswolds, before moving here in 2004, I was spoilt for choice for county lanes and tracks to follow, unfortunately they weren’t so quiet and were often so poorly maintained it was dangerous to try and look at the passing countryside. But here ‘so many roads and so little traffic’ I can go out on a summer’s evening for an hour or so and will be lucky to see another car.

Also the French motorists are generally a lot more courteous and respectful to cyclists and will often give a friendly toot on the horn when behind you to let you know they are there. There are certainly the hills here and these can be daunting to the newcomer, however the gradients are generally gentler than in the UK (French roads tend to meander gently upwards along the contours rather that taking a direct and steep route to the summit). Also with the wide range of gears found on bikes nowadays most hills are achievable given a bit of willpower and if attempted at a steady pace.

If you like to get off road there are an abundance of trails to follow. Some of my favourite routes are based around Saint Mathieu. I picked up a free map from the Mairie in the town which had 6 well marked and colour coded routes ranging from 13-45 kilometres. I’m sure there are other communes and tourist information offices which have similar maps available?