Dedicated to the world of outdoor sports, travel and adventure.

THE FRENCH
The French have a totally undeserved reputation for being rude and obstructive to tourists. This probably derives from the antics of waiters in some of the more touristy parts of Paris. As a cyclist you have a head start anyway, although the French think you are slightly mad to be carrying all your gear on your bike, they still respect you as fellow cyclists and treat you accordingly. It's odd that in a country where the national sport makes cyclists cover 200+ kms a day for weeks on end, they still consider cycling 40 kms with a loaded touring bike a great feat of endurance. To gain instant approbation from the crowd just ask one of them to pick up your bike... In many thousands of miles of touring in France, I've never had a bad moment with any French person, on the contrary they fall over themselves to help in any way they can,their most annoying habit being trying to give you directions even when they haven't a clue themselves.

CYCLING IN FRANCE In France you drive and cycle on the right hand side! In fact, this is something you will get used to very quickly, the danger times being first thing in the morning, or any other time when you set off after a rest. The next thing you will probably notice is that the minor roads are very quiet, and what little traffic there is treats you with great respect. Often a car will sound a toot on its horn to warn you that it is approaching, this is a courtesy not a "get out of the way! Road surfaces are generally good, but watch out for pot holes as they can cause punctures or worse.

MONEY
The currency in France is the franc, ten francs being worth about £1.00. The franc is divided into 100 centimes, the smallest coin being 5 centimes, roughly equivalent to our old 1/2 p. Banks are to be found in all small towns where you can cash Eurocheques or travellers cheques they are widely accepted though some banks are a little reluctant due to a high rate of forgery. If you have a Visa/Mastercard or similar it is possible to use that, even to withdraw money from a cash dispenser using your pin number. This is the cheapest way to withdraw small sums. Such a card can also be used in most restaurants and supermarkets as a cashcard, drawing money directly from your bank account. Some post offices will also cash Eurocheques. NOTE banks and post offices operate during normal shopping hours i.e. open 9.00am - 12.00 then 2.00 - 5.30 weekdays and Saturday, but not always on Monday. Many shops and supermarkets will stay open till later and some on Sunday mornings. In the South of France shops may stay closed till as late as 4.00pm, don't get caught out!

SHOPPING
For shop hours see above. One of the pleasures of France is shopping for food. Bread, cakes, seafood and cold meats are all specialities and can be found in any small town. Supermarkets are fairly common and stock everything you might need, they are also a similar price to Britain. Small shops are generally more expensive but well stocked. Most campsites have a place to buy food and bread nearby.

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