Roaming by bike: Normandy by bike with your dog
Today I find you to share the adventure of Eloise and her two dogs! Already gone on a bike with her golden, she tried the experiment again with two dogs. Yes, since their last cycling adventure on the Lin cycle route, Eloïse has adopted a new four-legged friend. So this time, she shares her new four-legged and eight-legged adventure in Normandy! Let's follow them by bike through Normandy with his two dogs.
In this article, Eloïse shares with us her itinerary and her stages through Normandy as well as very valuable advice on how to cycle while roaming with her dog! If you want to embark on this kind of adventure with your dog, read Eloise's testimony. It will give you lots of very useful information to prepare your road trip by bike with your dog. And if you are looking for a next destination to explore with your dog, it will make you want to discover Normandy.
Eloise, it's up to you! Tell us about these few days of cycling with your dogs in Normandy. We want to know everything 🙂
Go on a bike roadtrip with a dog
For this new bike trip shared with my dogs, I chose to do loops by bike. I love doing roaming cycling holidays, but it's true that with dogs, it can be more complicated to get back to where you started. Without the dogs, we often take the train back to our starting point. When we go on a roaming trip by bike, we are often far too loaded… with our 2 bikes and their bags, the 2 trailers and especially the 2 dogs, the train seems a bit complicated and hardly possible. Above all, when I inquired, I realized that, unfortunately, trains often prohibit the carriage of a trailer… In short, a hassle! This is why the choice of loops to go cycling for several days with my dogs seemed to me more judicious for us 🙂
We wanted to spend a stay near the sea. Thanks to our research, we found loops to do in the Calvados, riding a Normandy. To organize ourselves, we had previously looked at the distance and the route. On these different loops, some sections are shared with cars. It is therefore necessary to be vigilant and attentive to avoid any accident! Find out before you leave to see if it corresponds and meets your expectations.
The first loop we did was loop 5: the 24 kilometer D-Day landing sites. You will discover the Landing beaches which will charm you, but also your dog, that's for sure! The start is at Bayeux then you will pedal towards Longues-sur-Mer. During this trip you will be able to discover the medieval city of Bayeux which was not a victim of the 1944 bombings. The first aim of these bombings of Normandy was to destroy the German lines of communication to prevent the front from being reinforced. This trip you and your dog will have a lot of fun learning about the history of France. Towards Longues-sur-Mer, we visited the site of the German battery! You will continue along the coast to reach Arromanches les Bains. If you want to know more about this loop, I invite you to click here.
The second loop we chose was loop 4: Between theOrne and Dives of 16 kilometers. You will once again immerse yourself in the heritage of the Normandy landings. But you will also discover the Bay of Sallenelles and many villages, each more charming than the next. The starting point of this loop is at Merville-Franceville-Plage in the department of Calvados in the Normandy region. To find out more about this great loop to do by bike with your dog, take a look here for details of the itinerary!
Bike roadtrip with a dog: where to sleep with your dog?
For accommodation, we have chosen to keep our comfort by staying in a very pleasant little furnished apartment! If we chose this furnished apartment it was mainly for its enclosed garden which is nice for our dogs! I did not see myself bivouac with my dogs.
As far as activities are concerned, we had fun in the restaurants! We left in the off-season, more precisely at the beginning of March 2022, which was very pleasant to avoid the tourist flow! During this period, we were welcomed with our dogs in all the restaurants! A real pleasure ! We hold our gourmet break on the terrace of the Biscuiterie des Sablés d'Asnelles, the restaurant La Maison Bleue in Courseulles-sur-Mer, the Un Air 2 Family restaurant in Merville Franceville, or the restaurant Les pieds dans l'eau in Port-en-Bessin.
Musher and Sophie: “With Musher, we love discovering small local dishes and going to a restaurant is a real pleasure! I'm lucky because Musher is a love at the restaurant even if she always hopes that a crumb falls in front of her nose 😉 But if you're not used to doing this kind of activity with your dog, I'll tell you recommend reading this article: Go to a restaurant with your dog. You will find the essentials and various tips so that this outing with your dog happens with serenity and kindness!”
Cycling with your dog, how to do it?
First of all, I'm going to introduce you to my team, the one that accompanies me on my adventures! First there is my partner Benjamin, then Roxy our 2 year old golden retriever and the youngest Sully our 8 month old Australian Shepherd!
To accustom all these little people, I'm talking about my dogs obviously;), to ride a bike or to familiarize themselves with them, I first accustomed Roxy from an early age. If cycling with your dog is a will, you must also anticipate the purchase of the trailer. For my part, Roxy followed me very quickly on my bike rides. Very short of course at the beginning, and on greenways, that is to say lanes exclusively reserved for bicycles. This allows you to be safe, and to be able to stop as soon as necessary. Then we did the exact same thing with Sully. It also depends of course on their character, some dogs may not like it, ours are relatively calm.
As far as equipment is concerned, we have switched to the Electrically Assisted Bike! And it's true that with a weight of around 40 kilos to tow, the VAE changes your life! What comfort!
We each have our bike, our helmet, our trailer, our luggage with some belongings and those of our dogs such as a water bowl, water bottles, a rain jacket, a towel, etc.
Our dogs don't run alongside us and they stay in the trailer all the time. But of course, we take breaks as needed!
Musher and Sophie: “Discovering new activities with your dog is so great! And for him and for us! But it's always difficult to embark on the unknown... There is always a little apprehension about the way to do it, about the lack of experience sometimes and it is always reassuring to have some advice to get started in all peace and security! If cycling with your dog tempts you, I suggest you discover this article which will allow you to take a first step towards this discipline: Cycling with your dog: advice and equipment. With Musher, we didn't start like that! I first learned a lot about the bike, how to adapt it to Musher… So I hope this article can help you!”
Cycling with your dog: choosing the right dog bike trailer
The main criteria for the choice of our dog trailer were a good quality/price ratio, its solidity, the comfort for our dog and the safety aspects. We chose the Klarfit Husky Vario 2 dog bike trailer for its solidity of course and because it is able to go on the road and on paths.
In our case, the weight was not a criterion, but I think it can become one for those who are not lucky enough to drive electric 😉 Before, we had another trailer and we decided to change, not for the sake of default but because she was getting too small for Roxy and her ease!
Advice and stories
If I had to advise you on anything, it would be first of all to love cycling and to have a good bike! But hey, that's a bit obvious 😉
Then, the ideal way to get started, in my opinion, would be to rent a trailer to try and see if you like it and especially if your dog likes it.
I would also advise to embark on greenways, therefore dedicated only to cycling, for a question of safety. Be careful, if your dog moves in the trailer, you may be a little unsettled and your handlebars will move. Now that you know it, you will be more attentive 😉 It will save you worries...
On the anecdote side, I would like to share with you the reaction of the people we meet… We are always pleasantly surprised by the reaction of the people we meet “Ah, but it's a dog”. This therefore generates friendly exchanges with those we meet who sometimes say “We should do that too”! 🙂
Any last advice on how to find information to prepare for a trip like mine by bike? I recommend the France Vélo Tourisme website for cycling routes. You will find plenty of ideas for cycling routes to share with your dog in Normandy or elsewhere. Of course, in good Normandy, I recommend that you discover Normandy with your dog, but there are plenty of other beautiful places to discover with your dog...
Well thank you very much Eloise for all this valuable information and advice! Reading you made me want to discover this new mode of travel but I don't know if my calves agree 😉 In any case, I know one who would love to: Musher! And if it's to please him then I will train my little calves so that they become the kings of the bike! Thank you for this article and I hope that other Wouafer's will dare to try the adventure with cycling tours with their dog!