The River Rhone Cycle Route. Mike Wells

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      Postbus services from Andermatt to Furka Belvédère carry up to six cycles (Stage 1)

      Andermatt can be reached by hourly SBB (Swiss railways) services from Basle or Zürich, changing at Göschenen. Oberwald is accessed by hourly SBB services from Geneva and Lausanne, changing at Brig. Most trains on both routes (except CIS and Glacier Express) have cycle space. Swiss trains do not require seat reservations, although cycle reservation is mandatory (for a fee of CHF5) on ICN intercity trains, which operate about 50 per cent of the services between Basle or Zürich and Göschenen. In Switzerland a ticket is required for your cycle. This costs CHF15 and covers all journeys within a day. Tickets can be purchased and reservations made at www.sbb.ch.

      If travelling from the UK, you can take your cycle on Eurostar from London St Pancras (not Ebbsfleet nor Ashford) to Paris (Gare du Nord) or Brussels (Midi). Trains between London and Paris run hourly throughout the day, taking under three hours. Cycles booked in advance travel in dedicated cycle spaces in the baggage compartment of the same train as you. Bookings, which cost £30 single, can be made through Eurostar baggage (0844 822 5822). Cycles must be checked in at St Pancras Eurostar luggage office (beside the bus drop-off point) at least 40mins before departure. There is no requirement to package or dismantle your cycle. There is more information at www.eurostar.com.

      CROSSING PARIS

      After arrival in Paris you need to cycle from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon following a series of grand boulevards (wide avenues) on an almost straight 4km route.

      Go ahead opposite the main entrance to Gare du Nord along Boulevard de Denain, a one-way street with contra-flow permitted for cyclists. At the end turn L into Boulevard de Magenta and follow this to reach Place de la Republique. Continue round this square and leave on the opposite side by Boulevard du Temple, becoming Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire then Boulevard Beaumarchais, to reach Place de la Bastille. Bear L (past a memorial column to 1830 revolution) and R (passing Opera Bastille L) into Rue de Lyon to reach Gare de Lyon station.

      Franco Swiss Lyria TGV high-speed trains, which run from Paris (Gare de Lyon) to Basle and on to Zürich, have four cycle spaces per train, with mandatory reservation (€10). There are six direct trains per day, which take 3hrs. Alternatively there are seven Lyria trains daily between Paris and Geneva (3hrs) and four to Lausanne (3hrs 40mins). Details can be found on SNCF (French Railways) website, http://uk.voyages-sncf.com.

      If travelling from Brussels to Basle you face the problem that high-speed Thalys trains between Brussels and Köln and ICE intercity express trains in Germany do not carry cycles. However, conventional EuroCity services with cycle space run three times daily directly to Basle via Luxembourg and Strasbourg. Provision of cycle space on European trains is steadily increasing and up-to-date information on travelling by train with a bicycle can be found on a website dedicated to worldwide rail travel ‘The man in seat 61’, www.seat61.com.

      An alternative is to use Stena Line ferries to reach Hoek van Holland from Harwich or P&O to Rotterdam from Hull, then Dutch NS trains to Rotterdam. Here you can connect via Venlo and Dusseldorf with DB (German Railways) services, with cycle provision, that will take you on to Basle. On Hoek van Holland ferries, through tickets allow you to travel from London (or any station in East Anglia) to any station in the Netherlands. Booking for German trains is possible on www.bahn.com.

      By air

      Airports at Zürich (2hrs 30mins by train to Andermatt), Basle (3hrs but you need to cycle from the airport to Basle station) or Geneva (4hrs to Oberwald), all served by a variety of international airlines, can be used to access the Rhone source. Airlines have different requirements regarding how cycles are presented and some, but not all, make a charge, which you should pay when booking as it is usually greater at the airport. All require tyres partially deflated, handlebars turned and pedals removed (loosen pedals beforehand to make them easier to remove at the airport). Most will accept your cycle in a transparent polythene bike-bag, although some insist on use of a cardboard bike-box. These can be obtained from cycle shops, often for free, and may be purchased at some airports, including all terminals at Heathrow and Gatwick (Excess Baggage Company, www.left-baggage.co.uk).

      By road

      If you are lucky enough to have someone prepared to drive you to the start, Furkapass Belvédère is 2.5km west of Furkapass summit on Swiss national road 19 between Brig and Andermatt. With your own vehicle the most convenient place to leave it is Geneva, from where trains can be used to reach Oberwald on the outward journey, and which can be reached by train from Marseille on the return (see below). Geneva is between 800km and 825km from the Channel ports depending upon route.

      European Bike Express operates an overnight coach service with dedicated cycle trailer from Northern England, picking up en route across England to the Mediterranean, with a drop-off point at Mâcon in eastern France. The journey time is between 13hrs and 22hrs depending on where the coach is joined. Details and booking through www.bike-express.co.uk. Trains link Mâcon with Geneva.

      Intermediate access

      There are international airports at Geneva (Stages 6 and 6A), and Lyon (Stage 10). The airports at Sion (Stage 3) and Avignon (Stage 18) have very few international flights. Much of the route is closely followed by railway lines. Stations en route are listed in the text.

      Getting home

      The nearest station to Port-St Louis-du-Rhône is at Fos-sur-Mer, 25km away by main road on the opposite side of the Golfe de Fos. The route to the station is described at the end of Stage 20. From here regional local trains run to Miramas where you can connect with TER trains to reach Avignon Centre. Alternatively, local buses (route 021) operated by Cartreize from Port-St Louis Douane (bus stop beside the blue lifting bridge) to Arles carry a limited number of cycles under the bus, with four services Monday–Saturday, two on Sundays. Details are available from Cartreize (+33 810 00 13 26), www.lepilote.com. From Arles, TER trains will take you to Avignon Centre.

      Occasional TGV trains that carry cycles run from Avignon Centre to Paris Gare de Lyon, with mandatory reservation required. From Gare de Lyon you can cycle to Paris Gard du Nord (reverse of outbound route described above) and catch Eurostar to London. There is a direct afternoon Eurostar service from Marseille to London, but this does not convey cycles. If you left a car in Switzerland, catch a local train from Fos-sur-Mer to Marseille St Charles for a direct TGV service to Geneva. To fly home there are frequent trains from St Charles to Marseille Vitrolles airport, from where there are flights to many destinations.

      European Bike Express (see above) can be used to get back to UK directly from the South of France. Nearest pick-up points are at Orange (25km north of Avignon) or Montpelier (70km west of Arles).

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