How about a biking holiday around France’s cheeses? If you like cycling holidays and your cheese, take your pick from one amongst the 123 routes labelled “Vélo et Fromages” which comprise of more than 8,000 kilometers (4970 miles) of bike-friendly routes and nearly 1,500 cheese sites to discover at your own pace! From the Aubrac plateau home of the Laguiole cheese to the Préalpes d'Azur where artisanal cheeses are matured against stunning views of the Mediterranean, via the cradle of the Chavignol crottin on the edge of the Loire or the Auvergne volcanoes and their five AOPs, here are 7 beautiful escapes that accentuate the best of the French savoir-faire.
Between apple trees and manors on the road to Livarot in Normandy
Are you ready for a tryst with the great outdoors? Just a stone's throw from Deauville, the Pays d'Auge offers miles of meadows where apple trees, half-timbered houses and... dairy cows flourish. Nature in all its glory awaits to be explored by bike along the small paths that crisscross the countryside. Starting from Mézidon-Canon, a scenic 43 miles (70 km) route on the road to the Basilica of Lisieux will lead you to the AOP of Normandy on a plateau. In Livarot, the birthplace of the eponymous cheese, the Graindorge cheese factory has set up a "cheese-making village" where you can watch the making of the stars of the region
The Livarot cheese is wrapped by hand with natural reeds, the Pont-l'Evêque cheese is washed at the beginning of the maturing process... As a family, we don't miss a single detail of the recipe of the two Pays d'Auge AOP cheeses. One is round and yellow-orange, the other square and white. An opportunity also to make geometry fun for the little ones!
Calvados - Calvados at the heart of the "cycling and cheese" itineraries
Graindorge Fromagerie
In the birthplace of Laguiole cheese, in Occitanie
Did you know? The Laguiole is not only associated with the famous Aveyron knife but is also a cheese. To relish it in all its forms, head for the plateaus of Aubrac by bike. Whether you choose a more adventurous version with a route encompassing 68 miles (109 kilometres) or a slow version with a 19 mile (30 kilometres) loop around Laguiole, all roads here will lead to cheese! To get into the swing of things, we start at the Jeune Montagne cooperative where we follow the elaboration of the precious raw milk cheese: a 24 month matured laguiole or a laguiole Grand Aubrac, will you be able to recognize them? To see the famous Aubrac cows with their black-rimmed eyes, head to the farms and cooperatives where other cheese variants tantalize the senses such as the Fourmette de la Viadène or Thérondels. At the traditional market of Mur-de-Barrez, tease your tastebuds with: aligot, mashed potatoes with fresh Aubrac tomme or Tome de Carladez pie. You’ll discover that cheese has a special place in Aveyron!
In the heart of the Cantal volcanoes and the 5 AOP of Auvergne
High basaltic plateaus (the "planèzes"), cirques and a uniquely perched pine forest: welcome to the Pinatelle massif in the heart of the Cantal volcanoes! On this route dedicated to cheese specialties, we traverse a small portion of the great crossing of the Massif Central by mountain bike) 62 miles (100 kilometers) accentuated with flavorful stages. Cantal is the cradle of the age-old Cantal AOP cheese popular since Roman times,but here you can also indulge in tastings of four other Auvergne AOP cheeses: Salers, Bleu d'Auvergne, Fourme d'Ambert and Saint-Nectaire with local flavours. At the Grange de la Haute Vallée in Murat, you will learn that Salers AOP cheese is only made in chestnut vats. And at the Fromageries Occitanes in Saint-Flour, savour the Fourme d'Ambert, the mildest blue cheese in the Auvergne, made from milk from cows fed exclusively on grass in the appellation area.
The Loire and the Chavignol crottin
How about discovering the Loire through the route of the crottin de Chavignol? From the Cher to the Loiret, you can ride part of the EuroVélo 6 - 83 miles (135 kilometers) at a leisurely pace in search of alpine goats that have replaced the now extinct common goats of the Sancerrois region. A good way for children to learn about biodiversity! You’ll spot not only goats but also sheep, donkeys, chickens, cows, rabbits... At the Guenetin goat farm in Thauvenay, it is a specialty. We get to know the animals of the farm before testing the different degrees of maturation of the king of Crottins, semi-dry, bluish, blue or aged... And because in France, cheese shares a strong association with gastronomy and fine wines, we stop by the Bourgeois family in Chavignol where Jean-Marc Bourgeois reinterprets the classics of the Sancerre region. A giant tagliatelle of Chavignol with nutmeg butter or "Salad of the Damned" with cromesquis of Chavignol with roasted hazelnuts, a dish that is usually accompanied with a small glass of Sancerre.
A biking tour of the Comté dairies in the Jura
Smell freshly cut hay, recognize white clover, bluegrass and other pasture herbs, visit a "cheese cathedral" where cheese wheels are refined... In the heart of the Jura, we saddle up for a great sensory journey in the land of the Comté "in the land of the Comté ")with a 96 mile (155 kilometer) tour accessible to all. For once, we start with the main course, the brand new Maison du Comté in Poligny. In seven sequences, this immersive visit reveals the backstage of this eco-responsible cheese ahead of its time.For 700 years, farmers have been pooling their milk in cooperative cheese dairies, the "fruitières". The Val de Loue cheese factory in Grange de Vaivre has a 100% organic production that includes not only Comté, but also morbier, tome, raclette, butter... the Comté roads have the soul of a backpacker! Its time to enjoy some fine products such as Angus beef rillettes at the Ferme du Vieux Chemin in Marnoz..
Munster cheese and its metamorphosis in the Vosges
Starting from Sélestat, a very small bike tour of 9 miles (15.7 kilometers) brings you to the valley of a renowned cheese! In the forests of the Val d'Argent, halfway between Colmar and Strasbourg, minerals have not been mined for several decades, but the Munster is still made from raw milk from the Vosges, matured on boards made of Vosges fir. That's how good this AOP smells. You can stroll from one farmer's market to another before heading off to the farm inns and their herds of cows. When served, the Munster cheese can be savored in all its states, natural, decorated with caraway seeds or even enjoyed in dessert! Served as a fresh white cheese, it is paired with fresh cream, sugar and kirsch (white cherry alcohol), a good gourmet discovery of Alsace!
Around the Pass of Vence, discover Provence’s goat cheese and perfumes
Around the Vence pass, be prepared to put your calves to the test as you take on the goat track between desert plateaus, perched villages and baous- cliffs with flat tops. You can choose between two circuits, one of 34 miles (55 kilometers) with a marked difference in altitude of 1034 meters, the other a more adventurous one of 53 miles (86 kilometers) and 1737 meters of slopes. You will need to earn your cheese ! You can soak in the medieval setting of Vence and its panoramic views of the sea before setting off on the trail. At the Courmettes farm in Tourrettes-sur-Loup, 80 alpine chamois goats graze facing the Mediterranean in the heart of the Préalpes d'Azur regional nature park. Between February and November, their milk is transformed every day under the guidance of Bruno Gabelier, a shepherd-poet into fresh cheeses, matured cheeses, with pistou, chives or olive past - choose your own flavor of Provence! In Saint-Jeannet, cows, goats and sheep share the pastures of the GAEC Eleveurs du Baou. Goat cheese with cranberry or ewe cheese with pepper which gives colors to the cheese!
By Anne-Claire Delorme
Globetrotting journalist anneclairedelorme@yahoo.fr
