Overland to the start

London to Nantes by train and ferry

No flights ~half a day travelling Bike friendly Trains + ferries

Nantes is where EuroVelo 6 begins, and the Loire carries it most of the way across France. Getting there without flying is a morning boat and an afternoon of French railways, which is less effort than the drive to the airport. The bike goes on the ferry at Dover without a box, a bag or a conversation, and comes off the other side pointing at the Atlantic.

The chain

  1. 🚆
    London to Dover by rail or road Off-peak trains out of London take an unbagged bike. The ferries run through the night if you would rather sleep at home.
  2. â›´
    Dover to Calais by ferry P&O / Irish Ferries / DFDS · about 1h 30m · bikes roll on
  3. 🚆
    Calais to Nantes by rail
Ferry times here are typical crossings, not a timetable. Trains change with the season and the day of the week. The planner checks both for your dates and warns you when a train wants the bike bagged. Check anything safety critical with the operator before you travel.

Put your own dates on this and TourTrax will time every train, check the bike rules on each leg, and build the rest of the tour around it. Free to start. No account needed.

Plan London to Nantes live →

Book the legs

TourTrax never sells tickets. Each leg is booked with its operator directly:

Why go overland

Flying with a bike means a box, an oversize fee, and an hour on the airport floor with a multitool. Go this way and the bike stays built. Wheel it onto the ferry, hang it in the bike carriage, ride away at the far end. The travelling stops being the tax on the holiday and becomes the first two days of it.

This page comes from the corridor research that powers the TourTrax planner, written by a Cicerone guidebook author who travels this way. Have a look at the curated routes for where the chain could take you.