B&B BIKE TOURS - FAQs ON OUR LOCATION & ACCESS.

B&B BIKE TOURS - FAQs ON OUR LOCATION & ACCESS.

OUR FAQs:

OUR ANSWERS:

Where are your tours based?

We are based in the countryside, within a 10 minutes walk of the great little village of Coustellet, which, for a little village, has loads of useful amenities. Coustellet is in the departement of Vaucluse, Provence, in the beautiful and renowned Luberon valley, in the south of France - an hour from the Med.
The vast majority of roads that we use are quiet countryside back roads. The terrain is best described as flat (an extension of the Rhône river delta) to rolling, low altitude hills (along the Luberon valley). There are, however, steeper, longer hills (the Vaucluse mountains) to the north that we can take you to if that's what you want.
Coustellet is set at the entrance of the Luberon valley, between Avignon & Apt running West / East, and Gordes & Cavaillon running North / South. We are in a beautiful countryside setting close to the valley's famous hilltop villages. There is more than enough loads of great cycling!
Click here to access our Location page.

Weather - What's it like?

With its Mediterranean climate, the area enjoys some of the best weather in France, with an average of 300 days of sunshine per year, and little rain.
It really does make for some excellent cycling weather!

Spring - Mid April onwards usually means great biking in Provence and you could be forgiven for thinking it's Summer with temperatures between 16 & 23c. It will probably be warm enough to wear short sleeves & shorts during the day.
Early mornings and late afternoons can be a little fresher, so long sleeves and leggings may be needed.
Like most places this time of year, you could be unlucky and could get the odd shower, so rain/wind jackets need to be brought just in case.

Summer - "la belle saison" with clear skies, sun and very little and often no rain. Average maximum afternoon temperatures are between 26 & 30c, so great cycling weather. Though we need to be careful to; drink enough (camelback water bottles are a good idea), use sun block and wear the right light weight gear, you'll probably be wearing short sleeves & shorts.
Evenings are usually lovely of warm.

Autumn - Provence usually continues to see some great maximum temperatures - between 15 & 25c, real "Indian Summer" territory.
Around the end of September evenings usually start to cool down so you will probably need warmer gear then.
You could also be unlucky from October, and get the odd shower, so wet weather gear needs to be bought just in case.
Don't be put off though, as Autumn is a great time to visit Provence: good temperatures, fewer tourists & the days are still fairly long. We usually stop our tours around the 20th Oct as that's when the likelihood of a shower starts becoming too great for us.

Winter - Although we have some great clear days with lots of radiant heat, it's generally too cold to run tours, so we close. The mistral is also at its strongest in Winter and early Spring.

The Mistral wind - Provence is famous for the mistral wind, thankfully it's weaker in the Luberon valley than it is further to the west.
A normal mistral wind speed is situated between 20 & 45 mph. It can make cycling harder but rarely is it a show stopper. Bring a wind jacket just in case.
The upside of the mistral wind is that it's a dry wind that chases the clouds away bringing lovely bright sunshine, so it's not all bad - it's most frequent in Winter and in early Spring, when we are closed.

Rain - you would be unlucky if you got anything more than a shower - very rarely is it so heavy that we can't cycle.
If you do get a bit of rain, there are however lots of ideas for rare rainy-day activities: many museums, historic sights, interesting towns, lots of shopping etc.

Average Max Temp Celsius Fahrenheit
APRIL
The cherry trees are in full blossom!
21°C 70°F
MAY
The Perfect cycling conditions!
The poppies & flowers are out - It's beautiful!
23°C 74°F
JUNE
Lovely warm spring weather!
It's strawberry & cherry time!
27°C 81°F
JULY
Summer time in Provence: Blue skies, long evenings.
The lavender is in full blossom!
30°C 86°F
AUGUST
Summer time in Provence: Blue skies, long evenings.
33°C 91°F
SEPTEMBER
Beautiful "Indian Summer".
Ideal for cycling! The wine harvest begins.
27°C 81°F
OCTOBER
Beautiful "Indian Summer".
Ideal for cycling! The wine harvest continues.
24°C 75°F

Do I need to speak French?

No is the quick answer, we are an English / French family so you are ok on that front.
As for the restaurants, cafes and shops etc they are used to seeing non French speakers so many will have some level of English.
Though any effort to speak French - even the very basics will usually go down well.

Amenities - what amenities are there in the village of Coustellet?

Here's what there is within a 5 / 10 min walk: 4 or 5 stand out restaurants, cafes, the best Sunday morning farmer's market around (& a smaller Wednesday afternoon market), cash points, supermarket, deli, green grocers, 3 bakeries & cake shops, wine cellars, ice cream parlours, estate agents, newsagents, pharmacy etc.
And within 10 minutes' drive of the bed and breakfast, there are the towns of Cavaillon & Isle sur la Sorgue, & within 25 minutes the City of Avignon, with all the amenities and services you would expect.

Roads - What are they like?

We are based in the countryside, our rides use the smaller, less busy back roads and the purpose built bike routes, wherever possible, making for memorable, relaxed cycling... Use of busier roads is extremely limited & really is kept to an absolute minimum.
On the car front, you should find that those that you cross, tend, on the whole, to be respectful of cyclists.

What is the terrain like?

The terrain around our farmhouse is a varied one and really does cater for all needs, as we are able to select the GPS rides that have the terrain that we want. The local terrain is best described as flat to the West (an extension of the Rhône river delta) to flat and rolling, low altitude hills to the East (along the Luberon valley) & to the South. There are, however, steeper, longer hills to the North where the climbing gets harder (the Vaucluse mountains) that we can take you to if that's what you want.
Our 30+ rides take in all of these different terrains, so you really can find the type of ride & effort that you want.

Mont Ventoux - Can I cycle Mont Ventoux whilst at yours?

Yes you can - there are 2 start points for Mont Ventoux that are easily accessible - the villages of Bedoin (the official Tour de France start @ 320 metres) & Sault (an easier starting point @ 760 metres). Both are an easy 50 mins' car journey from the farmhouse.
From the base, it usually takes anywhere from between 2 & 3 hours to get up to the top @ 1912 metres.
It's important to plan for the weather, and we can help you with this. The temperature difference between the start and the summit is often 10°. Plus the Mistral wind can blow very hard in the final few kilometres, so a wind or winter jacket is a must, you'll also be glad of it on the way down - it's a long way!

Travel - how can I travel to your self guided tours?

It's very easy to get here from overseas, as we are just a short journey from several main travel hubs.
Marseille airport has good links internationally (including many low cost flights), both to and from Paris and is just a 50-minute car drive away from our farmhouse.
Nimes (1h10), Montpellier (1h40) & Nice (2h20) airports are also accessible.
Avignon TGV (High Speed Train) Station is a fast link from Paris (3 hours) and a 6 hour journey from London. Avignon station is just 30 / 40 minutes from us by road.
All of the above have good car hire facilities - starting with compacts from around 200 € for 6 days. Arguscarhire.com is often a good bet.
Driving from Calais (Northern France) to us takes 9 hours non stop on the motorway.
Please click here for more info on Travel Information.

Local Restaurants - What are they like?

We will give you a list of our favourite tried and tested restaurants & cafes which should be useful for your lunches and evenings out. There are some very good restaurants for all budgets, and they are easy to get to, from a 5 minute walk into the village to at most a 20 minute car journey.
There are a dozen or so restaurants in the village - 4 of which are very good.

Lunch - What are the possibilities?

Of course you have various choices.
There are many excellent restaurants and cafes in the Luberon villages & towns that you will visit on our rides.
Our preferred restaurant listing points you in the right direction regarding type of food and budget.
Failing that you can always get a takeaway baguette sandwich from the numerous bakeries or visit a market (scenic picnic spots are plentiful).

When is the Lavender harvested?

Lavender is in bloom from June through to mid July, this is usually when the harvest starts - it's dependent on the weather that has preceded.

Water - Can I drink the local water?

Yes you can - as you can many of the fresh water fountains dotted around the valley and hills. If it's not potable they must tell you, either "Eau non potable" or "Eau non controlee".

Local Maps - Where can I get a map of the local area?

You can try the following link - which is an IGN map of the Luberon Naturel Regional Park:
Amazon: IGN map of Le Parc Naturel Regional du Luberon.

The following link is for the Departement of the Vaucluse (a larger area than the above Luberon Regional Park - it's the French equivalent of a County or State):
Map of Vaucluse.

What reading can I do to get a feel for the area beforehand?

"Rough guide to Provence & the Cote d'Azur"- an excellent tourist guide to the Luberon and wider Provence.
Amazon: Rough Guide to Provence & Cote d'Azur

"A year in Provence", Peter Mayle, Penguin. Set in the Luberon Valley, its a good read about the French & Provence. To be taken with a pinch of salt:
Amazon: A Year in Provence, by Peter Mayle.

"Michelin guide to Provence":
https://goo.gl/AFOTqM

If you can't find the question that you want to ask here - please email or call us.

B&B BIKE TOURS - FAQs ON OUR LOCATION & ACCESS.

OUR FAQs:

OUR ANSWERS:

Where are your tours based?

We are based in the countryside, within a 10 minutes walk of the great little village of Coustellet, which, for a little village, has loads of useful amenities. Coustellet is in the departement of Vaucluse, Provence, in the beautiful and renowned Luberon valley, in the south of France - an hour from the Med.
The vast majority of roads that we use are quiet countryside back roads. The terrain is best described as flat (an extension of the Rhône river delta) to rolling, low altitude hills (along the Luberon valley). There are, however, steeper, longer hills (the Vaucluse mountains) to the north that we can take you to if that's what you want.
Coustellet is set at the entrance of the Luberon valley, between Avignon & Apt running West / East, and Gordes & Cavaillon running North / South. We are in a beautiful countryside setting close to the valley's famous hilltop villages. There is more than enough loads of great cycling!
Click here to access our Location page.

Weather - What's it like?

With its Mediterranean climate, the area enjoys some of the best weather in France, with an average of 300 days of sunshine per year, and little rain.
It really does make for some excellent cycling weather!

Spring - Mid April onwards usually means great biking in Provence and you could be forgiven for thinking it's Summer with temperatures between 16 & 23c. It will probably be warm enough to wear short sleeves & shorts during the day.
Early mornings and late afternoons can be a little fresher, so long sleeves and leggings may be needed.
Like most places this time of year, you could be unlucky and could get the odd shower, so rain/wind jackets need to be brought just in case.

Summer - "la belle saison" with clear skies, sun and very little and often no rain. Average maximum afternoon temperatures are between 26 & 30c, so great cycling weather. Though we need to be careful to; drink enough (camelback water bottles are a good idea), use sun block and wear the right light weight gear, you'll probably be wearing short sleeves & shorts.
Evenings are usually lovely of warm.

Autumn - Provence usually continues to see some great maximum temperatures - between 15 & 25c, real "Indian Summer" territory.
Around the end of September evenings usually start to cool down so you will probably need warmer gear then.
You could also be unlucky from October, and get the odd shower, so wet weather gear needs to be bought just in case.
Don't be put off though, as Autumn is a great time to visit Provence: good temperatures, fewer tourists & the days are still fairly long. We usually stop our tours around the 20th Oct as that's when the likelihood of a shower starts becoming too great for us.

Winter - Although we have some great clear days with lots of radiant heat, it's generally too cold to run tours, so we close. The mistral is also at its strongest in Winter and early Spring.

The Mistral wind - Provence is famous for the mistral wind, thankfully it's weaker in the Luberon valley than it is further to the west.
A normal mistral wind speed is situated between 20 & 45 mph. It can make cycling harder but rarely is it a show stopper. Bring a wind jacket just in case.
The upside of the mistral wind is that it's a dry wind that chases the clouds away bringing lovely bright sunshine, so it's not all bad - it's most frequent in Winter and in early Spring, when we are closed.

Rain - you would be unlucky if you got anything more than a shower - very rarely is it so heavy that we can't cycle.
If you do get a bit of rain, there are however lots of ideas for rare rainy-day activities: many museums, historic sights, interesting towns, lots of shopping etc.

Average Max Temp Celsius Fahrenheit
APRIL
The cherry trees are in full blossom!
21°C 70°F
MAY
The Perfect cycling conditions!
The poppies & flowers are out - It's beautiful!
23°C 74°F
JUNE
Lovely warm spring weather!
It's strawberry & cherry time!
27°C 81°F
JULY
Summer time in Provence: Blue skies, long evenings.
The lavender is in full blossom!
30°C 86°F
AUGUST
Summer time in Provence: Blue skies, long evenings.
33°C 91°F
SEPTEMBER
Beautiful "Indian Summer".
Ideal for cycling! The wine harvest begins.
27°C 81°F
OCTOBER
Beautiful "Indian Summer".
Ideal for cycling! The wine harvest continues.
24°C 75°F

Do I need to speak French?

No is the quick answer, we are an English / French family so you are ok on that front.
As for the restaurants, cafes and shops etc they are used to seeing non French speakers so many will have some level of English.
Though any effort to speak French - even the very basics will usually go down well.

Amenities - what amenities are there in the village of Coustellet?

Here's what there is within a 5 / 10 min walk: 4 or 5 stand out restaurants, cafes, the best Sunday morning farmer's market around (& a smaller Wednesday afternoon market), cash points, supermarket, deli, green grocers, 3 bakeries & cake shops, wine cellars, ice cream parlours, estate agents, newsagents, pharmacy etc.
And within 10 minutes' drive of the bed and breakfast, there are the towns of Cavaillon & Isle sur la Sorgue, & within 25 minutes the City of Avignon, with all the amenities and services you would expect.

Roads - What are they like?

We are based in the countryside, our rides use the smaller, less busy back roads and the purpose built bike routes, wherever possible, making for memorable, relaxed cycling... Use of busier roads is extremely limited & really is kept to an absolute minimum.
On the car front, you should find that those that you cross, tend, on the whole, to be respectful of cyclists.

What is the terrain like?

The terrain around our farmhouse is a varied one and really does cater for all needs, as we are able to select the GPS rides that have the terrain that we want. The local terrain is best described as flat to the West (an extension of the Rhône river delta) to flat and rolling, low altitude hills to the East (along the Luberon valley) & to the South. There are, however, steeper, longer hills to the North where the climbing gets harder (the Vaucluse mountains) that we can take you to if that's what you want.
Our 30+ rides take in all of these different terrains, so you really can find the type of ride & effort that you want.

Mont Ventoux - Can I cycle Mont Ventoux whilst at yours?

Yes you can - there are 2 start points for Mont Ventoux that are easily accessible - the villages of Bedoin (the official Tour de France start @ 320 metres) & Sault (an easier starting point @ 760 metres). Both are an easy 50 mins' car journey from the farmhouse.
From the base, it usually takes anywhere from between 2 & 3 hours to get up to the top @ 1912 metres.
It's important to plan for the weather, and we can help you with this. The temperature difference between the start and the summit is often 10°. Plus the Mistral wind can blow very hard in the final few kilometres, so a wind or winter jacket is a must, you'll also be glad of it on the way down - it's a long way!

Travel - how can I travel to your self guided tours?

It's very easy to get here from overseas, as we are just a short journey from several main travel hubs.
Marseille airport has good links internationally (including many low cost flights), both to and from Paris and is just a 50-minute car drive away from our farmhouse.
Nimes (1h10), Montpellier (1h40) & Nice (2h20) airports are also accessible.
Avignon TGV (High Speed Train) Station is a fast link from Paris (3 hours) and a 6 hour journey from London. Avignon station is just 30 / 40 minutes from us by road.
All of the above have good car hire facilities - starting with compacts from around 200 € for 6 days. Arguscarhire.com is often a good bet.
Driving from Calais (Northern France) to us takes 9 hours non stop on the motorway.
Please click here for more info on Travel Information.

Local Restaurants - What are they like?

We will give you a list of our favourite tried and tested restaurants & cafes which should be useful for your lunches and evenings out. There are some very good restaurants for all budgets, and they are easy to get to, from a 5 minute walk into the village to at most a 20 minute car journey.
There are a dozen or so restaurants in the village - 4 of which are very good.

Lunch - What are the possibilities?

Of course you have various choices.
There are many excellent restaurants and cafes in the Luberon villages & towns that you will visit on our rides.
Our preferred restaurant listing points you in the right direction regarding type of food and budget.
Failing that you can always get a takeaway baguette sandwich from the numerous bakeries or visit a market (scenic picnic spots are plentiful).

When is the Lavender harvested?

Lavender is in bloom from June through to mid July, this is usually when the harvest starts - it's dependent on the weather that has preceded.

Water - Can I drink the local water?

Yes you can - as you can many of the fresh water fountains dotted around the valley and hills. If it's not potable they must tell you, either "Eau non potable" or "Eau non controlee".

Local Maps - Where can I get a map of the local area?

You can try the following link - which is an IGN map of the Luberon Natural Regional Park:
Amazon: IGN map of Le Parc Naturel Régional du Luberon.

The following link is for the Departement of the Vaucluse (a larger area than the above Luberon Regional Park - it's the French equivalent of a County or State):
Map of Vaucluse.

What reading can I do to get a feel for the area beforehand?

"Rough guide to Provence & the Cote d'Azur"- an excellent tourist guide to the Luberon and wider Provence.
Amazon: Rough Guide to Provence & Cote d'Azur

"A year in Provence", Peter Mayle, Penguin. Set in the Luberon Valley, its a good read about the French & Provence. To be taken with a pinch of salt:
Amazon: A Year in Provence, by Peter Mayle.

"Michelin guide to Provence":
https://goo.gl/AFOTqM

If you can't find the question that you want to ask here - please email or call us.

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