I've been asked by a local publisher what tips bikers would give for producers of biker's guidebooks. He's got an idea for a Bikers Guide to Brittany.

Ok so it's more likely to be your kind of day, weekend or maybe week long tour, and it's probably not going to have a huge appeal if your idea of adventure is a month in Mongolia, but if you were to buy a guide, what would you like it to be like?

The thoughts so far:

• What size should it be? A4 so it fits in a tank bag? A5 so you can read it in bed?
• What binding? Glued, stitched, ring bound?
• What type of mapping? Full maps, simple diagrams or route directions?
• What photos? Photos of what you might see? Sturdy bikers riding? Pretty girls on beaches?
• What tourist info? Hotels? Restaurants? Campgrounds? Bikeshops?
• What extra info? History? Geography? Road signs? French Highway code? Something else?
• What extra supports? GPS tracks on CD or online? Dedicated website?

Basically anything you want to say would be good.

And yes, if you want to say you'd never, ever buy a guidebook and it's all stupid then feel free to say why. I know there's some people who buy a bike and head straight for the Sahara, but I'm sure there's plenty of people who like to try a small trip first, and I think that's their target market, and I'm sure there must be someone on here who either is, or more likely was that kind of person, it can't just be me.

__________________

I'm not a guidebook person, I like flexibility in my trips and don't like crowds. I tend to use the internet not paper. Maybe I'm not a good target market as you won't sell me a glossy book with pictures of scenery and historic buildings for twenty-five quid a pop.

However, I'd like to see an almost directory type guide with information like opening times and market days, local festival days and so on. Something where one entry leads to another would be good. For example if I look up a certain museum, that entry will tell we where in the book to find local hotels ,museums on a similar subject, other interesting things to do the same day and perhaps the nearest bike shop capable of fixing a flat tyre. I like ring bound A5 with maps for the last few miles off the autoroute, plus GPS coordinates.

A big ask and not so much fun to write as a old style guides, but good luck with the project

Andy

Andy, I don't know that I'm totally in the guys target market either, but you know how it is, you get asked about something, and before you know it you've voluteered.

I get the feeling I forgot to mention this is more likely to be of the


type, laying out route plans etc, rather than just another guide book to a part of France, of which there's far too many already.

I'm kind of hoping he might give me the routes to try out and a small expense account to pay for petrol, campsites etc - but I get the feeling that's not going to happen

__________________

• What size should it be? 5" x 7"
• What binding? stitched
• What type of mapping? simple diagrams plus lat/long
• What photos? Photos of what you might see
• What tourist info? Hotels, Restaurants, Campgrounds, Bikeshops, but stuff not in the towns/cities where it is generally easy enough to find
• What extra info? Historical sites (battlefields, famous buildings, interesting memorials, etc.
• I generally don't use guidebooks because they focused on the wrong stuff for bikers. The main time I use guidebooks is when I'm travelling in an unfamiliar country (Laos, Romania, Ukraine) and just want some idea of what cities to swing through, and the distances involved. Usually I like to find the roads and hotels, restaurants, bars, by myself, but it would be cool to know about interesting out of the way spots.

Not really a guide book kind of person (don't even own one I don't think) making do with just a map book instead, however even so I would suggest the following:

• What size should it be? A5 so it fits in a compact tank bag
• What binding? ring bound so you can leave it open at the relevant page while in the tank bag.
• What type of mapping? Full maps
• What photos? No real thoughts on that
• What tourist info? Hotels? Restaurants? Campgrounds? Bikeshops? All of the things you suggest, and of course must see places.
• What extra info? Road signs and French Highway code would be very usefull to someone that has never visited the area/country before, maybe some choice phrases also, things relating to bikers though such as asking for petrol, oil, tyres and what not
• What extra supports? Not really sure any extra stuff would be needed.

Well good luck with the expense account. I think they should at least pay for your lunch given how good the food is. It'd be rude to reccomend Moules, Langoustine and so forth you hadn't tried

I think this is the sort of book (with no disrespect intended) that weekend riders would get. You need to think in terms of say a CBR600, two up with soft panniers, chin rested on tank bag rather than a battered XT/GS with 1000 mile proven kit. Maybe try and think like the poor girls you see perched on pillion pads, knees round the riders ears, frying/broiling in race leathers with a back pack helping the slipstream rip her head off?

In this case I think I'd like to see:

Non-motorway circular routes.
A-5 spiral bound with a 1 page summary to follow each route (goes in the tank bag).
About three hours riding each, call it 250 km.
Enough activity for an hour for people wearing back sliders and carrying helmets at each major halt.
Petrol stops (especially Sunday ones) marked every 100 km.
Directions to suitable bike parking at various locations.
Suitable stops marked every 100km with details of market days and so on.
Warnings about bad surfaces, tight bends, farm "by-products" etc.

A big map showing all the routes and where they cross so you can do part of route 1 then part of route 2 etc.

A list of bike shops (remember, said CBR600 can't carry so much as a spanner long enough to adjust the chain).

Alternate days out for wet weather and non-riding pillions.

The first trip I did with Karen we did a loop from Zebrugge to Paris to the Normandy Beaches and back via the First World War battlefields in Belgium. We started off doing 250 mile days with a lunch break somewhere interesting (Waterloo etc.) and worked up to 400 milers to gain a day in Belgium. In (I think Honfleur) we met a two couples on sports bikes. The girls got talking and it turned out one was in so much discomfort after 25 miles she was thinking of heading back to Winchester on the train. They done Winchester-Portsmouth-Caen loaded up then had a day out to Honflur, what 60 miles a go? The bikes were hideously loaded with half size soft panniers, tank bags you'd rest your chin on and backpacks for both rider and pillion. They were all wearing race leathers, the girl who was looking for a train had never had hers on before and they were too small. They'd got lost and had been terrified down a set of hairpins into the town centre. It was raining and no-one was having fun. They were shocked that Karen was hundreds of miles in, having fun, was allowed to bring a hairdryer and so on despite the fact we were on an "old mans" bike, but that's another story.

Maybe if these guys had a book that gave better instructions and mentioned the hairpins and cafe's every few miles they might have tried again with better/less luggage until they got the hang of it?

Andy

I always take a guidebook or three as I love to know more about the places I'm travelling through. If well illustrated, the book also serves to encourage me to go in the first place, and remind me of my travels once I'm home again. Dorling Kindersley does this kind of book to perfection.

I do not think it is a good idea to be duplicating what DK can do. DK will always be able to do it better, and cheaper.

So, from a biker's guide I would take in addition to the DK guide-books I require something different. I want recommended routes. Locations and opening times of petrol stations in remote areas (maybe not such an issue in Brittany). Motorail options (ditto). Ferry info. Local advice like "If your ferry arrives in Roscoff at 06.00, be aware that most manned petrol stations will not open till 9". You can guess why I mention that. Phone numbers for bike shops might also be helpful, though I am leaning towards getting an iPhone or netbook and relying on the net when and if I need stuff. Info on things like "green signs = A-road, blue signs = motorway. Campsite locations. Motorcycling French vocabulary. Maybe a picture of a motorcycle showing various parts, in order to point to things. I got this idea from a booklet my missus bought me before my Big Trip, called Point-It. You can tell it's originally German, it has a double-page spread devoted to different types of sausage

Maybe some info on things likely to be of interest to gung-ho bikers. When I was in Brittany I hired a canoe from Lannion and they dropped me off several miles upstream. I had a wonderful paddle back down to Lannion. (Not recommended though if there has been no rain for a while). The U-boat base in St Nazaire was a good run too, stopping off at Rochfort-en-Terre. I seem to remember too that the stretch from Guingamp to Pontivy was very pleasant.

Ring binding will make it easier to fit in a tank-bag with maps visible.

But does Brittany have enough of interest to bikers to warrant a bikers' guide?

__________________
Seek Truth

15 countries in 40 days. Tanks, crashes, minefields and Kalashnikovs