A small sample of an actual map as we see it on our iPad Mini. This is how the ride Bordeaux-Arcachon starts out. Blue dot is your position (right now, we're in the Bordeaux train station). The grey line is your route!
What We Offer
SlowCycle Tours are a package of maps with instructions for great bicycle tours of some of the most beautiful regions of France. We have 3 tours available now, and many more are coming. All the information you’ll need is found in a Maps Bundle of our nifty Georeferenced PDF maps, usually 20-30, readable on any iOS (iPhone or iPad) or Android smartphone or tablet that is GPS capable. We find that our iPad mini is ideal for this.
On the maps themselves you’ll find a complete description of the tour: where we start and end, suggestions on where to rent your bikes, suggestions on how to get to your starting point, our routes, our suggestions for day trips, our suggestions for lodging, restaurants, and things to see and do along the way. And every one of them are tours that we ourselves have actually done, often more than once.
Most importantly, our maps will show you not only the route to follow, (the translucent gray line on the example above) they will also show your position on the map when used on a G3 or G4 capable phone or tablet, even if you don’t otherwise have access to the internet or even a cellphone provider in the area where you’re riding. That’s right, our maps will show your position, just like the little blue dot on GoogleMaps, even if your phone/tablet isn’t connected to the internet or to a cellphone carrier. As long as your device is GPS capable, you’ll be able to see your position on the map. It even works in Airplane mode.
Think about that...you can’t get lost! Your route and your position on the same map, totally offline, completely independent of the Internet. This is what makes us different. No more printed directions, no more reams of paper maps that aren’t sufficiently detailed anyway, no more trying to figure out where you are or what turn you may have missed, no more guessing where that next turn is, no more guesswork, period. Just let the map guide you. You’ll always know where you are and the way to go, and, if you make a mistake, you’ll know it almost immediately, so it's easy to get back on track. It’s that simple!
Next best thing to a real live guide, and a whole lot less expensive!
So, once armed with all the information we provide, including the maps of the route, our descriptions of what to see & do, and our suggestions for where to stay, you can start making your own reservations for air & train travel, lodging and all the other details secure in the knowledge that the bike tour will be great!
And, for those of you who still like paper, we can provide a PDF document of the descriptions of your tour that you can readily print out. Just ask.