KEY POINTS:
We are planning to spend four or five weeks in France at the end of August and want to take our bikes to do some nice riding in a few areas of the country. We will use public transport to get to different areas and then spend three or four days cycling. We plan to stay in hostels or similar. At the moment we have selected the Vaucluse area and one of the rides in the Pyrenees, but could you recommend two or three other nice areas?
Erica Hurren, by email
Seeing as you're planning to go cycling in Provence, you could follow a route leading south from Paris through Burgundy (including hilltop Vezelay, gourmet Dijon and wine-lovers' Beaune), into the Alpine country around Lyon and down to Avignon to pick up the Vaucluse leg of your cycling holiday. The route is shadowed by useful rail lines.
Other particularly scenic areas that are tailor-made for cycling include by the sea in Brittany and Normandy, the hillier Dordogne region, in the Luberon and canalside cycling in Le Lot and the Canal du Midi from Toulouse.
Transporting your bicycles by train in France shouldn't be difficult, although you might be asked to demount your bike on TGV services. Some regional trains don't charge a fee for your bicycle; on others, your bike may need to be covered or bagged and stored in the baggage van. Look for the bicycle symbol on train timetables, indicating bicycles are allowed.
If you decide to hire bicycles, you'll find that most towns have at least one bike-hire shop. Rental rates are around $32 a day. For a list of bike-hire shops in southern regions, have a look at Provence Beyond (http://www.beyond.fr/sports/cyclerental.htm). For advice about cycling routes, bike hire, bike-friendly accommodation and so on, have a chat to fellow cyclists on the On Your Bike pages of Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree travel forum (www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree).
Aboard Chiva Express
My husband and I (both in our 60s) are travelling in South America in October. We are considering travelling from Quito to Cuenca by the Chiva Express, staying overnight in Riobamba. Is it suitable for travellers of our age, and is it safe?
Sue Hole, by email
The Chiva Express takes Latin America's clunky old buses, gives them a paint job and sends them along the disused train route between Quito and Guayaquil. The trip does have a party-time reputation. Luckily, there are plenty of organised tours to choose from, which would be a fine option for you.
South America Journeys (www.southamericajourneys.com), based in Wanaka, offers a three-night Chiva Express tour for $1117. The site gives detailed information about the route, which features views of the Andes and a scarily scenic ride on the famous Devil's Nose train. Marnella Tours (www.marnellatours.com) has a two-night Chiva Express tour, with all meals and accommodation in Riobamba and Cuenca included. Gate of the Sun (www.gateofthesun.comwww.selectlatinamerica.co.uk) also offer this tour, but it was Metropolitan Touring (www.metropolitan-touring.com and www.galapagosvoyage.com) that came up with the idea.
The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trades travel advisory for Ecuador at www.safetravel.govt.nz advises against all travel to the area of the country that borders Colombia; elsewhere it advises people to be security-conscious.
