A family bike adventure along the Belle Via

Are we cursed? That's the thought on our minds when we see the forecast for Catalonia. Our original plan was to ride from Perpignan to Girona to see a bit of what's done abroad in terms of cycling infrastructure and enjoy a kind of Indian summer with our Spanish friends. But disappointment: the forecast says rain all week. With our two previous bike trips largely cut short because of rain, we change tack and take the train not south but north!

• Scenery: ⭐⭐⭐
• Difficulty: ⭐⭐
• Safety: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Ease of finding accommodation: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sunday 27 October 2024: Romans-sur-Isère → Izeron

Taking the train with bikes in France really isn't easy. And it's even worse when you've just come back from Switzerland. There we got several samples of what they do to welcome bicycles and buggies. First, you can find out in advance where to stand on the platform, which avoids running once the train arrives. Then, the carriages can take at least 20 hanging bikes, and only people with bikes, parents with buggies or people with reduced mobility board those carriages.

At home, leaving Avignon, we learn the hard way that we're still a long way off. For SNCF, the idea of a bike carriage is a space where you can barely squeeze in two bikes. And even though we'd booked spaces for our bikes on this train, there are ten bikes in this carriage alone. We see more in the neighbouring carriages. Fortunately we got to the station early, but our bikes end up behind all the others.

It's a complete headache getting everything off at Valence. Fortunately we're organised, experienced and efficient. But the recurring difficult train experience is starting to wear us down. We still have to take another train to Romans-sur-Isère, but this one is much better designed. You can hang five bikes, there are no steps and there's plenty of space. A shame, as we only stay on it for fifteen minutes before getting off to start a new bike trip.

We're trying something new, as we don't really know how far we'll go. We have the Vercors in our sights but with no real certainty. We're riding the Belle Via, a fairly short route between Valence and Aix-les-Bains or Annecy. Our first observation is how thorough the signposting is along the route. Signs show every change of direction and the distance to the next villages.

The route is fairly smooth and we polish off the day's 43 kilometres in under three hours. Isère is famous for its walnuts, so it's no great surprise that we arrive at a B&B called La Noyeraie. Isabelle welcomes us and shows us around a gigantic two-storey house of at least 200 square metres. The top floor is full of children's toys, paradise for Clémence.

Since it's Sunday, all the shops on our route were closed. Our only option is a pizzeria five minutes away by bike, where Stéphane goes, not too reassured by the pitch-black night. Well lit, he arrives safely at a strange place. Le Pizzalon is inside the Epsilon nightclub and the atmosphere is odd. It seems to be a local institution, as the owners know all the customers by their first names, and plenty of them come to collect their pizzas.

Ours are ready, and Stéphane heads back in the dark to find Cassandre and Clémence sitting at the table with a retired couple from Issoire. We rode through there the year before, which gives us plenty to talk about for the evening.

Where we slept: La Noyeraie is excellent value. The room is gigantic, there's a kitchen available and a huge play area for little ones. Breakfast is generous and the owner really friendly.

Monday 28 October 2024: Izeron → Grenoble

Over breakfast, Isabelle tells us the story of her big house. First a farm, then a plastics factory, it was also a concert hall before becoming a very large B&B. Outside, the sun is shining as if it were midsummer, with not a cloud on the horizon. We set off at 9:30 to continue up the Belle Via.

The route is relatively flat, though with a few short, steep climbs. We can tell we're in an active region, as we pass lots of sporty people. Runners, cyclists and even summer cross-country skiers accompany our pedal strokes. They range from heavily kitted-out men chasing performance to families out for a ride.

In Veurey-Voroize, we stop at the Vival, a sort of must-stop run by a man selling Asian dishes that are clearly flying off the shelves, judging by the constant stream of customers. Not far away, a playground lets us take our classic lunch break: food and slide, toddlers' favourite combination.

On the last stretch towards Grenoble, the traffic gets heavier. Clémence isn't sleeping and is very boisterous in her trailer. She twists in every direction and shrieks with laughter at anything and everything, which we now recognise as a sign of tiredness. It greatly amuses Stéphane, riding behind, but not so much Cassandre, because when the little one moves about in the trailer, it pulls the bike backwards.

Fortunately we reach the flat fairly quickly and can get in from 2:30 pm, so we can put the little one to bed. During her nap, Cassandre goes for a run while Stéphane unpacks and deals with the dirty laundry. We wake Clémence before 4:30 to satisfy one of her first passions: cable cars. Grenoble's is fabulous and offers a spectacular view of the city and its surrounding mountains.

The Bastille fort is packed with things to do. It has a restaurant, viewing tables, a treetop adventure course and a huge wooden platform where Clémence has fun running back and forth. But above all, the views over the city are phenomenal. After this little outing, we need to make a necessary stop.

Clémence's little Shotgun seat, which lets her sit on the front of the Touring, came loose today and she can't use it any more. So we make a detour to Decathlon to buy the tools needed to fix it. We also buy water bottles and bottle cages before going to eat a typical dish of the region: ravioles. All three of us enjoy it before going home to put Clémence to bed at 9 pm.

Where we slept: a small Airbnb in the Chorier-Berriat neighbourhood. We chose it for its garden-level entrance, which makes storing our bikes extremely easy.

Tuesday 29 October 2024: Grenoble → Porte-de-Savoie

We leave the little flat at 10 that morning. The stage ahead is a big one, almost 60 kilometres. After a detour to Naturalia to buy more baby milk, we ride through Grenoble to leave the stream of cars behind and join the calm bed of the Isère.

Here we pedal between the Belledonne and Chartreuse massifs, breathtaking travelling companions. We never lose sight of them, they're so imposing; the word "massif" really takes on its full meaning. Our bikes seem so small next to these monsters of rock.

We then enter the Montfort marshes, still on the V63 cycle route, also known as the Belle Via. This route has hardly put a foot wrong since the start. It's well signposted, smooth and well maintained. So we're all the more surprised, arriving in Crolles, to find ourselves on a very busy road with a 70 km/h limit. Fortunately a friendly lorry driver stays behind us to protect us and doesn't overtake for the whole 500-metre stretch.

Shortly afterwards we reach the town park and find a paradise for children. Slides, swings, ropes, a zip line — we don't know where to look. The place is busy but the atmosphere is pleasant and family-friendly. It's sunny and warm; Cassandre plays with Clémence while Stéphane gets down to some DIY to fix the little Shotgun seat.

After a few false starts, it's finally fixed, and Clémence climbs onto it when we set off for the second part of the day. We now enter the Savoie vineyards, small slopes scattered across the hillsides. It gives the landscape a very special character, especially in this early-autumn sunshine. After a detour to Intermarché, we arrive fairly early in Porte-de-Savoie, where we're staying.

We ride past a field full of sheep before dropping our things at the flat and going back out to see them up close. But disappointment: they've already gone by the time we come back. We take a little tour of the village, but it's right at going-home time and the village becomes a motorway.

The stream of cars is constant, with traffic jams in the little lanes. This charming little place becomes downright unwelcoming, and we'd rather go home and enjoy the evening, just the three of us.

Where we slept: a small Airbnb in Porte-de-Savoie, well equipped and very practical.

Wednesday 30 October 2024: Porte-de-Savoie → Aix-les-Bains

At 10 we ride back through the very busy little village of Porte-de-Savoie to rejoin the Belle Via a few kilometres away. We're proud and excited, as we're finishing it today. The stage ahead is short, only 33 kilometres, but welcome compared with the previous one.

No difficulties await; we're on a gentle downhill. A good hour later we reach Chambéry. The cycle network there is incredible: perfectly signposted, with well-designed signs and wide lanes. We'd planned to have lunch in the city, but the atmosphere in the centre is a bit grim. We stop at a playground, but a first man arrives quite drunk and a second one turns up with an enormous mastiff, which hastens our departure. It's too early in the day to get angry.

We find another park where Clémence plays a little, but we no longer feel like hanging around. We get back on the bikes and ride to the Lac du Bourget. At 1:30 pm we stop at a restaurant famous throughout the region for its fondues: Le Coulant Baraqué. The staff are very nice, because even though they've already closed the kitchen, they agree to serve us. We don't abuse their hospitality and leave as soon as we've finished.

It's sunny and warm for 30 October, and the lake beckons. We park our bikes on the square and go to dip our feet. The water isn't even that cold and Clémence frolics happily. At 4 pm we decide to go to the hotel so Clémence can sleep a little. Lately she's been struggling to nap in her trailer, so she longs for the proper travel cots waiting for her in the rooms.

Her late nap doesn't bother us, as tonight we're having dinner with a friend who lives here. We hosted her through Warmshowers the year before and stayed in touch. We have a great evening in a little restaurant in Aix-les-Bains to celebrate the end of the Belle Via!

Where we slept: Les Loges du Park in Aix-les-Bains, a very big hotel. The room is spacious, they provide a cot, and there's a secure bike storage room.