Bicycle Tours of France

Rating:
Summary: Good Resource, but it doesn't take you there
Review: The mere words "walking in the alps" conjure images of snowcapped mountains, lakes nestled in valleys, breathtaking scenery and fill the heart with longing to be there. This volume does not transport the reader - it is not an "armchair travel" experience". But it does provide massive amounts of information to the traveler planning a trip.
Planning is the key word. The paperback volume is too bulky (480 pages) to pack to take with you or to comfortably carry, although if you don't mind destroying your book (paperbound), you could easily tear out the sections appropriate for your travel plans.
Coverage is exhaustive in terms of area: from the Alpes Maritime in France to the wooded hills of Vienna, with Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria in between.
This book is not for the general tourist or casual walker, but is geared toward a specific audience. The introduction says that "the mountain walker the individual with good general fitness, a modicum of scrambling experience and an eye for the hills, can move far enough and at the right paced ... is the person for whom this book is written."
Since it is written for such a specific audience, I was surprised at some of the omissions. The maps are excellent. Attempts have been made to define the topography of each area. But precise route descriptions are not supplied.
In summary, this is a good, but not stand alone, reference for the serious walker to use in planning a trip.

Rating:
Summary: Good Resource, but it doesn't take you there
Review: The mere words "walking in the alps" conjure images of snowcapped mountains, lakes nestled in valleys, breathtaking scenery and fill the heart with longing to be there. This volume does not transport the reader - it is not an "armchair travel" experience". But it does provide massive amounts of information to the traveler planning a trip.
Planning is the key word. The paperback volume is too bulky (480 pages) to pack to take with you or to comfortably carry, although if you don't mind destroying your book (paperbound), you could easily tear out the sections appropriate for your travel plans.
Coverage is exhaustive in terms of area: from the Alpes Maritime in France to the wooded hills of Vienna, with Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria in between.
This book is not for the general tourist or casual walker, but is geared toward a specific audience. The introduction says that "the mountain walker the individual with good general fitness, a modicum of scrambling experience and an eye for the hills, can move far enough and at the right paced ... is the person for whom this book is written."
Since it is written for such a specific audience, I was surprised at some of the omissions. The maps are excellent. Attempts have been made to define the topography of each area. But precise route descriptions are not supplied.
In summary, this is a good, but not stand alone, reference for the serious walker to use in planning a trip.