Gare de Pont Erambourg - Vélorails des collines normandes — Attraction in Argentan

Really good fun. The route is not that long (approx 6km in each direction), and only took us 2 hours to get there and back (including a 15 min lunch break). It is not a circular route, so everyone has to go at the same time (in procession), and then return in opposite order. The staff asked that those that wanted to stop for lunch depart first, so that they can then stop at the various picnic tables on the way back without blocking those that want to go straight there and straight back.

There are a few bridges along the way, as well as an old station with marshalling yard (still containing a number of old shunting engines and postal carriages). The end of the route is marked by the gated entrance to an old tunnel - it's a shame the route couldn't be extended to incorporate this, but I can imagine that the logistics of ensuring the tunnel remained safe might be prohibitively expensive. There is a manually operated turntable at the end of the route, which is easy enough to use.

The 'velos' themselves hold four people each - two pedalling, and two taking it easy on the canvas seat. There is only one gear, so there's a limit to how fast you can go. The simple foot break is effective (if noisy), and must be used to stop at the few level crossings along the way.

The price seemed very reasonable (24 euros per 'velo', as I recall), and the kids loved it - highly...

So worth a visit!! I was so impressed by this place overall. We were 2 adults and 2 children (6&4) and we found the velorail journey a great experience. Ideal length roughly 13km overall, the staff were great and gave a clear but quick run through just before leaving. The journey itself was a lot easier than expected, a lot of the ride we almost didn’t need to pedal and could just enjoy the views of the Normandie countryside. None of us felt tired on our return. Feeling peckish? We decided to have the plat du jour at the little buvette for lunch that is located at the entrance. Just spectacular. Good old school french cooking and put us back only €32 for all 4 of us to eat/drink there. The owners/staff were also lovely and more than happy to help with any questions. I would 100% recommend this for any sort of age groups. Truly a hidden gem and an asset to the area. Thank you for a lovely...

A reasonably long route (13 km round trip?), with more varied scenery than the VR at Bagnoles-de-l'Orne. You ride along a beautiful river valley, alternating through meadows, woodland, along cliffs and over bridges and viaducts. Only downside is you may need to lift a carriage off and on the rails in order to pass others, which two strong adults can manage, just watch your back and lifting technique. There's a picnic spot near the end, with a view of a 1944 Bailey bridge, and an extensive local history museum in the SNCF postal railcars at the start (nearly...