The best walks and hikes around Grand Canal du Havre

It's worth walking up there on foot to get an impression of the dimensions. You should think twice about cycling over it. The bike lane is extremely narrow and not separated from the road. Once you're on it, you have to stay on it and cars race past you.

It goes uphill for about 1km with a constant 6% gradient, and on the other side downhill for about 1km with a 6% gradient. And the architecture of the bridge is impressive, the view in good weather is great. But the cycle path is simply dangerous. I was very surprised that there is a cycle lane, because it is perhaps 1~1.2m wide, and only separated from car and truck traffic, which rushes past at 80~90 km/h, by a white line on the asphalt. Certainly no cycling pleasure. And with the quite strong winds that can sometimes make you swerve, it's also not entirely safe. There is also an almost equally narrow footpath next to it, but it is separated from the roadway by a curb (at least). The crossing of the bridge is (would be) certainly a highlight of every bike tour, but the incredibly narrow strip next to the fast-flowing traffic makes it no real pleasure.

It goes about 1km uphill at a constant 6%, and on the other side about 1km downhill at 6%. And the architecture of the bridge is impressive, the view in good weather great. But the cycle path is simply dangerous. I was very surprised that there is a cycle path, because it is perhaps only 1-1.2m wide, and is only separated from the car and truck traffic, which rushes past at 80-90 km/h, by a white line on the asphalt. Certainly no cycling pleasure. And given the quite strong winds that can make you swerve, it is also not entirely harmless. There is also an almost equally narrow footpath next to it, but it is separated from the roadway by a curb (at least). The crossing of the bridge would certainly be a highlight of any bike tour, but the incredibly narrow strip next to the fast-flowing traffic does not make it a real pleasure.

It goes about 1km uphill with a constant 6% gradient, and on the other side about 1km downhill with 6%. And the architecture of the bridge is impressive, the view in good weather is great. I was very surprised that there is a cycle path, as it is perhaps only 1-1.2m wide, and separated from car and truck traffic, which rushes past at 80-90 km/h, only by a white line on the asphalt. Certainly no cycling pleasure. And with the quite strong winds that can sometimes make you swerve, it's not entirely safe either. There is also an almost equally narrow footpath next to it, but it is separated from the roadway by a curb (at least). The crossing of the bridge is (would be) certainly a highlight of any bike tour, but the incredibly narrow strip next to the fast-flowing traffic does not make it a real pleasure.

It goes about 1km uphill at a constant 6%, and on the other side about 1km downhill at 6%. And the architecture of the bridge is impressive, the view in good weather is great. I was very surprised that there is a bike lane, because it is perhaps only 1-1.2m wide, and separated from car and truck traffic, which rushes by at 80-90 km/h, only by a white line on the asphalt. Certainly no cycling pleasure. And with the quite strong winds that can make you wobble, it's not entirely safe either. Next to it, there is an almost equally narrow footpath, but it is separated from the roadway by a curb (at least). The crossing of the bridge is (would be) certainly a highlight of any bike tour, but the incredibly narrow strip next to the fast-flowing traffic makes it no real pleasure.

A serious WARNING to all cyclists. I found the crossing life-threatening. The cycle path is approx. 1 m wide, only color-marked and at intervals of 1.5 to 2 m, trucks thunder past, gaining speed to climb the bridge. The footpath is bordered by a curb and does not make the crossing any less dangerous. Side winds and headwinds on the incline made me sway considerably. If you have to cross: PLEASE WALK YOUR BIKE!

I really would NOT recommend cycling across this bridge ESPECIALLY in high wind circumstances. Even though it cuts 43 miles of route on the Velomaritime and gives you an exhilarating thrill, it is not really safe and the cycle path that follows to the ports is noisy, industrial and often in to a very strong headwind off the sea. Go the longer way if at all possible!

The bridge gets a bad press and is not recommended for cycling over. However there is not much real alternative. We were fortunate in that one carriageway was closed for maintenance, which meant a contraflow system on the remaining carriageway for motor vehicles, which occupied the cycle lane. Thus cyclists were able to use the footpath, which is segregated by a low kerb, giving a no doubt false sense of security. I don't think I'd have fancied it under normal circumstances, but would probably have done it rather than faff around with a bus that runs every two hours that you have to book at least a day in advance. A highlight? Yes to view, but to cycle I'd say it is not for the faint hearted.