One of our favourite things to do en famille is head down to the seaside promenade at Cagnes sur Mer loaded up with bikes, rollerblades, go-karts, scooters and the powerwing for a few hours of sea air and exercise. The pavement is wide, with a cycle lane between it and the road and it attracts all sorts of wheeled contraptions.
Families push prams and teach kids to ride their bikes, young couples rollerblade hand in hand, while others set up music and circuits to show off their prowess on wheels. Teenagers zip in and out on skateboards and waveboards, serious cyclists put their heads down and power along the cycle path, joggers jog and people of all ages mosey along.
The seafront is set up for this kind of activity from Villeneuve-Loubet to Nice, with cycle lanes and wide pedestrian paths all the way to the old town in Nice at the eastern end of the Promenade des Anglais which by then has become the Quai des Etats Unis!
This makes it possible to do a 15 km one way flat bike ride without using roads which makes it a great activity to do with children. Continuing along here you come out at the Loup river and have to carry your bikes up the steps to the bridge. After passing the small fishing port at Cros de Cagnes on your right the cycle track follows close to the road for a short while in St Laurent du Var, crosses the wide Var river, passes the airport on your right and becomes wider and further from the traffic once again in Nice.
Nice was originally built facing north, the sea of little interest and the shoreline itself just a little track with the railway line running along the coast. Cycling along the Prom you really appreciate the sense of space and vastness of this urban bay. The beach is an 8 kilometre stretch of pale grey pebbles and bright turquoise water.
