People who love to get on their road bikes and explore new places may enjoy a cross-channel route opening next year.

The Petit Tour de Manche will come into being in the spring and cover 265 miles, including parts of the south coast of England between Poole and Plymouth, the Channel Islands and the French provinces of Brittany and Normandy.

Businesses in Weymouth have been meeting this week to see how they can make the most of the possible influx of cross-channel bikers.

Peter Finney of Dorset County Council remarked: "We are confident that the new routes will not only bring more British tourists into Weymouth, but also thousands of French tourists too, keen to enjoy one of the most scenic parts of Britain."

The nature of the route means lots of cyclists could be jumping on and off ferries as part of the quest to do it all.

Weymouth and Portland Council has been funding major repairs to the berth at Weymouth harbour to ensure ferry company Condor can reinstate services from the port in the spring.

The firm switched their Channel Island departures to Poole after cracks were found at the site earlier this year.