London to Paris
London to Paris is easier than ever to ride, here is a proven and tested itinerary that you can copy wholesale or edit to suit your needs.
Day 1:
Big Ben to Newhaven
The gpx file starts halfway across Westminster Bridge, so you can get the startpoint selfies/photos of the Big Ben tower. Then you will leave via South London and hopefully will have made good progress to stop for refreshments somewhere around Nutfield just south of the M25 (around 22 miles from the start). Of course if you’re feeling good or can't see anywhere then you can carry on to another town or village. It’s good to be aware of local train stations as if the weather is too bad or if you need to stop for any reason you can still get to the ferry. There are a couple of bike shops along the way but it is better to be prepared. It’s a good idea for this leg to give yourself way more time than you need just in case as you have a hard deadline to hit to get on the ferry and it's better to sit at the terminal for a bit than sprint only to miss the boat.
The garden centre in Lewes is a good spot for a hearty lunch/meal a few miles out before the ferry. There are some challenging hills on this leg so don’t be afraid to get off and push up them.
There are a couple of hotels in Dieppe. We used the Egg Hotel which is cheap and serviceable. It has storage for bikes and a buffet breakfast. The staff will refill your water bottles if asked as well.
Day 2:
Dieppe to Forge-les-Eaux
This is the chill day after the fun of Southern England. Once out of the town of Dieppe, it’s an easy, flat ride along the Avenue Verte to Forge-les-Eaux. Neufchatel-en-Bray is the only real town on route to stop in, it has a boulangerie and a couple of restaurants. Depending on the day of the week/time of day you are there will vary what is actually open. It’s a small town in France so don’t expect a whole lot. There are a few cafés on the Avenue Verte itself though. This is the end of the tarmac section of the Avenue Verte so after this the route is mostly road based. For an evening meal the casino is the only option open 7 days a week but there are maybe a small handful of other options including a Chinese restaurant in the town. We ate in the casino and it was fine, about what you would expect from a pub chain in the UK. The casino is an interesting place in and of itself. The hotel we used was the Continental, it’s affiliated to the casino and was a pleasant place to crash. They have secure bike storage and provide bottled water in the rooms.
Day 3:
Forge-les-Eaux to Cergy
This is a reasonably long ride, the longest of the French sections but the road surfaces are good and the French drivers are respectful of cyclists. Lots of fields and cows to look at. Gisors is a good place to stop for lunch, there is a Macdonalds, a boulangerie and a Decathlon in the town in case you need spares. The hotel we used is on a retail park which is super convenient as it has a L’eclerc supermarche and a Decathlon for supplies/spares if needed. The hotel is compact and modern, they let us store our bikes in our rooms as they didn’t have dedicated storage. This was the first with AC so washing and drying cycling clothing was a cinch. There are a couple of places to eat nearby, an Italian chain restaurant next door which we used which was good and reasonably priced.
Day 4
Cergy to Paris (train station), then train back to Dieppe
Making sure you don’t take a wrong turn out of the hotel/retail park (we did and had to turn back, luckily we hadn’t gone too far). This route gets you first to the Arc de Triomphe, then from there the Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre and finally the station to get the train/s back to Dieppe. Paris is pretty good for cycling once in the city, lots of dedicated cycle lanes that were built around the Olympics. Plenty of places to grab a bite to eat obviously. Gare Saint Lazare is the station, to get back to Dieppe you will have to take a couple of trains as they don’t allow/don’t have bike spaces on the direct trains. It’s easy enough but I would pre-book the tickets. When back in Dieppe we treated ourselves to a stay in the seafront Casino which has a nice restaurant, although you can eat in the town if you prefer.
Day 5
Dieppe to London
We overnighted in Dieppe to get the midday ferry back to Newhaven, depending on timings you could maybe make the ferry the day before but we were in no rush. Once back in England the train station is right next to the ferry port and you can make your way back to whichever station you choose. Bear in mind if you are arriving in London during rush hour you will not be able to take your bike on the trains around the city.
Packing Guide
Lights (rechargeables and spare blinkies)
Tyre levers, multitool and 3 spare inner tubes
2 spare cycling tops
2 spare pairs of cycling socks
1 spare pair of cycling shorts
You should have enough time in the hotel on day 2 to rinse through cycling clothing and let it start to dry
Arm warmers/ long sleeve jersey (only if it looks like you will have chilly mornings)
Thin waterproof cycling jacket
Chamois cream
Bike lock (I used a Seatylock FoldyLock Mini which mounted to bottle cage bosses on the frame and was rattle free), and a cable for tying the bike to a large object e.g. bench where possible in the hotels (something such as a Hiplok Z Lock is fine).
1st aid items e.g. plasters, bite cream, headache pills, handwipes
Sunscreen & lip salve
Sunglasses
1 T-shirt, pair of shorts and socks for the evenings
Thin gilet or fleece - in case its chilly in the evenings
Thin light deck shoes/espadrilles to wear on the boat and in the evenings.
Something like these from M&S would work, but basically anything that can be flatpacked.
Toiletries; small where possible e.g. 20ml toothpaste, folding travel toothbrush, folding travel hairbrush,
USB cables, chargers and plug adaptors.
Power bank
Energy bars & Jelly Babies
Tissues
GHIC card
Plastic sandwich bags to keep things dry.
Passport
Credit card and Euros (You should be able to use the card for almost everything)
As for carrying all this, if your bike has pannier rack mounts this is the ideal, as it lets you load the bike rather than yourself. Just be careful that the rack and bags will add weight even when empty so when loaded even with the little amount you will need means the bike might be a bit unwieldy. You can get frame and handlebar bags from lots of brands which will help spread the weight. It’s sensible to pack the essentials (snacks, batteries, passport, first aid etc) somewhere easy to get at. The advice is to take as little as possible. If you need/want a backpack brands such as Deuter make good options that are compact but will hold plenty and not be too sweaty.
Hotels
Day 1: Egg Hotel, Dieppe
Day 2: Le Continental, Forge-les-Eaux
Day 3: B&B Hotel, Saint-Cristophe, Cergy
Day 4: Casino Hotel, Dieppe
GPX Files
To follow
Helpful Links: https://www.avenuevertelondonparis.co.uk/