A long weekend, a bicycle and a well packed pannier are all you need to get from Britain’s capital to its French counterpart, although a certain level of fitness, some good maps and a sense of adventure are also essential to really enjoy the experience.
Cycle Super Highways
Only 320 kilometres of tarmac lie between the two cities' most famous landmarks, with a not insignificant proportion of cycle ways in between. Most notably, the Green Avenue (Avenue Verte), a 60km traffic-free cycle path running from the outskirts of Dieppe, on the Seine-Maritime coast, to Forges-Les-Eaux inland.
In London, at the start of the journey, recent improvements in routes for cyclists and the new blue “Boris” bike scheme, London’s answer to the Velib , make getting out of the capital a reasonably straight forward task, albeit not without its perils. The unfittingly named Cycle Super Highway 7 leads cyclists from the western end of Canon Street to Colliers Wood tube station along a well sign-posted route, marked wherever possible with bright blue paint on the road. Cyclists, however, are forced to play chicken with buses, bus-stops, loading-bays and parked cars along its entire length. It is a far cry from the Green Avenue in France.
Day 1: London to Brighton, 105 kilometres
The objective of the first day’s cycle is the south coast of England and a hotel within easy reach of Newhaven. From here a direct ferry service to Dieppe, run by LD Lines, departs twice daily. It takes four hours and costs a very reasonable twenty pounds per cyclist.
However, finding a low-traffic route from the outskirts of London to Brighton or Newhaven is not clear-cut. While there are two official national cycle routes (20 and 21) that connect the south coast to the capital, they are still very much work in progress and no actual published maps exist of them; making them somewhat of an enigma for cyclists not equipped with a 3G smart-phone or portable GPS.
One unofficial route published online by Cem Sezer recommends a reasonably easy route from Sutton in South London to Brighton along a series of quiet country lanes culminating in a challenging climb over the Devil’s Dyke, a hill which provides cyclists with a welcome free-wheel all the way down into Central Brighton. The advantage of this route is that it is easily attainable from Colliers Wood at the end of Cycle Super Highway 7 and a quick query on London’s cycle journey planner shows cyclists a number of ways to link the two routes together.
Day 2: Along the Avenue Verte, 75 kilometres
There is only one road from Brighton to Newhaven, along the coast, and while it is well endowed with off-road cycle paths these vary wildly in terms of quality and safety for cyclists. By contrast, moments after disembarking in France, any concern for route or surface quality can soon be forgotten.
Just a few kilometres south of Dieppe is where the Avenue Verte officially begins. It is a sealed path that follows the route of a disused railway line that used to connect Forges-les-Eaux to Dieppe, along which still remains many old station buildings, platforms, signs and signals. It is an easy ride and offers some stunning scenery.
Day 3: Forges-les-Eaux to Poissy, 105 kilometres
While another attractive 28 kilometre stretch of traffic-free cycle-route lie due south at Gisors, there is a more direct route to the outskirts of Paris along the quiet country lanes that head southwest to Poissy on the banks of the Seine. Cyclists need to be aware however, while enjoying the delights of the Picardy countryside, that the closer you get to Paris the less forgiving of cyclists motorists become.
Day 4: Poissy to Paris, 35 kilometres
Amateur cyclist Donald Hirsch publishes a regularly updated guide on his website, in downloadable pdf format, of the route from Dieppe to Paris, with distances marked in miles. The route is perhaps most noteworthy for the final recommended approach into Paris, from Saint Germain-en-Laye, which follows a predominantly green route along forest and park tracks into France’s capital, crossing the Seine at the Pont-Aqueduc de l'Avre, one of Gustav Eiffel’s lesser known constructions.
From there it’s a short cycle through the Bois de Boulogne to the Arc de Triomphe or the Trocadero opposite the Eiffel Tower, aka the finishing line.
Howard Hulley - Howard Hulley is a freelance British writer living and working in Strasbourg, France.
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