Paris-London: 400 km along the Avenue Verte

Avenue Verte is a 400km adventure that drives us from Paris to London. It is a modern bicycle trail inaugurated at the 2012 Olympic Games, which utilizes largely local bicycle paths, secondary roads and bike routes. The trail winds along the Seine valley to the sea, crosses La Manche and continues between green English meadows and woods to reach the gates of the city.

The Avenue Verte is a route suitable for everyone as it flows mostly flat and is dotted with towns and villages where you can rest and refresh yourself. The French section, in particular, is totally devoid of climbs: it winds along the banks of the Seine Marne of the Epte River. The route across the Channel is slightly more challenging, but fatigue is repaid by fantastic views of gardens, meadows and shady woods. Programing stages from 50 to 60 km, and then pedaling from 4 to 5 hours each day, are sufficient enough 8 days to end the itinerary.

Path

From Paris, taking the St. Denis Canal, you reach the Seine directly. The landscape dotted with mansions and beautiful gardens, gradually becomes wilder but no less fascinating. After Nantarre, the track continues on the right shore of the river and enters the forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Once in Normandy, the panorama still changes and you pedal between castles and farms, vast parks and 18th century mansions. You go from Théméricourt and Bray-et-Lû, where you begin following the Epte coming to Gisors and then to Forges-les-Eaux, a few miles from the sea. You continue to the estuary of the Arques, dominated by the homonymous castle, to finish the French stretch in Dieppe, a seaside town immortalized in many impressionist paintings.

From Dieppe you need to board a ferry to Newhaven on the English coast, but it is advisable to continue at least until Eastbourne. From here starts the most tiring stretch because of the continuous ups and downs imposed by the hilly area: you cross Polgate, Heathfield and Tunbridge Wells. The latter is a spa resort and therefore ideal for stopping to rest. The bike path then goes to Goombrige under the name of “The Forest Way” along which you meet some picturesque villages such as Forest Row and East Grinstead. Then you take the “Worth Way” crossing a wonderful forest and get to Crawley, about 90km from London.

Going on a bike is not advisable because of traffic of the capital, better take the train and in just 45 minutes you will be in the city.