We are holding a long distance ride from Weybridge to Paris for the forthcoming double bank holiday / royal wedding weekend.
We will leave Weybridge on Friday 29th April, follow the Downs Link route to Shoreham and then along to coast to Newhaven. Take the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry and then follow Donald Hirsch’s excellent Avenue Verte route arriving at the Eiffel Tower in the morning of Monday 1st May.
The total distance is 187 miles, which is about 50-70 miles each day. Accommodation will be B&Bs and modest hotels along the way. The return journey is up to you but Eurostar on Monday evening is what some will be doing.
We start at the riverside car park in Weybridge at 06:00am on Friday 29th April and use Sustrans routes all the way to Newhaven. Route 4 to Chertsey, route 223 to Woking and then Guildford. Then follow the Downs Link which is route 222 to Shoreham before finally picking up route 2 along the Brighton sea-front into Newhaven.
We’ll stay at the Premier Inn in Newhaven before taking the 09:30am ferry on Saturday.
Once in Dieppe we will follow Donald Hirsch’s route to the Eiffel Tower. Full details of his route are here: http://www.donaldhirsch.com/dieppeparis.html
Saturday night we will stay in Forges-les-Eaux and Sunday night in Le Chesnay. This is near Versailles and only 10 miles from our destination, so Monday will see us arrive at the Eiffel Tower quite early in the day.
The return is up to you, but Eurostar to St Pancras on Monday evening is a good option. If you want to make other arrangements and stay in Paris longer then that’s be perfectly fine.
Here’s what the itinerary currently looks like:
- Friday: Weybridge to Newhaven 70 miles
- Friday: Stay at the Premier Inn, Newhaven (£38.50 per person sharing a twin room)
- Saturday: 09:30 ferry to Dieppe (£20 one way foot passenger with Bike) 35 miles
- Saturday: Dieppe to Forges-les-Eaux (Hotel La Paix, EUR 30 per person sharing a twin room)
- Sunday: Forges-les-Eaux to Le Chesnay (Ibis Hotel EUR 27.50 per person sharing a twin room) 80 miles
- Monday: Le Chesnay to Eiffel Tower 10 miles
- Monday: Eurostar (depart Paris 20:43 arrive St Pancras 21:59) Currently £62, plus £20 for your bike.
Total cycle distance: 185 miles