We had planned to have a long ride to Happisburgh but with the delayed start , we just had a pootle around the lanes : Bale , Sharringon , Thornage , Hunworth, Holt and back via Glandford.
Nice ride of 25 miles.
Dogs decided to take it eásy.
Sunday 28 June 2015
Sunday 28 June
After a really sunny day on Saturday we woke to a damp Sunday. Managed to get the Dogs out for a walk in the dry but decided to delay our bike ride as it rained hard for the next 2 Hours !
We had planned to have a long ride to Happisburgh but with the delayed start , we just had a pootle around the lanes : Bale , Sharringon , Thornage , Hunworth, Holt and back via Glandford.
Nice ride of 25 miles.
View from Cockthorpe road to Binham
We had planned to have a long ride to Happisburgh but with the delayed start , we just had a pootle around the lanes : Bale , Sharringon , Thornage , Hunworth, Holt and back via Glandford.
Nice ride of 25 miles.
Sunday 14 June 2015
Sunday 14 the June
Having managed to put my back out bending over to pick up a hose at work on Friday morning there was no cycling this week end. So it was Holt on Saturday for haircuts & shopping. Sunday , managed a bit of bike fetling and then we want to Heydon for the Village open Gardens event. A very interesting Village with some lovely gardens. Almost had a fudle feeling about it.
In one garden there was an amazing Gunera in a big garden.
There was also some vintage cars on display.
The grounds of Heydon Hall were also open ( an extra £3.00 each ) very extensive surrounding the somewhat spooky Hall.
In one garden there was an amazing Gunera in a big garden.
There was also some vintage cars on display.
Thursday 4 June 2015
Epping to Paris Cycle Holiday
Epping To Paris may not have the same resonance as London to Paris , but its further and was a more convenient start point for our 4 day ride. We travelled from our home in Norfolk on the Saturday , taking advantage of Mum & Dad's hospitality, comfortable bed for the night and free parking before setting off on Sunday morning.
Despite all the planning , route plotting and list making I was sure we had forgotten something, also a bit nervous as cycling through London was new to both of us and not for the feint hearted! We should have not worried about London, but central Paris was a different matter altogether!
We had , as usual packed to much and will be making some major adjustments to the kit list for future reference.
Sunday 24 th May
We set off from Mum & Dad's at 07:30 and set off on our adventure. Epping was quiet compared to Saturday when it had been heaving and full of 4 wheel drive vehicles, in fact think we saw more in an afternoon than a whole week in rural Suffolk. taking the Epping new road we cycled over the top of the M25 for the first time that day and were soon riding through Epping Forest on the cycle lane. Unfortunately the surface on it was pretty poor compared to the actual road, almost seemed an after thought. Being early Sunday morning there were loads of cyclists on the road, mostly heading out of London , some waved , but most just starred straight ahead. On reaching Woodford we stopped for a short break and a picture of Winston Churchill's memorial.
It was then on into London through South Woodford, Snaresbrook and on through Leytonstone & Stratford ,skirting the Olympic Park. There were cycle lanes along most of the roads and the traffic was not too bad. We picked up the CS2 ( Cycle Superhighway) which was excellent, clearly marked , totally car free and even has own little traffic lights. Quite clearly more additional routes and cycling provision are being made - well done Boris !
Soon we were right in the City proper and made our way to Tower Bridge, stopping to spend 50p , (used to be a penny) and have a Coffee. The sun was really strong and the crowds of tourists building rapidly. Took a few selfies with the Tower of London and Bridge in background , then onwards into uncharted territory of south London.
Tower Bridge - ( can't rotate the picture! )
Again we managed to mostly stay on way marked cycle routes which weaved through housing estates as well as very Cosmopolitan areas such as Lewisham. Some areas changed from being run down and rather grubby to well to do Range Rover & Volvo territory almost as if a line had been drawn on the road. In one of the nicer areas we saw one of the legendary urban foxes trotting along the pavement, probably having had a snack on some Waitrose left over from a bin! Our route took us to the east of Croydon, through the suburbs and into Addington. Seeing trams was a bit of a novelty. We then seemed to cross an invisible line and had escaped the traffic, houses & crowds and were out into rolling countryside, soon reaching and going under the M25 and into lovely countryside. We stopped in the charming village of Limpsfield and ate our lunch.
The next phase of the ride was very much up and down as we tackled the North Downs , with Biggin Hill Airport to the east and little planes buzzing overhead. By the time we had skirted East Grindstead, gone past West Hoathy and Horsted Keynes we were starting to feel a bit weary.
We finally arrived in Newick, our stop for the night having covered 71 miles and according to the Garmin burnt 3500 calories. We found the B&B : Rosedale and received a warm welcome ,tea and biscuits. After a much needed shower we walked into Newick aiming to eat, hopefully a big steak in one of the 3 Pubs. Well what a big disappointment, none of them were serving food that night ! Thankfully the very swish and busy Newick Tandori was and we pigged out there instead. On getting back to the B&B it was only a matter of minutes before we were in bed and fast asleep!
Monday 25th May.
With the Ferry departing from Newhaven at 09:00 and 15 miles to go we set off early at 06:30, enjoying the early morning sunshine and the quite roads to Lewes. Being the eastern end of the South Downs the route was fairly hilly. After Lewes we took the road to Iford on the West side of the River Ouse , through Southease and the delightful named Piddinghoe, soon seeing typical views of a Harbour and some white cliffs in the distance. We had managed to cover the 15 miles in 75 minutes and checked in swiftly. It was a pleasant surprise to see so many cycles on the ship, not so pleasant to find them all basically stacked against each other about to be roped up . Surely if the ships get such good businesses from Cyclists better provision , eg. Racks would be good, I feel a letter coming on!
With clear skies and sunshine we had good views of the coast and the white cliffs as we set off on the 4 hour crossing, calm sea all the way.
We had a great view of Dieppe as the boat docked, sun shining on the cliffs and beaches.
Getting our bikes from the jumbled up stack of cycle and putting the panniers back on was a bit stressful but we were soon on our way, through passport control and on into Dieppe. After a quick cycle around parts of the Town, which seemed really pleasant we set of to start on the route. As I had read in a number of articles getting out of Dieppe on the right route was not so straight forward , but we managed to get on our way after a few wrong turns. The first part was on the road as far as Arques La Bataille where our plan to have lunch was scuppered by the fact all the bars and cafés were shut , it being a bank holiday! So we grabbed some pizza slices and apple pastry from the Bakers and set off to get onto the Avenue Verte. The first section was traffic free on an old disused railway track, perfect surface and very neat and tidy. One major problem on this fine sunny day, the hordes of people who were going to a Children's Fair and for a short walk at the start if it. We managed to dodge everyone and avoid collisions with small children on bikes who were either just learning or at the fearless stage of kamacazie (spelling) tendencies. Roller blading was also very popular with whole families blading together.
The "traffic" soon subsided and we rolled on through pleasant countryside with neat villages either side. The route was a gentle uphill ride all the way which while not hard work, kept our speed to around 10 mph.
Typical architecture of the houses and Churches is the shiny dark roof slates which glisten in the sunshine .
View towards St Vast d'Equineville , ultra modern house and the splendid church spire.
We had à brief stop at Mesnieres to take a look at the amazing picture postcard like Château which is on the list to visit one day.
A few miles further on we arrived at Neufchatel en Bray and soon found our hotel : Le Grand Cerf on one of the cobbled streets. Bikes were stored for the night in a lock up garage along with 8 other bikes, cyclists making up the majority of the guests that night. Our room was spacious and very French, peach coloured walls and gaudy curtains but comfortable and decent value at €65 for the night. After a quick wander around the streets we ate at the hotel and did get our steak! I also had a glass of the local Calvados with my Coeur de Neufchatel Cheese. It was like rocket fuel, very strong with an intense smell of fermented apples - knockout!
Tuesday 26 the May.
Breakfast at Least Grand Cerf was a simple croissant and baguette affair with a yogurt. All very fresh and all swiftly eaten. The route for the day was to take us along the final section of traffic free path and then on into the Bray region countryside stopping in Chaussy. I had estimated the distance as around 50 miles but got that totally wrong as we clocked up 74 miles. That's what happens when you use Google maps and not the guide book - lesson learnt!
Church in the centre of Neufchatel-en-Bray.
Setting off at 09:30 we were soon at the end if the path in Forges -les-Eaux.
We struggled to pick up the route out of the town and got a little bit lost before getting back on track and going up and down on the slightly hilly road past farms and small villages.
The route continued on the very quite roads going past the villages of Pommereux, Haussez & Dampierre-en-Bray , and also crossing the River Epte a few times.
We had been hoping to get to Gounay-en-Bray in time to catch a bit of the street market which takes place every Tuesday but by the time we arrived it was packing up. Had lunch sat outside a Café, both having nice salad's before setting off again. Getting out of Gournay was easy and included a short tree lined section which was immaculate.
A few miles on we arrived in St Germer-de-Fly with it's spectacular Abbey dominating the whole place. The route splits here and goes either east or as we went west.
After crossing the River Epte again we then had one of the more serious climbs of the route just after Neuf Marche. It was then more ore less a gentle downhill road for the next 14 miles all the way to Gisors. Given the time was getting on we skirted around the Town , which seemed quite nice ( didn't see the Château, maybe next time ) & picked up the next section which was a lovely traffic free track , converted railway, all the way to Bray-et-Lu along the valley. A few miles on from there we reached Chaussey and after a bit of a struggle found the B&B Au Relais de Chaussey where we were greated by our host Gaile.
We could not have asked for a better place to stay or hospitality. She delayed the start of Dinner as we were a bit late & served up Pumpkin soup, "Le Rost Beeef" , loads of veg then fruit crumble and lashings of cream. All very yummy and every last bit eaten by us and the other 4 cyclist staying there. She joined us at the table and the conversation flowed as we swamped stories of this and other cycling trips. They were all from Teeside and good company, they were taking 2 days to get into Paris and thought we were a bit bonkers doing it in one.
Our room was huge and nicely furnished with a comfortable bed. Despite the sound of the toads croaking in the Garden we slept soundly, which wasn't surprising after our longest ever daily distance of 74 miles , carrying luggage.
Wednesday 27th May.
Breakfast did not disappoint with a good selection of bread & croissants with home made jams, fruit compote & yogurt.
Jane in the garden by the pond with the huge "toadpoles" in.
After mending a flat tyre on Jane's bike, our first in 3 years. We said our good bye's and set off. I was already hatching a planned route for later in the year so we could come back.
Heading uphill out of Chaussey we passed the classy looking Mediaeval house , Château and gardens at Villarceaux
The route alternated between on and off road through the countryside and we soon arrived in the lovely named Village of Wy-dit-Joli-Village
The countryside continued to impress with vast expanses of rolling cereal fields dotted with woodlands. We did however soon run out of countryside as we crossed the river Oise at Cergy , the start of the Paris suburbs.
We stopped for a coffee by the bridge and to check the route. Just as we were about to set off another cyclist explained that part of the route was shut and he would show us the best way to get back onto it. So we set off following, trustingly an elderly Frenchman on a mountain bike at a fair speed. We rode with him for the next hour along the Seine, through country parks , past extensive water works, the Racecourse , nattering in (bad) French as we went. We said our goodbye at St. Germain.
View from my "cockpit" Frenchman leading the way into Paris.
We stopped shortly afterwards to get some food for a picnic. Eating on a bench by the river was a pleasant break but we had both caught the sun rather badly & had burnt arms and knees!
One of the many loaded Cargo Barges on the River Seine.
The less written about the next sections the better. We struggled to find the route in places & at one stage were on the wrong side of the river, which we managed to correct without going back. We did however completely loose the route and had to rely on the Garmin to get us to the Eifel Tower. Heavy traffic, all types of vehicles using the cycle lanes, pedestrians walking out in front of us, all made for an unpleasant experience! Anyway we made it
We had ice cream at the foot of the Tower before setting of to find the Hotel Campanille in the Villette area (19 Arondisment ) to the north of the centre. This next 5 miles was equally as traumatic as the last 5 and we stopped numerous times. Trying to avoid the more major roads where possible we eventually found the Hotel Campanile on Rue de Flandres , it was 20:30, we had covered 65 miles that day , 255 in total (408 km). A great achievement, just a pity the last 10 miles had been so horrid. After a much needed shower we had dinner at the Hotel both proudly wearing our Avenue Vert T shirts.
We decided to stay the next 2 nights at the Hotel as it was quite decent and in a reasonable position, near a metro stop. The room rate was around €100 per night plus breakfast. Bikes were safe in the underground secure car park, which we had to pay for !
Thursday 28th May
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On Pont des Arts, Isle de la Cite behind us.
We wandered around for nearly 12 hours.
Ate dinner in a trendy area, watching a huge cross section of Paris Society wandering past as we ate our Salad(!). The people range from the well healed well to do's to the down & out's rummaging in the bins before the bin men came to empty the day's rubbish.Jane making light work of a Salad!
With the help of the internet and Google I had managed to find out about a couple of routes ,importantly traffic free, which would take us out of Paris to the East. I chose the one which started from the Parc Villette just a short distance from the Hotel and followed the Canal L'Ourq.
This took us initially through the Parc then along side industrial areas and the housing areas all on well surfaced track , crossing the canal a few times along the way. Most of the track was tarmac even with white lines down the middle.
The route was excellent and took us through a large Park ,along the side of little towns past swish looking villages and then suddenly it was fields of wheat and rolling countryside. At the village of Fresnes-sur-Mane we stopped for our picnic , having clocked up 21 miles, before heading back on the same route. After and ice cream at the Parc Villette we cycled further into Paris ,stopping at Ronde de la Villette , where rush hour was kicking off. After exploring the Parc a bit more we got back to the Hotel having covered 45 miles.
Had an evening stroll, eventually eating near the Hotel. Bad choice if restaurant with very average food served up by a Moroccan Man who reminded us of the one armed pot man in the old TV show Robin's Nest. Disappointing for our last meal in Paris.
Saturday 30 the May
With plenty of time to spare we made our way back through the Parc de la Villette & took to the roads for the short ride to Gare du Nord where we checked our Bikes in at the large baggage area. It was odd to then see our bikes, as we struggled along with our panniers , hanging on a trailer heading for the train. Having done the checking in and security stuff we were able to relax a bit. We bumped into the Father & Daughter who we had talked to back in Neufchatel. They had also had a good ride and had arrived in
Paris on Thursday, also having had problems on the last 5 miles or so.
The train journey was soon over & collecting our bikes from the Eurodispatch Office easy. Panniers back on, we set off to ride back to Epping, trusting the Garmin to find us a suitable route. We found ourselves weaving around back streets , through parks and then on the track alongside the River Lea which we followed for a few miles before getting back on the road and cycling through Walthamstow then on to Woodford and finally Epping, adding another 22 miles onto our tally for the week.
So ended our excellent Holiday / adventure with a total distance of 325 miles or the more impressive sounding 520 kilometres!
We had really enjoyed the holiday and the planning for the next cycling trip was well underway!
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