This trip takes you between two iconic capital cities of the world, and between two of the most famous points: Greenwich Observatory in London, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The going is not as flat as many people think, but you do pass through classic countryside in Kent, and the Pas de Calais, Somme and Oise regions of France.
The road parts are done under your own pedal-power. The wet part goes via the most famous channel crossing: Dover to Calais. On your day in Paris, you could always round it off with a visit to Notre Dame. On a bike you feel the wind in your face, and get a real chance to explore some beautiful corners of England and France on the way. Once out of London, you pass through one of the harder sections of the route, as you go through Kent and the North Downs. The countryside is verdant, and remarkably much as it was in past centuries. From Calais you head inland and south. History will surround you on this ride – a stark reminder of the importance of these lands and of the wars that have been fought there. You’ll pass by battlefields from the Hundred Years’ War, see First World War cemeteries, You’ll also pass the spectacular Gothic cathedrals of Abbeville and Beauvais, with their extraordinary white limestone construction, full of tracery and flying buttresses.
You’ll stay one night each in Dover, Abbeville, Beauvais, and Paris. In Paris, if you want you can take time to soak up the atmosphere of one of the most romantic cities in the world: its restaurants, cafés, museums, and nightlife.