Ideas for that Summer Cycle Tour
Are you planning a cycling holiday this summer?
Le Chateau de Mesnières-en-Bray on the Avenue Verte. Photo Nigel Tarling
It is currently trying to snow outside my window in Lewes (March 2023), and summer seems a long way off. But now is the moment when many of us start thinking about this year’s cycle holiday.
A good number of Cycle Lewes’ members will have gone on long cycle tours both here in the UK and on the Continent. These are often memorable trips, discovering new places and making new friends. Now is probably a good time to not only look back but also start planning for this year.
Cycling in Southern England.
Cycling in Southern England is relatively easy; one can usually take an off-peak train with your bike to a starting point, do the weekend/week long trip and then return by train. No need to load the bikes into a car and then worry about the cost & leaving your vehicle in a vulnerable place.
Sustrans (custodians of the national cycle network - https://www.sustrans.org.uk/national-cycle-network ) & Cycling UK have opened up a number of new cycle routes which are accessible by train.
Nearest to Lewes are the 240kms Cantii Way in Kent https://www.cyclinguk.org/cantii-way & the 350kms King Alfred’s Way in Wessex. https://www.cyclinguk.org/king-alfreds-way
Both of these routes are within easy access to Lewes and well worth trying out.
Most recently another 350kms cycle route (the Rebellion Way) has been created in Norfolk https://www.cyclinguk.org/rebellion-way which may need taking your bike on the train; Lewes - Victoria & London Liverpool Street - Norwich, or by car.
Cycling in France & beyond.
If you want to travel further afield, there are plenty of cycle routes on the Continent. Dieppe is only four hours away on the ferry and you can easily cycle to Paris on the Avenue Verte https://www.avenuevertelondonparis.co.uk
Avenue Verte en route for Dieppe. Photo Nigel Tarling
And don’t be worried about cycling in Paris; there are over 700kms of cycle routes & paths in the city many of them developed recently during the Pandemic. It is also very easy to take the train back from Paris St Lazare to Dieppe via Rouen if you are strapped for time. No need to use EuroStar.
Newhaven Dieppe is the obvious crossing point, but a short train journey to Portsmouth gives you access to Cherbourg, Caen & Le Havre in Normandy. Alternatively a train to Dover for the ferry to Calais opens up routes in Northern France, Belgium & the flat but interesting canal routes of the Netherlands.
If hills & mountains are more your thing, then taking the ferry from Portsmouth to Santander will give you immediate access to the Basque country & the Rioja wine region if that is of interest!
Entering the Rioja region, Spain. Photo Nigel Tarling
The fabulous Euro Velo network https://en.eurovelo.com provides information on all the 19 major routes across Europe which run through 42 European countries.
Bon voyage!