London Eye is on the South Bank of the Thames close to Waterloo station. Although main line and suburban trains can be used to reach Waterloo, none of the underground lines that serve the station carry cycles. The nearest cycle-permitted underground stations are both on the other side of the river: Westminster (cycle over Westminster bridge and turn left into Belvedere Road) and Embankment (take your cycle by lift to the walkway beside Hungerford railway bridge and walk it over the river). Both these stations are served by the Circle and District lines.
St Pancras Eurostar station is served by Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines which carry cycles (and Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines which do not). It is also served by main line and suburban trains at Kings Cross and St Pancras stations and is only a short ride from Euston (main line, suburban and overground services).
Crossing the Channel
Up to 40 ferry sailings per day connect Dover and Calais (classic route, Stages 3–4)
The classic route crosses the English Channel at its narrowest point between Dover or Folkestone in England and Calais in France. There are two ways of making this crossing, by ferry from Dover or by shuttle train through the Channel Tunnel.
Up to 40 ferry sailings operate daily (depending on the season) between Dover Eastern docks and Calais Gare Maritime ferry port operated by two companies, P&O (www.poferries.com) and DFDS (www.dfdsseaways.co.uk). Crossing time is 90 minutes. As these are vehicular ferries there is ample capacity on board for cyclists without the need for reservations, although lower prices are available by advance booking online.
Although up to four vehicle shuttles run every hour through the Channel Tunnel between Cheriton terminal near Folkestone and Coquelles near Calais, only two departures daily carry cycles. These are transported in a specially contracted vehicle, equipped to carry six cycles, which picks up from Cheriton Holiday Inn hotel at 0800 and 1530 and deposits you opposite the CIFFCO building near the Coquelles terminal. Return journeys pick-up in Coquelles at 1230 and 1800. Reservations must be made at least 48 hours in advance on +44 1303 282201. This service is provided as a requirement in Eurotunnel’s operating license and is heavily subsidised, but as it is not promoted by the company it is little used. For more information see www.eurotunnel.com. Directions to Cheriton and Coquelles are given in Stages 3 and 4 of the classic route.
The Channel Tunnel cycle shuttle is slightly cheaper and slightly faster than the ferries and saves 17km of cycling from Folkestone to Dover. However, as this must be booked in advance with only two services per day it is considerably less flexible than the Dover ferries which run frequently throughout the day and night, providing a turn-up-and-go service.
The Avenue Verte crosses the Channel using a ferry operated by DFDS between Newhaven and Dieppe. There are two or three sailings daily depending upon season, which take four hours. Reservations are not normally needed for cycles, although as prices vary between sailings advance booking may enable you to obtain the best price.
Intermediate access
There are international airports at Gatwick (Avenue Verte, Stage 2) and Beauvais (classic route, Stage 8). The English part of the classic route (Stages 1–3) and the first half of Avenue Verte as far as Three Bridges (Stages 1–2) are closely followed by railway lines, as are Stages 7 and 9 of the classic route (Abbeville–Amiens and Beauvais–Chantilly) in France. Stations en route are listed in the text. Between Serqueux–Gisors (Avenue Verte, Stages 5–6) a previously closed railway has been reinstated for freight trains and a limited passenger service has started, but only a few stations have reopened.
Getting home
High-speed Eurostar trains cover the distance from London to Paris in under two and a half hours
This book hopes to encourage you to cycle home by using a different route to that taken on your outward journey. However, if time is at a premium or you are too exhausted to cycle back, it is possible to return by public transport.
The easiest way to return home from Paris to London with your cycle is by train. Eurostar services that take under two and a half hours run approximately hourly throughout the day between Paris Gare du Nord–London St Pancras using the Channel Tunnel. Cycles booked in advance travel in dedicated cycle spaces in the baggage compartment of the same train as you. Bookings, which open six months in advance and cost £30 single, can be made through Eurodespatch (tel +44 344 822 5822) in London or Geoparts (tel +33 1 55 31 58 33) in Paris. Cycles must be checked in at Geoparts luggage office in Gare du Nord (follow path to L of platform 3) at least 60 minutes before departure. There are two dedicated places per train for fully assembled cycles and four more places for dis-assembled cycles packed in a special fibre-glass box. These boxes are provided by Eurostar at the despatch counter, along with tools and packing advice. Leave yourself plenty of time to dismantle and pack your bike. After arrival in St Pancras cycles can be collected from Eurodespatch Centre beside the bus drop-off point at the back of the station. More information can be found at www.eurostar.com.
By air, Paris’s three airports have flights to worldwide destinations, including frequent services to London’s six airports. These are operated by several airlines, the main ones being BA (Charles de Gaulle and Orly to Heathrow), Air France (Charles de Gaulle to Heathrow), EasyJet (Charles de Gaulle to Gatwick, Luton and Southend), Cityjet (Orly to City) and Flybe (Charles de Gaulle to City). These airlines, and Ryanair (who fly from Beauvais, classic route, Stage 8), also operate services to other UK airports. Airlines have different requirements regarding how cycles are presented and some, but not all, make a charge which you should pay when booking as it is usually greater at the airport. All require tyres partially deflated, handlebars turned and pedals removed (loosen pedals beforehand to make them easier to remove at the airport). Most will accept your cycle in a transparent polythene bike-bag, although some insist on use of a cardboard bike-box. These can be obtained from cycle shops, usually for free. You do, however, have the problem of how you get the box to the airport.
Navigation
Waymarking
In England, the classic route follows a series of local and national waymarked cycle trails. In France, the only waymarking is on parts of Stages 4, 7 and 8. Avenue Verte is waymarked throughout, often coinciding with other routes.
The British NCN waymark with AV symbol added; the French Avenue Verte waymark; the French yellow provisional waymark where the final route is still being considered;
Summary of cycle routes followed
| Classic route | ||
| CS4 | Cycle Superhighway 4 | Stage 1 (planned) |
| LCN18 | London Cycle Network 18 | Stage 1 |
| NCN1 | National Cycle Network 1 | Stage 1 |
| NCN177 | National Cycle Network 177 | Stage 1 |
| NCN17 | National Cycle Network 17 |
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