Hello!
So it has been about 3 weeks since we cycled to Paris and I am fully recovered! However I'm still not in any great hurry to get back on my bike! I'm often asked if I enjoyed our 'holiday' and my response has consistently been 'It was the worst thing I have ever done'. Yes, this was mostly down to the terrible weather conditions as if it hadn't have been so rainy I think the whole experience would have been far more enjoyable. Plus in stark contrast, the weather was absolutely stunning during our England day; that's not how it's supposed to be! I remember repeatedly telling my mum when we were planning the trip that 'Camping will be fine, it won't rain in France - it's France!' I was under some delusion that the whole of France had a Mediterranean type climate..
But beside the cold, the wind, the relentless rain and being in a permanent state of soggyness I can still say that I am 100% glad that I did it. It was one huge crazy adventure and the sense of exploration and excitement was well worth the pain. I saw some beautiful parts of both France and England and explored little towns and cafes that you would never normally care to explore on your standard holiday. One memorable part for me was diverting off of our path around 9am on our first day in France in order to take shelter from the rain. We stumbled upon a quaint little cafe type place (although I'm sure it was actually just someone's dining room) where we poorly put our GCSE's in French to use and managed to order two wonderful hot chocolates. It was a little bit of salvation from the cold and wind even though I think we were interrupting the owners breakfast!
The experience was very strange and surreal and I'm still confused as to what actually happened during our trip. We met some great people along the way and I saw many animals (highlight for me) to whom I yelled 'Bonjour' to as we cycled past. I wish I could say arriving at the Eiffel Tower was the best part for me... but our campsite was at least a half hour cycle back the way we had come from the tower. So once we arrived at the tower all I could think was 'I've still got to get back on the bloody bike! It's still not over!' However I was highly impressed with how big the Eiffel Tower is, I wasn't quite expecting it!
Would I do it again? Yes, on the condition I had a racing bike and a support car to carry all my stuff in. Oh, and hotels to stay in. No more camping - ever.
Would I reccomend it? Yes! Okay, I know our blog won't inspire confidence in anyone but honestly it is so worthwhile and such a good experience that you can gain so much out of!
Best moment? Very occasionally beasting up hills past Jamie..oh and nearly causing a crash on the cycle track around the Hippodrome de Longchamps by blindly turning down it the wrong way into the path of an incoming peloton! It was funny!
Worst moment? Waking up in the middle of the night to realise my arm was in a puddle and the rest of me wasn't too dry either.
Tuesday 17 September 2013
Thursday 29 August 2013
A very surreal experience
One of the first things I was asked when I got back, was did I enjoy it? The truthful answer to that is no, not at all. It was by far and away the hardest thing I've ever done physically, and that is before you add in other circumstances such as the weather. Cycling through France for two days with the wind and rain driving in your face is not fun, especially when you can't even take refuge in your own tent (and everyone else seems to have support vans and warmth). I think I've been put off camping for life! It already seems like a lifetime ago, and even during the journey, it didn't always feel as if we were actually doing it, it was a very strange few days.
Having said that, I'm extremely glad I've done it, and it was definitely a worthwhile experience! It was ultimately relief that I felt when we arrived under the Eiffel Tower, but knowing that we had made it made the pain and rain (mostly) worth it. Despite everything, there are still good memories to take away: meeting people along the way was great, we got to visit Paris, and I still can't believe our only puncture came on Amy's mountain bike tires!
Add to this that we made our £500 sponsorship target (thankyou so much to everyone who sponsored us!) and it is definitely an unforgettable experience, that I'm glad I had, even if I will be in no hurry to do anything like it again soon!
Wednesday 28 August 2013
Le Coudray St Germer - Paris
Our first night of camping was in short - horrific. I woke up after a few hours of sleep to discover I was essentially lying in a puddle. The constant rain had caused the outer tent to stick to the inner tent and consequently a lot of rainwater had leaked into the tent. After a freezing cold and sleepless night, we woke in the morning to realise the full extent of the leak. The inner tent was practically flooded, our blanket and panniers and our sleeping clothes were all soaked too. And to make things better, it was still raining. We then had to spend over an hour trying to separate the soaking wet stuff from the drier stuff whilst inside our tiny tent.
Our mood was not good. We were shattered, cold, soaked and everything was aching. Nonetheless we made a swift but well behind schedule start. Soon however the wind and the increasingly heavy rain and hilly terrain took its toll and we really began to slow. Conditions were poor and we were in bad condition after the horrible night. As we pulled up around 35 miles later we were surprised to be met by a familiar face..more than 70 miles since we had last seen him. As the guy rolled up next to us, he proceeded to fall off his bike and we realised it was the same guy we had met way back in Dieppe. We rested and chatted for a while before setting off on a supposed shortcut. This shortcut actually ended up in us getting lost for an hour before finally finding our way back to the route. By this time it began to dawn on us that due to our late start and time lost due to conditions and losing our way, the number of hours left to go compared with the number of hours left in the day were not in our favour. Our tent was also soaked through making it uninhabitable and we had no plans or ideas of where else to stay in Paris. The prospect of wandering around Paris at night looking for somewhere to stay did not seem like a good idea.
However we ploughed on and eventually managed to reach the Seine. Not long after we bumped into that same guy again (making it the 5th time on the trip!) and after chatting about what was best for us to do next, we decided to stop for the night in a local hotel. This was a really difficult decision to make but in reality we didn't really have another option. We checked in and hung all the wet stuff out to dry in the hope that our tent would be habitable by the morning.
For the first time since we had arrived in France, we finally saw blue sky! We woke up to find a sunny morning and that our stuff had (mostly) dried. We set off on our final 25 miles a little bit more encouraged after the nightmare of the previous day. Cycling through pretty forests and making a short visit to Versaille (before we were promptly kicked out by a security guard) eventually led us up the steepest hill we have ever seen (yes, we walked up it) to the outskirts of Paris; Parc de St Cloud.
The Eiffel Tower was now in sight and after navigating across the busy roads over the Seine we found ourselves on the cycle race track around the Hippodrome on Rue de Longchamps. Winding down through the city we eventually arrived at the tower where we treated ourselves to a well deserved ice cream and relaxed on the grass, relieved that we had finally made it!
Our mood was not good. We were shattered, cold, soaked and everything was aching. Nonetheless we made a swift but well behind schedule start. Soon however the wind and the increasingly heavy rain and hilly terrain took its toll and we really began to slow. Conditions were poor and we were in bad condition after the horrible night. As we pulled up around 35 miles later we were surprised to be met by a familiar face..more than 70 miles since we had last seen him. As the guy rolled up next to us, he proceeded to fall off his bike and we realised it was the same guy we had met way back in Dieppe. We rested and chatted for a while before setting off on a supposed shortcut. This shortcut actually ended up in us getting lost for an hour before finally finding our way back to the route. By this time it began to dawn on us that due to our late start and time lost due to conditions and losing our way, the number of hours left to go compared with the number of hours left in the day were not in our favour. Our tent was also soaked through making it uninhabitable and we had no plans or ideas of where else to stay in Paris. The prospect of wandering around Paris at night looking for somewhere to stay did not seem like a good idea.
However we ploughed on and eventually managed to reach the Seine. Not long after we bumped into that same guy again (making it the 5th time on the trip!) and after chatting about what was best for us to do next, we decided to stop for the night in a local hotel. This was a really difficult decision to make but in reality we didn't really have another option. We checked in and hung all the wet stuff out to dry in the hope that our tent would be habitable by the morning.
For the first time since we had arrived in France, we finally saw blue sky! We woke up to find a sunny morning and that our stuff had (mostly) dried. We set off on our final 25 miles a little bit more encouraged after the nightmare of the previous day. Cycling through pretty forests and making a short visit to Versaille (before we were promptly kicked out by a security guard) eventually led us up the steepest hill we have ever seen (yes, we walked up it) to the outskirts of Paris; Parc de St Cloud.
The Eiffel Tower was now in sight and after navigating across the busy roads over the Seine we found ourselves on the cycle race track around the Hippodrome on Rue de Longchamps. Winding down through the city we eventually arrived at the tower where we treated ourselves to a well deserved ice cream and relaxed on the grass, relieved that we had finally made it!
Dieppe - Le Coudray St Germer
As we queued for the 11.30pm ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe, a large number of cyclists began to join the line. We spoke to a few and discovered that we were far from the only ones who were planning this trip! There were large groups and individuals all attempting the same thing (though a few were trying to do it all in 24 hours!!) The main difference between us and them was they mostly seemed to have support vans and nice lightweight racing bikes as opposed to my pannier laden mountain bike!
After a four hour ferry crossing we arrived in a rather rainy Dieppe at about 4.30am and soon set off, slotting in behind a group of guys who sped off through the town (and we somehow managed to keep up!) As they stopped for directions we eagerly cycled on towards the Avenue Verte. Along the way we met a guy who had just casually decided the night before to cycle Dieppe to Paris and we had a little chat before he proceeded to fall off his bike. We continued on in the dark and onto the long tarmac strip of the Avenue and into the French countryside.
As the sun began to rise we began to take in the stunning countryside and the quaint little towns that the path intersected. We were soon overtaken by others who had been on the ferry with us including the guy who had fallen off his bike. Then it started to rain and we quickly became soaked and hastily shoved our clothes and tent into plastic bags in a small attempt to keep them dry. The rain and cold soon became too much and we sought shelter in a tiny cafe just off the avenue where a lady (whose breakfast i'm sure we interrupted) provided us with a wonderful hot chocolate to warm us up.
A while later the rain stopped but our problems had not. We came off the cycle path and onto a road and I instinctively cycled onto the left side. Jamie yelled 'RIGHT' at me and I swerved onto some gravel. Somehow I managed to get a puncture from this despite having mountain bike tires and my front wheel was soon completely flat by the time I had reached the top of the road. Although we knew how to repair a puncture (by we I mean Jamie has made one repair before) it would have taken us hours to get the wheel off alone! By some miracle a group of english cyclists came past and saw our evident trouble! Three of them spent the next 20 minutes or so repairing the puncture and we could not be more grateful to them for pretty much saving us from wasting hours trying to do it ourselves!
After a delicious lunch from a patisserie in Forges-Les-Eaux we set off again. The rest of the day pretty much blurred into one increasingly painful haze. The route became increasingly hilly and we really began to tire. Legs ached with every pedal and we literally felt empty and zapped of all energy. As you may imagine there were a few tears! After 14 hours or so since we began cycling we finally arrived at our campsite in Le Coudray St Germer.
Then the rain started...
After a four hour ferry crossing we arrived in a rather rainy Dieppe at about 4.30am and soon set off, slotting in behind a group of guys who sped off through the town (and we somehow managed to keep up!) As they stopped for directions we eagerly cycled on towards the Avenue Verte. Along the way we met a guy who had just casually decided the night before to cycle Dieppe to Paris and we had a little chat before he proceeded to fall off his bike. We continued on in the dark and onto the long tarmac strip of the Avenue and into the French countryside.
As the sun began to rise we began to take in the stunning countryside and the quaint little towns that the path intersected. We were soon overtaken by others who had been on the ferry with us including the guy who had fallen off his bike. Then it started to rain and we quickly became soaked and hastily shoved our clothes and tent into plastic bags in a small attempt to keep them dry. The rain and cold soon became too much and we sought shelter in a tiny cafe just off the avenue where a lady (whose breakfast i'm sure we interrupted) provided us with a wonderful hot chocolate to warm us up.
A while later the rain stopped but our problems had not. We came off the cycle path and onto a road and I instinctively cycled onto the left side. Jamie yelled 'RIGHT' at me and I swerved onto some gravel. Somehow I managed to get a puncture from this despite having mountain bike tires and my front wheel was soon completely flat by the time I had reached the top of the road. Although we knew how to repair a puncture (by we I mean Jamie has made one repair before) it would have taken us hours to get the wheel off alone! By some miracle a group of english cyclists came past and saw our evident trouble! Three of them spent the next 20 minutes or so repairing the puncture and we could not be more grateful to them for pretty much saving us from wasting hours trying to do it ourselves!
After a delicious lunch from a patisserie in Forges-Les-Eaux we set off again. The rest of the day pretty much blurred into one increasingly painful haze. The route became increasingly hilly and we really began to tire. Legs ached with every pedal and we literally felt empty and zapped of all energy. As you may imagine there were a few tears! After 14 hours or so since we began cycling we finally arrived at our campsite in Le Coudray St Germer.
Then the rain started...
Friday 23 August 2013
Day 1 London to Newhaven
It was an early 5.30am start for us today as we caught the early train into London. After waiting about 2 hours to be allowed our bikes onto the trains, we arrived in Croydon. Immediately upon leaving the station, we got lost. We got so lost it probably took us about an hour and a half to actually get out! Two successive giant hills probably had a lot to do with this, the latter of which made Amy cry.
Our first moment of excitement was a bit of an odd one..cycling over the M25. It was something of a landmark meaning we were finally out of London! The second moment was realising we were finally in Sussex!
However cycling through sussex proved to be a rather trying experience. We constantly seemed to be going uphill and these hills were either pretty steep or stupidly long-although the majority of them seemed to be both! We seemed continually faced with hills that we'd never experienced before! Eventually we rolled (up a hill) into Lewes and then a long windy road down into Newhaven.
We're currently on the ferry looking forward to a very early 5amish start! Yay! There are lots of other cyclists on the ferry with us..majority of whom seem to be heading to paris. Some are doing it over a few days like us but a few are attempting to do the whole trip in 24hrs!
Just shows how popular a trip it is becoming!
All your support on justgiving/twitter/facebook is fantastic and is really keeping us going!
Thanks!
Wednesday 21 August 2013
So we are off on friday!
So unbelievably, we are setting off to Paris this friday! It seems a long time from when we first decided to do this back in january! We will be setting off from Croydon on friday morning and hopefully arriving in Newhaven in the early evening! I am super excited to be going and looking forward to what will definitely be a memorable experience!!
We did cycle to Cambridge but I just forgot to write about it! We managed a decent 65 miles overall and there was no case of 'shaky leg' which used to plague us after our very first training rides once we got home. I think we can take that as a sign of improvement!
It will be interesting to see how carrying a load of stuff on the bike will effect our speed and hill climbing abilities but I'm hoping we will still be able to get up any big hills!
Just to say a huge thankyou to everyone who has sponsored us so far, we are at £350 which is amazing and will really encourage us to keep pedalling! Your money is going to a great cause and we will definitely get round to thanking all of you personally for your support! We hope to update this blog whilst on our ride so keep checking this page out to see how we are progressing!
We did cycle to Cambridge but I just forgot to write about it! We managed a decent 65 miles overall and there was no case of 'shaky leg' which used to plague us after our very first training rides once we got home. I think we can take that as a sign of improvement!
It will be interesting to see how carrying a load of stuff on the bike will effect our speed and hill climbing abilities but I'm hoping we will still be able to get up any big hills!
Just to say a huge thankyou to everyone who has sponsored us so far, we are at £350 which is amazing and will really encourage us to keep pedalling! Your money is going to a great cause and we will definitely get round to thanking all of you personally for your support! We hope to update this blog whilst on our ride so keep checking this page out to see how we are progressing!
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