# Avenue Verte - what's it like



## Tim Hall (17 Jan 2014)

I'm possibly riding from London to Paris with some people I don't know. The trip isn't until June, and the route is up for discussion. 

What's the AV (alleged long distance cycleroute from London to Paris) like? More specifically, is the surface ok for skinny (23mm) tyres? I'll be on sensible rubber, but others are likely to be more of the racing snake persuasion.

@Aperitif, @dellzeqq et al, what route did you take from Dieppe?


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## dellzeqq (17 Jan 2014)

I have totally cracked the Paris route thing. And it only took three attempts.

I can send you a google maps link. As Hadrian has it, we go through Saint-Saens, Gisors and Cergy-Pontoise. The route as far as Gisors is delightful, the next bit is dull, and the our route from Cergy-Pontoise is so clever it makes me want to rub myself all over with GT85 and be cruel to sparrows.


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## TheDoctor (17 Jan 2014)

Avenue Verte surface is tarmac iirc. I rode it on a Brommie with no problems.


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## deptfordmarmoset (17 Jan 2014)

dellzeqq said:


> I have totally cracked the Paris route thing. And it only took three attempts.
> 
> I can send you a google maps link. As Hadrian has it, we go through Saint-Saens, Gisors and Cergy-Pontoise. The route as far as Gisors is delightful, the next bit is dull, and the our route from Cergy-Pontoise is so clever it makes me want to rub myself all over with GT85 and be cruel to sparrows.


I was wondering where all the sparrows had gone.


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## Fab Foodie (17 Jan 2014)

dellzeqq said:


> I have totally cracked the Paris route thing. And it only took three attempts.
> 
> .... we go through Saint-Saens .... and be cruel to sparrows.


Weren't they in the animal carnival or was it more a case of a dance macabre?


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## Tim Hall (17 Jan 2014)

Fab Foodie said:


> Weren't they in the animal carnival or was it more a case of a dance macabre?


Is anyone else picturing Bugs Bunny?


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## Tim Hall (17 Jan 2014)

dellzeqq said:


> I have totally cracked the Paris route thing. And it only took three attempts.
> 
> I can send you a google maps link. As Hadrian has it, we go through Saint-Saens, Gisors and Cergy-Pontoise. The route as far as Gisors is delightful, the next bit is dull, and the our route from Cergy-Pontoise is so clever it makes me want to rub myself all over with GT85 and be cruel to sparrows.


Google maps link would be splendid. Thanks. And as for being cruel to sparrows, je ne regrette rien, milord.


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## andym (17 Jan 2014)

There seem to be lots of videos on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=avenue+verte&sm=3

might be worth a look


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## 400bhp (18 Jan 2014)

Tim Hall said:


> Google maps link would be splendid. Thanks. And as for being cruel to sparrows, je ne regrette rien, milord.



+1, I'd like to see this too.


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## GrumpyGregry (19 Jan 2014)

The AV was full of cute French girls on inline skates last time I rode it. I was on 28's but I'd have though the racing snakes would be ok.

think of it as the cyclepath to Mumbles with added road crossings but with fewer cute young Welsh girls on inline skates.


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## Aperitif (19 Jan 2014)

Tim Hall said:


> I'm possibly riding from London to Paris with some people I don't know. The trip isn't until June, and the route is up for discussion.
> 
> What's the AV (alleged long distance cycleroute from London to Paris) like? More specifically, is the surface ok for skinny (23mm) tyres? I'll be on sensible rubber, but others are likely to be more of the racing snake persuasion.
> 
> @Aperitif, @dellzeqq et al, what route did you take from Dieppe?


The ride from Dieppe is totally bonzer, Tim. A good chugging pace and a few notable ups and that long, blasting straight section to Gisors - or wherever the main peloton went for lunch in 2012? can't remember...You would love all that. Nothing on the road phased me, in terms of traffic, but I think folk found it a little busy as we approached Paris. I liked the view on approach, and then the ducking down from the North to The Champs Elysees, through the outskirts. Easily do-able in a day from Dieppe. Even easier if you are not lashed from the night before, afternoon before, ferry trip in the morning, hip flasks emptied between Lon and Newhaven etc...if you get my drift. I might have a 'Ride with GPS' somewhere..but Simon has it covered perfectly. Haven't done AV. (ABV Leffe, Pelforth etc)


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## frank9755 (19 Jan 2014)

Very sensible to plan the route ahead of time, Tim. 

When 'Teef and I did it a couple of years ago we forgot to do that bit. I could remember some of the way from having having done it the year before - but it was in the dark, and I hadn't actually gone to Paris. Anyway, we didn't do the AV but the roads to the outskirts of Paris were a joy. But we then ended up on a busy autoroute and got a bit lost in some sort of university campus. After that, we found some pleasant back roads into town, got stopped by some policemen for not riding through red lights, did a couple of laps of the Arc de Triomphe, got told off by more policemen for stopping there, and then on to the hotel and dinner. 

I look forward to seeing DZ's cunning route in that most likely doesn't do the autoroute or university campus bits but instead passes through fields of bungalows.


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## dellzeqq (21 Jan 2014)

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Unknown road&daddr=49.922892,1.078534 to:49.9084481,1.1006763 to:49.852633,1.1631714 to:Saint-Saëns, France to:49.597156,1.371809 to:49.563991,1.417117 to:49.4902439,1.4870997 to:49.3611262,1.6249579 to:49.3380638,1.6639037 to:49.3223803,1.7228398 to:Gisors, France to:49.1429406,1.9807885 to:49.120172,2.0114746 to:Unknown road to:49.0207801,2.1486729 to:49.0129351,2.1862491 to:48.9954849,2.2398859 to:48.98715,2.26222 to:48.9867778,2.2661992 to:48.9679151,2.2884461 to:48.9475684,2.3324037 to:48.916979,2.3300559 to:Bd de Magenta&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=49.908732,1.105757&spn=0.047261,0.077162&sll=49.360192,1.625097&sspn=0.005947,0.009645&geocode=FXzu-QIdnaAQAA;FUzD-QIdBnUQACl7Z4S6B6LgRzGLcKLKqHeBFA;FeCK-QIdhMsQACnJxTREQKLgRzGhn1uXfGVbow;Fdmw-AIdo78RAClXy5N6VqPgRzFyr0h_Ele5aQ;FXr09QIdL5YTACkXqyoSMsjgRzFWIfMK7bSdpA;FeTK9AIdoe4UACltGiFyeczgRzF6jgfVH9VCtg;FVdJ9AIdnZ8VACkNfgFW1MzgRzG_zw1xdjCqtQ;FUMp8wId-7AWACllyMlYyC3nRzGa7mPbZJLBFg;FeYw8QIdfcsYACkN3-UJjyfnRzFQrdjRH-fnQw;Fc_W8AIdn2MZACmhhlumvtjmRzGj9L_WMw8EWg;FYyZ8AId10kaACmzq15-CN_mRzEujwEFdd8keA;FR7z7wIdwxsbACnxeoZmpeDmRzEjErn--yczYQ;FZzc7QIddDkeACnjpF4Hq_HmRzEb2650UWLp4w;FayD7QIdUrEeACnhoJ4UQfHmRzHBMC1OwJifEQ;Fflv7AIdiBcgAA;FWz_6wIdQMkgACld8By9eGDmRzHvHgtTIFep2w;Fcfg6wIdCVwhACmLnmcHpWDmRzGaCnZ_xSJUZA;FZyc6wIdjS0iACkNZF3IC2fmRzGw79l76cl9jg;FQ586wIdzIQiACmD5c-gt2fmRzFrdtXH3UdK1g;FZl66wIdV5QiACnRgYwwyGfmRzFl3uKUzwEXlg;Fesw6wIdPusiAClFWn0ynWjmRzHo0jMItOnoZQ;FXDh6gId85YjACklmCctJmnmRzEuvCBgaTBBZA;FfNp6gIdx40jACnpzbgs3m7mRzGd-0GkWUS6Yw;FcbS6QIdOuwjAA&oq=paris&mra=dpe&mrsp=8&sz=17&via=1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9,10,12,13,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22&t=m&z=14

and here it is. Watch out for the metal bridges in Dieppe, enjoy Saint-Saens, make a small diversion to the boulangerie on the Ave. St. Adrian in Morgny, check out the bike shop in Gisors, go through Corneille le Vexin, marvel at the simplicity of the route through Pontoise, watch out for the left turn to Pierrelaye, wonder at the genius that takes you down the Chausee Jules-Cesar (why doesn't every route to Paris do this?) and then follow the route carefully along the Rue d'Ermont, because that took endless hours of streetviewing to check.

I have the route from Pontoise as an eight page pdf. E-mail fnrttc@yahoo.co.uk if you'd like it.

Marines is tricky - I'll explain that later............


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## frank9755 (21 Jan 2014)

That looks very good. The only thing is, it does rather make a beeline for Gare du Nord. So it is, in fact, perfect if one is only travelling there to jump on the first Eurostar home...


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## db7db7 (1 Mar 2014)

http://www.donaldhirsch.com/dieppeparis.pdf

The AV is a good surface, but a bit boring. After getting off the ferry at 5am with no sleep and a full day of cycling the previous day i struggle to recall much of it. The above link has the route (nice) that we took from Dieppe to Paris via the AV.
Good luck and enjoy. Oh, and if you can go out and get smashed in Paris it rounds the trip off beautifully - the people were so friendly and were buying us drinks all night/morning based on the fact we told them we'd cycled all that way to meet the "nice people of Paris"!


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## TheDoctor (1 Mar 2014)

AV is indeed a little dull.
The surface is smooth tarmac IIRC - I certainly had no problems on a Brompton - but I've somehow never felt inspired to go and do it again.


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## StuartG (7 Mar 2014)

I have done it in the early eerie hours with mist floating across. Great if you accept the over frequent barriers as a chicane challenge which is fine when there's nowt about but lethal distraction of attention at any other time. The barriers fade the further you get from Dieppe. On a sunny afternoon it can get very crowded with families ambling around on or off sit'up'n'begs which requires more concentration if you want to cover distance at a reasonable rate (>10 mph). Though if you wanna relax the refreshment places are frequent too.

I prefer the parallel D roads (see DZ above). Its a culture shock that you don't need to get away from motors in France, they are just so shockingly courteous that you get to enjoy the encounters (Paris is another country though). BTW the start is a bit out of Dieppe and not obvious.


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## CopperBrompton (7 Mar 2014)

You can see numerous photos of it here: http://www.benlovejoy.com/cycle/tripreports/londontoparis/

My top tip is not to take the overnight ferry.

The route itself is very pleasant indeed.


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## CopperBrompton (7 Mar 2014)

There is quite a lot of uphill, but it is rewarded with this ... :-D


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## StuartG (8 Mar 2014)

Trikeman said:


> My top tip is not to take the overnight ferry.


My top tip is the opposite.

This gives you the day to ride down to Newhaven through some of the most glorious countryside and lanes this country can offer. Newhaven is a huge disappointment at the end but kip down on the boat (which you can do for free - follow a truck driver to the top tv lounge and form a mattress from the seat panels).

Then around 3am you can have a wash and brush up in the French terminal and set out in darkness to the slow and magical dawn over Normandy, then the smell of a nearby _boulangerie_ for an early alfresco breakfast. This is what heaven will be like. It gives you the whole day to get to Paris (if you are strong) or somewhere like Beauvais if you are not (see avatar) for a relaxed afternoon tea, cheaper accommodation and the finest stained glass window heaven can put on this planet.

But taking the morning ferry is great too if you do a night ride down but wastes too much of a precious day when you could be riding. YMMV.


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## CopperBrompton (8 Mar 2014)

StuartG said:


> My top tip is the opposite.
> 
> This gives you the day to ride down to Newhaven through some of the most glorious countryside and lanes this country can offer.


In the dark. And the cold. And the wet. Not seeing any of it, and not finding anywhere open for breakfast until about three hours later. DAMHIK!


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## StuartG (8 Mar 2014)

Ah weather - the subtle difference between heaven or hell ... moon and mist makes great country even greater.


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## CopperBrompton (8 Mar 2014)

StuartG said:


> Ah weather - the subtle difference between heaven or hell ... moon and mist makes great country even greater.


No moon. No mist. Just pissing, freezing rain. :-)


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## AnneW (10 Mar 2014)

It depends what kind of cycling you want to do. 

AV is pleasant, easy cycling. Lots of little places to visit along the way, nice scenery. My friends did it with thin, road tyres and were fine.

Not so good if you want to get your head down and motor along. Too many stops for the barriers and too many people.


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## cappers (12 Apr 2014)

so roadbike or hybrid ?????? what do people who have done the AV recommend?


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## AnneW (14 Apr 2014)

OH and I did it on hybrids, our friends who were with us did it on road bikes - all were fine.

When we did it, 2 years ago, the very end of the AV hadn't been finished - but that was just a small section after Forges Les Eaux (apologies if the spelling is wrong!) which was too rough and soggy for the road bikes, but up to that point it's perfect.


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## Richard Fairhurst (14 Apr 2014)

Worth noting that the AV in France and in Britain are quite different animals. The above descriptions are spot on for the French bit. But although the British bit has some lovely sections, there's also the occasional muddy bridleway, the route due south of Gatwick Airport is grim, and frankly I could do without doing the London suburbs again. Assuming you're confident in moderate traffic, I wouldn't treat the British route as gospel, more as a starting point for your own route.


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## CopperBrompton (14 Apr 2014)

Oh yeah, we ignored the UK bit altogether.


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## vernon (15 Apr 2014)

Trikeman said:


> Oh yeah, we ignored the UK bit altogether.



I'm about to ignore the English bit this weekend.


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## AnneW (15 Apr 2014)

We ignored the English bit too and used other cycle routes to make our way to Newhaven.


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## vernon (27 Apr 2014)

Tim Hall said:


> I'm possibly riding from London to Paris with some people I don't know. The trip isn't until June, and the route is up for discussion.
> 
> What's the AV (alleged long distance cycleroute from London to Paris) like? More specifically, is the surface ok for skinny (23mm) tyres? I'll be on sensible rubber, but others are likely to be more of the racing snake persuasion.
> 
> @Aperitif, @dellzeqq et al, what route did you take from Dieppe?



I did the French side of the Avenue Verte last week. Most of it is fine for skinny tyres even the off road bits apart from Paris where there's cobbles with a nominal smooth bike path next to them but it's narrow and used by pedestrians. The last 15km could be bit of a nightmare in terms of navigation if you are reliant on maps only - some of the route isn't obviously way marked and there's a fair amount of redevelopment going on leading to some diversions because the official route has been dig up or has yet to be laid.

On the whole id's a pleasant ride notwithstanding the Paris problems.


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## Lemond (3 Aug 2014)

Could anyone advise on whether the UK part of the Avenue Verte is suitable for road bikes? Failing that, can anyone recommend an alternative route to Newhaven that's not too heavy on the traffic. Any help and advice would be much appreciated.


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## mikeIow (4 Aug 2014)

We kind of made our own way out of London, starting with too much A23 (dull, but gets you out without too much faff!)......then made our way along and out to Turners Hill.....so probably not much of the "official" route.
Sat in Forges Les Eaux right now at the Hotel La Pais after a very nice meal here....stuffed, and expecting a bit of saddle pain tomorrow (60 miles......not a massive distance, but remember I am a leisure/casual cyclist!!)....
But we have had fantastic weather, and we were lucky enough to stay at a friends near Plumpton last night, which broke the journey nicely...
Avenue Verte to Forges is very straight (well, it is a railway line!) with lots of road crossings to slow right down for....it suits someone like me fine, but tomorrow could be more challenging. We plan to follow the Donald Hirsch route, which I think doesn't precisely follow the Avenue Verte route but may be a bit more direct. Of course we may get lost.....I am still getting to grips with the Teasi, which for the most part is brilliant, I should say!


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## AnneW (7 Aug 2014)

mikelow you're doing a similar to route to the one we did - and yes we did get lost near Paris (we were staying at a chateau in the middle of a park, asking for trouble!!) but the French are great at giving directions.

Lemond, we didn't follow the AV on this side, we used route 23 in places, but it tends to go a bit out of the way, so we adapted it (along R23, dropped south and then picked it up again). I don't have the exact route but we went from London to East Grinstead, to Newhaven - we stayed overnight in those places as we're leisure cyclists too.


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## mikeIow (7 Aug 2014)

I should perhaps add....WE DID IT!
Day 3 was a long, hot, hilly 70 miles (furthest I have ever done!) & we stayed in the Campanile Villennes-sur-Seine, which I should say was very nice: friendly staff, nice meal, great!
Day 4 was then meant to be a simple 20 mile run into Paris to finish at the Eiffel Tower.....well, it was 20 miles, but in TORRENTIAL rain! Teasi took us a great route (picked from the 3 offered!), pretty quiet for much of it, but boy, heavy rain on cobblestones - what an exciting combination!
Our support crew found us by the South pillar, and we found a shelter to drink champagne and eat cake before deciding discretion was the better part of valour, and instead of us pedalling, we all took the metro back!
Sadly that evening we stayed at the Campanile in Chaville....and we were only out of our room for 3 hours (2 of which were eating in the hotel).....on returning, we found our room had been entered (with a key - no lock broken, so no travel insurance valid) and my daughters pride and joy camera stolen with her iPods and some money etc....about €600 worth gone 
Hotel finally admitted 4 rooms were entered, but given they are all summer staff (by their approach!), I suspect it will be a battle to get anything out of Campanile later..... Got a police report, so daughter got the chance to practice her French....

But a great ride, fab weather and great fun as my first proper cycling adventure! Now then....do something else next year, or sell the bike now?


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## AnneW (31 Aug 2014)

That's terrible about the hotel - I hope you can get something back from them 

Glad you enjoyed the ride.... definitely do something else next year!! It doesn't have to be long, you can take your bike somewhere like the Peak District and cycle the Tissington trail, High Peak trail and the Monsol Trail over a few days. 

Obviously you can go to lots of areas and do something similar, I mention the Peak District just because I know it.

Happy cycling!


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