Phil’s Example Migration Itineraries
Option 1 Eurostar* and sleeper train
Depart London: 4.30pm Saturday
Arrive Les Deux Velos: Late morning Sunday
Approx cost - £130
Stress score 4/10
Fun score 8/10
Part 1 - Eurostar
Depart London: 4.31pm
Arrive Paris: 7:47pm
Cost £86
Interlude
Hoon across Paris stopping for a cheeky apertif on the way
Part 2 - the night train!
Depart Paris Austerlitz 9:14pm
Arrive Tarascon 7.40am
Cost: ~ 40 euros with a bed!
Interlude no,2
Hit boulangeries hard
Part 3
Tarascon - Les Deux Velos
30km joyous ride over a big Col with your new best mates
Part 4
Enjoy enormous sense of satisfaction and revel in the feeling that you've already been away for weeks, such is the marvel that is slow travel.
* Eurostar are currently not taking bikes, but claim to be changing this by the end of the year! there is option to travel by boat and train leaving (see option 2) and get the sleeper train instead of an overnight in Paris.
Option two. The Two-Dayer.
Feat. Boats
Depart: Dover 11.15am Saturday
Arrive: Les Deux Velos Late afternoon Sunday
Approx cost - £120 plus a night in Paris
Stress score 6/10
Fun score 10/10
Prelude – get yerself to Dover
Part 1 Ferry from Dover - Calais
Depart: 11.15am
Arrive: 1:45pm
£25
30 min cycle to train station
Part 2 – Train Calais to Paris
Depart Calais Frethun: 5.15pm
Arrive Paris Nord: 7.08pm
~40 euros
Interlude
- Sleep in Paris in cheap air bnb with travelling pals!Drink excess amounts of cheap wine and moulefrittes
- Or, if you haven’t before try out Warm Showers!
Part 3 – Train from Paris - Tarascon Sur Ariege
Depart Paris: 9.11am
Arrive Tarascon sur Ariege: 3.13pm
~ 40- 60 euros
Interlude no,2
Hit boulangeries/ supermarkets/ bars hard
Part 3
Tarascon - Les Deux Velos
30km joyous ride over a big Col with your new best mates
The real adventure begins! We'll come and meet you to bring you over the Col in the dark and help carry some bags
Options involving car pooling
Option 3 - Van hire – the boring and long but arguably the least stressful option
10 days van hire with 5 passengers (3 drivers), £1500
Drive 800 miles - fuel costs??
14 hours drive time
£/pp £350 both ways
Stress score 3/10
Fun score 1/10
Option 4 - Blahblah car
A real gamble, but know folk who have caught lifts with bikes across France!
Option 5 - Hitch hike!
For the time rich and very adventurous!
Depart London area: 6am Sunday Morning
Arrive: Les Deux Velos evening Saturday
Approx cost - £100 - £170
Stress score 8/10
Fun score 0/10
Part 1 – Flight prep
Spend 2 hours trying to source a bike box/ get bike box/ drag bike box back to house. Spend 2 hours trying to remove stuck pedals/ seat post/ handle bars from bike. Round off numerous bolts in process. Wrap bike in meaningless protection and hope for best.
Part 2 option 1 – get to Gatwick airport £30
Get across London at 7am in rush hour with bike box on tube to catch Gatwick express as too cheap to pay for taxi. Sweat more than you thought was humanly possible.
Part 2 option 2 – get to Gatwick airport £100
Get taxi to Gatwick and have a lovely time once you’ve argued the toss with driver about whether a bike box is equivalent to a suitcase and that it will fit just fine if he just puts his seats down. Pay almost a hundred pounds for the privilege.
Part 3 – Flight Gatwick – Toulouse £28
Depart Gatwick: 8:45am
Arrive Toulouse: 11:30am
Look out window and see bike box being launched onto trolley by overzealous baggage handler. Spend rest of flight worrying about damage caused.
Interlude
Remove bike. Discover rear derailleur/ disk rotor/ spokes are bent.
Part 4 Train Toulouse to Tarascon
Depart Toulouse: 12.45pm
Arrive Tarascon: 4:35pm
~40 euros