Tag: Travel

The night train south!

The journey down to the south of France with my bicycle by train and via the Newhaven Dieppe ferry was remarkably easy. The total journey time was about 48 hours with two stopovers, –  one in Paris and one on the night train south. An enjoyable trip!

Taking your bicycle on the train through France

From Paris to Nice

The night train south through France is one of Europe’s last true travel pleasures.  Boarding in the cool evening, in a bustling city still in “work mode”, and then effortlessly the world just gradually tilts. The lights fade. The carriage hums. The long black windows become mirrors. You fall asleep and when morning comes you’re in a different place! Your train is taking you along the Côte d’Azur, the French Riviera dressed in sunlight. A series of bays and headlands overlook the beautiful blue sea. The hills are dotted with old pastel coloured villages and bougainvillea climbs sandy coloured walls. No wonder artists like Matisse, Monet, and Renoir made it their home. 

No, I wasn’t travelling in style like Hercule Poirot on board  “Le Train Bleu” as described by Agatha Christie, in the book The Mystery of the Blue Train but just 2nd Class and no sleeping compartment. All the same there is a sense of adventure and magic about a night train.

Planning a long train journey with bikes that are ‘fully assembled’ is quite a challenge whether in the UK or in Europe especially with the heavier electric bikes. Generally, you can’t go on TGV as they require you to disassemble the bike and, and have it packed away.

The journey I had planned was to go from the south of France to the north of France by bicycle. Many people said, why don’t you just cycle down and then you’ve got the wonderful Mediterranean when you arrive there. But I didn’t want to have the train journey before me after I’d done the cycling. I knew I would be tired, so I wanted to be near home at the end of my journey by bike.

The other reason I decided to get the train journey out of the way before I started cycling was that I didn’t know how difficult it would be to travel via the French Intercités de Nuit train. They advertise the service as taking fully assembled bikes, but most of these trains are the old style with very narrow doorways into the carriage. If there were difficulties, I wanted to have plenty of time to get my bike on the train by arriving early so I could fiddle around and even possibly twist the handlebars around to get the bike on board.

You might say this is all a lot of faffing around, just to get to the start of a journey and is just too much hassle. But to me, it’s part of the holiday and it’s cheap, especially if you have a Carte Avantage Senior (for over 60’s) offering 30% off. The crossing from Newhaven to Dieppe was cheap too with 20% off for seniors!  

The journey from the UK Nice to Mediterranean coast

The journey down to the south of France by train and ferry was remarkably easy. The total journey time was about 48 hours with two stopovers, –  one in Paris and one on the night train south. The journey splits into 3 stages:

England to France

I left home about 7 am, crossed by ferry to Dieppe from Newhaven and took the train to Paris arriving about 6:30 pm.

Taking your bike on the train to Paris, changin at Rouen on the TER trains is relatively easy, –  no need to book at most times throughout the year. No ‘hook’ your bike up. If you were travelling from Portsmouth to Le Havre you have the advantage of a direct train to Paris.

At Paris 

As I arrived in Paris by 6:30 pm I could have taken the chance and crossed to the Gare d’Austerlitz, where the night train leaves for Nice at about 8:30 pm, but If anything had delayed me on route to Paris I would have missed a train south. The safer option was to stay the night in Paris and become a tourist for the day taking the night train the next day. The Ibis hotel near the Gare Lazare kindly stored my bike for the whole day. Hotels in France are generally very helpful with bicycles.

Crossing Paris is a lot easier now as the route alongside the River Seine is car-free. Leave the hotel following the cycle path down to the River Seine and then a very pleasant cycle ride all the way past Notre Dame to the Gare d’Austerlitz, (near the Gare de Lyon). 

The night train south to the mediterranean coast via the Intercités de Nuit

Even though I had a booking, I wanted to arrive early for the night train to make sure I could get my bike on the old-style French train. There were three steps up to the train from the platform, (more difficult with the heavier electric bike). Being an old-style train, there were narrow doorways but with help we ‘wriggled’ the bike through. Unfortunately, to get the bike into the actual bike compartment required passing through another bi-fold door, a very awkward narrow gap, but I managed it with the help of others. The reserved cycle compartment took only four bikes to be hung on hooks. Not easy with the heavier electric bikes but again with the help of others the bike was finally put in position. Actually, I needn’t have worried about putting the bike on the hook because when others joined the train they just parked the bike in the space that was available rather than go to the trouble of hanging on the hook! 

The train leaves Paris about 9:30 pm and arrives in Nice the next morning at just after 8 am. 

I recommend having a meal before you depart. You can then settle in and get some sleep overnight. I travelled second class and didn’t choose a sleeping compartment. Ear muffs so that you can get some sleep.

We could have got off the train at Cannes to commence our journey north, but the stopping time was only two or three minutes and we had a lot of luggage and it was difficult to get the bikes in and out of the train. So by going to the end of the line at Nice we had plenty of time to get the bikes and our luggage off the train. Yes, it meant cycling along the coast to Cannes to start our journey, but I foresaw that wasn’t going to be a hardship. It was only a short distance and added to the enjoyment of the trip. 

Train & ferry journey costs:

From the UK to the South of France the total cost was  €72 plus the hotel cost in Paris:

  • £35 for the ferry crossing (including the 20% seniors discount, only available by phone booking or at the port). 
  • Less than €17 to Paris with my SNCF Carte Avantage Senior travel card. Other cards are available such as the Carte Avantage Jeune for 12 to 27 year olds or with 20% off Interrail in most cases.
  • €25 from Paris to Nice via the Intercité de Nuit. Prices start from €19 per single journey. 
Planning a journey by train with your bicycle

Planning a train journey with bikes that are fully assembled can be a challenge. Hopefully the following will make in easier:

TER Trains

In previous trips I have learned to look out for the regional trains, – ‘TER’ (Transport Express Régional).  You can travel quite a long way on TER trains. Normally you don’t need to book a place for your bike but in peak season it may be necessary. Check when you book your advance ticket.  

Here are examples of TER train bike compartments:

‘Intercités’ and ‘Intercités de Nuit’ trains 

The ‘Intercités’ trains also allow fully assembled bikes for a fee. Check out the French national railways (SNCF) website for more info and the INTERCITÉS train website

For night trains check out the SNCF web site for night trains to the Hautes-Alpes, the Pyrenees or the Occitanie region.

TGV trains

While a few TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) trains will now carry fully assembled bikes, on most TGV trains your bike has to be packed in a bag no larger than 90 by 130 cm.

However if you book ahead you might be able to take your fully assembled bike on either the INOUI TGV or OUIGO Train Classique trains.  Checkout the SNCF website. 

Europe by bike

Finally, check out the website ‘The Man in Seat 61‘ for a guide to taking your bike by train from the UK through mainland Europe

Summer Newsletter

What a summer! Cycling adventures through mountains and along coastlines, a memorable trip to Porto with my sons, Adrian and James, an escaped to La Rochelle, and a spring visit to Annecy in the French Alps to see our daughter and her family. I even caught up with old skiing friends. Other highlights included launching my podcast website, publishing a heartfelt tribute to my father and his fellow POWs on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, and raising funds for Ukrainian causes. It has been a season of adventure, reflection, and purpose.

What a summer it has been! From cycling adventures across beautiful mountainous landscapes and coastal routes to a memorable trip to Porto with my sons, Adrian and James, the season has been full of highlights. Carol and I enjoyed a lovely getaway to La Rochelle. In the spring we had a wonderful visit to Annecy and the French Alps, where we spent time with our daughter and her family—and I even caught up with old skiing friends. Added to that I launched my podcast website and published a heartfelt tribute to my father and his fellow POWs on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, and I managed to achieve some meaningful fundraising for Ukrainian causes!

click below to read more:

Continue reading “Summer Newsletter”

Solo Cycling Roscoff to Dieppe

Roscoff to Dieppe – Solo cycle ride of 429 miles in 8 days – weather was sunny and settled throughout. Great ride! Here is my diary with photos and short videos. Enjoy!

A great 400+ mile ride in wonderful sunny weather through Brittany and Normandy – August 2025

Earlier this year
In June I completed my longest-ever bike ride — over 1,000 miles. It felt like a huge achievement, but after a few weeks back home, I found myself restless. Was that it? Could I really leave it there? The answer, of course, was no. I wanted another challenge, another cycling adventure! So in early August I packed up again, caught the ferry from Plymouth to Roscoff, and set out to cycle across northern France to Dieppe.

Author: Vic Ient

Thanks to Adrian Ient for editorial input

Click on image to enlarge them. Click on the short videos to watch them. Click HERE to see all my photos and videos

Cycling Route note:
EuroVelo 4 (EV4), is the Central European EV Route. It is a 5,100 km long-distance cycle route stretching from Roscoff, France, to Kyiv, Ukraine! 

Route Map Sketch (approx. distance markers)

429 miles – 8 days

Ferry arrives at Roscoff early in the morning

In total, I covered 429 miles in eight days, averaging around 50 miles a day. The weather was on my side — sunny and settled throughout. The first part of the ride, across Brittany, was new to me and full of discoveries; the second, from St Malo onwards, felt like reuniting with old friends. There was comfort in the familiar cycle paths, but also excitement in the unknown stretches. Each morning I felt that mixture of anticipation and slight nervousness about what the day would bring — Would the roads be quiet? Would I make good progress? — and each evening brought the quiet satisfaction of having done it.

Here is my diary of the solo ride, Enjoy!

Continue reading “Solo Cycling Roscoff to Dieppe”

The lads on a 1960s road trip to the Italian Riviera!

You can also listen to this adventure on my podcast CLICK HERE

An amazing trip across Europe!

This podcast is dedicated to my great friends Graham Brooks and Pete Jeffries who sadly now passed away. My adventures with them will always live in my memory.

Graham Brooks had been my friend from childhood. Later as we became lads about town, when I was about 17/18, we teamed up with Pete Jefferies, who was a friend of Graham’s.

In 1966, Graham bought a wonderful car, a Sunbeam Rapier, which was cream and red, where all the side windows opened giving you the feeling that you were in an open topped car.  It had dual ‘SU’ carburettors, which was all the rage in those days. Graham, being very adept at technical stuff, was able to maintain the very complicated engine. We had trips out in the car in England, but during one discussion around the table, probably in the Jolly Farmer pub in Guildford, we three set down a plan to travel across the continent, to Italy. Pete had suggested it. Perhaps he had been there before with his parents. We agreed on Italy as our destination. And so over the months that followed, we planned our route.

Continue reading “The lads on a 1960s road trip to the Italian Riviera!”

France – South To North Cycle Ride 2025

France – South to North Cycle Ride 2025: cycling from the French Mediterranean back to the English Channel! I have cycled over 900 miles from the South of France to Dieppe!

This May I set out on a new a new challenge – cycling from the Mediterranean coast back to the English Channel!

For details of journey photos and daily diary click HERE

Whilst on, and after, the 1000 mile ride I raised donations for medical and other civilian aid to be sent to Ukraine. You can still donate:

Please Click HERE to DONATE Thank you!

Overview

I have completed the 1000 mile cycle ride from the South of France to Dieppe then returning to England via the ferry to Newhaven. My aim was to complete the journey in about a month. It took me 22 days! I followed the Route Napoléon from Golfe-Juan, near Cannes on the south coast of France to Grenoble at the foot of the French Alps. From there I travelled to the source of the River Loire in the Massif Central and then follow the course of the Loire to Orléans. Then turning north across to the cathedral city of Chartres and to the River Seine, crossing west of Rouen and finally to the Normandy coast and Dieppe

I am 78, and will use an electrically assisted bike. This is my longest cycling trip yet.

For details of the route CLICK HERE

Summary

Stage 1 – Route Napoléon

After getting off the night train from Paris at Nice we will cycle a short distance along the Côte d’Azur to the place where Napoléon landed in 1815 after his escape from Elba.

We will then follow the Route Napoléon, a 325-kilometer (200-mile) historical route from the French Riviera at Golfe-Juan, near Cannes through the road in southern France. This is the route taken by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815 on his return from exile on the island of Elba. We will try to follow the French long distance footpath route the GR 406 but the maps indicate that we may be on roads most of the time. By all accounts this is a beautiful scenic route through the mountains of Alpes-Maritimes and the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. 

Stage 2 – Grenoble to Massif Central 

We will then cycle about 320 km (120 miles) west up to the source of the River Loire (1,350 m.  4,430 ft) which is in the southeastern quarter of the French Massif Central in the Cévennes range near Mont Gerbier de Jonc. 

Stage 3 – Massif Central to Orléans

The route will then follow the Loire River from a tiny stream to a large river, at Orleans. It is a journey of about 603 km (375 miles).  The Kindle book by Mike Wells ‘River Loire Cycle Route’ will be of great help guiding us through all of the twists and turns at the early stages of cycling the River Loire route. We will soon join EuroVelo 6.   We will travel through beautiful landscapes and scenery from mountains through to alluvial plains.

Stage 4 – Orléans to the River Seine 

Our route now takes us North via the cathedral city of Chartres to the River Seine; a journey of about  240 km (150 miles).  We aim to cross the river using one of the free ferries.  Our destination is the riverside town of Caudebec-en-Caux. 

Stage 5 – River Seine to Dieppe

This section is about 260 km (160 miles) through the Normandy countryside. This is familiar countryside for us as we have been over to France and cycled through this area many times. 

Statistics

Start: 20th May – Nice at Gare de Nice-Ville

Possible finish Date: 20th June – Dieppe at the ferry port 

Distance = 1,485 km (923 miles)

Elevation Gain = 14,646  (48,054 ft)

Map 

Click map to enlarge

Link to Map My Ride: https://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/6484499572/

Elevation graph

Map of France – Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation

Settle to Carlisle Railway!

The Settle to Carlisle Railway is a 72-mile scenic railway line in northern England. It runs from Settle Junction to Carlisle, crossing the Yorkshire Dales and the North Pennines. The line is known for its beautiful views, tunnels, and viaducts

September 2024

The Settle to Carlisle Railway was almost closed in the 1980s. British Rail proposed closing the line. However, a public campaign saved it.  As we saw with our own eyes now the passenger numbers are high.  Our train was pretty full with sightseeers holiday makers and train enthusiasts.

I have always wanted to travel on the Settle to Carlisle Railway line and see the Ribblehead viaduct. So, Carol and I planned a train holiday north to see it. We had a great time!

The viaduct is a stunning piece of Victorian engineering in an iconic location in the middle of the  Yorkshire Dales straddling a rough, boggy valley. A majestic sight in this quiet corner of the Dales. For Photos of the train ride and stations click HERE.

We had a very smooth round trip by train from Lewes via Leeds & Harrogate in early September. 2 hrs 12 min from London to Leeds. I prefer travelling by train rather than by car and you are not emitting so much CO2 global warming emissions! **

Our first hotel stop was at Skipton which enabled us to see the junction of the canal system there. Wonderful! A pint by the canal in a popular pub followed by a tasty meal at an historic pub.

We then we then went by train to Settle and walked to the Falcon Manor Hotel. We had a great room overlooking the moors.

The was a real community atmosphere at Settle station. Two chatty ladies serving tea in the station rest room. Like something out of the 1940/50s. Took me back to when I was a boy! We were very lucky. They gave a heads up that a steam train was coming through shortly. A wonderful sight!

After visiting the viaduct, we went on to Carlisle. Carlisle Cathedral was an historical and architectural gem!

The next day we travelled all the way down the Settle to Carlisle railway line again, taking in the views and enjoying the countryside.  We ended up in Harrogate and stayed at the impressive  Harrogate Inn. It was more like an early Victorian manor house then an ‘inn’. We enjoyed the shops gardens and architecture of this northern spa town before returning south.

Public Gardens at Harrogate

The route:

** According to government figures, National Rail travel produces 0.035 kg CO2e per passenger km. The average petrol car produces 0.167 kg CO2e. per km. That is 5 times more CO2 emitted by travelling by car!

Skiing Trip – March 2024

Once again, I was able to enjoy a very pleasant hotel and beautiful surroundings in the mountains of the Savoie region of France. We had a very enjoyable trip with convivial evening meals for the group. 

Once again, I was able to enjoy a very pleasant hotel and beautiful surroundings in the mountains of the Savoie region of France. We had a very enjoyable trip with convivial evening meals for the group.  Of course, there were one or two glasses of vin chaud consumed. 

As in previous years I was invited along to the joint Lewes/Sevenoaks mens church group ski trip. This time I didn’t ski as the snow conditions were poor, – icy in the morning and slushy in the afternoon. There hadn’t been much snow before the trip so the piste bashers had their work cut out.

However I enjoy some mountain walks, visiting Crystal and Gavin for lunch in Bourg-Saint-Maurice and the superb facilities of the Hôtel La Vanoise with its indoor heated pool, jacuzzi, sauna and hammam along with its convivial bar, sun terrace and restaurant!  

The other thing that attracts me is travelling by train rather than by air using high speed electric trains. A one-way flight from London to Geneva emits between 176 to 200.7 kg of CO2 per person travelling in economy. On average electric trains produce up to 96.5% fewer CO2 emissions than flights.

Our Eurostar and Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV) transport us to the very heart of the French alps at Bourg-Saint-Maurice (Elevation: 815 m) and not at an airport 3 hours away!

The funicular railway links the town to the Arc 1600 where the Les Arc ski area is situated. At Arc 1600 I can get a connecting bus to my hotel at Vallandry.  

The group now have a stopover on they way out in Paris at the Mercure Hotel next to the Gare de Lyon. This time it was particularly pleasurable as we had dinner at the iconic La Belle Époque restaurant, Le Train Bleu, in Gare de Lyon. Hercule Poirot would have been very much at home here! Superb dinner! HERE are my restaurant photos 

HERE are my photos up in the mountains & meeting up with Crystal & Gavin

Madrid! 

Grenoble to Madrid by train – super train journey across France & Spain + meeting James + a pint in Lewes!

Meeting James + super train journey across France & Spain + a pint in Lewes! Fantastic!

July 10th and 11th 2024

Whilst in  Grenoble I had a call from James who said he was going to be in Madrid for a conference  in early July.  I was invited to join him. So I took the opportunity to go by train, – a wonderful journey. From Grenoble I took the local train to Lyon and then got the TGV all the way to Barcelona. Changing trains I boarded another high-speed train – the Frecciarossa (Italian) train operated by the Spanish railway company Iryo. It took all day but I didn’t care because I had a wonderful journey.  I think the top speed was about 300 km/hr. The distance covered was over 1,200 km.

I arrived in time to have drinks and a dinner with James and his colleagues. Super on both counts!  The next day James and I went to the grand Plaza Mayor and enjoyed some fantastic seafood at the ancient Mercado de San Miguel. 

Click HERE for more photos.  We flew to England on the 12th July and ended the day with a pint and dinner with James at the Swan Inn in Lewes.  Super! 

Cottenham Ients cycle trip to Normandy!

Cottenham Ients cycle trip to Normandy! We had some fantastic rides through the countryside, by the coast and along the river Vire and on to Bayeaux

22nd to 28 of July 2024

For this trip I decided to give my  son and my grandsons a  chance to visit the Cherbourg peninsula. We travelled to Portsmouth on the train with our bicycles and not the overnight ferry to Cherbourg.  The ferry arrived at 8:00am the next morning so we took the opportunity to go and have a look at the La Cité de la Mer Is a maritime museum in the former cruise liner massive art-deco transatlantic liner terminal building constructed in 1933. We visited the submariners centre.  Well worth a visit. 

We had some fantastic rides through the countryside, by the coast and along the river Vire.  We had a great stopover on the west coast of the peninsula and dined at a superb restaurant overlooking the sea. 

It was William’s birthday, so I treated them to a fine meal and William had fruits de mer which he really enjoyed. During the trip I let the grandsons do the navigation between the towns we were staying at. They did a jolly good job of this.  We had great weather for the trip so it was nice to be able to sit on the roadside or near a village centre and have our midday baguette in the sunshine.

Apart from visiting the west coast of the peninsula we went on to Saint-Lô. On the way we passed through a number of towns and villages which still had the exhibits up in the streets commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of this part of France just after the 6th of June 1944.  I found these particularly interesting.  The devastation at Saint-Lô and these villages was considerable as the battles during the liberation were quite fierce.

From Saint-Lô we travelled on to Bayeaux, firstly via the scenic towpath of the river Vire, where we visited the tapestries. We stayed here two nights in the superb youth hostel right in the centre of the old city. 

Great prices and great facilities.  I fully recommend this hostel. During a coastal  cycle ride  William and Edward took time out to do some kayaking in the calm sea and in the lovely sunshine.

Click HERE for photos of the trip

Click HERE for more information about cycling in France

Click HERE for Remembering the D Day Landings

Maps and Stats:

France Day 1
France Day 2
France Day 3
France Day 5 (Day 4 was sightseeing in Bayeaux)
Stats

French Coast to Coast + Canal du Midi cycle trip 2024- diary notes

French Coast to Coast + Canal du Midi cycle trip 2024. A great trip cycling 631 km!

10th to the 24th of May 2024 by Vic Ient

We cycled coast to coast starting in Royan on the Atlantic coast (Bay of Biscay), firstly along the Gironde, then the Garonne and then the Canal du Midi to Béziers and the river Orb to the Mediterranean coast!

This was a great trip – we cycled 631 km (392 miles). Over 400 miles if you include the trip we did further east in Languedoc near Nimes in order to visit the amazing Roman aqueduct at Pont du Gard.   Click: Photos trip details HERE. 

Pond du Gard – Roman Aqueduct

Once we had arrived at Royan the task was relatively simple, –  cycling 400 miles and enjoying visiting great places like the beautiful walled city of Carcassonne. 

The hard work in setting up this trip was arranging the logistics and booking tickets for the train journeys across France to and from St Malo. Arranging the crossing was really a piece of cake and getting to and from Portsmouth was no problem. 

The real problem was travelling by train with bicycles that will ‘fully assembled’.  If we had bicycles which could be disassembled the journey would be relatively simple but electric bikes are not easy to disassemble and they don’t fit into a box or bag of a maximum size of 130 cm x 90 cm. Therefore, we had to find railway routes which allowed us to take our bikes on and off just in the same way as you would on local trains here in Sussex.  The difference is we were covering much longer distances. From St Malo to the start of our journey was about 400 km (250 miles). However, with my growing knowledge of the French railway system I was able to achieve this, and we had the added benefit of staying overnight at the atmospheric old town in Nantes and at La Rochelle which is a beautiful ancient port on the west coast of France on our route. 

Historic Town Hall at La Rochelle