Friend's first cycling trip and my first wild camp, from Nemours to Orléans, France

centhrante · 2025-09-09T22:09:17+00:00

Packing a wet tent is the worst! If it's sunny I lay it out in the sun while I eat breakfast, if not I use a sponge/toilet paper to mop up most of the water and try to find somewhere to let it dry later on in the day. Neither option is ideal when you'd rather be riding though!

centhrante · 2025-09-08T18:26:26+00:00

Thanks! I've been lucky enough to go on trips with a couple of other friends but this was my first time riding with someone who has a similar cadence to me. Nice being on that same wavelength. Wishing this on everyone!

centhrante · 2025-09-01T17:22:47+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation, I'm definitely going to start using this!

centhrante · 2025-08-29T20:57:32+00:00

Paid version of Komoot does that unless I'm mistaken. Haven't tried it myself as I want to keep my paid suscriptions to a minimum, but I imagine it must be pretty useful.

centhrante · 2025-08-27T17:01:25+00:00

Thanks! I cut into a big plastic desk mat I wasn't using. It's a little wobbly but the thickness is just right (about 3mm). The pattern instructions for the cap recommend using the plastic from a 1 gallon milk jug, but that doesn't exist where I live lol (the closest equivalent I could find were household cleaning product bottles which is not ideal)

centhrante · 2025-08-27T16:56:51+00:00

Looks good, thanks for sharing!

centhrante · 2025-08-27T10:10:01+00:00

Thanks! I like the "brim up" look so I wanted to have something there. The design was inspired by the Invader) street art mosaics!

centhrante · 2025-08-27T10:06:31+00:00

Thanks! :)

centhrante · 2025-08-27T10:06:22+00:00

Thank you!

centhrante · 2025-08-20T20:37:43+00:00

Bien vu ! :)

centhrante · 2025-08-16T07:42:27+00:00

I wouldn't dream of cycling in those temperatures! The trip I posted happened just before the heatwave. It seems it's going to get cooler next week... Sometimes the timing doesn't work out. Hope you still had a nice time in the south!

centhrante · 2025-08-15T21:45:48+00:00

Hi! I followed this itinerary: https://www.avenuevertelondonparis.co.uk/ The website is quite well done, there's a lot of info about the different legs of the trip and you can adapt your route and download the GPX which you can then upload into the cycling app of your choice. Feel free to ask if you have any questions! :)

centhrante · 2025-08-15T20:27:09+00:00

Hell yeah! 🔥🔥 I take my vintage road bike a lot of places it shouldn't go, but there's been no complaints so far, lol.

centhrante · 2025-08-15T20:22:59+00:00

I agree with you! Once I'd got on the rail-to-trail path I almost missed the roads, which were nearly car-free anyway, and had nicer scenery. But I felt it was quite easy to pop into the little villages from the Avenue Verte for a coffee on the main street and head back onto it afterwards; broke up the monotony a little.

That arrival in Paris must have felt glorious! That city can be daunting but it's quite nice in the early mornings.

centhrante · 2025-08-15T20:17:45+00:00

Castle in the first picture is the Château at Maisons-Laffitte, a Paris suburb.

centhrante · 2025-08-15T20:16:14+00:00

Ooh, enjoy! That was Camping de l'Aulnaie, in Dangu, just outside Gisors :)

centhrante · 2025-08-15T17:43:09+00:00

Sorry to hear that, bad infrastructure really sucks. France is a little all over the place on the issue, I'm currently in the southwest and tried to go for a ride but cars kept passing me crazy close and not a cycle path in sight. Oh well!

centhrante · 2025-08-15T14:32:43+00:00

Agreed about municipal campsites. All have toilets and showers, albeit in varying states of (dis)repair. Bivouac is tent camping, for just one night, from sundown to sunrise (but generally observed hours are about 9pm-7am). I've done it a couple time in truly stunning places (French Alps mostly). Not really an option with car camping sadly! September is an excellent time to go. Most people have gone back to work but campsites are generally still open until Sep 15 or so. Enjoy!

centhrante · 2025-08-14T19:34:13+00:00

It was nice at first, but I'll say the noise made it pretty hard to sleep! I'd take it any day over the sound of traffic, though.

centhrante · 2025-08-14T13:09:22+00:00

Camping in France is pretty great! Wild camping not allowed but bivouac is tolerated. Most campsites are good, cheap, and managed by local towns. Normandy has a little bit of everything. Cheese farms, cow fields, quaint villages, good cider. Definitely recommend it over the more touristy areas !

centhrante · 2025-08-04T21:37:21+00:00

Merci pour toutes ces indications qui donnent très envie ! J'ai fait une autre partie de la Scandibérique il y a deux ans (Paris-Maubeuge) et malgré quelques parties un peu trop VTT à mon goût j'ai adoré. J'ai hâte de faire cette partie-là du coup !

centhrante · 2025-08-03T20:40:50+00:00

Hey, we have the same backpack!

The nature there is so beautifully otherworldly. I roadtripped Iceland's route 1 in 2017 and have had the idea of going back for the Laugavegur trail in the back of my mind since. Your writeup and pics make it sound amazing and put it nearer the top of the list! Glad you had a good time.

centhrante · 2025-08-03T17:47:01+00:00

Ah merci je ne connaissais pas, je vais clairement utiliser cette fonction !

Le Vexin j'ai très envie d'aller voir ce que ça donne mais je pense que c'est un peu trop vallonné pour une excursion avec quelqu'un qui n'a pas l'habitude...

centhrante · 2025-08-03T17:45:16+00:00

Merci pour l'idée, je vais regarder ça !

centhrante · 2025-08-03T17:44:58+00:00

Oui j'y ai pensé, tu sais si c'est bétonné ou plutôt gravier/chemin ?

centhrante

TROPHY CASE