About 3 weeks ago, I published the first part of my topic on the Avenue Verte London-Paris by detailing the itinerary we followed in France with ideas of activities and places to visit along the route, but also with a selection of good addresses as usual!
I had left the previous article at the crossing of the English Channel from Dieppe to Newhaven by ferry if you remember well. We therefore set foot (and bikes) in Great Britain at the end of the day to continue our journey on the English side: a route of around 140 km notably following the NCN 21 (National Cycle Network) across Sussex all the way to London.
Table of Contents
Stage 1: Sussex, England
Sussex is an English county located south of London, along the English Channel. The city of Brighton, which we discovered and loved last year with the favorite photographer, is also located in this county to give you a small idea.
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Where to Stay in Eastbourne? York House Hotel
This night in Eastbourne, a seaside town, reminded me a lot of our getaway to Brighton in 2018.
My recommended accommodations for this stay
Find the places and booking links mentioned in this article.
Best Western York House Hotel
via BookingNew Road Hotel
via BookingBooking through these links supports the blog, at no extra cost to you.
I am not entirely a fan of this kind of English hotel which lacks a bit of charm for my taste, but the room with sea view was very pleasant in the morning.
The plus point: a kettle in the room (this is always something I particularly appreciate in a hotel room) but without herbal teas (so I always take some with me just in case, that way I am never caught unprepared).
Best Western York House Hotel
14-22 Royal Parade, Eastbourne
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Walk in the Seven Sisters Park and along the Cuckoo Trail
The Seven Sisters natural park is located between the towns of Seaford and Eastbourne and features a quite spectacular series of chalk cliffs!
Moreover, up there you get a very beautiful view over the town of Eastbourne. Starting from the seaside resort, you can begin your excursion from the Beachy Head viewpoint. There is also a parking lot nearby if needed.
We then rode part of the cycle route from Polegate to Horam via the Cuckoo Trail, a 14 km walking and cycling trail linking Hampden Park to Heathfield.
In England I found that the Avenue Verte route changes a lot in terms of landscapes compared to what we saw in France. There are also many people walking on this route on weekends, which is a bit more frequented (at least when we went through) than in France where we came across slightly fewer people it seems to me.
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Lunch at Café Lakeside Horam
It is the ideal address to enjoy a good fish & chips (£10.20) and a local beer on the way to London. In addition, the setting is very nice as the restaurant is located by a lake.
Horam Manor Farm, A267, Horam, Heathfield
Stage 2: London, Capital of the United Kingdom
Here we are at the last stage of our journey, the English capital that unfortunately I know all too little… I will really have to plan to come back for a bit longer to discover more! But if you already want to explore my tips, check out my guide for a weekend in London.
For your information, it is at the foot of Westminster Abbey that the Avenue Verte officially ends (or begins, depending on which side of the Channel you are on) in London.
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Stroll in Richmond Park, London
This very large park on the outskirts of London (it is actually the largest in the English capital) located in the district of Richmond upon Thames, is home to several herds of hinds and stags that live freely there. As it is huge, cycling through it is really a great idea to make the most of it!
free access
open from 7am to 7:30pm (in winter) and 8pm (in summer)
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Where to Stay in London? New Road Hotel
I really liked this industrial style hotel. Our room was small but very functional (for info it was room no. 225), only missing in my opinion a place to put your suitcase.
Besides, this London hotel reminded me of a Paris hotel we tested with the favorite photographer a few years ago, Citizen M Gare de Lyon.
I also really enjoyed the à la carte English breakfast which was very nice. You can just as easily have an avocado toast in healthy mode, as a typically English plate with sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs and English baked beans.
In addition, the hotel has a very good restaurant, Mr. White’s English Chophouse, and it is a very good address for dinner in the evening on site, for example.
The good point: there is an area with unlimited hot drinks on each floor of the hotel, which I think is quite well thought out.
My advice: our room faced the back of the hotel and visibly it is much quieter than those facing the main road, so if you can state your preferences upon booking, I recommend this if you like peace and quiet like me.
New Road Hotel
103-107 New Road, Whitechapel London
Price: from £135 per night
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Strolling around London by Bike
We took advantage of our last morning to go for a short bike ride around London with a stop at the Columbia Road Flower Market in the East End district. The Victorian shops on Hackney Road are very charming and the atmosphere in the streets on Sunday morning (market day) is really very pleasant.
We then headed to the very cool district of Brick Lane to enjoy its Sunday morning open-air market and it was particularly nice!
I loved the eclectic atmosphere of this neighborhood which really represents what I love about the English capital: a joyful mix of genres as we see too little in France, I think. Here very different people seem to rub shoulders, each keeping their styles, their differences and their quirks without it posing a problem to anyone. It is quite fascinating… It would be great to find this kind of mix in Paris…
It’s really a spot I loved and there is also quite a bit of street art in that neighborhood if you like that.
I also take this opportunity to give you a good address for a Cycle Cafe Bar Workshop located on Old Street that we did not have time to test, but which was warmly recommended to us by our guide: Look mum no hands! (closed)
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Lunch at the German Gymnasium Restaurant
This venue has the advantage of being located between King’s Cross and St Pancras stations. It is therefore the ideal spot for lunch before taking the train. It offers specialties with German flavors in a very chic decor.
For our part, we tried the Sunday brunch menu, which is of very good quality!
To try: the smoked salmon tartare; the GG burger; for dessert the sweet Berlin, with cinnamon pancakes, rhubarb compote, whipped cream, maple syrup and caramelized bananas (pure bliss)…
1 King’s Boulevard, London N1C 4BU
Price: weekend Brunch Menu 2 courses £28 / 3 courses £35
Thanks to Avenue Verte London Paris and to Clémence from Agence aiRPur for this great adventure, as well as to Visit Britain and all my joyful fellow bloggers with whom I pedaled during this beautiful journey!
I hope that with all this I will have made you want to discover the Avenue Verte London Paris and if you too have your good addresses and tips for this itinerary, don’t hesitate to share them in the comments below!
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez Photos not free of rights, permission from the photographer required before any use
