The total ride was 1000 miles and I stayed in random hostels and hotels that I found along the way.

It took 11 elapsed days (including the rest day in Paris). Spending a night in the following places:

• Newhaven
• Paris
• Orleans
• Bourges
• Montlucon
• Clermont-Ferrand
• Saint-chely d’Apcher
• Pezenas
• Figures
• Barcelona

The first day to Paris 5 of us went to Brighton with me going on to Barcelona. The rest took their London to Barcelona tee shirts back on the train to London!

Day 2 saw me reaching Paris after the longest ride of my life (approximately 120 miles) starting at 4 am when the ferry got in to Dieppe. Riding on the Avenue Verte (a disused railway line that has been tarmac’ed over).

The hardest part was the Massif-Centrale which to be honest I wasn’t really expecting! The Pyranees route I took by the coast wasn’t actually that challenging as it wasn’t that steep.

That final day I met someone riding from Barcelona to Stockholm who was camping.

When I reached Barcelona I had the afternoon to chill which could have been nice on the beach before my ferry to Ibiza. However there was a big hill with a massive church on top (Tibidabo) which looked like fun (about a 500m climb) which after 1000 miles I should have declined to do and rested, but decided to do anyway!

All in all a good trip that has inspired my friend to organise the same trip a year later, but taking it a bit slower than I did! I will likely join him to Paris though (and am doing Paris again this coming weekend!).