Does anybody have any experience with wild or stealth camping on this route? When I say that I mean that I ask permission if it is clearly marked private land and well suited to camping. If noone is around, I will tuck myself into some trees out of plain sight. Anybody?
Avenue Verte: Camping Dieppe - Paris
木, 2012-09-13 09:00
#1
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Avenue Verte: Camping Dieppe - Paris
Hey, did you make this trip? My friends and I are doing Paris to Dieppe this June, then farther north, so I was wondering if your camping worked out.
Thanks!
I did find some camping and except for one night when I found an actual campground it was all stealth or wild or whatever they call it where you are from. The real problem was finding the route and staying on it. I eventually gave up the actual route when the rail line ended (I went north to south) and made my own tracks. That's pretty easy to do. I also veered slightly to Chartres.
As far as camping on or near the route, I got well away from well traveled areas. That means very small or unpaved roads and looking for the dirt tracks leading into fields, woods or what have you. As a woman traveling alone I was wary of who might know or observe where I would pull off the road in the evening. Sadly, I don't speak French or I would have asked the locals if it was OK to camp in their fields or woods. I have spent years traveling on and off bikes and my personal philosophy is to ask first if at all possible. Fortunately, wild camping is legal throughout Europe with the exception of Spain. Although I did it there too.
Good luck, have fun and keep the rubber side down. Oh and keep me posted.
Thanks,
Robin
Thats good to know that wild camping is not a crime in France. We actually live in NW Spain right now, so we will be careful about wild camping here during our weekend practise trips! We also have a French speaker so we definitely try and talk to some locals about camping, but I like your philosophies about camping.
My biggest worry is getting lost, so we are buying some guidebooks for the trip. Did you take anything specific as far as maps or GPS? Are the route markings in France as bad as they say?... But it does sound like if you get lost there are lots of routes and it wont be too hard to get to where you need to be.
Thanks!!
I wouldn't worry about getting lost. It's a bike tour after all. Unlike the US, where I live Europe is well populated. There are people everywhere. I eventually just bought the Michelin maps and looked for routes that followed the smallest roads on the map. I knew in general where I wanted to go and just headed in that direction. Get a compass and leave the rest to the adventure.....Or not....You can plan every mile and still get lost. I work as a guide in the outdoor industry here. When my students ask me if I have ever gotten lost, I always reply that I have never NOT ended up somewhere. Carry a tiny bottle of bleach in case you have to drink pond water. It won't kill you....
Have fun,
R-
Nowhere in Northern France poses a problem for wild camping, on this very route I actually found a nice barn that gave me shelter and a bed of hay to put my tent on, arrive late'ish leave early and know one will ever know