London to Paris
London – E.Grinstead. 42miles
- Train, Dormans 9:10 Victoria 10:02
- Parliament Sq. start 10:30
- East Grinstead 16:00.
- Overnight Dormansland
E.Grinstead – Newhaven. 36miles
- Depart Dormansland 12:00
- Arrive Newhaven 17:00
- Overnight Newhaven
Houses of Parliament. 1837-60. Pugin, Barry. Pompous Gothic Revival style glorifying Britain’s superpower status. Within, our elected leaders grapple with the issues of long term direction in the face of short term electoral survival.
Battersea power station (1935-82), super-sized, coal power for London’s growing electricity demand.
Peak output (1955) 503MW ~167,000 windmills.
Coal consumption 1 million tons/yr,
CO2 emissions about 4-500 tons/hour.
Pre-industrial Merton Abbey mill.
(1724) One of about 100 watermills on the river Wandle, combined power 300-400 kW. Calico then
silk processing and printing for Liberty’s
Outwood mill (1665), England’s oldest operating windmill. Output limited by the wooden gearing, 2-3 kW.
Negligible CO2 emissions
Dorset Arms E.Grinstead (C1550). A change of horses & overnight stop when London to the coast was a 2-day journey. An entrance wide enough for coach & horses.
Class 4 steam loco at Bluebell Railway, E. Grinstead .
Coal fuelled, 1500kW
Class 700 train at E.Grinstead.
Electrical power.
3300kW
EAST GRINSTEAD TO NEWHAVEN. 41 MILES, 4 HS.
SAFEGUARDING OUR FUTURE.
POWER GENERATION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
3MW solar array paired with 90 long-duration vanadium flow batteries. The UK’s first ‘super battery’ scheduled on-line late 2026. Can service approx 3,000 homes.
https://envirotecmagazine.com/2026/05/12/europes-largest-vanadium-flow-battery-completed-in-east-sussex-ahead-of-2026-launch/#:~:text=Invinity%20Energy%20Systems%20has%20completed,enters%20service%20later%20this%20year.
Carbon Fuelled
Newhaven ferry. Merchant ships and aircraft need a game-changer. Nuclear power is only justified where cost is no object, weight no obstacle – aircraft carriers, nuclear subs, icebreakers. In comparison with aircraft, ferries generate 1/10 of the CO2 per passenger mile.
116 offshore wind turbines.
116 x 3.45 MW=400MW
~133,000 pre-industrial windmills Negligible CO2 emissions
Onward through France……
Route maps & highlights
DIEPPE FERRY … PENLY … MESNIERES-EN-BRAY 48 KM / 30 MILES
- DFDS Ferry Newhaven check in by 08:15
- Disembark Dieppe ferryport 14:00
- Penly Nuclear Power
- Avenue Verte
- Overnight Mesnieres en Bray
Overnight Saint-Denis
CARBON FUELLED TRAVEL. Ferry at Dieppe.
Penly Nuclear Power
Commissioned 1990
2 x 1382 MW
Avenue Verte MESNIERES-EN-BRAY TO VERNON 91 KM / 57 MILES
Avesnes & Bosc-Hyons solar
20 MW
Douiche Wind Farm Heudicourt
20 x 3,000 kW = 60 MW
Pre-industrial
The Old Watermill Remains of 16th century watermill on the remnants of a 12th century bridge over the Seine at Vernon
Avenue Verte VERNON TO SAINT-DENIS 97 KM / 61 MILES
Pre-industrial
The Old Watermill 12th century, on the Seine at Vernon
Basilica of Saint Denis. Rebuilt 1144. Destination for pilgrims, burial place of many kings of France.
COP 21 Venue
Le Bourget conference centre, Paris.
Climate Change Agreement finalised 12/12/15.
175 Signatories 22/4/2016.
Now 194 – Iran,Libya,Yemen declined. USA withdrew again 20/1/2026
POWER IN THE PRE-INDUSTRIAL ERA
Carbon Fuelled
If the trip from London to Paris seems a long haul on a bike, that reminds us that there’s a long long haul ahead to shake off our addiction to carbon. Volcanos erupt then fall silent. Earthquakes rupture then settle. Wars horrify us then grind to an end. As each crisis subsides, our attention is distracted elsewhere. Meanwhile the climatic damage of burnt fossil fuels ratchets steadily up year on year. Have we the bottle to head off problems right now? The persistence? Or will we kick the challenge into the long grass until it becomes so damagingly acute we can stall no longer? Time will tell.
Google Maps
Parliament Sq. London to East Grinstead
East Grinstead to Newhaven
Dieppe to Penly Nuclear Power, back to Dieppe Station. 31km
Rouen to Mantes-la-Ville 106 km 6 hours
Mantes to Le Bourget 71km, 4 hs.
Progress has been at the expense of lasting damage to the natural world and climate. That affects us all – particularly vulnerable less developed nations. Here’s a chance to contribute by pound-matching a small, very practical initiative run by Kenyan smallholders taking responsibility for positive action into their own hands, organising themselves, finding ways to adapt. Click the pic, there’s more detail on our crowdfunding page.
