Day 37: Paris to Orléans | 125km
5 July 2026
Saying goodbye to my travel companion, and as many would say, my better half, was difficult. For two weeks, we had spent almost every second of every day together, shared the road, squeezed into a small tent each night, and made this adventure feel far less lonely. Now that I knew what it was like to travel with someone else, I worried the next part of the journey would feel even lonelier. We said our goodbyes with Irene’s bike packed into a cardboard box and mine fitted with its new tyres, and then I set off.
It took almost 30 kilometres before I felt like I was truly out of Paris. Thankfully, it was Sunday morning, and after France had beaten Paraguay in the World Cup the night before, the streets were fairly quiet. I could pedal through the city without constantly stopping for traffic. Central Paris really does have an almost magical feel with its grand historic buildings, rich history, and unmistakable energy. The outer neighbourhoods I passed through on my way out, however, were a very different story. They weren’t quite the places people imagine when they dream about living in Paris.
The new tyres immediately felt faster, and my whole setup felt lighter too. As the trip goes on, I keep finding small things I don’t need, so the bike gets a little lighter every week. There weren’t many towns along today’s route, so I kept pedalling, hoping to stay ahead of the afternoon heat. About 60 kilometres in, I stopped at a bakery for a sandwich and a short break.
While I was eating, a group of guys in their late twenties came over to ask about my trip. Thankfully, they switched to English after I explained that I barely speak a word of French. Two of them were half British, so conversation wasn’t a problem. They all seemed like adventurous people themselves and asked if they could ride with me for a while since we were heading in the same direction. It was nice to have company again, even if only for a short stretch.
Antoine, the one I spoke with the most, told me the biggest adventure he’d ever done was hiking from Paris to Norway, a journey that had taken him five months. Before this trip, I would already have found that incredibly impressive. Having now covered much of that same distance by bike, I could barely comprehend walking it. Crazy.
The second half of the ride took me through open farmland, where golden wheat fields stretched towards the horizon and huge harvesting machines rolled slowly through the countryside. With almost no shade to be found, I kept the pedals turning and tried to reach Orléans before the hottest part of the afternoon. Around 3 p.m., I arrived and rewarded myself with a coffee overlooking Cathédrale Sainte-Croix d’Orléans, a beautiful Gothic cathedral completed in 1601 that reminded me a lot of Notre-Dame in Paris. Sorry to any architects reading this who could probably point out big differences.
The campground I’m staying at tonight is by far the simplest one so far. For nine euros, I got a slightly tilted patch of dirt to pitch my tent on. On the bright side, there are quite a few other bikepackers staying here, so with a bit of luck, I might get to hear a few good stories from the road.