September 10, 2025
Written by
“The Road to Rome”
Section 1, Canterbury to Arras
We start our trip in Paris on the EuroStar, the 300 kmph high-speed train that runs between Paris and London, through the Channel Tunnel. In London we transfer to a regional high-speed train taking us directly into Canterbury.
The Trail officially begins in front of the Canterbury Cathedral. From there, we will hike south for 2 days over the rolling hills of the English countryside, through small rural villages, occasionally stopping at a local pub for refreshing beverages. We are guided by the trail markers for the North Downs Way to arrive in the port city of Dover 2 days later.
From Dover, we cross the channel to Calais France by ferry, where we pick up the trail again, now known as the Via Francigena, but also marked by the FFRP in France as the GR145, which we will follow for the next 12 Days to end our hike in Arras.
—- Breaking News —-
2 Days before we’re set to leave, before we even have a chance to check-in with Air France, travelling to Europe suddenly becomes even more stressful.
Watching recent news events, we could be arriving in Paris just in time for the opening days of WW3 or Protests and Rioting in the streets of Paris. Or both!
——————————————
But we have non-refundable tickets so…
Getting There From Here:
The Short List
- Hullo Ferry to Vancouver
- Skytrain to YVR
- Air France to CDG
- Eurostar to London
- Highspeed Midlands-Eastern train from London to Canterbury
- Decompress in Canterbury for 3 days before beginning the hike.
That’s the plan.
Journey Begins:
Friday, Sept 12
We’re at the YVR right now, through security with no trouble, and now, as I write this entry, we’re just chillin’ out with a cappuccino at the illy concession enjoying a Covfefe while waiting for our flight.
Saturday, Sept 13
Quick short notes for right now, to be expanded after supper with a glass of wine or two.
• Our flight Arrived in Paris 1/2 hr late, but not to worry we have 4 hours to get to the train station in Paris to catch our train.
• Air travel has always been an exercise in compromised dignity, but our flight to Paris introduced an entirely new threshold of intimacy.
I found myself seated directly behind a woman who apparently felt it was her civic duty to virtually rest her head in my lap. Yes, that is how far she reclined her seat. If you think I’m exaggerating for dramatic effect, I can assure you I am not. It was honestly for more than eight hours of a nine-hour flight.
For nearly the entire journey across the Atlantic, my personal airspace was reduced to the thickness of a postcard, leaving me to spend the night contemplating the structural integrity of a stranger’s dandruff. It turns out the true endurance trek begins long before you hit the dirt in France.
• We FINALLY got through THE MOST confusing and complicated customs and passport control of any airport, but this was the Charles De Gaulle airport, with supposedly the most amazingly efficient automated systems. Ones that breakdown at the worst times, like this time, when 5 planes load at he same terminal with passengers all try to squeeze through the tiny customs booths.
• The RER trains from the CDG airport are not running today due to “modernization”, so I Pre-ordered an Uber because the buses that are used to replace the trains when they’re not operating are unreliable and crowded.
• Our Uber driver FINALLY finds us in amongst the mass of people and cars and taxis and luggage carts, and police, and horns blowing and police whistles, and…etc. he misses us on the first pass. But we didn’t get charges for the extra time it took to go around the airport again one more time, after we missed each other the first time around.
• We got dropped off 100 metres from the Gare du Nord, because of all the traffic due to construction, but with plenty of time to checkin, pass border control, and still have a Covfefe before we catch the Eurostar to London through the Channel Tunnel (a little disappointing) check the photos.
• in London we rush to get our train connection for last direct train of the day to Canterbury, but it turns out we already passed through UK border control at the train station in Paris so realized we still had 20 minutes to spare when we arrived in London.
• We Got to Canterbury, walked from the train station to our hotel, about a 20 minute walk, checked in and I started typing this before we go out to check out the city.
And here’s some pictures of of the highlights of the journey so far…
CDG Paris Airport’s World” Duty Free Shop:
Next time you’re on a train, close your eyes for 45 minutes. You get the same effect.
So today, or at least the last 36 hours, was a FULL day of travelling just to get here, “it’s all part of the adventure”, and so we’re finally here in Canterbury and have discovered that it’s a widely popular tourist town, though not quite as crowded as Verona was last year, but then we’re later in the season than we were last year.
Thoughts on “epic” train rides? Well, for some reason, I guess it’s a “bucket list” thing, I thought it would be cool to take the high-speed train from Paris, zipping through the countryside, to London; the Eurostar train, through the Channel Tunnel, the “Chunnel”, in less time than it takes to board a plane and fly to London from Paris, especially being able to avoid the mayhem of the boarding process with everyone fighting for overhead space for their supposed carry-on suitcases.
And besides, no matter what seat I book, we always seem to end up in zone 5! Argh!
Last night we went to the Cathedral for the “Evensong” service. It was about a 45 minute service in the choir section of the cathedral with the choir singing most of the stuff. The priests read a few things from the bible. It was very nice. I thought that, since we’re ‘pilgrims’, we should probably go.