Hi.
Thanks for your input.
Maybe it wasn't wise of me to book a train to Dover and then a ferry to Calais before doing some research. I got a good deal on the tickets so if I cancelled I wouldn't take too much of a hit but I might as well just go for it now as it's a bit too late in the day to be rearranging bookings. Nice scenery is definitely preferable but the main reason for this little trip was to improve my French.
I've now changed my mind about camping and decided to take my racer and a 10L saddle bag instead. After trying to ride The Way of the Roses here in the UK recently I've come to the conclusion that I haven't found the right setup for myself yet when it comes to bike/camping. I took four panniers and a tent along for the WotR and it was just a burden and not enjoyable.
It will probably be 2 weeks max now due to the increase in accommodation costs from not camping. I hope to get to Paris and back again mainly staying at hostels and some airbnb's. So I need a route from Calais to Paris that has hostels if possible. I started to plan a route along the coast to Dieppe but hostels seem to be thin on the ground around here. Now I am thinking of trying to head to Lens and from there to another major city like Amiens as hostels/cheap hotels seem to be much more abundant. I am also thinking that instead of booking all the accommodation in advance I should just try and book somewhere when I arrive incase I get delayed due to weather? When I search for hostel rooms in say Paris for this evening there seems to be plenty available. Hopefully if I stick to the main cities each day I should find somewhere. Is this wise?
How reliable is Google maps for time planning. I've put in a route from Calais to Lens and it says it takes 5.26h for 106km. That doesn't seem right to me.