From Paris to the Ile-de-France: pick your own vegetables by bicycle

Looking for adventure? The cycle route along the Canal de l'Ourcq is the perfect way to escape Paris by bike. On the program: a forest park, and, for those who want to continue, the possibility of picking fruit and vegetables in Seine-et-Marne. On your marks, get set, pedal!

A number of farms in the Paris region offer nature-loving city dwellers the chance to pick fruit and vegetables from their gardens. One of these is the cueillettes de Compans, accessible by bike from Paris. The itinerary also takes in a number of pleasant spots, such as the Parc forestier de la Poudrerie.

The first pedal strokes are made at the Parc de la Villette, where the Ourcq Canal cycle path officially begins, following the route of the old towpath. Direction Pantin! Take a look at the Grands Moulins, the Centre National de la Danse and its concrete cube, the moored barges, the ephemeral wastelands, the street art..., before heading straight for the Parc Départemental de la Bergère, in Bobigny. In summer, the area hosts festive events.

The next few kilometers are clearly not the most interesting. As you pedal along, you pass through a charmless landscape of warehouses and industrial buildings. Then, as you pass through towns - Bondy, Pavillon-sous-bois, Sevran... -pavilions dotted with small houses with gardens appear.

The greenery on the banks of the canal grows denser until you reach the Parc forestier de la Poudrerie, some fifteen kilometers down the road. This wooded area offers a refreshing break in the shade of the tall trees. A small bridge - whereold rails can be seen - spans the canal, which runs straight on towards Seine-et-Marne. If you decide to continue on to the farm, you'll need to follow the canal for another 15 km or so.

At Gressy, turn off briefly onto the D212, before taking small roads and lanes through fields and villages, to reach Compans and its well-deserved pickings!

For the return journey, if the idea of exercising your calves puts you off, you can take the K line to Gare du Nord. It is (of course) also possible to take it on the outward journey (but shhh).