France July2002

Crew: John (ZZR600), Peter & Linda (Hyabusa), Alan & Julia (VFR 800) & Me (ZZR600)

Day 1 Friday 26th July

Usual sort of start with Peter late he really hasn’t grasped the concept of time Earlier phone conversation with Peter he says he is finishing work at 3.00pm and intends to be at Linda’s ready to go at 5.00pm ring Linda at 5.50pm Peter has not arrived yet he rings back just after 6.10pm he’s just about to leave. I set of for Peters cousins house (Gerry) in Hornchurch at about 6.20pm. We meet as arranged at the Little Chef in Burford at 7.00pm, only Peter arrives at 10 minutes past he is convinced we will arrive at his cousins in northwest London by 8.30pm we actually get there at 10.00. Gerry has cooked us a Shepard’s Pie & cabbage. We then demolish 4 bottles wine before retiring.
           136 Miles

Day 2 Saturday 27th July

Peter & Linda get up late (There’s a thing) hung over no real rush we find our way to Brands Hatch for the World Superbike Meeting with Gerry’s directions Peter try’s to go the wrong way eventually we get to Brands. Park up the bikes and wander around the stalls then find a spot just below Druids and settle down to watch the qualifying and superpole. The weather is glorious baking hot and sunny. Back to Gerry’s John arrives about 7-7.30 have a slice of pizza and garlic bread, then out for a wander to a couple of pubs finish of with an Indian meal then bed. The plan is to be up and leaving the house at 8.00am in the morning to avoid the traffic.
           44 Miles

Day 3 Sunday 28th July

As usual Peter & Linda not ready till 8.30 it is already very busy on the roads and chocca when you start to get close to the circuit eventually get to the circuit at about 9.45. Baking hot again watch the racing which is quite uneventful Race 1: 1st Edwards 2nd Hodgeson 3rd Bayliss  Race 2: 1st Edwards 2nd Bayliss 3rd Hodgeson Leave the circuit at 4.35 get to Gerry’s at 7.00. John and I get the kit on the bike and are ready to go at 7.30pm, Peter and Linda did not pack anything or tidy up this morning so are not ready until 8.00 (there’s a thing) the ferry is sailing from Portsmouth at 10.15 we are going to have to fly. I arrange with Peter & Linda to pay the toll at the Dartford Flyover but when we get there Peter just sits behind me so I end up doing it but the guy in the booth thinks I said free when I said take for three so he only takes for one (which I didn’t realise) so I go through and wait for the others to come through by now I’ve got steam coming out of my ears when I realise what has happened I take of down the road on the back wheel, I would have been impressed if it had been intentional (really should try and work out how I did it) Any way we are finally underway the traffic on the M25 is horrendous. We stop at Clackett Lane Services along with about 200 other bikers for fuel and I give Peter his tickets and tell him he is on his own and he will have to fly to get there in time. We now only have 11/2 hrs to get to Portsmouth (103mls). We set of on a mad dog ride down the M25, M3 & M27 Undertaking, overtaking, allsorts at speeds of 110 – 130mph in the dark its a bit like a computer game !madness!. Then just too finally cock it up completely I miss the turn off to Portsmouth and end up in Southampton. I have not got a clue if the others are with me or not I pull up to see which way I need to go and John pulls up behind me, That must be it 5minutes to sailing time and 26 miles to go. Seems impossible but must give it a go to try and get there. We eventually arrive at the ferry port at 10.35 book in and manage to get on the boat, as we park up see Peter already on (Bugger) in front of us. Get what kit I need off the bike go up sort out a room key Alan rings me and we go straight to the bar, Knackered, Stinking and Thirsty 2 rapid beers then into the room for a quick shower back to the bar for several more beers and give Peter a good shouting at. Bed at 1.30am
            207 Miles

Day 4 Monday 29th July

We get up at 5.30am and off the ferry at Le Havre at 6.00am, all fill up with petrol and set of for Limoges via Alencon, Le Mans, Tours and Poitiers, stop for breakfast at Gace.  We have a fast wet ride down to Limoges and then find a Formula 1 hotel about 5.15pm.  Unpack, shower and out for a meal in the restaurant next door. Everybody is there bar Peter and Linda who join us about ¾ of an hour later. Steak chips and Salad followed by fruit salad.  Tell Peter and Linda that plan is to have an early night and set off at 6.00 am prompt to avoid the heat in the afternoon and if they are coming with us to be ready. Apparently my bike alarm keeps going off all night.
            332 Miles 

Day 5 Tuesday 30th July

We are all amazed that Peter is first out on his bike at 5.30am, he is more or less packed when we get out there.  All ready to go at 6.00 am.  Heading for final stop of Lorenque where we have somewhere to stay for a few days, travelling via Brive, Albi & Castres. We pull out from the car park at 6.00am through the industrial estate to pick up with the main road and by the time we reach the main road we have lost Peter.  We are getting a few spits and spots of rain but not to bad, we stop at Figeac for breakfast at 8 am minus Peter and Linda – God knows where they are.  After breakfast we set off and it is now raining, wet and horrible. John takes the lead just before St Pons as he knows the way, as we are coming down the hills it is quite foggy and John disappears into the fog when Alan & I come to a T junction we don’t know were John is or which way to go we are slightly worried that he may have gone of the road in the fog eventually he comes back to the junction much to our relief. When we get to St Pons the sun comes out and we ride on arriving in Lorenque about 2.30 pm not having seen Peter & Linda at all on route.  We find the house where we are staying which belongs to an English couple, who John met when he came down to visit Cindy (who lives in the village) and get ourselves settled in.  It is a lovely spot several miles from Roquebrun right at the end of a deep gorge with houses built into the rock face and just footpaths winding through the village. Try to contact Peter & Linda but realise that the mobile phones are not working up here.  The only place Peter knows is Roquebrun, so later on we go into Roquebrun for some provisions for the week and find Peter and Linda sat at a bar, Peter’s head is steaming and he has just booked into a hotel but he manages to cancel that. It has taken him 12hrs to do what we did in 6hrs he had lunch at 12 0 clock in Figeac were we had breakfast in at 8.0 clock he had to buy maps because he did not have any with him. We ride back up to the house after doing the shopping and prepare an evening meal of salad and potatoes with chicken, wine and cheese then bed.
            201 Miles

Day 6 Wednesday 31st July

Chill out day.  Lounge around on the beach in Roquebrun,

have a pizza for lunch and lounge around some more.  Then back to Lorenque with goodies for a barbeque.  More wine, more beer.  Cindy a friend of John’s who lives in the village comes over.  Barbeque slow to get going but we eventually eat.  Cindy suggests going canoeing tomorrow which they do down in Roquebrun apparently quite a few rapids to negotiate, have a reasonably early night.

Day 7 Thursday 1st August

We get up early for breakfast.  Bread, jam and cereals, Peter and Linda are the last to show as usual.  We go down to the canoe site and hire canoes for a 15km run with 15 rapids.  As usual I am totally disorganised, no hat, no sunglasses, and no sun cream. Peter and Linda in a two man canoe John, Alan and me in single canoes.  Coach takes the best part of an hour to get where the canoes are stored they have containers which we could have put dry clothes in and a picnic.  (Never mind).  The rapids look quite tame till you get to them.  Get bumped out of my canoe twice.  We were warned about 2 bridges being low.  First one you can get under, the second one you have to get out and walk to the other side of the bridge. Peter decides he can get under it and is heading towards it with Linda screaming and 10’ before the bridge she bales out.   Pete gives her a bollocking, says that she could have decapitated him as when she got out the boat got higher and he has to lie flat in it to get under the bridge.  Get back to the base point in about 4 hours soaked to the skin but there we go.  Have to ride the bikes back home to Lorenque soaking wet.  Shower and change and then go back down to Roquebrun for a pizza& beer.  After we head back up to Lorenque for a lazy afternoon then an evening meal at Cindy’s, a Moroccan something or other.  After the meal we have a stroll around the narrow passageways through the village and see the communal oven, which is built into the rock wall. A pleasant evening and then back to the cottage for sleep.

Day 8 Friday 2nd August

Up for breakfast and decide to take a ride to Carcassone to see the castle. 

Really nice walled city, pity about the hordes of people lots of tourist’s lots of restaurants and souvenir shops inside.  Local recipe is cassoulett, which is a bean stew with meats (usually duck).  Not my choice as it looks heavy and has lots of duck grease.  Julia and Alan and Peter and Linda try the cassoulett and John has duck and I have fish most leave some of their Cassoullet.

We return to Roquebrun and stop at the viewpoint overlooking the river and Roquebrun then to Lorenque to pack in preparation for an early start in the morning, once that is done have a quick wash and brush up then into Roquebrun with Cindy for an evening meal.  Cindy ferries us down there and then drives the girls back when we finish and we walk it (3 miles approx).  Time for bed.
            70 Miles

Day 9 Saturday 3rd August

Up reasonably early and on the road for 7 am heading for Andorra. Taking the A roads to Beziers then autoroute down to Perpignon, then on the A routes up into Andorra, a superb fast ride up mountain roads to Andorra nip and tuck past the cars one by one. Peter can’t hack it I think because it’s not in a straight line and he doesn’t like overtaking so he soon gets left behind.  Peter's reasoning for his slow riding is that he likes to look at the scenery, (I think he should go by coach or train if he wants to admire the view) There is a short route via a tunnel, which we think Peter may have taken.  As we arrive in Andorra La Vella we meet up with Peter who is just leaving as he can’t find any bike accessory shops he turns around and we head on down into the town and wander around the bike shops.  We have lunch in a café and then back up to the bikes to head off towards Toulouse.  Have to bump start my bike as the battery is flat, within 100 yards of leaving we have lost Peter.  We stop at a supermarket for baccy and booze and Peter goes past so we wave him on and say we will catch up. We then pass Peter when he is sat behind a car (cause that’s what he does) to show him how it can be done.  Fast ride up the mountain and stop at the view point at the top and head on back down the other side   We stop at another view point but Peter just drives straight past – I don’t think he saw us, that is the last we see of him till Terry and Julie’s, place in northern France.  We head on down the other side of the mountain turning left towards Toulouse, just outside Tarascon Sur Ariege my bike starts back firing and missing.  Eventually comes to a halt in Tarascon.  Swap batteries with John to ascertain if it is the battery.  Belgium guy in the bar opposite says there is a bike shop in Foix.  So John takes me to Foix but the day is getting on a bit. We don’t find any bike shops so we give up and go back to the bike.  John, Alan and Julia go off to find hotel and bring back Johns battery to get me back to the hotel. Grotty hotel definitely not the best we have stayed in, have a quick shower and out to eat.  There is some sort of fete on or something going on with lots of marching brass bands around the town.  We finish the meal and then go back to the hotel for a beer and bed.  One of the bands decides to come into the hotel to play and continue playing through the night.  Too noisy to go to sleep the band keep playing in the hotel till 3 am and marching in the streets eventually get to sleep.
            235 Miles

Day 10 Sunday 4th August

Up at 7 am.  Ring the RAC at Lyons for recovery, they can get me towed to a dealership about 30 miles away, nice little earner for the driver.  £150.  Recovery is supposed to be with us within ¾ hour.  Rapid pack.  Kit on the bike and then wait for 1½ hours. We get taken to a dealership at Lavelanet but they are not open until Tuesday morning. A passing French guy asks if we need help and says he will try and ring the patron of the shop but he comes back ½ hour later having had no luck. Meanwhile John has been mooching around what he thought was a derelict property for wire with the owner watching him over the balcony. The guy then shouts at John and asks if he can help we explain the problem and he invites us in for coffee and feeds us.  The house is massive it could be made into a hotel but every room is full of rubbish they guy weighs about 22 stone and is never going to do anything as he can hardly move. He does not work his wife is German and about ¼ of the size of him.  Alan Julia and John go off to check out hotels.  There is only 1 in the town but it does not open until 4 pm, luckily the other French guy appears with my battery we hook it up to the bike and the bike starts up.  I ring Alan who has just settled in the bar and ordered a beer. John comes back and Alan and Julia gulp their beer back and come back.  Pack up and off we jolly well go we decide to use the auto route and blast up tonight to try and reach the Formula 1 Hotel at Limoges eventually arriving there about 8 pm, quick shower and change and out to eat then bed for an early start to try and get to Terry and Julies. I check my bike over and realise there is battery acid all over the swinging arm and back wheel.  !Shit!
            255 Miles

Day 11 Monday 5th August

Up at 5.30 am and on the rode by 6 pm.  Blast up the autoroutes through Poitiers,  Tours, Le Mans, Alencen and Caen then onto St Sauveur le Vicomte then on to  

Terry and Julie’s we arrive there at about 12.30-1.00pm.Taking out the sleepover that’s 650 miles in 10 hours.  Peter and Linda arrive at 3.30 pm and we decide that the weather is going to brighten up and we will have a barbeque.  Merguez, sausages, chicken and vegetables consume far too much red wine and crash out on the camp bed.
            373 Miles

Day 12 Tuesday 6th August

Up at 7 am, swallow several cups of coffee.  Everybody else gradually drifts into the kitchen we then ride into St Sauveur for croissants and bread.  Terry rings up the ferry company to try and change the sailing from Le Havre to Cherbourg, as it is nearer but because it was a special offer on the price we cannot.  So we set off for Le Havre at about 11 am looking out for bike shops in Caen but no joy. We decide it would be nice to stop at Honfluers for lunch this is a lovely, very busy, quaint harbour, picturesque.  Full of restaurants and tourists John, Alan and me have moules and frittes and Peter, Linda and Julia poullet and frittes.  Get to the ferry at 2.30 pm.  makes a change to be on time and not late.  Apparently the boat does not get into Portsmouth until about 8.25 pm.  So blast up the M27, M3, A34 and M4.  Arrive at the unit about 10.30pm my car won’t start so I ring Jude and she has had 3 ½ glasses of wine and cannot pick me up, so have a quick one in the Wagon and Horses and walk home getting stung all over my legs no torch so I can’t see where I am going totally knackered.  Home Sweet Home.
            230 Miles

Total   1968 miles + General  Day Tripping