Wednesday 13th September 2006

Davey Boy wakes me and Psycho up at 7:45am. I can't remember waking up during the night, so assume I got a good night's sleep, but for some reason I feel absolutely caked.

The hotel is on the main drag from Le Mans to Caen, so maybe that has something to do with it Even Dave doesn't get much sleep...and he usually snores 24/7.

We have breakfast and go for a walk around the village; taking a few snaps along the way.

On our return, we saddle up and head our separate ways; Psycho, Sean and Si travel to Caen to catch the ferry home, whilst me and Dave head off to Bryn's (St. James) on the D roads.

The first D road (D5) is an excellent twisty bikers road (although rough in a few places); this leads onto the D304 at Sille le Guillaume and continues to Bais. We pass through many picturesque villages (stopping to take pics as we go).

We arrive at Brin's at midday and are greeted by hot tea and copious amounts of jaffa cakes

Once fed and watered we all head off to the Super U to stock up on BBQ stuff for the evening's entertainment. Unfortunately, due to persistent thunder and lightning from 4pm onwards, most of the cooking is done indoors.

We retire to bed a little worse for wear

Tomorrow we do absolutely nowt.

Tuesday 12th September 2007

We all wake up feeling a tad sorry for ourselves following the previous evening's antics. We enjoy a light breakfast, accompanied by copious amounts of teas/coffees and then head off into Saumur centre for a leisurely mooch around.

At midday we saddle up and head off to Le Mans. The weather is glorious; and so begins a hot and sweaty day in full leathers

We stop off at Le Lude on the D307 and have lunch at De L'Auberge (right next to the Loir). The food is excellent and the waitress is hot. No, honestly; sweaty pits 'n all sorts

Okay, so we arrive at Le Mans...and the fun begins; Psycho (obviously concentrating way too hard) nearly rides slap bang into the side of a bridge and Simon gets completely confused in the road works and decides to head straight for a roadworks cone

We stop off for a coffee in the centre; Dave and I try numerous hotels for vacancies but without success. We decide to head out of Le Mans.

Not far down the road we hit a picturesque village called Beaumont de Sarthe. We find accommodation at La Barque immediately; the rooms are great and secure parking is provided for the bikes.

We enjoy a three course meal in the restaurant. Psycho orders Gizzards believing it to be salad

The bar closes at 9:45pm

In fact, the whole village shuts down. I'm reminded of the Village of the Damned. And Children of the Corn. And Texas Chain Saw Massacre

I check under the bed.

Tomorrow we go our separate ways.

Monday 11th September 2006

The day starts off pretty cool, but soon warms up. We head off on the D939 towards Brantome, then onto the D675 through Nontron. The roads are pretty good upto St. Mathieu, where we stop and buy picnic type goodies at the local supermarket. We also make a stop at the hardware store in order to buy some gaffa tape to fix Sean's boots. So much for the Superhero  

We continue to travel in convoy until Confolens, where suddenly every man and their dog wind up the throttle in an attempt to lose Sean and me. It works 

We eventually track them down on the D952 heading out of Confolens. They're already tucking into their packed lunch. My dummy goes right across the road...and over the river

Psycho shows us pictures that he's taken of us all, whilst he's been riding along

We sadlle up.

Montmorillon looks nice, but we don't stop ! We ride the D749 (another nice road) all the way to Chauvigny and park up in the centre. 

Chauvigny is another picturesque place, but we don't have time to look around. We enjoy drinks in the Havana Bar, then head off again towards Saumur; our final destination of the day.

We see a nice Chateau in Richelieu called La Pataudiere (D749) and decide to stop for drinks. However, no sooner have we stopped, we're kicked out; chateau residents only

We carry on a little further and stop in Montserat (by the Loire) for a small break.

Psycho's tasked with leading the pack into Saumur and promptly heads off in the opposite direction  I race after him to tell him the good news

Once in Saumur we park up outside Le Cadre Noir (National School of Horsemanship). 

I head off in search of a room for the night and plump for the Kyriad Hotel; it's clean, reasonably priced and has secure carparking. Le Lucky throws his dummy across the Loire once he realises he's sleeping with Laurel and Hardy...again

After a long, hard, hot and sticky ride  , it's great to be able to linger in a hot shower; absolute heaven.

We close the day with three courses at a nice restaurant and a few too many beers

Psycho forms a close bond with a King Charles spaniel. 

Tomorrow we ride to Le Mans, kinda...

 

Sunday 10th September 2006

The alarm's firing on all cylinders; it's 6am  Even though I can't remember waking up much in the night, I feel totally pooped. This is not good...we have a long ride ahead of us.

We all have breakfast, then spend the obligatory 6 months waiting for Laurel and Hardy to load their bikes  

The road out of Millau is pretty straight and a smidgin' on the boring side, but it's very smooth and gives me a chance to see what the ol' girl can do  I drop it down a few cogs to second and cautiously wind the throttle to the stop. I look down at the speedo to find 140 on the clock  I hook up third and hit 150 before my chicken wings appear. Riding with a group of mates, on clear smooth roads, through picture postcard scenery, in bike perfect weather and 160+BHP on tap; it doesn't get much better than this

We stop at Villefranche for coffee; a picturesque village on a river...well, not on a river, but...anyhoos...you get the picture. The Sunday market is in full swing; a hive of activity. The locals are all very friendly.

We chill out for 30 mins; giving us time to absorb the smells of the fresh baked bread and strong coffee. We then take a slow stroll back to the bikes, saddle up and continue our journey along the D911. This is another excellent road and one that features in bestbikingroads.com We travel through a number of village markets, before arriving at our lunchtime destination; Cahors.

Cahors is another picturesque place and one which warrants a long stop and a mooch round (unfortunately our schedule is a little tight and we have to make Perigueux by sunset). As we ride towards Cahors centre, I spy an eaterie down a side street. I do a u-turn at the next roundabout and park up next to the river. We unload the important stuff and trott off to grab a bite to eat.

The place is pretty quiet, but the decor's top notch and the staff are pretty friendly and welcoming. As soon as we sit down and make ourselves comfortable, the place fills with other diners; that's my magnetic personality for ya  

My heart sinks once I read the menu; 18 euros for an omelette and 16 euros for a simple fish dish. We've taken our kit off, we're jammed in like sardines, we've already been given water and bread...and we're British...none of us are gonna get up and walk out. I look to my right...Psycho turns pale, then blue...his heart stops  

Apart from the under-cooked fish, the food is pretty good; well presented and palatable. Feeling full, but refreshed, we gather our gear and set off on the D811, then the D660 towards Perigueux.

We stop on the D703 at Le Lucky cafe for a break. The coffee here turns out to be the worst coffee in the history of worst coffee  We have a good chin-wag, watch a little F1, take a picture of Lucky Dave under Le Lucky sign, then hook up and continue our journey. Lucky leaves his shoulder bag hanging off the back of his bike (for the umpteenth time) and rides off into the distance with it scraping the tarmac 

We arrive in Perigueux around teatime and park up outside the IBIS. We all stand in stunned silence; Perigueux isn't what any of us were expecting. It looks poo  

After a 'little' cajoling...Sean and Psycho head off into the center to look for an oldy-woldy type bed and breakfast. Unfortunately they return empty handed; we decide to stay at the IBIS. Yes...I know...we should have done that in the first place  

We park the bikes in the underground carpark, shower, then head off for food. The Irish Bar beckons; it must be the full-on deafening trance music 

We walk around the centre for a while, then head off back to the hotel for a few beers. It's at this point we discover Sean's soles on his motorcycle boots going AWOL; trying to escape his hot 'n sweaty feet no doubt  Psycho fetches his superglue. Who the hell brings superglue on a....

Sean's boots look as good as new. We head off to bed.

Tomorrow we ride to Samur

 

 

 

 

 

I get up at 6:30 for a run. I don't want to wake Bob up, so try to get ready with the lights off. It's comedy half hour; I trip over my shoes and bang my head on the radiator, then stub my toe on the wardrobe  

To prevent a trip to A+E, I decide to put the light on. It's so bright I wake everyone up in the neighbourhood, with the exception of Bob, who's dead to the world and dribbling away on his pillow like a little baby. That exception also includes Dave. At least I guess it's Dave who's still in the land of nod by the snore tsunami that's resonating from the room next door. I'm guessing Laurel and Hardy are awake. 

I run for 4 miles and return a little sweaty and in need of a shower. Bob asks if i'm off for a run

We all have breakfast and then take a walk into the centre for a coffee. It looks like it's gonna be a gorgeous day.

As we're staying in Millau for a second night, there is no rush today. It's nice to have a break.

We decide to take a leisurely ride through the Gorge du Tarn. The scenery is fantastic, the roads are great, there's very little traffic and the weather is first class.

We stop at the Chateau Hotel de la Malene (in La Malene on the D43) for lunch.

Me and Bob take a stroll to the waterside and have a paddle (see pic). Sean and Dave look on...bemused

It's at this point that Dave has a brainwave (singular) and suggets we cross the river (it's okay, there is a bridge) and ride up the pass. All good and well you might think, but it looks higher than Mount Everest and it just so happens that it has a million and one hairpin bends. Si wets himself; he's afraid of heights. The rest of us poo ourselves 

We eventually make it to the top; the views are awesome. And I don't even take a ruddy picture !

We carry on along the D986 through Aven Armand, then the D996 through Le Rozier. The roads are wicked; twisty and smooth, with excellent views along the way. This is the best day so far for me.

This is it. This is why we're here. We take it to the bridge

The bridge is an engineering masterpiece. It's huge. We stop just before we travel across it in order take the official group tour photo.

We travel across in convoy. It's a tad windy, but what a view ! It's 2.46kms long and with a height of 336m, is the highest bridge in the world. That's 19m higher than the Eiffel Tower.

We get off at the very next junction and let satnav lead the way home. I'm cursing as it takes us down a small windy road covered in gravel, however, this road eventually leads us to the best view of the bridge. I spend at least 30 minutes taking photos

We get back to the hotel and start a drinking game ! The last person to finish their drink has to buy the next round. I've never seen beer go down so quick 

We eventually set off a little worse for wear for a bite to eat. We find the first restaurant full and leave the second restaurant due to ignorant staff. We're just about to leave the third restaurant as we're not made to feel welcome, when at the final hour we're assigned a nice Australian hottie as a waitress - hubba hubba 

We're having a great time; our host is amiable and chatty and the food is top notch. It's all going great guns until she asks what Si has won his cup for. He tells her he won it for having the biggest nob. The tumbleweed is deafening  

Tomorrow we ride to Perigueux

 

 

Friday 8th September 2006

We plan to leave Pau at 9am sharp, but I take a look at my watch and it's nearly 10. Sean and Si, aka Laurel and Hardy are sauntering around as if they're on holiday

We eventually leave Pau for Auch on the D943. The road is a cracker, but unfortunately a good majority of it has been relaid - bummer  

We all take it in turns leading the charge today.

We travel to Montauban on the D928; through picturesque countryside. We stop on this road to check the route. I park right next to Dave, put my stand down, hop off the bike and go back to let the others know which way we are heading next. It's at this point I hear Dave's muffled panic; unbeknown to me, my stand has flipped up and Dave is currently holding his bike up, as well as mine ! Whoops ! Sorry Dave

The majority of the D928 is fantastic. Satnav comes into it's own, as it takes us through a number of very small villages. We even ride through the centre of what looks to be a very old barn in Montech.

We stop in Gaillac on the D999 for lunch. We then hit the D988 on our way to Albi, before rejoining the 999. This road takes us all the way to Millau, along more great roads.

We arrive in the centre of Millau at 19:10hrs. Me and Dave pop off to scout for hotels and find The Grand Hotel du Paris; 70 euros for 2 nights b+b. The price also includes secure off road parking.

Me and Bob share a room, whilst Dave and the chuckle brothers enjoy a menage a trois. The first of many as it turns out

We pop out for a bite to eat and a few shandies, before heading back to a comfy bed and a good nights shut eye.

Tomorrow we take it to the bridge

 

 

 

Thursday 7th September 2006

I apologise in advance for swearing, but FOOK ME !

I wake up...and I use the word 'wake' in the loosest possible sense of the word...after having had approximately one hours kip. Dave snored the whole night through. And to top it all...he gets up at 5am, when we'd planned to get up at 6am

Rob wakes up with blood on his pillow; I don't wanna know  If he's had a good a night as me, I'm guessing he's used the razor blades.

The day can only get better

Dave leaves the cabin at 6 to recce the breakfast joint. He sees who he believes to be the couple we saw at check-in the day before and gives a cheery hello and even asks whether they're having a good time. He only realises it's not them, when we sit next to the 'real' couple later on

The weather is very mild, however it looks as though we're heading towards storm clouds.

Dave accuses me of tipping a bowlful of muesli down the bog

I still can't believe the number of bikers on board; absolutely hundreds leave the ferry port. We cruise for approximately 20 miles, then stop to take on food and water.

We carry on for another 80/90 miles or so...then disaster...we get split up going through a peage; me, Dave and Si go one way, Bob and Sean the other. This is not good, especially as I'm s'posed to be last man

Me, Dave and Si ride round a small town for 60 minutes in an attempt to find fuel; Si's riding on fumes. Dave's satnav works a treat...and takes us on a continuous loop to nowhere  Luckily a kind local on a moped offers assistance

We eventually meet up with Bob and Sean at the next peage. They both have waterproofs on, having encountered heavy rain. We continue on our journey to Tarbes.

I miss the turning for Pau  which adds an additional 15 miles to the journey. We stop in a picturesque park for a break and decide to stay in Pau for the night, rather than riding a further 20 miles to Tarbes.

We book ourselves into an IBIS. It's pretty naff, but time is getting on and we're all pretty hot and sweaty. We book a twin and a triple, but there's no third bed in the triple. It takes two trips downstairs to convince the receptionist of this. We are forced to take another double. If it wasn't for the fact that the receptionist is a Sarah Jessica Parker lookalike, I'd have asked Sean and Si to kick off ! 

Within 5 minutes of being given the keys, Sean locks his in his room. Class

We eventually find a place for food (following 30 mins of walking in circles) and settle down for some well earned snap. The bill comes to 125 euros (60 on beer). It throws it down for most of the evening.

We stop off at a bar on the way back to the hotel and order 6 beers. We soon polish them off and decide to grab an early night. We ask Bob to pay the bill; unfortunately the barman starts to poor new beers. It's at this point that WWIII starts. Now the barman is no small guy, in fact he is one huge man mountain, but as soon as he sees Bob lose the plot, he turns into a little harvester mouse. Thinking about it, we all do; Bob ain't called Psycho for nothing

We head off for bed at around 11pm. We're all caked !

Tomorrow ride to Millau

 

 

 

Wednesday 6th September 2006

Dave and I enjoy a lazy breakfast at Rich's expense. We eventually leave his house for the 50 mile journey to the ferry port at around 9:30am.

We arrive at Plymouth docks at 11:30am....following a six mile detour down the wrong road ! For some bizarre reason, the ferry port sign was missing from a major junction. We join the queue for check in with another 30 or so bikers. There is no sign of the rest of our group

I try ringing Bob a number of times, but his mobile is switched off ! I evntually ring Sean...only to find that he's already boarded the ferry with his brother; they've been settled in for a good couple of hours and are enjoying a nice cool pint of the fermented vegetable juice. I ask where Bob is and am told that he rode off and left them on the M42 !

On board I find Bob already in our cabin. He tells me that Simon flew past him on the M42 riding one handed, so he decided to give chase. Strange thing is...neither Sean nor Simon saw a thing. And as they were on the motorway at some ridiculously early time in the morning, I tend to believe them. We all decide that the M42 is home to a phantom ZX10R rider; a one handed one at that

The good news is the sea is very calm...and it turns out to be calm all the way across...even in the Bay of Biscay. The cabins are pretty crammed, but they are extremely clean and comfortable. The food is top dollar and not your usual motorway rubbish. I am quite surprised at the number of bikers that are on board; including a large contingent of the Oxford UK Chapter of Harley Owners Group.

With the exception of Simon, we all watch Pirates of the Caribbean; not a bad film, but the cinema is tiny. This is followed by a nice hot meal in the restaurant. Well, I say hot...Bob doesn't see the lush cod and mash pie and settles for a nice salmon and cheese sandwich  Lucky Dave manages to collar the very last portion of the beef casserole, but leaves all the olives. For some reason, the teatime discussion takes a turn for the worst and I find myself on the receiving end of a ribbing. I'm reminded that in the not too distant past, I was overtaken by a girl on a R1   Yeah well, you smell.

At 9pm the weather looked okay, but the forecast was for rain in San Sebastan, Tarbes AND Millau...oh joy. The Phantom Menace, IE Bob, also starts to moan about tomorrows route...like...hello...the route's been out for months ! The tour cup is presented to Bob for the stress he's caused everyone today.

There is a magician, cabaret and disco for evening entertainment. The magician is a tad poo, so I decide to take a walk on deck. It is really mild, the stars are out and the moon is very bright; no shit  All I hear is the sound of the wake and the low drone of the engines. Of all things, I think of work !

I return to the frivolity to find that the Phantom Menace has fallen for the barmaid. I can see why; she's like a string bean  

The disco starts up with a few phat salsa tunes. I'm quite taken aback when Dave asks me for a long screw against the back wall  Phew, it's cocktail time. We then have sex on the beach. It's fab.

A group of people in posh evening wear turn up in the bar. One of the guys strutts his funky stuff on the dancefloor and I mean strutts his funky stuff.....in a feckin' stoopid way ! Needless to say that after around 60 minutes of chasing ladies, he's flawed by a bloke of about 60. The best entertainment of the night.

We retire around midnight.

Tomorrow we ride to Tarbes

 

 

Tuesday 5th September 2006

Well, here we go at last. It has been raining but it looks like we're gonna get a clear run to Exeter.

As soon as I put the panniers on, I hear creaking bodywork  Not good ! I take drastic action and remove a stack load of non-essential stuff from them; underpants, socks, deodornat etc. I'm hoping the baby will now go round corners without that confidence inspiring 'wallowing in mud' feeling.

I get to Daves around 11am and I'm already sweating. I wish I'd brought the deodorant.

Dave ordered a new camera for the trip yesterday, but it hasn't arrived. We discover that the Co. have sent it with a Next Day delivery time of 5pm and not midday as promised ! Luckily it arrives at 12:45.

Dave has had his haircut. I'm assuming he'll be going back to get it finished on our return from hols  

We set off for Exeter around 13:30.

We stop for fuel on the M5. As I follow Dave along the sliproad, his tax disk holder suddenly drops off, bounces wildy on the tarmac and then shoots up in my general direction. If it wasn't for my lightning reactions, it could quite possibly have taken my head clean off.

We find that both bikes have similar fuel consumption; approx 45mpg. From this point on, we'll take it in turns paying to fuel both bikes at each stop.

We go for a few beers with Rich in Exeter, ending the night in a bar full of students. I feel like a perv. Hold on a minute

Tomorrow we take the ferry to Santander

 

 

Monday 4th September 2006

My packing is nearly done. I decide to take the panniers for a test ride; I fit them to the bike before driving through the side gate ! I can't be bothered unstrapping them so slip her into first gear, pile on the revs and let the clutch out. Bike and panniers finally make it through...eventually.

Arrive at Dave's to find his bike sporting a nice set of hard panniers. He's also taking a tank bag. And a nice over-the-shoulder number. 

Receive word from Mark that he will not be joining us on the trip; a bit of a bummer.

I mail 'AndyStrapz' a thank you for my order and foolishly copy all tour members on the mail. This backfires spectacularly when Bob does a 'copy all' and slates the product to an inch of it's life, even suggesting that it would be better to "cut up an old inner tube and save your pennies for combined fleece lined riding slippers with detachable compass in the toe". The Company Director is not amused

I discover that the credit card I intend to take is useless. MBNA apparently took control of the card from RBoS a couple of months ago, but I can't remember seeing any literature. I source temporary funds from my mortgage overflow account !

Tomorrow, Dave and I ride to Exeter