Was it you who overtook me on the autoroute?
Thank you
- Thread starter MAG man
- Start date
As a post script to Sid's do I thought I'd post a few pics of my journey northwards.
I left Sid's about 10am to head for Aubusson on Monday, not a huge distance, about 178 miles. The journey across country itself was great, loads of amazing French scenery and twisty D roads.
I arrive in Aubusson about 15.00 to find that the Grand Rue through the town, where my hotel is located, is blocked off as they have a huge street market down it. I have to park the bike on the wrong side of the river and have to walk at least a quarter of a mile with my biking gear on carrying my luggage and helmet in 28C through throngs of milling people crammed into the street looking at tat and shite on market stalls that they have no intention of buying. I'm sweating like a paedo in Mothercare and I'm fighting my way through this sea of humanity who are all in my way and all I want to do is scream "GET OUT OF MY FUCKING WAY YOU MUPPETS!" Sid you would have had a meltdown. Eventually I find my hotel, book in, strip my T-shirt off which is clinging to me with sweat and have a cooling shower, get into my shorts and head for the bar for a long cold beer.
I ask the owner when I will be able to bring my bike to the hotel to be told that the road will be closed until 23.00! Fuck that, I'll be in bed by then. I walk back to the bike to secure it and push my way back through the shopping lemmings. I find a bar/pizzeria and have dinner. Back in my room which overlooks the frontage of the hotel over the main street there is loads of hubbub, I close the double glazed windows to block out the noise and get some shut eye. I wake up a little while later bathed in sweat as the room is now like a sauna. I have no choice but to open the windows, there is still plenty of action going on outside but it's one or t'other. Luckily, we then have the mother and father of all thunderstorms, I'm not kidding the thunderclaps were like bombs going off and the rain is biblical. this has the effect of sending loads of people off home although I still have to try and sleep through the noise of the storm.
I wake up about 7.30, pack my gear, have a couple of satisfying dumps and head for brekkie about 8.15. It is the usual continental, settle my bill and I am heading off about 9'ish. The forecast is for heavy rain but it is already easing off. I don waterproofs anyway. The first thing I have to do is cross the river into Aubusson and work my way through the narrow streets and one way system which I fail miserable and somehow end up back where I started. I give it another go and more by luck manage to fine my way out of the town and heading vaguely northwards. I pick up the D942 and it all goes well until we get to a town where the road is closed, I follow the Deviation signs and eventually get back onto the D942 but the satnav is trying to take me back to a waypoint I just happened to plonk in the town in the middle of the road closure. I pull in and reset the route and off we go again. I encounter a couple of light showers and stop for a piss after about 90 minutes. I decide to keep my waterproofs on until I am sure that the rain is not going to return. I stop at a picnic place about 90 minutes later and make a cheese, ham and tomato baguette for lunch, I am not far off now. The weather is now looking good so I strip off the waterproofs which is a relief as I was getting pretty warm.
I had deliberately plotted my route to take me to Laverdan which is in a book of most lovely French villages. I park up and have a wander and take a few pics. It is indeed a lovely place with a ruined castle overlooking it, an 11thC church with medieval frescos an ancient cobbled bridge spanning the river, it is a very peaceful and a great place to while away the time.
I am only a few miles away from my digs for the night, I had plotted a stop at a Lidl at a town just outside the village I'm staying in to get some supplies. Nothing doing, it is a French national holiday due to some saint or other and Lidl, like everything else is closed. There is an Intermarche petrol station opposite which does card payments so I fill up and head for my digs to find another barred road, I follow the Deviation once more. I find and park up outside the place and there are an elderly couple going in and out of the same place loading stuff into their car. They are a Dutch couple and they are off to a free music concert in the town I had just left. They speak perfect English, we have a bit of a chat and I tell them not to get drunk and make my way up to my room. There are no staff onsite, I have a code to open a key box and make my way upstairs to find I have struck lucky. I have a fantastic apartment, lounge, kitchen, bedroom, superb bathroom, The outside of the building is very unprepossessing but inside it is fantastic. I am one happy bunny. Distance travelled is 193 miles.
I have my obligatory shower, wash my sweaty socks, undercrackers and t-shirt and hang them on the window rail, it is 25C so they should dry easily. I check google maps and find there is only one bar/restaurant within walking distance or it is back on the bike and ride 5ks back to the local town, the place I am in is called Les Roches L'Ev
oque and it is tiny. I walk the half a klick to the bar which has a fine selection of Belgian beers on draught, including a trippel brew at 8.9% ABV, nice and the outdoors area at the back overlooks the river. I enquire about eating to be told that they only serve lunch - bugger! However, the place is also a shop and they have some tinned stuff, bearing in mind I have a kitchen I should be ok. I slug a couple of strong Belgian pints and select a mega 800 gram can of ravioli from the shelf, that should be enough for dinner and breakfast, they also have a baguette so I fork out the princely sum of 4 euro 30 cents for two meals. I nuke half the contents of the can in the microwave and sprinkle some sweaty cheese from my top box onto it and scoff it. Dinner consumed I book myself a place to stop in Normandy tomorrow night, it is in another of those listed beautiful villages of France and is only 137 miles away so I will have leisurely start tomorrow.
And now I am writing this! Here are a few pics from Aubusson, you can see the crowded street market, a few from Laverdan and of this place which is on the Loir River as opposed to the Loire River which I crossed today at Blois.
I left Sid's about 10am to head for Aubusson on Monday, not a huge distance, about 178 miles. The journey across country itself was great, loads of amazing French scenery and twisty D roads.
I arrive in Aubusson about 15.00 to find that the Grand Rue through the town, where my hotel is located, is blocked off as they have a huge street market down it. I have to park the bike on the wrong side of the river and have to walk at least a quarter of a mile with my biking gear on carrying my luggage and helmet in 28C through throngs of milling people crammed into the street looking at tat and shite on market stalls that they have no intention of buying. I'm sweating like a paedo in Mothercare and I'm fighting my way through this sea of humanity who are all in my way and all I want to do is scream "GET OUT OF MY FUCKING WAY YOU MUPPETS!" Sid you would have had a meltdown. Eventually I find my hotel, book in, strip my T-shirt off which is clinging to me with sweat and have a cooling shower, get into my shorts and head for the bar for a long cold beer.
I ask the owner when I will be able to bring my bike to the hotel to be told that the road will be closed until 23.00! Fuck that, I'll be in bed by then. I walk back to the bike to secure it and push my way back through the shopping lemmings. I find a bar/pizzeria and have dinner. Back in my room which overlooks the frontage of the hotel over the main street there is loads of hubbub, I close the double glazed windows to block out the noise and get some shut eye. I wake up a little while later bathed in sweat as the room is now like a sauna. I have no choice but to open the windows, there is still plenty of action going on outside but it's one or t'other. Luckily, we then have the mother and father of all thunderstorms, I'm not kidding the thunderclaps were like bombs going off and the rain is biblical. this has the effect of sending loads of people off home although I still have to try and sleep through the noise of the storm.
I wake up about 7.30, pack my gear, have a couple of satisfying dumps and head for brekkie about 8.15. It is the usual continental, settle my bill and I am heading off about 9'ish. The forecast is for heavy rain but it is already easing off. I don waterproofs anyway. The first thing I have to do is cross the river into Aubusson and work my way through the narrow streets and one way system which I fail miserable and somehow end up back where I started. I give it another go and more by luck manage to fine my way out of the town and heading vaguely northwards. I pick up the D942 and it all goes well until we get to a town where the road is closed, I follow the Deviation signs and eventually get back onto the D942 but the satnav is trying to take me back to a waypoint I just happened to plonk in the town in the middle of the road closure. I pull in and reset the route and off we go again. I encounter a couple of light showers and stop for a piss after about 90 minutes. I decide to keep my waterproofs on until I am sure that the rain is not going to return. I stop at a picnic place about 90 minutes later and make a cheese, ham and tomato baguette for lunch, I am not far off now. The weather is now looking good so I strip off the waterproofs which is a relief as I was getting pretty warm.
I had deliberately plotted my route to take me to Laverdan which is in a book of most lovely French villages. I park up and have a wander and take a few pics. It is indeed a lovely place with a ruined castle overlooking it, an 11thC church with medieval frescos an ancient cobbled bridge spanning the river, it is a very peaceful and a great place to while away the time.
I am only a few miles away from my digs for the night, I had plotted a stop at a Lidl at a town just outside the village I'm staying in to get some supplies. Nothing doing, it is a French national holiday due to some saint or other and Lidl, like everything else is closed. There is an Intermarche petrol station opposite which does card payments so I fill up and head for my digs to find another barred road, I follow the Deviation once more. I find and park up outside the place and there are an elderly couple going in and out of the same place loading stuff into their car. They are a Dutch couple and they are off to a free music concert in the town I had just left. They speak perfect English, we have a bit of a chat and I tell them not to get drunk and make my way up to my room. There are no staff onsite, I have a code to open a key box and make my way upstairs to find I have struck lucky. I have a fantastic apartment, lounge, kitchen, bedroom, superb bathroom, The outside of the building is very unprepossessing but inside it is fantastic. I am one happy bunny. Distance travelled is 193 miles.
I have my obligatory shower, wash my sweaty socks, undercrackers and t-shirt and hang them on the window rail, it is 25C so they should dry easily. I check google maps and find there is only one bar/restaurant within walking distance or it is back on the bike and ride 5ks back to the local town, the place I am in is called Les Roches L'Ev
oque and it is tiny. I walk the half a klick to the bar which has a fine selection of Belgian beers on draught, including a trippel brew at 8.9% ABV, nice and the outdoors area at the back overlooks the river. I enquire about eating to be told that they only serve lunch - bugger! However, the place is also a shop and they have some tinned stuff, bearing in mind I have a kitchen I should be ok. I slug a couple of strong Belgian pints and select a mega 800 gram can of ravioli from the shelf, that should be enough for dinner and breakfast, they also have a baguette so I fork out the princely sum of 4 euro 30 cents for two meals. I nuke half the contents of the can in the microwave and sprinkle some sweaty cheese from my top box onto it and scoff it. Dinner consumed I book myself a place to stop in Normandy tomorrow night, it is in another of those listed beautiful villages of France and is only 137 miles away so I will have leisurely start tomorrow.And now I am writing this! Here are a few pics from Aubusson, you can see the crowded street market, a few from Laverdan and of this place which is on the Loir River as opposed to the Loire River which I crossed today at Blois.
Attachments
Just arrived back in sunny Kent.
Thanks Sid and Ann for hosting such a special event at the weekend.
Such a huge amount of planning and preparation must have been done ahead of time and all the work to keep things going. Thanks for your efforts very much appreciated.
It was great to finally meet the varied bunch that helps make up UKGSER, such fun talking with everyone and taking away the different approaches we all have on life, I have to say it was a really nice bunch.
Sid thanks for changing the tyre - I’ve now learnt how to do it, but not sure it’s warm enough to soften up the rubber in Kent.
Ann thanks for the constant attention everyone experienced and allowing us to take over your home for the weekend.
Also, so nice to meet your local friends on Saturday night, after I was lucky to be able to sit by the lakeside when all were asleep and watch the meteor shower displayed in the cloudless sky.
Thanks again
Dane
Thanks Sid and Ann for hosting such a special event at the weekend.
Such a huge amount of planning and preparation must have been done ahead of time and all the work to keep things going. Thanks for your efforts very much appreciated.
It was great to finally meet the varied bunch that helps make up UKGSER, such fun talking with everyone and taking away the different approaches we all have on life, I have to say it was a really nice bunch.
Sid thanks for changing the tyre - I’ve now learnt how to do it, but not sure it’s warm enough to soften up the rubber in Kent.
Ann thanks for the constant attention everyone experienced and allowing us to take over your home for the weekend.
Also, so nice to meet your local friends on Saturday night, after I was lucky to be able to sit by the lakeside when all were asleep and watch the meteor shower displayed in the cloudless sky.
Thanks again
Dane
Got home at midnight last night after a lovely 2 day wander back up to Caen.
Can't thank Sid and Anne enough for their unbelievable hospitality and of course Simon for the hard work on the griddle.
Great to meet up with old friends and new in lovely and chilled out surroundings.
If Carling did UKgser meet ups...............
Can't thank Sid and Anne enough for their unbelievable hospitality and of course Simon for the hard work on the griddle.
Great to meet up with old friends and new in lovely and chilled out surroundings.
If Carling did UKgser meet ups...............
We have just left Sid and Ann after a really great weekend. We cannot thank you enough for a great weekend meeting up with GS’ers new and old.
what a great pair of hosts they are.
the break was topped off with a medieval procession where King Sid and queen Ann were in full costume.
what a great pair of hosts they are.
the break was topped off with a medieval procession where King Sid and queen Ann were in full costume.
You will need to have a good time without it.. enjoy and ride steady.
I'm now on Arabba having dinner.
And you and your good lady?
All good thanks Iain we leave Sid and Ann in the morning to I know not where , good plan me thinks.
Ride safe and have fun my friend.
Wow, gorgeous!After the craziness of San Sebastián where they had a week long festival we are near Limoges in a fantastic castle for the night.
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I had the opposite to you last night.
Piacenza was, totally, closed and on holiday!
99.999999% of all places were closed for their annual holiday.
I found two bars and a kebab place open that was it!
I walked for 3 hours to find next to f. all open.
I drank, and 2 to go, from a wè bar and he gave me my crisps free! I was now his friend
Left Sid and Anne along with Simon just after lunch today.
I wish to thank all three of them for the time and effort put in to make it such a good time.
The time was capped off by the Medieval Procession and fayre in Montflanquin
I will upload all my pictures when I get a good signal.
Neil
I wish to thank all three of them for the time and effort put in to make it such a good time.
The time was capped off by the Medieval Procession and fayre in Montflanquin
I will upload all my pictures when I get a good signal.
Neil
€100 per night, breakfast and parking included. Middle of nowhere so we popped into the supermarket for provisions for dinner. They have a fully equipped kitchen so wine and chicken salad for dinner.
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@Lord Snooty
If it was what looked like a really tall guy, sitting on the pillion seat with his feet on the highway pegs - then most likely - I did do a big wave to someone I went past.
Yep, it was you.
He is rather tall!
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