This is a report of our recent four week trip with our Ancient Monuments tour. The basic plan was taking four days to get to Florence using a mix of autoroutes, route nationale roads and a famous mountain pass. We then stayed a week in a villa with the family who fly/drive (more of that later) . They go home and we take a couple of days to Brindisi, where we take the ferry to Igoumenitsa, Greece. We then have 12 days in Greece, taking in Metoria, Delphi, Corinth, Mystras & Sparta, Olympia then back to Igoumenitsa for the ferry back to Italy. Then an easy nine days home via Pompei, Lake Como, Riquewihr, Épernay then the tunnel.
This is a map of the basic route...
Day 1. Northamptonto Ashford.
The usual M1/M25ride to the Premier Inn at Ashford, only made interesting in the last hour ofthe journey by some pretty spectactular thunderstorms.
It was a shower, andfood and get ready for an early start in the morning to the tunnel and France.
Day 2.
No problems at the tunnel, passport checks as normal and no request for covid info. 270 miles later finds us near Vitry-le-Francois after a dry but windy ride. The hotel we booked didn't have a restaurant but there was one next door, so we walked over there about 7-30pm to find a notice on the door saying not opening tonight due to unforeseen circumstances. Debated togging up and riding into town to find food, but in end we just used some of the dried food from the pannier. Good to be travelling again...
Few fellow passengers from the train....noise was impressive.
Train set in the garden of the hotel....
Day 3
So this day we did 256 miles to Villebois, just east of Lyon. Nice ride on the N67 for about 60 miles then the rest was toll motorway. Weather started out very overcast but brightened up later in the afternoon. Some great scenery, specially the Rhone river near our hotel . Only downside was it was a religious holiday in France and most restaurants are closed so once again its pot rice and sandwiches.
Day 4
Was a250 mile ride to Romantino, just west of Milan. Stunning ride over the LittleSt Bernard Pass which lived up to my expectations with stunning views and lotsof challenging riding round lots of hairpins. We rode along the Aosta valley tojoin to autoroute where we spent two hours in 30c heat. Added to that astressful shouting match at an Italian toll booth which wouldn't accept my cardleft us a bit overheated by the time we arrived at the hotel.
Somegood Italian food and drink that night which was well earned!
The following is a low quality video from my helmet camera....clearly I am no Itchy Boots for video content...
Day 5
Early start as this was going to be a hot day - 255 miles in 35c heat . Thank goodness for mesh bike gear. The A7 to Genova is unlike any motorway I've ever ridden - endless bends that were really exciting. We finally arrived at our villa in the hills above Florence that our youngest son sorted out for the family...unfortunately not all the family were there thanks to Easyjet
My eldest son booked his flights for him, his partner and three kids 6 months ago - arrived at Gatwick flight delayed then sat 2 hours on plane to be finally told flight cancelled go home. No other flights available. Rather than give up, and despite the fact that neither of them had ever driven abroad before, they booked a ferry for Saturday evening from Dover and drove down non-stop, arriving at the villa Sunday afternoon!
This is a map of the basic route...
Day 1. Northamptonto Ashford.
The usual M1/M25ride to the Premier Inn at Ashford, only made interesting in the last hour ofthe journey by some pretty spectactular thunderstorms.
It was a shower, andfood and get ready for an early start in the morning to the tunnel and France.
Day 2.
No problems at the tunnel, passport checks as normal and no request for covid info. 270 miles later finds us near Vitry-le-Francois after a dry but windy ride. The hotel we booked didn't have a restaurant but there was one next door, so we walked over there about 7-30pm to find a notice on the door saying not opening tonight due to unforeseen circumstances. Debated togging up and riding into town to find food, but in end we just used some of the dried food from the pannier. Good to be travelling again...
Few fellow passengers from the train....noise was impressive.
Train set in the garden of the hotel....
Day 3
So this day we did 256 miles to Villebois, just east of Lyon. Nice ride on the N67 for about 60 miles then the rest was toll motorway. Weather started out very overcast but brightened up later in the afternoon. Some great scenery, specially the Rhone river near our hotel . Only downside was it was a religious holiday in France and most restaurants are closed so once again its pot rice and sandwiches.
Day 4
Was a250 mile ride to Romantino, just west of Milan. Stunning ride over the LittleSt Bernard Pass which lived up to my expectations with stunning views and lotsof challenging riding round lots of hairpins. We rode along the Aosta valley tojoin to autoroute where we spent two hours in 30c heat. Added to that astressful shouting match at an Italian toll booth which wouldn't accept my cardleft us a bit overheated by the time we arrived at the hotel.
Somegood Italian food and drink that night which was well earned!
The following is a low quality video from my helmet camera....clearly I am no Itchy Boots for video content...
Day 5
Early start as this was going to be a hot day - 255 miles in 35c heat . Thank goodness for mesh bike gear. The A7 to Genova is unlike any motorway I've ever ridden - endless bends that were really exciting. We finally arrived at our villa in the hills above Florence that our youngest son sorted out for the family...unfortunately not all the family were there thanks to Easyjet
My eldest son booked his flights for him, his partner and three kids 6 months ago - arrived at Gatwick flight delayed then sat 2 hours on plane to be finally told flight cancelled go home. No other flights available. Rather than give up, and despite the fact that neither of them had ever driven abroad before, they booked a ferry for Saturday evening from Dover and drove down non-stop, arriving at the villa Sunday afternoon!
