Off to meet a man I’ve never met

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it was shit! Only ate half and even left the crusts. Seemed like the top was sprayed on. Back home now but will complete the write up tomorrow. Includes cutting up a farmers barbed wire fence to save a barn owl, border force getting pissed off with me, blatant Q jumping at the Eurotunnel, hunting down a cock who cut me off to cross over a chevron as he missed his exit ..
 
Left Rouen at around 8 30 and straight into the lovely cool forest and curvy roads towards the tunnelIMG_5628.jpg

Came across this old church and from where I was on the bike, the sun was shining through from the other side directly through the stained glass. Not sure if the photo will show this.


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After another hour or so I came across this site of a barn owl flapping on barbed wire. So I unpacked my bags to get my trusty Leatherman and had at a go at freeing the poor soul. No dice, it was well and truly wedged onto the wire. I couldn't leave it and so had to snip the farmers wire.


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So I did!

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Note the nice gap suddenly showing. Someone please rotate these bloody photos!
 
Then I made it to the tunnel without much fuss
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and got the option to upgrade from my 16:20 crossing to a 13:40 crossing for a fee of £28.
I chose the option but then realised the queue in front was a tad long with all the holiday cars and traffic returning.
So I blasted left and right and swerved around bumpers and made it to within 3 cars of the front expecting to see a bike queue. No. Just cars. So I pretended to wave at the person in the booth just as they let the last car through and zoomed straight in front of the car. To be fair he had a GB number plate so I knew he wasn't really going to kick off!
Got through the French check in quite quickly and then gained another 2 placed by switching lanes at the UK border control. Oh and then waited and watched. And realised the lady in the booth was being watched by someone else in the booth. Anyhow, she too ages to pass the 4 brits through and so when I pulled up and saw a young lass, overshadowed by an older figure I kinda guessed she was being trained. Especially when she asked me to take my flip up J cruise off. So I asked "Are you in training?" and that went down like a lead balloon with the older guy
"Why did you ask that?" he replied
I wanted to say "Because you took bloody ages, that's why" but I didn't and just smiled. Anyhow, got waved off and overtook more cars to the waiting lanes. I was front of number 2 when number 1 for priority opened. I motioned to the lad and indicated I was going to use the flexi boarding lane. He said no, and then opened lane 2! Genius. Got the early train back.
Then on the motorway I was trundling along waiting to veer left from M20 onto M25 lane when a big BMW cuts in front of me, hammers his brakes and then crosses the dip between the lanes with the V chevrons into the M25 lane, by now I was too late to change lanes so had to carry on to a M25 junction further along! pissed off, all the time saved is now slipping away.

So I hammer it, join the M25 and continue clockwise towards the leatherhead exit. Oh, but who do I come across...the big fat bald BMW driver. So I slow down to give him some verbal abuse and he slows down and hides behind the trucks. I slow down, he overtakes without seeing me and so this continued for about 10 miles. Made I laugh how he suddenly knew his was in the wrong!

Anyhow made it back in 1 piece.
1700 Miles in 7 days riding, average of 242 a day (and we only had a bimble on the Sunday of about 50 miles.

A good trip safely done.
 
Then I made it to the tunnel without much fuss
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and got the option to upgrade from my 16:20 crossing to a 13:40 crossing for a fee of £28.
I chose the option but then realised the queue in front was a tad long with all the holiday cars and traffic returning.
So I blasted left and right and swerved around bumpers and made it to within 3 cars of the front expecting to see a bike queue. No. Just cars. So I pretended to wave at the person in the booth just as they let the last car through and zoomed straight in front of the car. To be fair he had a GB number plate so I knew he wasn't really going to kick off!
Got through the French check in quite quickly and then gained another 2 placed by switching lanes at the UK border control. Oh and then waited and watched. And realised the lady in the booth was being watched by someone else in the booth. Anyhow, she too ages to pass the 4 brits through and so when I pulled up and saw a young lass, overshadowed by an older figure I kinda guessed she was being trained. Especially when she asked me to take my flip up J cruise off. So I asked "Are you in training?" and that went down like a lead balloon with the older guy
"Why did you ask that?" he replied
I wanted to say "Because you took bloody ages, that's why" but I didn't and just smiled. Anyhow, got waved off and overtook more cars to the waiting lanes. I was front of number 2 when number 1 for priority opened. I motioned to the lad and indicated I was going to use the flexi boarding lane. He said no, and then opened lane 2! Genius. Got the early train back.
Then on the motorway I was trundling along waiting to veer left from M20 onto M25 lane when a big BMW cuts in front of me, hammers his brakes and then crosses the dip between the lanes with the V chevrons into the M25 lane, by now I was too late to change lanes so had to carry on to a M25 junction further along! pissed off, all the time saved is now slipping away.

So I hammer it, join the M25 and continue clockwise towards the leatherhead exit. Oh, but who do I come across...the big fat bald BMW driver. So I slow down to give him some verbal abuse and he slows down and hides behind the trucks. I slow down, he overtakes without seeing me and so this continued for about 10 miles. Made I laugh how he suddenly knew his was in the wrong!

Anyhow made it back in 1 piece.
1700 Miles in 7 days riding, average of 242 a day (and we only had a bimble on the Sunday of about 50 miles.

A good trip safely done.

Nice one!
 
Nice one Donovan, especially the Barn owl, it is nice to save a Barn Owl, done it myself and the feeling it gives you is up there with the best of feelings in the whole world.

Thanks for the time and effort for the write up, I enjoyed it :beerjug:
 
Yes, excellent owl skills.
And a good reminder os somewhere yet to go - maybe next year?
:thumby:
 
Nice wite up. Thanks.

Get an extra 5 points for saving the owl. Well done on that.
 
Great trip, great write up thank you. But the highlight for me was you saving the barn owl. There's a pint in it for you should our paths cross.
 
Have to say, after cutting the wire it was still quite long and well embedded through the tendon. I couldn't hold the owl as well as cut the wire, so I stopped the first car who poo poohed me and rode on feigning no English. I walked up the road to the house and showed them the wire embedded in the wing. Wife came out with mercurochrome and hubby zoomed off down the road. He came back 5 minutes later with a hippy ish looking guy who looked like he'd had rescues previously. Between the 3 of us, we managed to clip the wire close enough to get it removed, sanitise the wound and I handed the owl to the guy with the dreadlocks. He was massively grateful. I'd love to have had a close up of the owls face on my phone camera etc , but my memory of it looking at me with it's helpless eyes and pleading is enough for me. Such a beautiful animal with no menace in it. Hope it survives
 
You could have spun the Owl story at the weekend, if you did I missed it.

Well done mate, I adore wildlife in all its forms and hate to see suffering through mankinds invasion of its territory such as barbed wire fences . Lets hope it survives thanks to you and goes on to breed a future generation.
 
Good thing you had a Leatherman in your kit.:thumb2
Well done.:beerjug:
 
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