Monday 5 August 2013

Sometimes it is about the destination

Usually it’s about the journey and not the destination, on this occasion both the journey and the destination were to be important, in fact it was for the first part about the destination, but we were as sure as heck, we were going to enjoy the journey, least I was…………… Maybe an idea to put a pot of coffee on if you’ll be sticking with this, not short As some will remember we were going to view a property we are considering buying on our way south, Julie finished work at 2pm and we’d arranged to meet the agents at 4pm in Newton le Willows, this should still allow time to travel south for our first hotel of the holiday. We arrived at the agent’s office where we were to pick up the key and had a quick chat, we said we were on our way to Italy from there so would make the viewing a quick one, picked up the key and rode around to the house. Wont say much, other than meJulie was just as impressed as me at the place and agreed we should firm up the offer, we returned to the agents. Offer on table, he said he would put it forward but was sure there would not be any issues, I again said we would be on the road so would phone him the next day as it would be easier, he seemed surprised and said he thought we were joking when we said we were on our ay to Italy, never met Mickmanchester before, but as we left he said he looked forward to meeting again when we get back, and more stories, fellow biker don’t you know. So, on the road again………………………. Again I was using this trip to scout a route for Belonga Mick in October, I had the route south just about sorted but wanted to show meJulie some of the sights and do it in “real” time, what I wasn’t expecting Julie to do was set off at 5 am to get the 11.20 train, so I’d booked a room at a Hampton near Luton, and very civilised it was, quite new hotel so nice and clean with a staff eager to please, we were happy. Next morning we set south for the train, England was basking in what was to become one of the hottest and sunniest periods for a long time and the forecast for mainland Europe was looking about the same, we made the train for 10.20am. Once in France I headed for my usual stop at the underground gas station to fill the tank(s), ahead we had about 375 miles, not much but we would be avoiding motorways so as to enjoy the beauty that is France. I set the GPS for Gerberoy, kickstands up and away. First stretch again against all I’ve said but we used the toll road, this was decided to assist the group in October make enough progress south as to enjoy the second days ride and allow enough time to take in some sights, me for the extra hour I’d sooner use the old road but never mind plans made, we stopped for lunch at a rest area just before the exit back onto the more favoured roads. Now I started to enjoy myself, with the sun high in the sky we took some beautiful country roads to Gerberoy
Spent an hour walking around this old village, took loads of pictures but to see more you’ll just have to join us in October. Then it was a steady ride down to Dreux (If you click these links, get directions previous to this, and set preference to avoid highways you’ll get an idea of how we travelled.) a Premier Class motel for the night, again I took the roads less travelled and enjoyed some twists and turns that make biking such a pleasure. We’d chosen this hotel because it was close to a campanile hotel (sister hotel) and there we would find a restaurant, wrong, the restaurant was now closed, another victim of the recent decline in the economy. That meant we had to ride into the town to eat, sure we would find a nice place but it meant I couldn’t have a drink so wouldn’t enjoy the meal so much. Also in October, I’m sure the lads would prefer to relax over a meal and a beer and not worry about riding back to the hotel. All that said, we found a cracking place so think I’ll put that on the itinerary for October and we can forgo the beer for one night, centre of town with locals and music, typically French, that’s why we’re here, great stuff. Ready for the road at 9am after a peaceful night I again kicked up the side stand and headed south, first stop Chartres
Only about 15 miles down the road but another must see Again got loads of pictures but none truly do this place justice, we’d hit the bypass many times and never stopped, we were sure glad we did this trip, meJulie was more than impressed with the gothic cathedral, absolutely stunning I think was how she described it. From there it was on to Chateaudun
then on to Vendom Where we stopped for lunch
Buffalo Grill, Recky ride thru the town
then on to Blois
Spent an hour here checking the place out
stopped for coffee
and people watched. And then onto Cheverny Taking the scenic rout via the château
From where I picked up the again familiar road to Bethines and our little place in France
Grass ready to cut we had a couple of days before we again would hit the road and head south towards the Alps and Italy. I got on with finishing some plastering and Julie had a tidy and dusted some cobwebs away. That done and we are back on the road south east, I’ve got lazy lately, with the GPS you just set the destination and trust it to get you there, and with this new tomtom I could set windy roads and have fun, I elected to set it to avoid motorways and just go, unfortunately it turned out the non motorway had been upgraded to a motorway and after 20 miles of boredom I pulled off and made a few adjustments to the optional route, and glad I did, we arrived at that nights hotel just south of Clermont Ferrand having
travelled some fine French roads
that I felt sure they had left empty just for us, and this the holiday season. We booked into a campanile and looked forward to the next day when we would be into the hills proper and enjoying the French Alps, next stop Grenoble We were now in the Alps
from hotel yes I should have taken more pictures but was too busy enjoying myself, Julie did her best from the back of the bike but said I was going a little fast round some of the corners and she spent most of her time holding on, me I was lovin’ it. Unfortunately the Restaurant is closed on a Friday night, I kid you not, so we ventured round the corner to the nearest, within walking distance place to eat, pizza or Chinese? Think we’ll go with pizza says I, big mistake, next day I was on the,,,,,, well needed the salt powders, not good, but it didn’t stop me from riding and we headed off on the final leg of this part of the trip to Italy and over the tops. I could tell you about the noisy Aircon with temps in 90’s and how disappointed we found that hotel and to top it all loo seat busted, but never mind, this isn’t a travel guide to hotels to avoid, on the road by nine and more awesome roads they were, biker heaven. Now, do a get directions from Grenoble FR to Cherasco Province of Cuneo, Italy Options avoid tolls and avoid highways, top route should be D1091, now drop down anyplace on that map and see the view, near enough the route we took, ab-so-bloody beautiful.
We made The hotel ilcampanile in Cherasco our base for the next few days while we attended a festival with some special people……………………………………..that’s for another time. The hotel is a converted monastery, built late 1700 and converted to this small hotel in 2010 or there abouts, http://www.hotelilcampanile.com/hotel.aspx Lovely place, retained many original features and although out in the sticks was well worth the travelling to and from the “event” On the last day we left about 4pm and headed back into the alps to Hôtel Restaurant Le Terminus, Fontan again I trusted the GPS and it guided us to a beautiful hotel high in the hills with a lovely outdoor restaurant and smoking BBQ, only problem was the name was different, I went in and enquired re Le Terminus and was directed back down the hill to the correct location. Now I don’t know if it was because the place up the hill was so nice but I was immediately under-whelmed and could see the disappointment on meJulie’s face, we booked in. the room was……………small, you had to climb over the bed to enter the bathroom, also small, it was over looking the river, we couldn’t see it for trees but we could sure hear it, also a great view of the side of the mountain. We went down to eat, the proprietor was also the waiter, his day job was operating the fuel pumps and small garage next door, boy this guy works some, and in fairness was a great guy, couldn’t knock him. We asked for breakfast at 7.30 as Julie had a flight to catch from Nice, he obliged although did say bread might not be here by then but will sort something. He was up to serve us breakfast at 7.30 and yes bread had just arrived, fresh as French bread should be. We slept and I say that reservedly in beds that, now, how could I describe them? If there was room on the floor I’d have slept there, lumpy, yes that will do. I asked how I’d managed to book a place like this then remembered, Julie had spotted it on one of my searches and suggested we book it, yes it was Julies fault and in fairness as a result she didn’t complain, much. We had another great ride down to Nice and the flight for Julie, I dropped her off, we said our good buys and I again headed for the highway and scenic rout back to Bethines, via a stopover at Hotel La Remise Lovely place, but the getting there was a story, go get another coffee while I tell ya……… I set off from the airport in Nice abut 10.30, this allowed me loads of time to get to tonight’s hotel with time to spare and allow me to enjoy the southern slopes of the French Alps. Solo these roads hum,
Julie says I go a little fast, when she’s pillion I take my time, solo I was rolling in out and thru every corner and curve, past lavender fields
Pine forests’ and lakes,
thru mountain passes that well some folks only dream about, I had arrived in heaven. On one of the mountain climbs I noted a number of cars speeding down the hill cutting corners and basically making me more vigilant than I might have thought necessary, I also noted they had bikes on the roof racks. When I got to the top of the hill the road was blocked, I shut down the bike and enquired from friendly French gendarme. Apparently it will be two hours, the tour de France is passing and I would have to wait, not despondent I saw this as another opportunity to see a spectacle that well is just that,
boy those guys shift, only problem was temps touching 100 degrees, it was hot and no shelter from the sun. When they’d passed I re mounted the Dragon and pressed the GPS back into life……….pressed the button a second time……..nothing, checked for power, that looked ok, jack light was illuminated so all looked ok, but no power actually at the GPS and it was dead. Now I knew I had to be heading in a North West direction, so checked the sun and headed off, problem with that is these roads switch back and it can be hard to judge the actual direction of travel, I made it about 30 or so miles and decided a map was required, stopped at a supermarket in Vaison-la-Romaine, France They didn’t sell maps; I went thru my gear and routed out my old very basic French map, shows major towns and cities along with larger roads, no mountain passes at all, oh what to do? Phone home, Julie got on the internet and together we pinpointed the hotel as being between Villefort And Mende on the D901 I was here Vaison-la-Romaine, I turned south for a stretch to join with the D980 that would lead me onto the D901, not Googles preferred route but sometimes you just can’t beat paper. Click on the link and take a look at another bit of biker heaven, that lake, lac de villefort the color, it’s one of those colors “that no one knows the names of”, a blue green turquoise sort of, anyway camera can’t catch that color so you’ll just have to go take a look yourself one day. I did notice that about the water up in the hills, how pure it was and the color, an ice bluey green sort of, well never mind, it was nice tis all I’m sayin. So, I got out a pen and paper wrote down some main towns on route and headed off, with memories of pre GPS and a smile on my face. This is what touring is all about, a map a few notes, road signs and land marks, memories of where you’ve been, where you are and where the heck you’re going. I pulled into a parking lot in pont st esprit And along side another valk, I was just getting my camera out to take a picture when the fellow rider arrived, we exchanged details, he wrote down his email and I gave him a card, unfortunately his email address is bouncing mail back so hope he contacts me, with Google translate we might be able to have a decent conversation, he was asking loads about my bike, his was standard pre 2000 (seat) and about the VRCC, I saddled up and left my new friend as again I followed road signs. You could do the same with Google on this stretch and drop down on some of the roads, biker heaven I kid you not. I arrived at the hotel at 8.20pm, they were due to stop serving dinner at 8.30 so just in time. The proprietor opened the garage for me to park my bike, I parked the bike had a quick wash and made the restaurant just in time to order a meal, easy option of set menu and at 18 euro it was very nice thank you very much, two beers later and I retired to my room. That night I slept like a baby. I plugged the GPS into the mains charger over night and it fully charged so guessed it was the charger on the bike that was duff, will sort when I get back to Belonga Mick, on the road for 8.30am and after enjoying the last of the foothills I settled in to a steady ride back home, occasionally I took a turn I just liked the look of, but for the main part stayed on the recommended GPS route, arriving home at 4.30. a quick visit here Montmorillon To pick up some provisions
That wasn’t what I was supposed to be doing by the way, after dropping Julie off I was supposed to be going round to Spain , into Portugal and up the west coast of France, but cut this trip short due to the house sale back in the UK, maybe next time…………. I had a couple of days rest at the cottage before heading north and back to the UK, again scouting the route for the October VRCC ride, struggling finding hotels at the right money further north, me, this time I stayed here LOGIS Moulin des Forges And very nice it was but at over 120 euro for dinner B and B well not sure that will be in budget, but then again, maybe I’ll ask them that’s coming in October, real nice place. I also stopped off here to say thanks,
Thiepval Memorial http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiepval_Memorial Again enjoyed the back roads, no highways or main roads, arrived in time to get train at 2pm and arrived home at 6.30 or thereabouts. Till next time Ride safe Mick