Rob and Fern's wander around France

[anon]

From: VerdeFalco Sent: 19/06/2006 23:00

Rob and Fern's wander around France.

The trip started with a 50 min crossing with Speed Ferries
(www.speedferries.com) from Dover to Bolougne-Sur-Mer and a night in our first Ibis hotel.
The next morning set off on the A28 for our first proper destination in Chartres.
Not many petrol stations along that road. So I found out the RSVR can do over 150 miles and still leave 2.25 litres in my 18 litre tank.

We stayed in a local B&B in the town centre our first real touch of France, nice little town and the twin spire cathedral is well worth a look.
Next day we were of to Alice Farm,it’s a biker friendly B&B run by Steve and Debbie, have a look at their site www.alice-farm.net. They can accommodate up to 12 people at a time and what a welcome we got when we arrived.
We stayed there the next day and they gave us directions to a nearby Volcano at Clermont-Ferrand.
Oh boy the route they gave us was fantastic, twisties and scenery, got stopped 78km in a 50 km zone but they let me off. A good possibility for a focal place for the September run??

Now off to Polignac near Le Puy using the N102, another very nice road and another local run B&B set below a castle, very nice. From Polignac we took the D589, D989, highly recommended roads and across to the N9 and down to Millau Bridge, its BIG on to the A75 and finishing at Sete on the south coast of France for two nights, 18 Km of Sandy beaches.
From Sete we popped over to Antibes by Monaco, stayed at a charming local Hotel again for another to nights, looking around the local area. Got told off by a nice young Police woman for being outside THE posh casino in Monty Carlo on a motorcycle, how much money in four wheeled tin cans!!!!

Now the good bit www.beyond.fr/sites/rtnapol.html. the N85 from Cannes to Castellane WOW its not to be missed we then cut across to the Gourge de Vernon
www.provenceweb.fr/e/groupes/verdon/pays.htm
again WOW.
We then carried on west until the D8 (Twisty narrow and high) and the rest of Napoleons route, then up to Gap for the night. The next stage we chased Napoleon to Grenoble, we then went to Geneva for lunch and on to our ski lodge near Gex at 1323m.

It was on to Dijon via a very pretty waterfall called Les cascades du herisson near Ilay and more wonderful roads.
Stayed over night at Dijon, not a bad town and the next day got a couple of tyres fitted at Dafy Moto, paid the same in euros as I would have in pounds and on to Reims a two night stay.
Reims was Ok but nothing to get excited about.

We were now on the homeward run, autoroute to Lille and another Ibis.
Now Lille is a very nice city to visit and I wish we had done our two night stop there instead of Reims.
Its now back to Bolougne and speed ferries home.

So in the end we managed to eat and drink our way around France covering 2482.5 miles, approx 56 gallons of fuel all and all in 16 gentle days.
So I now thank you for reading this (if you got this far) little essay on Bob and Ferns wander around France…
Spain next I think.


Oh the RSVR is now run in 1.5 months old and 4000 miles on the clock.

Bob (verde Falco)