A beginner's guide to riding in France

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

IDR

Grey Hound
Administrator
Joined
May 24, 2006
Messages
9,365
Reaction score
297
Location
Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
Warning: this is going to be a long report!!

It is one of a ride that is yet to happen, but I'd like to start this one early to get it straight in my head instead of just rattling it off a month after we're back. 

I also want to express huge gratitude to my dad - without him this ride would most probably not have happened.  From the bottom of my heart, thank you!!

Finally, for the record I would like to state that a trip like this is within the grasp of anyone that would be willing to make the sacrifices and put in the hard work to put something like this together.  It does NOT need to cost a fortune and with the right dream, anything is possible.

But let's track it back to the beginning...

SWAMBO and I have been together for just over 5 years, "living in sin" in our own little house in Pretoria with our 2 "kids":

Dags_zps24c0cd5d.jpg


We have been straining a little against a fairly fresh home loan, so we have not had much opportunity to get away for too long, nevermind the weddings and other inconvenient (and expensive) weekends away that put a damper on being able to plan a proper holiday for the two of us. 

We had been talking about a relatively cheap holiday overseas like Zanzibar or something, but inevitably life or work gets in the way and ideas fade away.  Until one morning, the following GTalk conversation took place:

(my sister and some of Vida's friends live in London)

Vida:
  [flash=800,600]https://www.youtube.com/v/AJr8yd-HgRs[/flash]

me: hehehe
  that's so cool

Vida: I love the french
  they probably shit in style too

me: :)
  makes me want to go ride

Vida: https://www.blitz-motorcycles.com/lifestyle/

me: see -you don't need anything fancy
  nor fast
  just ride :)
  hey
  so
  if Zanzibar is out
  are we going to the UK in summer next year?
  well, their summer

Vida: I dunno snottie
  unless I get another big site probably not

me: let's mark it tentative?

Vida: yeah

me: because
  maybe we can arrange a bike for cheap

Vida: oh ok
  :)

me: and Schengen visas aree effectively a passport to the whole whack of EU countries
  :)
  catching my drift?

Vida: I am
  but you don't need a Schengen visa for the UK do you?

me: no - you need a UK visa AFAIK
  but there's no harm in hopping onto a ferry with a Schengen visa in your passport

Reading it now it does seem a bit disjointed, but the seed of an idea was planted - visit friends and family in the UK for a couple of days, get on a loaned bike and tour through France for a couple of days.  Now, a year and 24 days of LOTS of hard work later we are booked on flight BA054 to London Heathrow on the 16th of May 2013, visas in passports, Triumph Explorer with luggage arranged, ferries and accommodation booked.  It's been quite the journey, and we haven't even left yet ;D

The plan is as follows:
* Fly to the UK.  I HATE long-haul flights, but I'll swallow that bitter pill
* Spend 4 days visiting with my sister and friends in and around London
* Pick up bike in Hinckley
* Board ferry at Portsmouth, sailing overnight to St Malo, Britttany, France
* Ride out to Normandy, for three nights' stay 15 km South of Honfleur - explore the area (D-day landing beaches, Etritat, Dieppe, etc)
* Ride South to the Loire River Valley for three nights' stay just outside Tours - chateaus, wine farms, restaurants
* Ride North to Paris for three nights' stay in Les Halles / Chatelet to do the Paris thing
* Ride North to take a ferry from Calais to Dover, sleep over in London for one night before flying home

See here for our Google map of waypoints.
 
Top