My recent French trip 'Le Carnage'

[Specialone]

Myself and DanF1234 have just got back from 10 days touring France, so here's a snippit from our adventures...

The actual adventure started for both of us the day before as i'd ordered a set of trident slash cut cans which arrived at 11.55am on the 31st. Dan's aftermarket triumph exhaust had started blowing wadding out the back so he had to go to his local dealer straight off a 12hr night shift.

Anyhow,so grabbed my nephew to help and immediately started fitting them, rang Triumph about the race TOR map download which is essential for these cans, anyway they said no problem, get to them before 4pm (25 mins ride away) and they will get it done.

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I got back at 5.15pm and all sorted :)

Day1, 01.09.2011
Dan arrives at my house at 7.20am, wife does us a brew and some toast to keep us going :smt045
I get bike panniers and top box loaded, get my gear on and were ready to offski.
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Once off the ferry, we jumped on the A26 toll road out of Calais to try and make some good time.
We were aiming for a campsite in Chalons du champagne, south of Reims, we made it at 7.30pm but we was bloody exhausted :(
This was a municipal campsite, which was much better than most average ones in the UK and dead cheap which was a bonus.

Few beers and bed for me, Dan as always, had a few for the road :rolleyes:

[garynortheast]

Don't leave it there - I was just settling in for a good read about your trip and I'm stuck at the campsite now!

[Specialone]

Next Day we headed down towards Annecy but did think this was optimistic for us so was going to see how far we could get and then make a decision to camp or push on.

We got going, no problems really, Dan had a couple of near misses with riding on the wrong side of the road lol
It got to dinner time and we were starving so as we are nearing Dijon, we see a lidl supermarket, that'll do we agreed.
Pulled into the car park, took of our lids and tank bags as these had the more expensive items in, mine alone over a grands worth of camera.
We took the lids and tank bags in the store with us, grabbed our booty, which consisted of a sandwich and salad for me, Dan similar, got to the till and the woman is going on about something in French and pointing at our bags, i know a few bits of French and can mostly make out some words that people speak even if i dont understand them but couldnt on this occasion, to our amazement, we discover... She wanted to SEARCH OUR BAGS !!! In LIDL :smt013 FFS !!!

Insult over, we scoff the food in the carpark which was was very nice as it happens, an English Guy turns up on a Gladius, have a chat for a bit, hes trying to find the local F1 hotel, we havent a clue so he rides away.
Dan looks at his satnav a few mins later and its listed on there as only being 1.4 miles away (sorry dude).
We get loaded back up and hit the road, this is where the day went a bit Pete Tong, our route recalculated and took us through the centre of Dijon, what a mistake that was, roadworks everywhere, traffic lights everywhere, mega busy and 31 degrees sunshine in full leather.
It took us over an hour to try and navigate through it and round it, some of the roads were blocked that we was supposed to take so we ended up going round in circles, this was the nearest we'd both came to fainting through the heat, it was unbearable and something i wouldnt want to experience again tbh, avoid Dijon if you go folks :(

We finally got to a campsite just south of Dijon around 5pm at a town called Seurre, the municipal campsite cost 3.50 euros a night each, what a bargain.

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Dans exhaust had been rattling like something was in the end can so once camped we stripped it down :)

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Nothing in there so re assembled and had a few beers.
I broke out the hip flask of southern comfort and boy did i pay next day :(

[Specialone]

Next day we had to get to Annecy to have any chance of staying on schedule, so feeling rough we go to the local supermarket to get some food, i load up on red bull but feel like crap, my shoulder is giving me grief as well from the previous 2 days riding so cover myself in deepheat and take strong painkillers.
Off we trot, first day of proper twisties, im struggling being honest but just kept going.
We stopped at a macdees en route in the mountains somewhere and had a big tasty meal, god it felt good :)
Arrive in Annecy town, its pi55ing it down, very busy traffic.

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Campsite is on a massive slope, we had to pitch tents in the rain, which wasnt pleasant, i kept rolling down hill in my sleeping bag lol
We go out for some scoff in the town, beautiful place, very busy and expensive in most places but worth seeing.
Most alcoholic drinks are over 5 euros, some are much more.

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[Specialone]

The next few days im not going to bore you with so will just post the pics up, we were heading for verdon gorge but stopped halfway at alp du heuz, a ski resort in the winter time.
What a campsite this was, about 10 euros a nights but the facilities were top notch, washing machines, dryers, pool table, sinks for washing clothes etc, really nice site, defo revist here as they had wooden cabins to rent :)

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En route we headed over some mountain passes, had lunch in this cafe at the top of Col de Glandon :)

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This is where we found each other after getting lost, helps when you both have the route, this is also where Dan had to retrieve my earplug which had gone so far in my ear he could hardly see it, tweezers were used as it was the only thing that would get a purchase on it.

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More to follow as im taking the wife for a meal tonight :smt045

[Specialone]

Public FB pics to keep you interested... (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.219658914758318.59088.100001426343472&l=e54aee44dd&type=1)

[danf1234]

Fantastic - I can't wait to go back. Those piccy's of Annecy are pretty good. I think the best sights I saw there were right outside the pizza restaurant.

Just having one for the road now lol.

Don't mention a word about ****ing Garmin or Italy either Phillip!

[aliwakeskate]

Looks awesome fellas! Can't wait for the next installment.

[Shellywoozle]

Looks like you had a great time guys, glad you back safe and sound x

[danf1234]

Oh we did Shell it was awesome. I want to go back next year already! Come on Phil where's the next installment! lol

Don't forget to mention "Buy a Garmin and See the World"

[Specialone]

These sheep slowed us down the one day, must have been 200 being herded up the mountain road, we were stuck there for 20+ mins

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Dan feeling the pain of too many 'one for the roads' :rolleyes:

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Few scenic shots...

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[1210tech]

One small step for man, one giant leap..............


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[Owenski]

Mega mate, truely mega!
very jelous

[Quiff Wichard]

Know what ... It was a year the weekend just gone that me and mattsv and the wifeys went to France on the bikes and ...



I still not done the write up !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Specialone]

Some of the Verdon gorge roads were spectacular, roads cut into the rock face with the canopy still above...


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The road was approx 20 miles long but had trucks, campervans etc on so going was slow but good job in places.

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Got to the campsite which was a municipal again over the road from the lake at the end of Verdon gorge, full of Germans this time, dead cheap again, floor was gravel which made getting my cheese like pegs in the ground interesting ;)


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[missyburd]

Woweee looks stunning Phil :-) Any chance you have the route link somewhere...?

[Specialone]

Apart from a blast down the road to Grasse this was our furthest southerly stop so next morning we packed up and started heading north towards Barcellonette.

I was leading this time as Dan felt rough so had to go back through the gorge roads etc, some of the roads after were simply awesome, we got split for a little while as id got a bit ahead, after a fast long sweeping bend we needed to turn right so i sat just after the turn and waited for Dan, i seen him come round the long bend and started to get me and the bike ready expecting him to pull up behind me, nope he sailed right past so i attempted to turned round but hed gone so went down the road a bit and called him, luckily he heard it and returned, in the meantime i took these...

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Dan returning...

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On leaving Barcellonette, Dan lead us, going great, got split a bit due to me getting stuck behind a car, look at my satnav and i see a left turn at a mini island coming up but no Dan waiting as normal but see a bike in the distance so i give it some welly and follow this bike, after a mile or so i realise its not Dan, so swing it round and go chasing after him on the wrong road.
This is a cracking, fast twisty sweeping stretch, good visibility so can use the whole road etc, im flying, probably one of the fastest rides on the trip, this went on for about 25+ miles, eventually caught him up at some traffic lights going into a village so lift my visor and say to him "i dont think we are in France anymore, i think we're in Italy", "Eh?" he replies.

Yep, i'd got suspicious when i seen a road sign i hadnt seen before with 3 flags on, one being Italian and also the satnav was saying the road was now called SS21 where before all French back roads are mainly D something, so we spin round and before long came across this...


The French Border lol...
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[Specialone]

Woweee looks stunning Phil :-) Any chance you have the route link somewhere...?

Maria, the route is split into about 8 seperate routes and have been converted into tomtom and garmin routes with the TYRE software, i can email you them if you PM me your Address.

Id make small corrections tbh as some of the roads were tough going and i'd avoid Dijon like the plague.

[hindle8907]

B4astard$ !!!

Looks amazing .

[Geodude]

Looks amazing mate im guessing you had a good time :cool:

Looks well guilty in this pic, you catch him doing somthing?

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[embee]

Great pics. In the right weather that part of the world is as close to being a biker's paradise as you'll find, especially this time of year when all the holidaymakers have gone home and the roads are pretty clear. Envious!

This was in Sept 2009, the weather was excellent.

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[sv4me]

Jealous! :mad: Really want to do this trip and more next year, stunning scenery. Its like Scotland only bigger and without the rain :D

I've got the same panniers as you Dan, they make filtering....errr interesting don't they!

[Specialone]

There was still a lot of holiday traffic at times, camper vans, cyclists and nutters driving 20 tons of dumper trucks.

Quite a few bikes as well, but away from the mountains some of the roads were empty, I rode about 15 miles the one day without seeing another vehicle.


Being honest, I preferred the faster flowing bends than the stupidly tight downhill hairpins, they took their toll after a while.

[danf1234]

Jealous! :mad: Really want to do this trip and more next year, stunning scenery. Its like Scotland only bigger and without the rain :D

I've got the same panniers as you Dan, they make filtering....errr interesting don't they!

Yes they make filtering hazardous to say the least. Having said that I think it was only Phil that had battle damage on his panniers. On from a giant rock skipping round a barrier and another from winging a Belgian Mondeo while we were sheep dodging!

[danf1234]

Looks amazing mate im guessing you had a good time :cool:

Looks well guilty in this pic, you catch him doing somthing?

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All I will say is I had my phone in my hand. That is all.:D

[Geodude]

Yeah righto but what was on the phone ;) Glad you had a good trip bud :D Any video taken?

[Specialone]

Yeah righto but what was on the phone ;) Glad you had a good trip bud :D Any video taken?

Tbh, the footage I took ain't that great, I should've used it later in the week as we got quicker and were on more twisty roads, it looks like were going really slow yet we were at a decent pace most of the time.

I had one day when I felt really on it and should've filmed that day but batteries had got low :(

[danf1234]

I had one day when I felt really off it lol!

[Specialone]

I had one day when I felt really off it lol!

I thought you had 8 days like that lol

[danf1234]

I thought you had 8 days like that lol


OK I had 1 off day worse than all the other lol!

[darylB]

Wow, what a fab trip, great photo's and write up, not jealous at all !!! :---)

Daryl

[T33OWL]

Thats fantastic, as a lone biker most of the time (due to losing touch with old biker mates) I can only dream of stuff like this.. Brilliant though fella.

[Specialone]

Thats fantastic, as a lone biker most of the time (due to losing touch with old biker mates) I can only dream of stuff like this.. Brilliant though fella.

Mate, non of my old mates are bikers, everyone I ride with ate people I've met since getting a bike, most are off here so you don't have to ride on your lonesome, there's plenty of good peeps on here to ride with.

I might be doing a Normandy long weekend next year so you'd be more than welcome to join that.

[DMC]

I had one day when I felt really on it and should've filmed that day but batteries had got low :(

It would only have showed a silver Audi Estate in the distance ahead :smt046

[danf1234]

Mate, non of my old mates are bikers, everyone I ride with ate people I've met since getting a bike, most are off here so you don't have to ride on your lonesome, there's plenty of good peeps on here to ride with.

I might be doing a Normandy long weekend next year so you'd be more than welcome to join that.

Well that's me signed up again mate. So there will be at least 2 of us!

[danf1234]

Why do people from Brum call roundabouts Islands? lol

[MisterTommyH]

Why wouldn't you call them Islands?

[Specialone]

Why do people from Brum call roundabouts Islands? lol

Where the fook did that come from?, they are called traffic islands wherever you come from in this country ;)

[T33OWL]

Bloody double posts.

[T33OWL]

Thanks for the offer pal, I may take you up on it depending when it is you go...

I'm away in June for 5 days with the lads to Majorca (stag do) then getting re married to my missis in September then the honeymoon!

SO, keep me informed!

[Specialone]

Thanks for the offer pal, I may take you up on it depending when it is you go...

I'm away in June for 5 days with the lads to Majorca (stag do) then getting re married to my missis in September then the honeymoon!

SO, keep me informed!

I'm thinking end of April tbh, I'll gauge interest Xmas time :)

Why are you remarrying? Isn't once enough lol

Brave man ;)

[T33OWL]

Well we will have been married 18 years next September, and the first time round it was done on a shoestring. Sort of a 2's up to those who said we weren't serious etc etc..

But, I'm stuck with the missis now.. LOL, in all seriousness I'm looking forward to it.. Our kids weren't around when we tied the knot the first time and neither were none of the nephews and nieces too..

She obviously realises though that my first two loves are my bike and my football team :)

[Specialone]

Lol, I thought you'd divorced and decided to remarry :)

13 years for me come February :)

[Binky]

What happened to the rest of the story Phil? You come back into France then the photos and story end. Poor right up old chap.

[Specialone]

What happened to the rest of the story Phil? You come back into France then the photos and story end. Poor right up old chap.

Sorry mate, got sidetracked :(

I'll finish it up Tomoz, with the few remaining decent pics :)

[maviczap]

Looks like you had the same amazing weather me and Luckypants had for our French trip last week, although you and Dan cheated by using motorised vehicles ;)

[Specialone]

Looks like you had the same amazing weather me and Luckypants had for our French trip last week, although you and Dan cheated by using motorised vehicles ;)

Motors are the future :)
Think we would've struggled to do 2200 miles in 10 days cycling ;)

[maviczap]

Motors are the future :)
Think we would've struggled to do 2200 miles in 10 days cycling ;)

True humans legs tend to run out of energy quite quickly :D

[Binky]

True humans legs tend to run out of energy quite quickly :D

Especially Phils!

[Specialone]

Especially Phils!

Nope my legs are fine its my lungs and heart that cant keep up :(

Its going to be rectified soon though, im determined to use the mtb more in the winter as i wont be riding the motor variety.

[Binky]

Nope my legs are fine its my lungs and heart that cant keep up :(

Its going to be rectified soon though, im determined to use the mtb more in the winter as i wont be riding the motor variety.

Are you coming along to Drew's MTB thing? Also could you swing me a text please as i have lost all my numbers... I have the same number though.

[Specialone]

So anyway, final installment...
We decided to try and make Annecy again on leaving Barcellonette but this time headed for the south east corner of the lake, we stopped at another cracking campsite right by the lake...

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Had a cracking pizza over the road from the campsite, although thinner crusts than id buy back home, they taste amazing :)

Dan had some vodka sorbet thingy which was basically a big feck off glass full of vodka with a dollop of ice cream in the middle, jesus it was strong.

Next morning, packed up again, this time destination was the campsite we stayed at on the 2nd night just south of Dijon, in Seurre.

We had a nightmare getting out of the town, lots of speed humps, traffic, low speed limits etc, satnavs not picking up most of the small roads, we ended up in a carpark to some flats at one point :confused:

Dan was nearly taken out by a maniac riding a bike and sidecar combo, the road forked off to the right but we was going straight on, this guy in the left hand lane decided to turn right at the last minute and just decided Dan was in his way, no word of a lie, the sidecar missed his panniers by no more than 3 inches, he then turns to Dan and was pi55ing himself laughing :confused: nucking futter !!

By this time we are proper hungry, i mean scabby baby could be on the menu and we'd have two portions please ;)
Finding our way through the maze of roads at an area similar to spaghetti was interesting, we eventually get on the right road but pass a macdees on our right but we cant turn in as the entrance is off another road so we spin it round but god it took 10 mins as it took us back into the hell of an area we'd just left, so back on the right road and Dans in the wrong lane to go into macdees and narrowly avoids the concrete dividing the fork in the road, i have to go across the gravel as he turned last minute and i was too close to him to react :(

Pulled into macdees and there is a total building site in front of us, luckily its open or we wouldve caused carnage.
Unlike the UK, the health and safety are sloppy to say the least, guy on a platform using an angle grinder with sparks above the entrance, Wouldnt get away with that back home i thought, they'd be signs, fences and god knows what.

Stood in the queue waiting to be served, young woman comes out with electronic order thingy to help out the people on the tills, she comes to us and starts speaking French, didnt cop a single word tbh so use my favourite phrase i'd been using 'Vous parlez Anglais?', she replies 'yes i do' which was very good English i must add :)
Two large tasty meals ordered and they filled the gap lovely while we utilsed the free wifi and uploaded some pics to FB.

So, with a few miles ahead we cracked on but tried to take a more direct route to save some time, but we ended up finding some cracking roads, up and down, fast and wide twisty roads, had a good blast on these and ended up and the campsite a bit earlier than expected, so like any rough ass hardened bikers we put the tents up and did some washing lol.

Later my pants werent quite dry to started my bike up and tried to dry them off on the heated grips and using the hot exhaust gases...

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Some old geezer comes over from his caravan and said in the poshiest English voice, ' I say, we're trying to listen to the radio !!' ok i say, ill turn it off !!,they arent the quietest cans tbh :)
Dan starts his bike up later and revs the crap out of his to p1ss this bloke off :rolleyes:

So, next morning, its Friday, day before we get the ferry, we're over 400 miles from Calais and have a 10am ferry so with most of the good roads behind us we decide to take the toll road and head for a town called Arras and head for a F1 hotel as this is only 70 miles from Calais so easily doable Saturday morning.

We do over 325 miles and we are bolloxed tbh when we arrive at the hotel about 4.30pm

We'd never stayed in these places before but i'd highly recommend them, cheap, basic and clean and can buy brekkie and coffee etc for not much money.
Check in and both get showers and changed etc then we venture out to find a supermarket, we both went out in shorts, trainers and hoodies, i'd never rode my sprint before 'naked' so felt nervous.
We found a supermarket about 10 mins away so we bought a loads of meats, 2x 2 foot long french stick which had to folded in half to fit in Dans topbox lol, we got a few beers as well of course :)

So duly full now, we chill in the room, about 7.30 the bloody fire alarm goes, FFS we need to sleep soon, the bloody hotel better not burn down...

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Seems it was a false alarm so we can rest easy, Dan falls asleep about 8.30 and snores big time, i continue to watch the Ateam movie in french until about 10.30 and go to sleep myself, it felt so nice to have a bed to sleep in instead of a blow up camp mat :D.

Up at 6.30 next morning, grab some brekkie and we're on the road by 7.20am, get to Calais about 9.10 in plenty of time to get a coffee before getting on the ferry.

So thats it really, hope you enjoyed my little write and pics.

Couple of things to mention, we spent a lot less than expected, i come home with £350 out of my £1000 budget which was welcome :)

Also, Seafrance the ferry company, are the best to go with apparently if you're on a bike as they strap the bikes down for you while you are on them and very effecient, i would defo use them again.


Phil

[Amadeus]

Wow - looks like you had a great trip.

[danf1234]

Enjoyed that mate. It seems bloody ages ago now! I need to go back on them roads!

[Specialone]

Enjoyed that mate. It seems bloody ages ago now! I need to go back on them roads!

Hard to fathom we've been home over a week :(

[danf1234]

Hard to fathom we've been home over a week :(

I know, I can't quite get my head round that!:confused:

[cbay]

Looks like your both had a great time! But I don't see any fancy T-shirts. :-P

So Dan you have obv bought a new bike?

[Specialone]

Looks like your both had a great time! But I don't see any fancy T-shirts. :-P

So Dan you have obv bought a new bike?


Dont worry Craig, we wore them :)

Le Carnage 2 is in motion :cool:

[danf1234]

I have got mine on now!

[Bluefish]

Not a lot of carnage going on their guys ;) We went down to the Tarn George this year c'est brill :D

[cbay]

So dan have you bought a new shiny bike or did you rent it for the trip?