You can find the full .gpx file which takes you from Caen back to Calais on the GPSDownloads page.
[gmap-embed id=”579″]
Getting ever closer …………
I have now finalised our route and booked the return trip on the Eurotunnel. We’ll be coming home via Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Germany, Belgium and France. Once through Switzerland I’ve designed in a day playing in the Black Forrest then a day riding down to Ypres on country roads and via the Ardennes. We’ve agreed to do 200 to 250 mile days and to just enjoy the ride. Only five weeks to go!
And no – this isn’t Andy (If only.) It’s a random picture of a biker on the ‘Chunnel’ from the interweb.
The MotoGP season has started …………
Great first race in Qatar. Let’s hope it keeps getting better for June in Italy!
When a plan comes together.
I’ve now sorted the routing to get to the Italian MotoGP (Andy’s already bought race day tickets); booked the ferry to France and have found a hotel to stay at in Florence on Saturday before the race and one in Modena to stay at on the Sunday after the race has finished. Coincidentally – Modena is only a few kilo from the Ferrari factory and has a nearly new Enzo Ferrari museum. Well that’s Monday morning taken care of!
Memories of Scotland.
Don’t know what made me think about the Scotland trip I did back in 2015? I think I had seen something about Ullapool on the web and this got me thinking about the ride through torrential rain – in summer – to a town that time had forgotten. Once there we went to the info centre to be told that all the hotels were full. You’ve got to be kidding!! In the end we were sent to the Caladonian Hotel that was staffed almost entirely by newly arrived eastern europeans – which caused a few problems when trying to order anything. After finding quite a good fish restaurant in the evening we returned to the hotel bar for the live entertainment. This was a guy who set his recording gear to play all the instrumental parts and choruses of various songs while playing a guitar and mouth organ himself. Basically a one man band – though not a very good one. However the main entertainment was centred on a rowdy local drunk who kept getting thrown out of the front door before re-appearing back from the toilet. The various groups of far eastern guests all thought this as hilarious as us.
In the morning after a shower in a very cold and bleak bathroom (broken lino on the floor, a chipped bath etc) we went for breakfast: A giant room with trestle tables beckoned (it made 1950’s Butlins look sophisticated). Plus the food was fairly indigestible with certainly the cheapest ingredients money could buy being flavour of the month. Happy days.
PS Just checked on the web and a double room for one night in May is costing £120 ……….. I can book a really classy hotel in Spain or Italy for less than £100. Can anyone tell me how this hotel stays in business?
The route to Florence (it’s in Italy!)
I had planned to zoom down through France to one of its Mediterranean resorts i.e. Nice and then tour on to Genoa via Monaco.
What I hadn’t reckoned on was the Alps. Well I had – but for the return journey when we’ll head up to Switzerland. What I’ve subsequently discovered is that the Alps completely encircle North Italy and getting from Nice to Genoa means effectively crossing the Alps or taking the very slow and crowded coast road. A rethink is needed given that we intend to get from St Malo to Florence in three and a bit days of not too onerous riding. (The Alps are in the red border.)
