Khulu's Tour 2 2023

[Khulu]

Late May 2023

After returning from my Tour 1 on 24th May, with my 2013 GSA twin cam, I was doing very little as my wife was in eastern Portugal (near Aguas and north of Castello Branco looking after an olive grove for two months {another story there}) so I decided I may as well leave home and head out to be with her for a couple of weeks before I head to Sid’s place in the south of France.

This trip I was taking my ’69 plate Ducati 1260S Multistrada for its first long tour with me.

Day 1:

Monday 17.07.2023


669 miles in mainly dry weather; I had a little drizzle but nothing worth talking about. The day started at 7ºC and ended at 24ºC. I had been riding in my summer waterproof trousers and planned to remove them when I re-fuelled at Keele services. Two miles from the turn-off I ended up riding on the hard shoulder for nearly two miles as the traffic, in all three lanes, was stationary. The problem turned out to be a one car and two large truck accident – the road was strewn with debris. Three other bikers and me waited for the police etc. for ten minutes but nobody came in that time so we picked our way through the rubbish and carried on.

I found the Conningbrook Hotel in Ashford, Kent and had a nice evening there with food and dark ale. Lots of loose gravel in their car park which was the only down side of the place.

Keele crash:

 

[Khulu]

Day2:

Tuesday 18.07.2023

532 miles today which started at 10ºC and ended at 32ºC in Limoges, France. I had found the “Hotel du Parc” online and booked in to there. I arrived at about 3pm hot, tired and thirsty to find the hotel was all closed up and it didn’t open until 5pm! I went across the road to another (better) hotel (Campanile Nord) and had a couple of beers. Once I’d checked in, eventually, I went back across the road again for dinner as my hotel was seriously lacking in everything!

 

[Khulu]

Day 3:

Wednesday 19.07.2023

523 miles today to about a mile west of the town of Sort, Spain. The hotel I’d stayed in before was full so I managed to find a place just outside Sort. There wasn’t a lot in the area but there was a roadside restaurant I managed to get a couple of beers at before they closed mid afternoon. Walked about the river for a while before dinner and even got a free, home-brewed, liqueur from the hotel owner after a nice dinner – very nice it was too!

 

[Khulu]

Day 4:

Thursday 20.07.2023

432 miles today as I wanted to get to Segovia to see the Roman aqueduct. I left my hotel at 05:30 and rode in the dark for about an hour (following a bus that was faster than me) to cover some miles before it got too hot. It still did though as, once I got west of Zaragoza, it got very hot and windy. There weren’t service stations on the main road as we know them but old, established local ones just off the main road that had been there for decades. I found my hotel, eventually, having ridden past it twice and it had an underground car park so that was a bonus being in the town. A five minute walk took me to the aquaduct and it was as amazing as I thought it would be. Stunning engineering!

I had lunch, and dinner, at the same outdoor restaurant in a main pedestrian area and both meals involved salad about which I shall tell you more later!

 

[Khulu]

Photos are taking ages to load (slow broadband here) so I'm not posting as many as I normally would.

 

[Khulu]

Day 5:

Friday 21.07.2023


243 miles today as I head to Penamacor, Portugal to meet my wife outside a local Auchan supermarket. It was a bit surreal seeing her standing there looking for me. We had a coffee at a local cafe and then went to the Quinta she was looking after. I didn’t feel too great, assuming it was the 35ºC heat, but the next four days had me puking at both ends! I blame dirty salads from Segovia. Not a great start to my Portugal experience. After four days of shit (literally) I was fine but had, by then, passed it on to my wife. More fun and games for the next 3 - 4 days!

Once we were both healthy again we visited Castello Branco (about 20 miles away) twice a week to visit Auchan or Intermarche supermarkets to be in an air-conditioned environment for a brief respite from the heat of the day (usually mid 30s to low 40s C). Neither the Quinta nor her loan car had air-conditioning. As much as it was a new experience for both of us (hanging about all day in extreme heat trying to pass the time) I was very keen to leave to get to Sid’s place to cool down and visit his pool!

 

[Khulu]

Monday 07.08.2023

205 miles today.

I left the Quinta and headed east to Olias Del Ray (between Madrid and Toledo). I’ve reduced my daily mileage as it’s just too hot in the afternoon to ride comfortably for very long. It gets up to 30ºC very quickly by late morning. The drawback to that idea, however, is that a lot of places (including hotels sometimes) can be closed. I have noticed that riding across the centre of Spain there is not a lot there, other than scrub land, and also very little traffic on the roads. I stayed at the hotel Hostal (2*) and the room was fine but no facilities. It got up to 42ºC late afternoon! Lots of lovely big houses in the area but the eatery (I only found one that opened) didn’t start until 20:30 at night. I managed to last that long and the night was fine.

 

[Khulu]

Tuesday 08.08.2023

202 miles today to Calatayud.

I’d managed to book a hotel and it was just off a popular plaza but it involved riding down a lot of narrow one way lanes. The hotel was old, and quite quirky, but very nice and interesting. As is usual with me I get settled in then find a cold beer, or two, somewhere and go walkabout. I walked along quite a lot of narrow lanes then came to a large tree-lined avenue between two roads that was a main eatery area so stopped to take a few photos.

 

[Khulu]

More photos:

 

[Khulu]

Wednesday 09.08.2023

214 miles today to Pont de Suert

This is a stop-off point when crossing the Pyrenees but there’s not a lot here. It’s one main road with buildings on both sides of the road and the odd plaza set further back which was where my hotel was. A local eatery in my plaza supplied me with food and refreshments.

 

[Khulu]

Thursday 10.08.2023.


124 miles today to Sid’s place, France.

This gentleman, and his good lady wife, open their home (and pool) to visiting bikers every year – an amazingly kind gesture that was much appreciated by all who attended. I met some bikers I didn’t know and a few I’d met a few times before including Steve (Skid06) whom I’d recently rode around the Picos with (good man that Steve). Sid has a great location (albeit in the middle of nowhere, France) next to a small lake that he, allegedly, fishes in but doesn’t catch anything!

Did you all spot Santa 2512, NeilDD, Redboots, Skid06, Lord Snooty, etc.?

We spent one lovely evening up in the hilltop town of Beauville where the pulled pork and red wine was delicious! It is a weekly event and the place was jumping – I even managed a wee dance to myself when the band played.

 

[Khulu]

More photos:

 

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

Crikey, you're not frightened of putting the miles in are you?
Is it possible to pass food poisoning on?

Great pics and write up so far, TY for taking the time to post.

 

[Khulu]

Monday 14.08.2023.

444 miles today to Castellane, France.

I usually stay at the Grand hotel du Levant but it was full so I booked into the Les Canyons du Verdon just to the north of the town. It was fine and an easy walk to the town centre (covered gravel parking area though which was a bit tricky). I was here earlier this summer (when it poured of rain) so I went shopping, then, and bought some Gecko ornaments for hanging on the wall so it only seemed correct to go and buy some more, which I did.

 

[Khulu]

Tuesday 15.08.2023

234 miles today to Piacenza, Italy.

From my nearly illegible notes it seems I rode the D908 and then the D900 (both in France) before heading in to Italy but I can’t recollect the details unfortunately. I’d managed to book a hotel near the city centre and it was off a one-way cobbled road and hidden behind big secure gates so I knew the bike would be fine overnight. The father and daughter were very welcoming, with good English, but they both failed to tell me the most important piece of information I needed. Today, the 15th August, is an Italian national holiday! Guess what – Piacenza was 99.9% closed all day! I walked about piazzas, back roads, lanes, etc. and I found one bar and a kebab shop open in the whole city! I “googled” supermarkets thinking they may be open and I walked to three of them to find them all closed! The third one I went to I was close to the old city castle walls and I came across a corner bar / cafe that was open and they had weiss beer so, as I’m sure you’ll have guessed by now, I found a seat and had a couple of his cool beers. Lucky! I bought a couple of beers to go (for my dinner) and also picked a large bag of crisps which the kind bar man gave me for free (I was probably his best customer all day!)

 

[Skid06]

More photos:

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fab pics ..had a fab time

 

[Khulu]

Moe photos:

 

[Khulu]

Wednesday 16.08.2023.

234 miles today to Arabba.

I had a lovely ride up the Brenner pass area beside all the vineyards to Bolzano. From there it was cross-country to Canazei and on to Passo Fedaia and the Marmolada glacier. Lunch, as I have done before, at the cafe next to the road facing the reservoir and glacier. Onwards north and slightly west to Arabba and my hotel for the night. Last time I was here I stayed at the Hotel Malita but it was full so I booked in to the hotel Portavescovo with its underground parking. Checked in and headed to the hotel Malita for some weiss beer, crisps (chips in Italian lingo) and nuts. I sat outside, worked on my tan and watched workers dismantling a large marquee, bar and seating areas from the car park near the hotel. I found out later that all this for the national holiday festivities they held last night on the 15th! I was a day too late here as my 15th August celebrations meant closing the city down and doing nothing in Piacenza! Dinner and breakfast in my hotel were excellent as was the service. I’d stay here again if I couldn’t get in to the Malita.

fab pics ..had a fab time

It was great to meet you again Steve.
If you want a trip up north my place is always open for you as a base.

 

[Khulu]

Wednesday 16.08.2023.

234 miles today to Arabba.

I had a lovely ride up the Brenner pass area beside all the vineyards to Bolzano. From there it was cross-country to Canazei and on to Passo Fedaia and the Marmolada glacier. Lunch, as I have done before, at the cafe next to the road facing the reservoir and glacier. Onwards north and slightly west to Arabba and my hotel for the night. Last time I was here I stayed at the Hotel Malita but it was full so I booked in to the hotel Portavescovo (half board) with its underground parking. Checked in and headed to the hotel Malita for some weiss beer, crisps (chips in Italian lingo) and nuts. I sat outside, worked on my tan and watched workers dismantling a large marquee, bar and seating areas from the car park near the hotel. I found out later that all this for the national holiday festivities they held last night on the 15th! I was a day too late here as my 15th August celebrations meant closing the city down and doing nothing in Piacenza! Dinner and breakfast in my hotel were excellent as was the service. I’d stay here again if I couldn’t get in to the Malita.
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[Khulu]

Thursday 17.08.2023


247 miles today to my mountain pass accommodation ready for the Red Bull Ring Austrian MotoGP. A great ride today and going east along the valley from Lienz was full of stunning scenery. I found my accommodation rather easily (being at the top of a mountain pass there wasn’t a lot of opportunity to get lost!) There was a cafe on the corner at the top and my hotel (a ski resort type place) was behind it up a gravel track. I parked my bike, went into the hotel (Sportgasthof Lipp) and walked about for about ten minutes trying to find another living person but nobody was there and then a woman arrived and I checked in. Apparently the hotel and cafe was owned by the same family and breakfast (and evening dinner if I wanted any) were served in the cafe. Unlike all the other countries I’ve ridden through so far dinner was served at UK times and all food service closed down early evening as most of the custom was passing bike trade. Food was good, as was the weiss bier, and breakfast was supplemented with as many eggs as I wanted!