Cormick
Registered user
Intro
This trip was organised (or not) over a couple of e-mails/text messages with a yank mate who hired his bike over here. The plan was simple enough, we had 3 destination points my old fella’s, near Sainte, Oradour-sur-Glane, Milau Bridge and that was it, the rest would be made up as we went along. After the first night at the old fella’s we’d camp at a proper site if we found one or on the side of the road if we didn’t. I wouldn’t recommend that you do the same unless the people in the group are very easy going.
Both bikes were loaded to the gunnels with shite we didn’t really need or use, (as biking law dictates).
Friday night
After a few issues with the hire company (no keys for top box/no fuel in bike) we finally get away at around 18:00 and head for the nearest petrol station. Looking in my rear view mirror I have to suffer seeing Steve having all the fun as he lifts the front wheel parallel with my rear window.
We get back to my place and start to pack, un-pack re-pack and do that a few more times. Claire (my wife) takes great delight in asking if I have this or that I reply indignantly “of course I do!” and scurry off to find whatever it was she was asking about.
My Sat-Nav (my phone with tom tom app put on it by a mate) appears to be suffering with tourettes, as it insists on swearing with each new direction …f..f..fooking turn left and at the fooking roundabout take the third exit etc.
We stop packing for a quick Chinese, finally finishing packing around 12:30.
Steve asked if I wanted to sort out the bike to bike radio communication that I had. I replied that I couldn’t be arsed as it was too late and head off to bed. At 01:00 i'm setting my alarm for 03:45
Alarm goes and I struggle to move as my body is still asleep, I hate it when that happens. By 04:00 I have the bikes out on the street. 2 cups of tea later and we’re ready to go. The only sound in the peaceful village of Heybridge Basin is the gentle pinging of rigging on masts but not for long. We rev the bikes and wake the neighbours, it won’t be a problem as most have Alzheimer’s and will have forgotten by next week.
We are soon out of the village and heading down the A12 towards the Dartford crossing. I look in my rear view mirror and see Steve silhouetted against the rising sun it was a great start to the trip.
We cross the bridge and move down to the M20, at this point I realise I do not have as much fuel as I’d thought as my gauge is showing 2 bars, ‘no worries’ I think, ‘I’ll stop at the next service station’, none appear, a few minutes later 1 - 0 the light starts flashing there are 2 trucks in front of me and I gingerly pull out to over-take my sphincter is twittering, all the time I’m waiting for the first cough that denotes that I’m out off fuel. We were both carrying spare fuel Steve 5 ltrs and I had 7 ltrs so it wouldn’t of been a disaster but it would have been fecking embarrassing. Steve was completely unaware of this sitting behind me, (feck I wished I sorted out the bike to bike comms). I saw the sign for the channel tunnel and services and my sphincter started to relax.
We pulled in to re-fuel and head to the channel-tunnel, I was a little concerned that my sat-nav might start swearing as we go through the passport control but I needn’t have worried as it was deserted (I guess French passport control don’t work weekends? (Note to self if I ever need to get out of the country quickly)
Within an hour we are through Calais and heading toward Paris.
We reached Paris around 12:00 my plan was to follow the ring road A26 around until it met up with the M10 (Bordeaux) and Chez Cormick was just off the M10, (unfortunately I hadn’t shared this plan with Steve). Traffic was hideous with the temperature rising to around 28-30ºC and I was sweating like a rapist, we both had camelbacks but this was the first time we’d used them and it was like suckling on a lactating sex doll.
Filtering these bikes packed like they were was a bit tricky in the heavy Parisian traffic, both of us taking it rather sedately. After about an hour my ADD had kicked in and I’d started switching lanes to move a little quicker, shortly after Steve’s lane open up and he disappears past me I do a lifesaver check and see a truck growling at me, I sit where I am thinking ‘feck I wish I’d sorted out the comms!’ (again). When I get out I’m in full chase mode filtering at 60+ I was completely unaware that Steve seeing me stuck had pulled back into the slow lane, when he see me going past at warp speed there is nothing he can do and we get completely split up.
A phone call later I relay my plan to Steve and we resolve that we will stop at the first service station on the M10, as I come back down onto the A26 just in front to the left is the fully loaded KTM so I just rolled along side. (Note to self always make sure both parties are aware of the next waypoint!)
Once we’re on the M10 no further problems except I’d left my Claritin back at home and the inside of my visor looks similar to the state of the bike screen. A little exhaustion around 16:00 resolved by the administration of red bull and a sandwich and we push on finally arriving at Chez Cormick by 19:45.
After a great meal and a catch up chat with me old fella, it’s time for a shower and a kip.
Sunday
We decide to head for the coast and choose Royan as the place where we can keep an eye on the bikes and the beach. A pretty uneventful ride down except a market that appeared to be enticing every French man and woman from within a 100 mile radius causing major congestion, we pushed on until we hit the sea. On arriving we have both over dressed and are beginning to cook, Steve decides to change in a car park, by now I need a piss and we follow the coast road round until I spot a toilet we run the bikes up onto the path next to the toilets and fortunately right next to one of those outside showers, a fact I was unaware of until Steve tries repositioning his bike almost knocking mine over in the process, you’ve probably guessed it but he had a video camera attached to the bike the resulting footage could see us both sent down for a couple of years but it was bloody good, (those French ladies are very thorough)
Once the French bird had finished her meticulous shower we were both bored and decided to make our way to our next destination.
The route back from the coast was hideously windy and after an hour and a half of having my helmet being torn from my swede I was starting to feel a bit pissed off with it. My sat-nav was also missing new stretches of road and would try sending me in the wrong direction, this really bugged me for a bit until I realised it would come back good eventually, I tried to ignore it but it was still a niggling distraction.
We stop to re-fuel at a little garage when we noticed they sold fresh bread and cold beer, we decide that it must be lunch time, buying a loaf and some cold beer we make ourselves comfortable at a car showroom across the road. It sold antique custom cars beautiful old mercs, one car that looked like it belonged to the ant hill mob an original bubble car and a whole load of others.
more to follow...
This trip was organised (or not) over a couple of e-mails/text messages with a yank mate who hired his bike over here. The plan was simple enough, we had 3 destination points my old fella’s, near Sainte, Oradour-sur-Glane, Milau Bridge and that was it, the rest would be made up as we went along. After the first night at the old fella’s we’d camp at a proper site if we found one or on the side of the road if we didn’t. I wouldn’t recommend that you do the same unless the people in the group are very easy going.
Both bikes were loaded to the gunnels with shite we didn’t really need or use, (as biking law dictates).
Friday night
After a few issues with the hire company (no keys for top box/no fuel in bike) we finally get away at around 18:00 and head for the nearest petrol station. Looking in my rear view mirror I have to suffer seeing Steve having all the fun as he lifts the front wheel parallel with my rear window.
We get back to my place and start to pack, un-pack re-pack and do that a few more times. Claire (my wife) takes great delight in asking if I have this or that I reply indignantly “of course I do!” and scurry off to find whatever it was she was asking about.
My Sat-Nav (my phone with tom tom app put on it by a mate) appears to be suffering with tourettes, as it insists on swearing with each new direction …f..f..fooking turn left and at the fooking roundabout take the third exit etc.
We stop packing for a quick Chinese, finally finishing packing around 12:30.
Steve asked if I wanted to sort out the bike to bike radio communication that I had. I replied that I couldn’t be arsed as it was too late and head off to bed. At 01:00 i'm setting my alarm for 03:45
Alarm goes and I struggle to move as my body is still asleep, I hate it when that happens. By 04:00 I have the bikes out on the street. 2 cups of tea later and we’re ready to go. The only sound in the peaceful village of Heybridge Basin is the gentle pinging of rigging on masts but not for long. We rev the bikes and wake the neighbours, it won’t be a problem as most have Alzheimer’s and will have forgotten by next week.
We are soon out of the village and heading down the A12 towards the Dartford crossing. I look in my rear view mirror and see Steve silhouetted against the rising sun it was a great start to the trip.
We cross the bridge and move down to the M20, at this point I realise I do not have as much fuel as I’d thought as my gauge is showing 2 bars, ‘no worries’ I think, ‘I’ll stop at the next service station’, none appear, a few minutes later 1 - 0 the light starts flashing there are 2 trucks in front of me and I gingerly pull out to over-take my sphincter is twittering, all the time I’m waiting for the first cough that denotes that I’m out off fuel. We were both carrying spare fuel Steve 5 ltrs and I had 7 ltrs so it wouldn’t of been a disaster but it would have been fecking embarrassing. Steve was completely unaware of this sitting behind me, (feck I wished I sorted out the bike to bike comms). I saw the sign for the channel tunnel and services and my sphincter started to relax.
We pulled in to re-fuel and head to the channel-tunnel, I was a little concerned that my sat-nav might start swearing as we go through the passport control but I needn’t have worried as it was deserted (I guess French passport control don’t work weekends? (Note to self if I ever need to get out of the country quickly)
Within an hour we are through Calais and heading toward Paris.
We reached Paris around 12:00 my plan was to follow the ring road A26 around until it met up with the M10 (Bordeaux) and Chez Cormick was just off the M10, (unfortunately I hadn’t shared this plan with Steve). Traffic was hideous with the temperature rising to around 28-30ºC and I was sweating like a rapist, we both had camelbacks but this was the first time we’d used them and it was like suckling on a lactating sex doll.
Filtering these bikes packed like they were was a bit tricky in the heavy Parisian traffic, both of us taking it rather sedately. After about an hour my ADD had kicked in and I’d started switching lanes to move a little quicker, shortly after Steve’s lane open up and he disappears past me I do a lifesaver check and see a truck growling at me, I sit where I am thinking ‘feck I wish I’d sorted out the comms!’ (again). When I get out I’m in full chase mode filtering at 60+ I was completely unaware that Steve seeing me stuck had pulled back into the slow lane, when he see me going past at warp speed there is nothing he can do and we get completely split up.
A phone call later I relay my plan to Steve and we resolve that we will stop at the first service station on the M10, as I come back down onto the A26 just in front to the left is the fully loaded KTM so I just rolled along side. (Note to self always make sure both parties are aware of the next waypoint!)
Once we’re on the M10 no further problems except I’d left my Claritin back at home and the inside of my visor looks similar to the state of the bike screen. A little exhaustion around 16:00 resolved by the administration of red bull and a sandwich and we push on finally arriving at Chez Cormick by 19:45.
After a great meal and a catch up chat with me old fella, it’s time for a shower and a kip.
Sunday
We decide to head for the coast and choose Royan as the place where we can keep an eye on the bikes and the beach. A pretty uneventful ride down except a market that appeared to be enticing every French man and woman from within a 100 mile radius causing major congestion, we pushed on until we hit the sea. On arriving we have both over dressed and are beginning to cook, Steve decides to change in a car park, by now I need a piss and we follow the coast road round until I spot a toilet we run the bikes up onto the path next to the toilets and fortunately right next to one of those outside showers, a fact I was unaware of until Steve tries repositioning his bike almost knocking mine over in the process, you’ve probably guessed it but he had a video camera attached to the bike the resulting footage could see us both sent down for a couple of years but it was bloody good, (those French ladies are very thorough)
Once the French bird had finished her meticulous shower we were both bored and decided to make our way to our next destination.
The route back from the coast was hideously windy and after an hour and a half of having my helmet being torn from my swede I was starting to feel a bit pissed off with it. My sat-nav was also missing new stretches of road and would try sending me in the wrong direction, this really bugged me for a bit until I realised it would come back good eventually, I tried to ignore it but it was still a niggling distraction.
We stop to re-fuel at a little garage when we noticed they sold fresh bread and cold beer, we decide that it must be lunch time, buying a loaf and some cold beer we make ourselves comfortable at a car showroom across the road. It sold antique custom cars beautiful old mercs, one car that looked like it belonged to the ant hill mob an original bubble car and a whole load of others.
more to follow...