Day jaunt to France

[wheeledwidewebb]

Great days lads (and lady), most enjoyable. Thanks for those who bothered to do the organising, nice to meet everyone.

Shame the weather on this side of the channel meant I got a right royal soaking on the way home, I guess you boys with further to go will have a less than pleasant journey. Ride safe.

 

[jimbogs1200]

Ditto Mel's comments....great day out....
Luckily, I managed to get home before it started raining.....

 

[Dave The Driver]

Wapping & Chasmill

Thanks for a great day out guys, nice to meet new faces (and Tom again)
Well planned out, good food and thanks for getting the weather right. Hope everybody got home ok and dry, as the ones on the 1720 did, seeing how you lot got the earlier train!
Until the next one....

 

[Wapping]

A touch damp on the return but at least it was dry in France where it mattered.

Thanks to all for making it a good day.

Richard

 

[Nobby]

BIG THANKS TO WAPPING & CHASMILL

Good day chaps thank you very much.To everyone else good day with good company thanks.mark hope you good home OK with.

 

[wheeledwidewebb]

For me, no ride is complete unless I see a nutter riding around in a Sinclair C5 in the rain.

Today I was in luck.

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/o3vH0HwDCYI&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/o3vH0HwDCYI&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

 

[Nobby]

Tom cant pm you so have a look here. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TURBO-EXHAUST...Parts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item1c1130929

 

[johnboy]

Thanks for a great day out guys, nice to meet new faces (and Tom again)
Well planned out, good food and thanks for getting the weather right. Hope everybody got home ok and dry, as the ones on the 1720 did, seeing how you lot got the earlier train!
Until the next one....

Couldn't put it better - thanks Richard. Its wet in Reading and I can hardly walk - need some sheeps wool on the 800gs seat. Looking forward to the next one

 

[Deleted Member I]

Tom cant pm you so have a look here. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TURBO-EXHAUST...Parts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item1c1130929

Cheers

 

[Wandering Star]

Richard & ChasMill many thanks for organising an excellent day out. Spa thanks for showing me where the oil goes and to the person that donated the oil and the thingy that got the cap off. (sorry didnt get your name but I owe you). Felt like a complete burk not knowing the basics of a GS but the man at the shop said BMW will take care of everything at the service. Really enjoyed meeting you all and look forward to another jaunt soon.

 

[Kev B]

Thanks Richard and Charlie for a great day out.
Spot on ride and cafe.
Got a bit damp on returning to Blighty !!!!!!!!!!!
Hope to catch up with all soon.
Cheers Kevin

 

[brianmaslen]

Thanks Richard and Charlie, Excellent day as usual. But how is it that we got the later train but the guys on the earlier one still caught up with me on the way back? Wandering Star you're welcome to the oil and use of the tool. Just dont make a habit of it.
Really was lashing it down in Kent so much so that I missed the turn for the M25, but by the time I got through the Dartford Tunnel it had virtually stopped and I was almost dry by the time I got home.

 

[dxtans]

Myself and mrs dxtans says thank-you Richard, for a good day out riding, with good company. Some of them D roads were a real blast. It's great to put some faces to names you see on this forum. Great location for lunch as well , well picked.

I'll post some pic's..shortly

dxtans

 

[dxtans]

 

[dxtans]

 

[dxtans]

 

[Greg Masters]

I turned up at Eurotunnel at about 7.45am; the machine issued me with my boarding pass - where the feck are you suppoesed to put that?? I dropped it within about 100yards!!

Round to the loading queue, the only other tosser in sight was Tom. We then boarded onto an earlier train than booked.

Having been told to fill my bike before we left Blighty, I duly obliged. Unfortunately the warmth of the Eurotunnel carriage expanded the fuel in the tank and a small amount was jettisoned from the breather. The Eurotunnel detectors identified the fuel leakage and a major alert was kicked off - passengers moved to the adjoining carriage; carriage with our bikes was sealed off; SWAT team arrived to deal with my bike. However, when it was realised it was just a few drops of fuel, we were all allowed back and we rode off.

Tom and I made our way to the appointed RV and found a few more tossers there but within 10 minutes all the others turned up and we set off in convey.

Despite all the promises, it was only Dave The Driver and I who had bike-to-bike radios, so we chatted away whilst the convoy moved towards the coffee stop at Cassel.

After the coffee stop, there was a decent road ride to Cap Gris Nez and lunch. Unfortunately, our leader wrong slotted en route and we all had to do a U-ey in the middle of the Pas de Calais. For many, an illegal left turn then followed but a small handful of us rode the extra 400 yards to circumnavigate a roundabout and then make a legal turn into the same route. By the time we had done this, the main body had long gone. What's more, we'd lost Charlie and Rory. So three of us followed Richard's GPS route and caught up with the main group about half-an-hour later.

After lunch we ambled back to the Eurotunnel - the group getting split up again. The main group we safely loaded on the return train:

However, the stragglers were consigned to take the slow train:

Despite all the various forecasts, we stayed dry all day - apart, that is, from the torrents that fell on the M20 on the way home. But that didn't spoil a great day!

Greg

 

[Dave The Driver]

I turned up at Eurotunnel at about 7.45am; the machine issued me with my boarding pass - where the feck are you suppoesed to put that?? I dropped it within about 100yards!!

Round to the loading queue, the only other tosser in sight was Tom. We then boarded onto an earlier train than booked.

Having been told to fill my bike before we left Blighty, I duly obliged. Unfortunately the warmth of the Eurotunnel carriage expanded the fuel in the tank and a small amount was jettisoned from the breather. The Eurotunnel detectors identified the fuel leakage and a major alert was kicked off - passengers moved to the adjoining carriage; carriage with our bikes was sealed off; SWAT team arrived to deal with my bike. However, when it was realised it was just a few drops of fuel, we were all allowed back and we rode off.

Tom and I made our way to the appointed RV and found a few more tossers there but within 10 minutes all the others turned up and we set off in convey.

Despite all the promises, it was only Dave The Driver and I who had bike-to-bike radios, so we chatted away whilst the convoy moved towards the coffee stop at Cassel.

After the coffee stop, there was a decent road ride to Cap Gris Nez and lunch. Unfortunately, our leader wrong slotted en route and we all had to do a U-ey in the middle of the Pas de Calais. For many, an illegal left turn then followed but a small handful of us rode the extra 400 yards to circumnavigate a roundabout and then make a legal turn into the same route. By the time we had done this, the main body had long gone. What's more, we'd lost Charlie and Rory. So three of us followed Richard's GPS route and caught up with the main group about half-an-hour later.

After lunch we ambled back to the Eurotunnel - the group getting split up again. The main group we safely loaded on the return train:

However, the stragglers were consigned to take the slow train:

Despite all the various forecasts, we stayed dry all day - apart, that is, from the torrents that fell on the M20 on the way home. But that didn't spoil a great day!

Greg

I notice you got the clean picture of us boarding not the one me flipping you.....you could have waited, having said that we didn't get as wet as you......nice pics

 

[Deleted Member I]

Feedback form

Weather
Part 1 - Slough to Folkestone 5/10
Daylight at set off could have been slightly brighter but it was ok later.
Dry but ambient temperature could have been a couple of degrees higher.

Part 2 - France 5/10
Bit overcast, could have done with more sunshine. Temperature was fair given the layers I had to wear.

Part 3 - Folkestone to Slough 1/10
Was the downpour really necessary? Really need to improve here.

Company
Part 1 Eurotunnel Folkestone to Calais 2/10
Where was everyone? Did we really need an international incident on the train. Must try harder!

Part 2 France 5/10
General chit chat was fair. More banter would have been appropriate and effort should have made to perform some "icebreakers". Maybe a magic trick or a few dirty jokes!
Bit of a sausage fest on the attendance front

Part 3 Eurotunnel Calais to Folkestone 2/10
Were you trying to lose me? Enough said

OVERALL 5/10
Good effort but could try harder. Will monitor progress on subsequent trips in 2010

 

[Deleted account 210609001]

Sounds like you had a good time. I went last week on the recce with Wapping. Who else had soupe de poissons at the lunch stop? I rate it as my second best ever fish soup, between only by Le Truite Doree in Vers (nears Cahors, a bit of a way to go for lunch).

Shame you all got split up a couple of times, but that is the nature of the beast, I'm afraid, with a group of that size. I may recce an aternative route for a day trip over the summer.