Thanks to you all for your helpful suggestions but am now thinking that massif central is just too far with the amount of time we have.Like i said earlier we like to have five days or so in one place and do ride outs from that base without all the luggage.Which is why we always start our Holiday on getting on the ferry at hull as it saves a lot of time i.e i can finish work on wednsday,and be on the ferry two hours later, on return into hull on Sunday morning back to work Monday.
Have you given up already?
Where are you going to go if not the Massif Central?
Come on, buck your ideas up. I will see if I can work somthing out for you, baed on the basics:
(1) Your port of entry and exit is Zeebrugge.
(2) The maximum you want to do in any one day is the distance of Zeebrugge to Troyes, via motorway. That is a bit over 400 kms, or 250 miles.
(3) The second day, you want to go less far than Zeebriuge to Troyes, to arrive at a destination where you can stay for five days. The five days are to be spent on modest ride-outs, involving some nice roads, some bends (no mountains), some decent views. This suggests to me a decent sized town, with (if possible) roads radiating out from it, rather like a wagon wheel. None of the ride outs are to be longer than say 150 miles, seventy five out, seventy five back.
(4) You want to get back to Zeebruge in one day. This might be tricky as you will have taken at least a day and a half to get to your five day stop town. I guess you might therefore have to settle on taking two days to complete the journey (one over night stop) back to Zeebrugge?
Destinations I am thinking of are:
Dijon or Beaune. There are some great rides out into the wine growing regions and back up into the Côte d'Or.
Avalon and the Morvan. Again, some nice roads, hilly with views. Lakes etc.
Maybe a litte bit higher up the Côte d'Or, say around Chatillon sur Seine?
But probably I am starting to lean more towards the Ardennes. Clervaux, Givet, Chaleville-Mezieres, Bouillon, Vianden, perhaps?
The great thing about these places is that they are much closer to Zeebrugge and can be ridden to in just a few hours. But, when there, they will offer a load of choice. You want nice roads, the Ardennes has them. You want WW2 and bits of WW1, the Ardennes has it. You want decent sized towns, with wagon wheel roads radiating out? The Ardennes has them.
For instance, Zeebrugge to Clervaux is only 300 kms. That is just 185 miles. Down the main roads and motorways that can be done non-stop in three hours. Of course you'll stop, let's say three times. Twice for 30 minutes and once for an hour. That will make it five hours, which is hardly exhausting. Depending on what time your ferry docks and departs, it's a very easy one day ride to or from Zeebrugge.
Pump Zeebrugge into Google maps. Add any of the towns I have suggested in as a destination. Does anything appeal to you, Bob and the little ladies? Look at a decent map, not the dreadful Google maps. But use Google maps for getting very quick distance estimations and times..... And use it for its excellent Streetview. Look at the towns, look at the roads. Pump them all into a Google search of hotels, things to do, motorbike roads to ride. It's a very safe that you are not the first to ask the question and won't be the last. The answer is out there, as they say. Look at some very good Trip reports in UKGSer. Have a look at the 80 Virees a Moto and assorted Wapping's Wanders or suggestions I have made for long weekends away. Any and all of them can be adapted to suit what you want to do..... And you have several months to plan it all. Don't rely on others to do it all for you.... They will only cock it up, anyway.
