massif central

[big pete]

Hi all ,After touring germany for four holidays and one to lake garda.wanted to try France. hedged our bets last year by going to colmar ( 5 days )then 3days at lake Constance.want to try France again, but cant get over the scale of the country ..So this year the wife said how about the the dordogne, but me and friend bob like a few hills or even mountains so I thought massif central and maybe have a day trip over to the dordogne Ha you must be joking look at the mileage.So after all that waffle down to business.living in York we always do the overnight ferry from hull to zeebrugge.So thoughts are zeebrugge to Troyes overnight stop, (that's a bit more than we normally do in a day, like to stick to 200 to 220 )Troyes to Vichy.Stay in Vichy about a week then days out from Vichy to where? Can any tossers recommend somewhere other than Vichy .Needs to be not too big ,nice place to eat out, few bars and places to see on days out.Then Its same again on way back overnight stop to where? Then back to zeebrugge.All Suggestions gratefully received.Ps last year sat on dockside at Hull waiting to board ferry,checking out route to Hotel , garmin sat nav said travel to dover and board ferry to france.thank you for any suggestions. Cheers Pete

 

[Giles]

Why stay in Vichy for a week?

You're just about to hit the really good stuff. A days riding further will put you in the Tarn Gorge

http://www.routeyou.com/route/view/245711/car-and-motorcycle-route-gorges-du-tarn-motor-tour.en

Or go play along the River Lott - google map places like Cajarc .. Cahors ..

 

[Bugbear]

+1 on the Tarn Gorges.
Stay in Florac, lots going on and you can eat outside in the square at night with loads of atmosphere. Good camping in the area if you don't want hotels.
Visit Point Sublime a must-do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPfrCTcq3DY

 

[Wapping]

I'm not really sure what you are asking for?

What made you plump on Vichy for a week in the first place?

Place / places to stay instead of Vichy for a week?

Does it have to be around Vichy?

Do you want to stay in one place for a week and ride out?

When are you going? Next week, next month, October?

What sort of things do you like doing?

What sort of roads do you want to ride? Don't say: "Great roads, mate".

I can see that you don't want to do big mileages, so do you mind a chunk of motorway to knock off some time, even if it adds to the daily mileage?

I can think of an idea that might suit you..... Depending on what your answers are.

 

[big pete]

I had only thought of staying at Vichy as i tend to look on google maps at the area I want to visit, and then the mileage that I want to do in a day from my last stop (in this case Troyes ).We will only have about ten days this year and we like to have about 5 days in one place and then do days out from that base.When i say we i mean my wife,friend bob and his wife and myself.It isn't settled yet but it looks like sometime in August.As i said earlier the girls are not too keen on much more than 200 to 225 miles a day,so i'm pushing it a bit as it is. I suppose i could seek approval from the group and do one more overnight stop.Bob and I like a few hills _ mountains but nothing too scary(just thinking about the girls you know) nice small towns and villages with bars and cafes to sit outside of, maybe some places of interest from the war, old castles etc Of course then we have to have a think about a route back .I Thank you all for your interest and suggestion's I much appreciate it

 

[Wapping]

I think you need to sit down with Bob (and the little ladies) to sort out just what it is you do want.

PS Which war are you interested in in the Massif Central? Vichy was, of course, the head quarters of the French government under Nazi occupation, if that's any good.

 

[Riders Rest]

Why not do both the Dordogne and the Central massif? There are loads of good ride outs from us in the Correze which is on the North West corner of the Central Massif. We are not close to.


Rocamadour
Oradour sur Glane
Mount Dore
The Auvergne Volcano Parc - Puy de Dome and Puy Mary
Millau Viaduct
gorges du Haute Dordogne
Les Eyzies
Sarlat

We cater for groups both for guided rides or DiY rides. In fact I have just finished putting an e-book together of DiY rides based from ridersrest complete with an orienteering style rideout. We are www.Ridersrest.eu if you want to check the idea out.

 

[Sooty09]

The distances you need to travel first day are quite huge. Like you I prefer 150 to 200 miles a day but as I travel further each tour I know the first few days are heads down and get to the region which interests you. This often means bypassing good areas using the Payage.
You can save a lot of money by taking the Dover ferry or tunnel, Zebrugge saves no mileage.
My route was Calais to Kaysesberg near Colmar. Its a beautiful Germanic town worth a weeks holiday on its own. Payage or fast roads most of the way with a trip over the Vossages to finish, 350 miles. approx. 7 hours
Net day off to Le Puey in the Massiff Central 330 miles of varied riding. approx. 9 hours.
A must see is the Millau bridge, its not that special but the ride to it is good and its on the way to the Tarne gorge, we had an overnight at Die and rode over the passes and the stunning Combe Laval road to Grenoble.
This sets you up nicely for a few days ride through the Alps back home.
Which ever direction you go I find France fascinating.

 

[Rasher]

We tend to do 350 - 450 on the first day, I need @150 to get to the tunnel, this and the crossing eats up @3 hours, so then clocking up another 200 - 300 miles is only 4-5 hours including stops on the motorway and tends to get me close to the decent roads for day two.

Troyes is a great City, I can recommend a Hotel if you like, cheap(ish) clean, tidy, garage parking and just a few minutes walk from the Beautiful old city, and a fantastic building in its own right....

Just can't remember it off top of head.

 

[sven]

You can save a lot of money by taking the Dover ferry or tunnel, Zebrugge saves no mileage.

Travelling via Dover only saves about £100 once you take hotels into consideration and it's a very tedious six hour ride on dual carriageways and motorways - it's not my idea of a good start/end to a holiday

I can reach Hull via a scenic-ish route (up to York and then past Beverley) and only have around two hours on the Belgian motorway in the morning before heading cross-country through France. I've been to Troyes and Strasbourg on the first day of a tour using the Zeebrugge ferry.

I used the Dover-Calais route in the car in 2010 and trailing down the motorway south was too much like a bus man's holiday (I drive a lot of business miles), so I'm even using Hull-Zeebrugge in the car in May this year on the way to the Rhine gorge to avoid the tedious drive south.

 

[Bury_Dave]

Always dangerous to tell people what you want to do for a holiday and ask for a little help as you then get bombarded by lots of people compelling you to take the holiday they would chose for themselves. A lot of teh advice to go elsewhere will come from those who whilst they have been where they are telling you to go, will not have been to many of the places you are saying you want to visit ! (Wapping excluded of course). Everywhere in France south of Paris is wonderful. Do you want France or do you want bikers France ?

The Massif Central is lovely. Riders Rest and La Rose Rouge are both good places to stay. You are not far from Sarla.

Try to find your own rides as if people on here are telling you that you must go here or there then you know there will be millions of others all doing the same. Only great if you like hanging out with lots of other bikers

Have faith in yourself and remember that 350 miles in a day on a motorway is nothing and even on normal roads is still no big deal 2-up for the odd day here and there.

Have a great holiday

 

[sven]

Have faith in yourself and remember that 350 miles in a day on a motorway is nothing and even on normal roads is still no big deal 2-up for the odd day here and there.

If I do 35 miles on a motorway or dual carriageway the mrs starts to strop, nevermind 350 I agree it's easy to do that kind of mileage on the relatively empty A roads of France, but not recommended everyday, especially with a pillion onboard. I think the 200 mile advice works well two-up and allows time for sight seeing.

 

[Bury_Dave]

Other than that your missus is whimpier and whingier than mine, we are in agreement Neither of us like it but we know that sometimes you just have to dig in and do it to get to where you want to go. Otherwise stick with touring within 35 miles of your home

Of course it's not anyone's first choice - personally i avoid motorways and prefer longer days in the saddle on A-roads to get the big distances done. Just avoid towns at rush hours. I do use motorways to get south of Paris if France is on the list list though.

If the wife isn't too comfy in the saddle then maybe a look at changing the saddle, adjusting the pegs etc might make a huge difference. Along with a 10 minute stop every hour or a decent break in the middle of the day. I found an intercom helped hugely too. Judging by the amount of non local plates you see everywhere in Europe, plenty of people seem to manage ok

You don't have to be on an 'Adventure' to have a spirit of adventure

 

[sven]

Other than that your missus is whimpier and whingier than mine, we are in agreement Neither of us like it but we know that sometimes you just have to dig in and do it to get to where you want to go. Otherwise stick with touring within 35 miles of your home

Of course it's not anyone's first choice - personally i avoid motorways and prefer longer days in the saddle on A-roads to get the big distances done. Just avoid towns at rush hours. I do use motorways to get south of Paris if France is on the list list though.

If the wife isn't too comfy in the saddle then maybe a look at changing the saddle, adjusting the pegs etc might make a huge difference. Along with a 10 minute stop every hour or a decent break in the middle of the day. I found an intercom helped hugely too. Judging by the amount of non local plates you see everywhere in Europe, plenty of people seem to manage ok

You don't have to be on an 'Adventure' to have a spirit of adventure

The current mrs only whinges about motorways as they're so dull and windswept, but has done plenty of 300+ non-motorway days to cover ground where necessary in Europe and the USA

I agree an intercom is essential, as is a good screen and a comfy seat for marital harmony. Trudi also acts as my official photographer and occupies herself by taking snaps on the move and singing badly

 

[piebaps]

If you've gone that far why not go all the way to Santander or Bilbao and then boat home from there. Obviously the ride from Plymouth/Portsmouth to York is a pain in the proverbial.

Just a suggestion!

 

[Rasher]

Try to find your own rides as if people on here are telling you that you must go here or there then you know there will be millions of others all doing the same. Only great if you like hanging out with lots of other bikers

I would disagree, I think most of us would say "don't go there" if it is shite and congested.

I have had some great recomendations from people for all my Euro trips, I have chosen many of my own routes, but also included lots of recomendations and followed lots of the advice from the Alpine roads forum, this forum and the Motorcycle Journey's book....

All advice has been good, never once have I cursed the traffic jams, millions of other bikers or just thought "this is crap".

Especially if looking at foreign destinations, so few bikers leave UK shores so I would say your fairly safe, certainly not likely to find "millions" of bikes on any Alpine Pass.

The busiest day on the Stelvio is probably less congested than a mid winter weekend on the Cat and Fiddle - and when you get to the top the view is significantly better.

Plan your own trip, take advice if it fits in with what you want to do, discard it if it does not (or save it for another trip)

I would give a big to the travel advice handed out here.

 

[Sooty09]

Travelling via Dover only saves about £100 once you take hotels into consideration

It costs us £450 to take the Hull Zebrugge ferry (2 bikes + twin cabin) + 4 evening meals. It works out very expensive. P&O to Calais was only £94 for both bikes.
Our usual schedule is depart Leeds at 6.30 am and arrive in Cambrai for our first overnight at about 4.30.
Total distance from Leeds is 350 miles, Via Zebrugge its 155 miles.
First night accommodation is on the continent in both cases, only with the Zebrugge ferry you can ride a bit further into France.
In both cases to make headway you need to ride on motorways,
They both have different stresses, for me Hull is great but to catch the boat I need to leave work early and dash to the port through rush hour, Sailing Sat loses me a days holiday. The big stress of Dover is having to cross the QE2 bridge.

 

[Wapping]

Both Rasher and Bury Dave are right, just coming at it from different directions.

Yup, you can get great advice from a load of sources....... But then use it to plan your own holiday, tuned to exactly what YOU want, not someone else's idea of what must be done all day every day.

If I have one small frustration in UKGSer's Travel section is the laziness of some posters, not prepared to even try to look for themselves. Or those that give so little information about their intended jaunt, it's like drawing teeth before anyone can even start to help them.

 

[Giles]

Both Rasher and Bury Dave are right, just coming at it from different directions.

Yup, you can get great advice from a load of sources....... But then use it to plan your own holiday, tuned to exactly what YOU want, not someone else's idea of what must be done all day every day.

If I have one small frustration in UKGSer's Travel section is the laziness of some posters, not prepared to even try to look for themselves. Or those that give so little information about their intended jaunt, it's like drawing teeth before anyone can even start to help them.

I enjoy the planning stage prior to a holiday. Just by looking at a michelin map you can often get a feel for a route (Trixie - put the tissues away...), and then you can confirm an idea on google maps. You can check out towns and hotels on Trip advisor, street view ... all sorts.

 

[sven]

It costs us £450 to take the Hull Zebrugge ferry (2 bikes + twin cabin) + 4 evening meals. It works out very expensive. P&O to Calais was only £94 for both bikes.
Our usual schedule is depart Leeds at 6.30 am and arrive in Cambrai for our first overnight at about 4.30.
Total distance from Leeds is 350 miles, Via Zebrugge its 155 miles.
First night accommodation is on the continent in both cases, only with the Zebrugge ferry you can ride a bit further into France.
In both cases to make headway you need to ride on motorways,
They both have different stresses, for me Hull is great but to catch the boat I need to leave work early and dash to the port through rush hour, Sailing Sat loses me a days holiday. The big stress of Dover is having to cross the QE2 bridge.

My rough calc is based on two of us on one bike leaving work early on a Friday and arriving in, say, Strasbourg on Saturday evening at the end of July and something similar in reverse


Via Hull = 450 miles x 2 = 900 miles
Ferry = £350

Via Dover = 740 miles x 2 = 1480 miles
Ferry = £60

580 miles extra = 12 gallons @ £5.50/gallon = £66

Tyre wear/service costs = £44 (10% of a £120 tyre 8% of a £300 service)

Travelodge etc. south of Dartford crossing on way down and north of it on way back = £30 x 2 = £60

Total cost via Dover = £230 vs. £350 from Hull, so about £120 difference, same amount of time off work, but a much more enjoyable and relaxing journey.