Posts tagged 2011

After rising early we left home with the bike loaded to meet the rest of the group at services before the Euro Tunnel. As we hit the M25 the traffic became very heavy over the Dartford Bridge and we filtered our way into Kent. We arrived at the services a few minutes late to heads shaking and people getting ready to go, whoops, after a smile and wave from one of the other WAGs I felt better and we topped up with petrol and were on our way to the Euro Tunnel. We got on a train earlier and went straight round to the lanes to board and after a few minutes got on the train. We had to squeeze on and park bikes close together to get the roller door to shut. we were on our way!

The train journey went quickly with time for a quick chat and toilet break. We got off the train straight on to the bright autoroute south and kept going until the first petrol stopped. It was a welcome stop to stretch legs and get the feeling back into the lower half of my body! We had time to grab a coffee and a pastry and look over the onwards route.

Back on to the autoroute we continued south-east towards our lunch stop the weather getting sunnier the further we went. We reached Peronne for lunch and sat outside a cafe enjoying a break and good food. We looked over where we were in a road map and a projection of the rest of the journey. As we got back on the bikes anticipation of riding the local roads, no longer on the autoroute, and finding the hotel set the scene for a good afternoons ride.

The scenery was spectacular, beautiful villages, fields of sunflowers and then we travelled through the Champagne region and saw the lines of vines on the hillsides. At this point, tired from a long day on the bike, sleep took hold and I had a snooze. I awoke as the bike came to a halt and found out there had not been a marker for a quite a while – we had lost the rest of the group in front, just two bikes and four of us remained. We located where we were and how to get to the hotel, about an hour away, let the lead bike know, and set off for the hotel.

We arrived at Hotel Sylvie in Chatillion-sur seine about 7pm and were shown first to the garage and then to our rooms. The hotel was very pleasant with beautiful gardens and simple but comfortable rooms. After a quick shower and change we awaited the rest of the group in the garden with a glass of wine. We had a table booked at a close by restaurant and went as a group to get our dinner. This was a rustic looking building by the river self described as a grill house. Unfortunately they had no mixed grills left, nor did they do crepes, we were too late for these apparently! Regardless we enjoyed copious food and drink and returned to the hotel to meet again at 8am for breakfast.

Breakfast was a continental feast of fruit, yoghurt, breads, jams, teas and coffee, held upstairs in a now closed in veranda. Discussing the days plan ahead and where rides were going to, I had no plans to whizz around France – but instead had looked up the local markets and intended to a bit of shopping and reading, see how the day took me! After breakfast I saw off the bikes, had my handbag ready and walked into town with another WAG. Walking into town the weather was warm but cloudy, we made our way into town having a look in shops on our way, buying things as they took our fancy. We found the market and got a couple of bits. As were we looking around a clothes stall laughing at the lurid clothes an English women came over and agreed, but saying they were all a bit Essex?! Outraged we did not disclose where we had travelled from but rather laughed and walked on by.

Tiring of walking around we went and got a coffee in the main square and chatted as the day brightened up. Starting to feel hungry we went back towards the hotel and popped into the local supermarket on the way to get lunch. We returned to the bright sunny gardens of the hotel and ate lunch before ordering several bottles of the local sparkling wine, Cremant de Bourgogne and enjoying the sun.

We heard the roar as the bikes returned back, their riders looking rather warm and ready for a drink. We caught up with where they had been and what they had all seen before getting ready to go out for dinner, to a restaurant in the town square. We made our way in smaller groups to the restaurant this time meeting there and enjoyed another good meal together.

The following morning we got up for another 8am breakfast on the veranda and enjoyed the same feast of food and drink to help us all wake up. Several smaller groups planned to go out for varying ride distances, but a few did not go out at all, preferring to explore the local area and enjoy a day of rest. Visiting a picturesque local river and walking through the towns narrow streets we stopped again for lunch at the main square before heading back to the hotel for a lazy afternoon.

That evening we waited for the group to congregate in the beautiful gardens enjoying a drink together before once again returning to the town for dinner. Enjoying another good meal we chatted about the journey home the following morning. We made our way back to the hotel agreeing to meet earlier for breakfast the next day to head off in good time.

We woke to another good breakfast before packing up the bikes. Noticing some bikes not quite ready a couple of us dashed over to the nearby supermarket for supplies (of Cremant de Bourgogne) to take home. We set off through the beautiful roads back through Champagne and we stopped in Troyes for lunch, but it had already shut so we ended up at a funny little Turkish cafe serving shish kebabs and paninis. Continuing our way we headed north to stop at Vimy Ridge the Canadian war memorial before heading for the train. The day was very hot, sunny and clear. We walked up to the giant structure and looked over the view ahead, feeling the anguish of souls lost far from home. Returning to the bikes we got on to the autoroute to take us back to Calais all with hopefully enough petrol to get us there.

As we got close by to Calais all the roads were blocked off, luckily for us the lead of our group knew an alternative route to the Euro Tunnel. Another alarming issue was lack of petrol and we spent a few miles hunting for a petrol station. Finally finding one our bike rolled in and we all filled up. Continuing our way to the train it seemed our bike had had enough and kept cutting out, stalling if the revs got too low. Revving our way through Calais town we eventually made it to the tunnel entrance and gratefully booked on to the next train. Though this was in an hour we knew we would head for the next train regardless. We passed through passport control rolling and revving our way. We then rode on to the next train check in and the lady in the box waved us through, not noticing we were not booked for another hour. Almost at the train we waited in line pleased with a good days riding. The green light came on so we made our way down to the train, sat in the hot sunshine for sometime until we boarded last. This time there was no chance of squeezing us on to the train until the roller door shut, we travelled with the roller door up and a train man came round with water for us. Half an hour later we agreed this was an excellent trip, said our goodbyes, and rode our separate ways home.