Copycat rider

[125erCrazy]

Spookily enough on route to Thours I saw a Yam' T&G loaded to the gunnels with camping gear putting Billy Smarts big top to shame

[Capitano]

Sounds excellent!

Are you intending to do the Southern Softies beforehand?

[slowboy]

I am, but I’ll be in my car because I’m looking after our dog because my wife is gallivanting round Edinburgh with her sister.

Don’t worry, I won’t be following you all on Saturday

I’ll bring our good Barbie and a bit of cooking gear for Saturday night.

[slowboy]

So, how did it go. I’d say mixed, as these things often are. The original intent was to get down to the southern alps over about four or five days then ride back across south central France to the Dordogne then beat north back to Roscoff and home all over 22 days.
Well what happened was, none of that. The weather forecast for the southern alps was very poor, with thunderstorms, risk of flooding and temperatures in the mid to high 30s (°c). Not ideal for a one and a half man tent. The sharp eyed among you will notice I didn’t take the Cub as planned. When it was fully loaded, the rear rack I made, which is fine for a weekend, was not really up to a three week trip.

I decided to stay a few nights at my first campsite at Sille Les Guillaume, so having set out from Cherbourg and quickly got on the back routes down the east side of the Cotentin peninsula I bimbled my way down some of the land that saw action during D Day and thereafter.
I couldn’t tell you exactly where I went, because I set my Tom Tom for a small town in roughly the right direction and set it to winding roads. This keeps me off the major routes, and occasionally delivers up some real gems and sometimes with some grass down the middle of the lane
My first stop in the morning was at the site of the American POW camp built over a very short period for captured Germans before they were shipped out to POW camps in Canada, the US and the UK

Just a side note about the bike, it was fast enough on the routes I used, it was comfortable, easy going and gives every impression that it would continue like that for years. No issues with it at all.
I carried on to my first site, Camping Les Tournesols, run by a couple who have clearly put a lot of effort in bringing back a near derelict site to one that was excellent. Great little cafe, decent pitches, clean loos which, in the French tradition require you to bring your own loo roll. No problem once you know .

I spent three nights here, travelling around using routes provided by the site owners and very good they were as well. Beautiful, lush countryside and some interesting old villages and great scenery.

Once it became apparent that I wasn’t going to go to the mountains, I set sail for the Loire Valley and Chenonceau. The site I stayed in was a clean and tidy municipal site with decent facilities and a great value cafe and Bar. Sited right next to the Cher river, there were some great walks through the forest right on the doorstep.

The lock on the Cher river by the campsite

some of you will know I have a personal interest in the activities of SOE in France and I had bought an excellent book with me titled “She Landed by Moonlight” about the exploits of Pearl Witherington, a highly successful SOE agent who commanded between 1500 and 3500 members of the resistance during the crucial period running up to and after D day. I can highly recommend the book. I spend a day riding round her operational area and visited the F Section memorial at Valencay, a memorial she campaigned for after the war and lived to see it finished. A remarkable woman.

Day two saw the bike parked up and me walking the mile and a half to the Chateau of Chenonceau, in my opinion the most beautiful chateau in the region with stunning gardens.

having spent most of the day there, including an excellent lunch at their Orangery Restaurant I walk back though the forest on the far bank, with the afternoon temperatures around 33°c.

Moving on from Chenonceau I decided to head west to a region I’d only ever belted through on the way to somewhere else. I ended up at Camping Les Bacs on the banks of the Mayenne river. This was the best site of the trip, not least of which for the “Cyclist accommodation I ended up in. I stayed here for six nights, before home told me an appointment I’d been waiting for was in and due the middle of next week, not wanting to delay it another couple of months, I made the decision to head home a week early. The fact that the weather forecast for the following week was pretty pants made the decision easy.

Any how, while I was there, I had some great rides through lovely countryside, visited Chateau Gontier, the local town which was very nice, Lion d’ Angers, a town with an interesting centre, and some really enjoyable walks along the great cycle path that runs for over 80 miles. I even hired a pedal bike for half a day to get a good feel for it. I will definitely be back with my wife in the future, although we might indulge ourselves in one of their excellent cabins, not the one I was in. I cannot recommend this sight highly enough.
The river is one of those that was “canalised by Napoleon and part of his drive to improve transportation in such a large country. The licks etc are still working very well today having been modernised and largely automated.
So to finish off a few pictures of the last few days

A random small town I passed through on the river Sarthe

The local 80’ trip boat coming out of the lock near the campsite on the river Mayenne, the river was behind me as the lock bypasses two weirs.

Finally the old mill on the opposite bank.


Sometimes you’ve just got to trust the Satnag, and yes it is a proper road through a local forest 30kph limit by the way on hard packed fine gravel.

So overall, not what I planned but a thoroughly enjoyable trip nevertheless. France delivered up some real gems in terms of places and riding roads, far too much to record it all here.
The Enfield was, as usual, faultless, covering just over 1500 miles and enjoyable to ride. It started a number of conversations with French men and women, some of which I was just able to keep up with . A great country with friendly people, I’m sure I’ll be back.
You really can travel on anything and enjoy it. The only thing I’d change is not going alone next time.

[sheepskinstu]

An excellent report. Thanks very much for sharing.

"You really can travel on anything and enjoy it."

This is so true! I recently went up to the Scottish Borders on the Cub just for a couple of nights. The comments you get from other riders range from disbelief and admiration to dismissive and fairly negative. The touring scene now seems to have distilled down to big adventure bikes which is a real shame. It's so bland unfortunately.

Cheers.

[bikerbaker]

Really good report and pics, Thanks!

The only riding I've ever done in France was a quick trip to Poitiers on the SV which sparked all sorts of ideas that sadly won't ever happen now. One plan was to take the Chinese Cub and leave it in the basement of a good mate's house in the hills in the Languedoc to use locally on our frequent visits.
That would have been ideal to explore the WWII history of the area as the village was on the edge of a huge forest where there are still at least 2 camps built and used by the Maquis as staging posts on the repatriation line leading eventually across the Pyrenees. Done some of it on foot years ago and found a hidden memorial to a local 18 year old shot by the Gestapo on 28th July 1944.

[Capitano]

Nice one, Sir!

Sometimes plans have to change, and this looks like it worked out rather well.

Thanks for the report, top reading.

The touring scene now seems to have distilled down to big adventure bikes which is a real shame. It's so bland unfortunately.

And knapdog on his Valkyrie, which many would dismiss too, but which eats miles with ease.

Long live diversity!

[Godspeed]

Really enjoyed the ride report, felt like I was riding through the French countryside