Wild One Tours

Sun 23rd What a great start. The sun is shining and it is already baking hot as we leave the seaside cafe at Deal on the Kent coast. There is only a light breeze to stir the smooth water of the English Channel and the Dover to Dunkirk crossing is taken catching the rays on the open deck. Not so nice some 70 years and 4 days ago when troops were being evacuated in the opposite direction as part of Operation Dynamo. The toll free motorway to Lille is undergoing extensive works, but we still make good progress to our hotel. After checking in and freshenening up, we partake of a nice meal and a good few beers in the restaurant next door. 62miles.

Mon 24th Another scorcher. After breakfast at the hotel we ride fast and suprisingly empty dual and single carriageway RN roads to the WW1 Canadian National Monument, mine warfare craters and trenches at Vimy Ridge. Before moving on, we need to take shelter from the blazing sun and find shade in the visitor centre which has a handy free of charge provision of cooled water. The long ride to Verdun gets much better when we turn off the relatively straight single carriageway RN roads and onto twisty scenic lanes which run through hilly terrain. During the stops we have become suntanned, but feel weary after 230 miles warm weather riding. A cooling shower is all that is needed to perk us up and make us ready for dinner in a restaurant which again is just next door.

Tues 25th Quiet lanes with very little traffic. Fantastic twisting and scenic ride. A stop in the central square of the historic walled town of Langres for a tasty lunch in a Brasserie. A lapse in concentration is brought on by the afternoon heat. A pedestrian steps onto a crossing and I stop. The customer behind doesn't and the impact sprawls me onto the road. The customer stays upright but looses an indicator and a pannier. We are no strangers to repairs in the field. 30 minutes later repairs have been carried out using solely what we were carrying with us and we are able to carry on. At the picturesque riverbank of Dole, we park by the holiday barge Jubilant  which is operated by Brits David and Juliet Webb. They provide us with drinks and won't take any money. In the evening I slide off to a free Wi-Fi hotspot. No injuries and the laptop which was in my tailended pannier still works. 198 miles. 

Wed 26th With rain forecast we set out under cloudy skies to explore the Jura region and get a taste for the mountainous terrain we will be riding tommorrow. The skies soon brighten and the risk of rain recedes as it gets hot again. Stopping for a cold drink in Lons le Saunier before going back to the hotel, the skies suddenly darken. By the time we have fired the bikes up there is a torrential downpour and we get a good wetting. It dries off soon enough and we walk back into town for a meal in a posh restaurant and stay late in an Irish pub where for some reason a young man takes a fancy to me. This is much to the amusement of all present (except his boyfriend). By the end of the night we are laughing and joking with the locals and one (who is not the young man) takes us back to the hotel in his people carrier. He declines payment, but will no doubt find the money we left on the seat someday soon. 80 miles.  

Thurs 27th The day starts with a breakfast bombshell. A customer needs to go home for personal reasons. I explain that based on what he has said, my advice to him could only be to arrange to have his bike recovered and go home by train or plane. I offer to help make the arrangements, but he has already asked another customer to ride back with him and it is a done deal. This decision is not on account of anything I have done or failed to do and neither can I say or do something which would change it. The ride across the Jura mountains on the twisting and almost traffic free back lanes was spectacular. With the forecast rain failing to make a show, we were soon supping coffee and sunning ourselves at the Jet d'Eau in Geneva Switzerland. The route back to the hotel in Pontarlier, France took us over the highest pass of the Jura mountains, the Col de Marchairuz. At 4,747 ft this fabulous winding road is higher than any place in the British Isles. 180 miles.  

Fri 28th The heavens open about 20 miles into the ride from Pontarlier, but it is dry again another 40 miles further on. From Beaune the A6 autoroute is quite scenic as motorways go. At 80 mph 4 miles are covered every 3 minutes and by 3pm I am checked into a hotel. The prebooked room was only 32 euros which is 7 less than the sign outside says it would now cost. Proof enough that it is cheaper to book in advance. A short walk to the station and on the Metro to the city centre by 4pm. Another warm sunny day to visit all the usual attractions. Crowds are gathered at the Eiffel tower to watch a stuntman throwing himself from the first stage. He lands onto a curved ramp which he rides into an inflatable tunnel filled with soft squishy stuff. There is a guy playing a saxophone on the evening Metro back to the hotel. Paris is wonderful place to visit. 290 miles. 

Sat 29th Loading up the bike I see the rear light is loose. Probably down to the rear end impact a few days ago. A repair is made before leaving the hotel at 10am. A later start has allowed peak traffic to subside and the overhead signs on the Periphique describe flow as 'fluide.' Soon back on country roads to the Chateau Chantilly (fictional home of villain Max Zorin in the James Bond movie 'A view to a Kill'). Next stop is Compiegne forest for a visit to the rail clearing where the Armistice was signed at the end of WW1. Adolf Hitler returned the insult in WW2 by making the French sign their surrender in the same rail carriage here. An early check in at the Etap hotel at Laon affords 3 hours to ride up to and wander around the Medieval City. The plan is to take dinner at an outside table of an attractive bar/ restaurant here, but a light persistant rain sets in. So it is back to the hotel which is only a short walk from several decent places to eat. 137miles.