Pack 2-week Tour of France (14th to 27th June 2009 The Highs and the Lows.
The 2-week summer tour has become the highlight of the Bevan R.A.T. Pack's annual schedule of events. These tours started in 2006 with a tour of south-west Ireland, followed in 2007 with a tour up the west coast of Scotland and then last year we headed into mainland Europe with a tour of northern Spain. This year, we decided to ride down the Eastern border of France, over the Vosges mountains and the French Alps to the Mediterranean and then head back up the Route Napoleon to Grenoble. The final legs of the return journey would take us through the Burgundy and Champagne regions on our way back to the ferry. Three free days had been built into the holiday to break up the riding and allow participants time for sight-seeing or relaxation in some of the most attractive areas. We knew that the route would provide highs and lows it would take us high over the highest passes in Europe at around 9,000 feet and we knew that we would be looking down a sheer 2,500 feet drop to the water below as we rode around the rim of Europes largest gorge, the Gorges du Verdon. What we didnt know was which other highs and lows would affect our journey.
The group left Cardiff on Sunday 14th June 2009 and headed for an overnight stop in Dover, to enable us to get a full nights sleep before catching the 8.30 ferry to Calais the next morning. The journey to Dover started in a fairly eventful way. Ted and Liz left early on the Sunday morning because Liz had completed a night shift and wanted to get to the Dover accommodation early, so that she could get some sleep and try to revert to a more normal sleep pattern in time for her holiday. On the ride to Dover, Ted filled Lizzy's bike up with diesel at a service station and had to call the AA to drain it out before they could continue. Meanwhile, Chris, Dee and Sarah left Cardiff Services as planned and headed along the M4 to collect the others at pre-arranged places. Howard was waiting at Junction 30, Fay & Martin were waiting at Junction 23A and we rolled into Membury services to meet Bernie and Mary, just as they arrived there. Perfect you might think, but wait a minute, where is Howard? I know that he joined us back at Junction 30. The others look at me coyly; nobody has seen him since Newport! A quick phone call confirms that he is sitting by the side of the M4 at Newport, waiting for a recovery truck to take him back to his house! The bike had cut-out in the fast lane, with smoke coming from the wiring loom under the tank. Howard hoped to get the bike home, see if he could repair it and then catch up with us in due course. The rest of us met up at the accommodation in Dover and had a group evening meal, interspersed with calls to and from Howard, who appeared to be winning the battle of the wiring loom.
(Monday 15th June)
We left the hotel in good time to arrive at the ferry terminal Check-in booth to catch the 8.30 a.m. ferry. There was no sign of Howard, so the remaining seven bikes queued for their tickets; five queued behind me and Martin headed for the booth opposite (theres not such a long queue - it'll be quicker he thought). I shouted across to Martin to make sure that he refused the earlier 7.45 a.m. ferry should they offer him that option. I obtained my ticket and rolled forwards for 50 metres to stop and put away the ticket etc, when I spotted that they had given me a ticket for the earlier ferry. I ran back to the booth, but all the others had also been given the early ferry, except Martin at the opposite booth! To make matters worse, Martin had pulled away and was making for the lane reserved for the 8.30 ferry. We followed him as closely as we could, hooting and signalling for him to come to the same lane as us, which fortunately he did. We explained the problem (my mistake, his fault), so Martin left Fay with us and headed back to the Check-in desk to re-book for the earlier ferry. As soon as he left, they called us forward to load onto the early ferry! We rolled on and secured our bikes and then set about watching for Martin. He did make it back in time, but not before Howard turned up and rolled onto the same ferry as us, by sheer chance! Top man Howard! So, finally, we were all on the same ferry and three-quarters-of-an-hour ahead of our planned departure.
We arrived at Calais ferry port at 10.45 a.m. local time and rode south-east for about 80 miles along the A26, before turning off at Cambrai and taking mostly rural 'D' roads for the next 100 miles to Sedan. Just beyond Sedan, we crossed the Belgian border and rode the last few miles to Bouillon, where we would stop overnight at the Hotel La Porte de France. The group had kept together well throughout the day, despite fairly heavy rain throughout the afternoon. However, after passing Sedan, Martin dropped off the back of the group and, despite Bernie waiting for him at the next turning, he didnt appear. The rest of us checked in at the hotel and waited for news from Martin & Fay. After about an hour we got a text to say that they had been round and round Sedan 3 times and had started to head back to the town before that! They were only 6 or 7 miles away but they were lost. They eventually turned up at the hotel an hour or two after the others. The days ride had been approximately 195 miles.
Day 2 (Tuesday 16th June)
After a continental breakfast we headed off in fine sunshine, in a south easterly direction into the Alsace region and the forests of the Vosges Mountains. The Vosges Mountain range, whilst wholly in France, stretches along the west side of the Rhine valley in a N.N.E. direction, from Basel to Mainz, for a distance of 150 miles. Since 1871 the southern portion, from the Ballon d'Alsace to Mont Donon, has been the frontier between France and Germany. There is a remarkable similarity between the Vosges and the corresponding range of the Black Forest on the other side of the Rhine; both are characterized by pine forests on their lower slopes, above which are open pasture land and rounded summits of a uniform altitude.
During the ride, Martin & Fay and Bernie & Mary dropped off the back of the group and headed into Verdun for a coffee stop. The rest continued to St Miheil, where we stopped for coffee, before turning east to Chateau Salins. The ride up over the Col du Donon, to find our hotel at 727 metres (Hotel - Restaurant Le Velleda, located on the Col du Donon) was appreciated by all and provided an excellent learning curve for the hairpins that would be encountered in the French Alps later in the holiday.
We all arrived at the hotel within a short space of time, parked our bikes in the barn, unpacked and had a well-deserved bikers beer on the terrace of the hotel, which offered panoramic views from its position on the Col. The evening meal was included with our accommodation and was a gastronomic feast which included soup, pate fois gras, Maigret de Canard, a host of French cheeses and finally sorbet and ice-cream doused with schnapps. Oh, and the vegetarians had omelettes!
The days ride had been approximately 180 miles.
Day 3 (Wednesday 17th June)
Because the ride today would be around 310 miles, everybody was up bright and early, ready for an 8 a.m. departure from the hotel. We left the hotel in brilliant sunshine and soon joined the Routes des Cretes (road of the crests) and headed south along the ridges of the pine-clad Vosge Mountains, over the Col des Bagenelles to a coffee stop in the bikers cafe at the top of the Col de la Schlucht, just short of Gerardmer. We pressed on to the half-way point, where we found an excellent roadside restaurant in the countryside and so stopped for the express plat du jour (pork fillet, pasta, sauce and cheese) on a shady patio. After lunch, we set off for Salins les Bains, where the Bonnevilles were in dire need of petrol and we were in dire need of ice-creams and coffee! When we set off after our coffee stop, it was around 5 p.m. and we still had another 100 miles to ride through the Alps and Jura region of France to Annecy. The riding was fabulous even the recently re-tarred and gritted Cret de la Neige (D991) from Mijoux to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine offered fabulous views if you were brave enough to take your eyes off the road! We rode around the outskirts of Annecy and down the west side of Lake Annecy at about 8 p.m. to find our hotel, L Auberge Letraz at Sevrier, right on the side of Lake Annecy.
The hotel was superb, with a swimming-pool in the rear garden and lawns that ran right down to the edge of the lake. The views of the Alps across the lake were fabulous. It was definitely time for the bikers beer! Everybody agreed that the route had been fabulous for biking.
Day 4 (Thursday 18th June)
We spent a free day on Thursday 18th June on the side of Lake Annecy. We skipped breakfast in the hotel and instead strolled along to the nearby boulangerie to buy pain-au-chocolat and other such delights, which we then took to the local beach hut on the side of the lake to consume with copious supplies of coffee and tea. The location was great, so we booked an outside table for ten people for an evening meal and then split up to explore and amuse ourselves for the day.
Sarah and Howard walked into the ancient town of Annecy, a splendid town full of art treasures and beautiful buildings and then caught the water taxi back across the lake. Several of the group members took a stroll along the side of Lake Annecy (which stretches for over ten miles) before swimming in the hotel's outdoor pool and relaxing in the beautiful hotel garden. The evening meal at the lakeside bar was a real success and we remembered to raise a glass to those Pack Members attending the monthly Club Night at the Lewis Arms in Pentyrch!
Day 5 (Friday 19th June)
After our free day for sight-seeing in the Annecy area, we again headed south, for a day of high altitude riding, mostly through the mountains. We rode south east, continuing through the Alps and Jura region, through Val-d'Isere, over the Col de L'Iseran (at 2764 metres, this is the highest pass in Europe and is a must-see sight from where, on a clear day, you have views of the Italian side of Mont Blanc and the whole of the frontier chain of peaks), over the Col du Galibier at 2,556 metres and on to Briancon, Europe's highest town. From there, we continued over the Col du Izoard (2360 metres) to a planned night stop at the Hotel Villa Morelia, a small chateau at Jausiers, near Barcelonnette, in northern Provence. We stopped at the summit of each pass, well above the snow-line, where the gleeful cry of "this is the best yet" was always heard! I have to say, that I have ridden many mountain passes in France, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy, but this days riding was up there with the best of them. The entire group rode exceptionally well to cope with the never-ending staircase of hairpin bends on the Alpine passes and it would be wrong to single-out any particular person for special praise; however, I felt that the lady riders all did particularly well. The weather remained hot and sunny virtually all day, although there were dark clouds behind us throughout the afternoon. We arrived at our hotel in Jausiers just before 6 p.m. and parked our bikes in the secure grounds of the chateau. We unpacked and had a bikers' beer on the terrace, to await the arrival of Martin & Fay and Bernie & Mary, who pitched up at about 7.30 p.m., having been caught in torrential rain.
We had a table for 10 people reserved in the private dining room at this hotel and, after pre-dinner drinks, we were shown to our table and treated like royalty throughout the meal. Langoustines with Fois Gras and truffles, turbot, lamb with wild mushrooms, an extensive cheeseboard, followed by a dessert of baba, sorbet and vanilla creme panifolia. Each course was accompanied by a wine selected by the owner to compliment the food on offer. The rooms were of classical French period decoration, mostly with four-poster beds. The bill for such extravagance? A mere 298 euros per couple.
Todays ride had been approximately 230 miles.
Day 6 (Saturday 20th June)
Todays ride would only be around 160 miles, so we had a leisurely start to the day. We walked in the sunshine to the village for coffee and cakes at the boulangerie, before heading south, over the Col du Restefond (2680m) and the Col de la Bonette (2715m) before dropping down into the Tinee Valley and through the Mercantour National Park into Nice, where we stopped at Atoll Beach for lunch. We were able to park our bikes in the free Moto parking slots almost on the Promenade des Anglais, and walk just 100 metres to find a seafood restaurant almost on the waters edge (research beforehand is always worth the effort I had entered the car park as a way point in my GPS). After a superb lunch, we took our boots off and paddled in the Mediterranean (well, it had to be done, didnt it?), before turning north through Grasse (the town is famous for its perfume production) to join the fabulous Route Napoleon. Weaving in and out through the Alps, La Route Napoleon, or the N85, follows the treacherous path taken by Napoleon Bonaparte when he returned to France in 1815. Stretching in length for more than 200 miles, it starts in the glitzy Mediterranean resort of Cannes and winds its way through Grasse, Castellane, Sisteron and Gap to end at the alpine town of Grenoble. It is one of those awe-inspiring journeys that you must tick off. The road meanders through everything imaginable, from rugged, snow-capped peaks, to rustic French villages, taking in coastal views and passing over forbidding valleys thousands of feet deep. The roads that link the villages are some of the finest stretches of blacktop you are ever likely to ride across and there is little traffic around. The N85 might sound like just another A-road but it is generally regarded as one of Europe's best biking roads; this is the real deal. We rode as far as Castellane, where we stopped for two nights at the Grand Hotel du Levant. We arrived in good time and were able to park the bikes in the hotel garage, before sitting out the front of the hotel for a bikers' beer. The hotel is extremely popular with bikers, owing to its superb location part-way along the Route Napoleon and close to the Gorges du Verdon. The town square is immediately outside the hotel, surrounded by restaurants and bars, so it was not difficult to find a place to eat that night.
Day 7 (Sunday 21st June)
Today was a free day to explore the nearby Gorges du Verdon. The Gorges du Verdon is one of Europe's great natural wonders; formed where the blue-green Verdon river cuts a deep swathe through the high limestone plateau of Haute Provence. Often called Europe's Grand Canyon, this truly spectacular canyon is over 25 kms long and in places over 1000 meters deep. The world's 2nd largest canyon, it may not compete with the Grand Canyon, Arizona, but it is still the largest canyon in Europe. The Verdon river is named after it's unusual colour; Verdon is derived from the French word for green. A full loop around the canyon is just over 60 miles, including the Route des Cretes and can be comfortably ridden in a day, including frequent stops to admire and photograph the views.
The day started like any other, but finished like no other. We had decided to take a picnic lunch to eat beside the lake at the far end of the gorge and so walked into the town to purchase bread, meats, cheeses, fruit and cakes. With these loaded into Ted's empty top box, six of us on six bikes left the hotel at 10.15 a.m. The others had decided to remain in Castellane and walk up to the church that dominates the town from a high rocky outcrop. We rode around the northern rim of the gorge and included the optional 15-mile Route des Cretes, which follows the very edge of the northern rim of the canyon and offers spectacular views. We stopped to admire the views so many times that after 2 hours, we had covered only 25 miles. From high up on the canyon rim, we could see the beautiful, vivid, blue lake at the western end of the gorge and the bridge across the river at Moustiers. We felt that the lake shore would make the perfect picnic spot and we were right. We were soon parked up in the shade of some trees, enjoying the food we had bought earlier (well most of it the fruit tartlets had been thrown around inside Ted's top box and had spread the fruit and filling all around the inside. Ted managed to clean out most of it, but his tongue couldn't quite reach into the very bottom of the top box!). After lunch we meandered along the southern rim of the Canyon (the Corniche Sublime) and stopped again at the Pont de l'Artuby, which spans the Artuby river at a height of 590 feet. We bought cold soft drinks and watched people bungee jumping off the bridge and Lizzy told me what a great day she had been having. We set off for the final leg back to the hotel in Castellane, turning left onto the straightforward D955 near Combs sur Artuby. After dropping down a hill and starting along a wide straight section of road, I could not see other headlights behind me. After a few moments, Dee pulled up behind me and said that Lizzy had been behind her, but had disappeared somewhere. We turned around and rode back along the D955 for about three-quarters of a mile, to the obvious scene of a bike accident. My first reaction as I parked my bike was to look for the other members of our group and thankfully I could see them all milling around on the roadside amongst a large number of other bikers who had stopped to help. But when I found Howard, he explained that Lizzy had collided with an on-coming Italian biker near the middle of the road. The Italian was on the grass verge having his left leg attended to, whilst Lizzy was standing talking to other members of our group, reassuring them that she was okay, except for a pain and swelling in her left wrist. After a short while we showed Lizzys injury to the para-medic, who told her to get into the ambualance to go for an x-ray at the local hospital. The rest of the party returned the last 16 miles to the hotel, where Ted collected her passport and EU medical card to take to the hospital. He rang to check on Lizzy's condition and was asked to ring back in about an hours time, as she had just gone down to radiology. Just about an hour later, the hospital rang the Hotel to ask for Ted to go to the hospital. Both Ted and I rode to the hospital, expecting to bring Lizzy back to the hotel, ready to continue the holiday on the back of Ted's bike. However, when we arrived at the hospital, we were told that Lizzy had suffered 2 serious heart attacks and that the prognosis was not good. After seeing Lizzy and speaking with the doctors, we were advised to return to the hotel and call again in the morning. After a 35-mile ride back to the hotel in the pitch dark, we broke the news to the others.
Day 8 (Monday 22nd June)
The early telephone call revealed no change in Lizzy's condition, so we agreed that the others should continue with the scheduled ride to the next accommodation at the small hotel La Ferme Bonne at the village of St-Christophe-La-Grotte, just north of Grenoble, approximately 175 miles to the north. Ted, Dee and I would go to the hospital and work out what could be done. When we arrived at the hospital, we were given the news that Lizzy had suffered another heart attack with the last hour and that they had been unable to save her. Ted, Dee and I spent the Day at the hospital making all the necessary arrangements and stayed overnight in a nearby hotel.
Day 9 (Tuesday 23rd June)
After a night-stop at St Christophe La Grotte, Howard, Sarah, Martin & Fay and Bernie & Mary continued north through the Rhone Valley and through the wine growing areas of Macon, Beaune and Nuits-St-Georges in the Burgundy region, to the planned night stop at the walled town of Langres, in the Hotel de la Poste. The planned ride was approximately 220 miles.
Meanwhile, Ted, Dee and I continued our administrative efforts at the hospital and at the Gendarmerie, eventually being cleared to leave at around mid-day. With repatriation action fully initiated, we decided to ride the 430 miles to catch up with the others at Langres. With stops for fuel and food, we eventually reached Langres at 10.37 p.m., just 7 minutes after our estimated time! The others gave us a welcome that we will not forget as we rolled in to the car park of the hotel.
Day 10 (Wednesday 24th June)
Another beautiful sunny day dawned for the easy 150-mile ride north-west along country roads to Epernay, near Reims in northern France. Group members took the opportunity to walk around the charming old walled town of Langres, before making a leisurely departure from the hotel at 10.30 a.m. We all stopped in the small town of Arcis-aux-Aube for a plat du jour lunch, before rattling off the final part of the journey through Epernay to Reims. The route through the centre of the city would have been fine in normal circumstances, but at one of the central roundabouts the inevitable Route Baree sign appeared across the road we wanted and then it was "hunt the detour" to get back on the right road. We got split into 2 or 3 groups, but magically managed to meet up at various road junctions (except Howard, who had to soldier on by himself), until I found a footpath that took us back onto the right road, just past the end of the road works! It was no more than 6 or 7 miles to our hotel (Champagne Mont d'Hor) in the tiny hamlet of St Thierry, but even with the hotel in sight, there was yet another Route Baree sign across the approach road - needless to say, we ignored this one and rode into the hotel grounds. This establishment was a working vineyard with its own pressing room. The lady greeted us with a warm welcome and showed us our accommodation which was spacious and modern, with each room having a different theme. She told us to park our bikes in the pressing room and agreed to my request to put 2 bottles of their champagne in the fridge so that we could have them for our Bikers' beer out on the decking they were superb.
Whilst there was no evening meal available here, the lady took Dee into a nearby village to pick up our order for take-out pizzas, as well as to a supermarket for a carton or two of beers. Our evening was spent out on the decking chatting, above the garden and the vinyards, next to a paddock of horses, until the sun went down behind the church across the fields; truly magical.
Day 11 (Thursday 25th June)
For the planned free day here, I had arranged, for us all to take in a tour of the cellars at Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, one of the many famous champagne 'maisons'. Our one-and-a-half hour tour, with an English speaking guide, was planned to start at 11.30 a.m., so we took 2 taxis to Reims, just 5 miles to the south. The visit was good value and there was a particularly poignant moment at the end, when our young French guide appeared in tears to offer a bottle of vintage champagne to Ted.
Whilst in Reims, we visited the supermarket to purchase all the ingredients for a fine al-fresco evening buffet on the hotel decking. Another memorable evening.
Day 12 (Friday 26th June)
The 195-mile cross-country ride back to Calais, using rural minor roads through Soissons and a number of quiet, rustic French villages, meant that an early start was needed if we were to arrive in good time to catch the 3.25 p.m. ferry back to Dover. Some riders elected to take the Autoroute all the way back to Calais and catch an earlier ferry if they arrived too early, but Ted, Dee and I elected to ride the planned cross-country route. We stopped en-route for coffee in Roye and after continuing, we could see black thunder clouds and fork lightning ahead of us. We stopped just in time to don waterproof linings, before the heavens opened. With about 30 miles remaining to reach Calais, I elected to cut across onto the Autoroute and take the straight line to Calais. As we arrived at the ferry terminal, the rain stopped and I noticed that none of the others were waiting for the ferry. We assumed they had caught an earlier ferry but, just before we were due to embark, the others turned up, having been forced to stop by the heavy rain on the Autoroute. So, once again, we had all made the same ferry!
The ferry arrived in Dover at 4 p.m. local t time. Once off the ferry and clear of customs, we rode 40 miles along the M20 towards Maidstone and then diverted just 2-3 miles off the M20 at Junction 7 and rode to our nearby accommodation at the Detling Coach House for our final overnight stop. Once there, we settled in and got changed, before walking to the local pub for our evening meal. This was a sensible way to finish off the holiday; we had already ridden 200 miles to the ferry earlier in the day and we still had 200 miles to ride back to Cardiff.
Day 13 (Saturday 27th June)
After a leisurely breakfast we tackled the remaining 200 miles back to Cardiff, remembering to drive on the left!
Pictures from the tour are in the Photo Gallery. |
