European
Tour 2006
26th
May 2006
Mileage
on leaving home 19078.
Left
home at 09:35 and had a wet ride to Dover and due to the ‘adverse weather
conditions’ had a slight delay to the ferry crossing. The run from Calais to
Sluis was mostly dry but windy. We ate
in town this evening, had a few drinks at Boo’s bar before heading back to our
cabin. Costs: Fuel 25 euros, Cabin 39
euros, Food & Drink 56 euros. Total 120 euros.
27th
May 2006
Had
a dry but very overcast run to the Kleppertreffen and eventually found the
site. It was a good ‘do’ with a food and a band although a little noisy
overall. It also made for a cheap night as breakfast was included. Very windy during the day and rained during
the evening. Costs: Fuel 47 euros, Rally 20 euros, Food etc. 30 euros. Total 97
euros.
28th
May 2006
Pottered
around the pretty roads on the Dutch/German border for most of the day. It was
very overcast, cool (c14 celcius) and windy but stayed dry. Stayed at a 4*
hotel (De Zon) in Ommen and had a very good meal and bottle of wine. A good stay altogether. Costs: Fuel 17
euros, Hotel 105 euros, Food etc. 120 euros. Total 242 euros.
29th
May 2006
Had a nice ride to the Motocamp site using
lost of small pretty roads. The site
was okay but there were few showers and those that were there weren’t terribly
practical (no cover). Had a nice meal
in town with Stopher and had a few beers back at the site. Very overcast and
cool all day and belted with rain most of the night. Costs: Food 40 euros,
Drink tokens 48 euros. Total 88 euros.
30th
May 2006
Rained
most of the day. Spent the morning on site and the afternoon evening in town
before heading back to the site. Very cold overnight. Cost: Food etc 50 euros, Flask etc 9 euros. Total 59 euros.
31st
May 2006
Cold
but mostly dry. Took Brian, Phil,
Stopher and Volke to Obelink (the huge camping shop) and then to Motorport
Engbers. Good food on site but music a
bit ‘Eurovision’. Costs: Fuel 20 euros, Drinks 10 euros, Fleeces etc. 50
euros. Total 80 euros.
1st
June 2006
Summer? What summer? It was 50F and belting with rain as we went on the run to a clog
factory; we gave the brewery visit a miss.
Spent a much warmer and drier afternoon on site. Pretty good band and good, plentiful food on
site again. Cost: Drinks etc 10 euros.
Total 10 euros.
2nd
June 2006
Bright
and quite sunny this morning – hoorah!
Spent the morning on site before going on the parade this afternoon
which was pretty good. A very good
evening including a very good band.
Team G.B. won two trophies and MMCC won the only other one. Costs:
Drinks etc. 6 euros. Total 6 euros.
3rd
June 2006
Longish/slowish
run to Maubeuge. Weather mostly
overcast but dry all the way. Stayed at the (not so) Grand Hotel and had a
decidedly iffy meal. Costs: Fuel 38
euros, Accommodation & Food 150 euros.
Total 188 euros.
4th
June 2006.
Used
the motorway to Amien and beyond then minor roads to Fecamp which turned out to
be bigger than we expected. As the campsite was on the side of cliff we moved
on to Etratet a very pretty seaside town where the municipal campsite, although
a bit of a walk from town, was very good, flat and had good facilities. The weather turned to hot and sunny (at
last) this afternoon. Had a very good
meal in town; good value too at 14 euros for 3 courses. Cost: Fuel 16 euros, Accommodation 9 euros,
Food etc. 40 euros. Total 65 euros.
5th
June 2006
Had
a fairly slow run across to Arramanches via the Pegasus bridge where we visited
the original café. Arromanches is
setting up for the big day tomorrow and we spent a superb evening in a
waterfront bar with a number of D-Day vets (and others) from a few different
countries. The campsite is very good
and within easy walking distance of the town.
Sunny and warmish all day.
Costs: Fuel 28 euros, Accommodation 21 euros, Food etc. 80 euros. Total 129 euros.
6th
June 2006
D-Day
anniversary – superb! Saw some of the
waterfront service, the wreath laying the Veterans parade and finished off with
Fireworks at 11:15 pm. Also spent time
in the bar with ‘our’ Vets: Harry, Les and others plus Owen, Nod and
Roger. Sunny all-day but also windy and
cold. Costs: Food etc 75 euros. Total 75 euros.
7th
June 2006
Went
to Bayeaux to see the Tapestry which was amazing. Also went to a small museum and the Cathedral. Came back via some of the landing beaches
and their many memorials. Graham did
our first camp cook – quite a bit of faffing around but turned out fine. Cost: Fuel 14 euros, Accommodation 10 euros,
Food 21 euros, Drinks 30 euros, Museums 15 euros. Total 90 euros.
8th
June 2006
Not
entirely the day we’d hoped for. We
left the campsite late and had a pretty good run up to Mont St Michel but we
didn’t go on to the Island as there was no option but to park across the
causeway and walk the rest, which just wasn’t going to happen. We then drove
along some very pretty coastline to Dinard with it’s very pretty seafront but
there was little else there and it was a real pain to ride through. Then on to Dinant which has a small area of
walled city but which was also a pain to get through as the road signs were
useless and we got somewhat mislaid before ending up at a Formula 1 outside of
Briac (not a town I’d bother with). Hot
& sunny all-day. Costs: Fuel 23
euros, Accommodation 42 euros, Food etc 36 euros. Total 101 euros.
9th
June 2006
Left
quite early this morning and rode up to the Pink Granite coast –
beautiful! After a slight faux pas with
road signs we went on to Josselin to see the Chateau which is completely intact
and stunning but we didn’t go in as it’s meant to be a disappointment
inside. Moved on again to Carnac to see
the standing stones which, although supposedly older than Stonehenge are very
much smaller and a little disappointing really. Stayed on a 4* family campsite which had very good facilities
including a reasonable restaurant.
Unfortunately, the compressor for the air suspension on the Trike has
given up the ghost and we spent quite a bit of time hunting out a piece of wire
so that we can short it out to use it.
Very hot & sunny all day.
Costs: Fuel 45 euros, Accommodation 21 euros, Food etc. 45 euros. Total 111 euros.
10th
June 2006
There
were a few spots of rain as we packed up the tent this morning but we then rode
in to hot sunshine again. We used
mostly major roads to kill off some miles but then rode along side the Loire
for an hour or two – very pretty. We’ve
camped on a municipal site at Azay-le-Rideau along the edge of the river and
close to the Chateau. We’re intending
to stay at least two nights as there’s lots to see in the area. Costs: Fuel 25 euros, Accommodation 13
euros, Food etc. 65 euros, Tolls 4 euros.
Total 107 euros.
11th
June 2006
A
day of Chateau visits. 1st Azay-le-Rideau – very pretty and complete
with moat, then on to Usse which is said to have been the inspiration for
Sleeping Beauty (?) which was also very good and worth a visit. Finally on to Chateau Villandry with it’s
stunning gardens and, wow, what a veg. Plot.
Very hot & sunny all-day.
Cost: Accommodation 13 euros, Food etc. 52 euros, Chateau entries 45
euros. Total 110 euros.
12th
June 2006
Went
to Chateau Chenonceaux which was really pretty with part of it built over a
river. The gardens were beautiful
too. Later drove by Loches on the way
back to the site. Had both picnic lunch
and dinner. Very hot (91F) and
sunny. Costs: Fuel 20 euros,
Acommodation 13 euros, Food shopping 22 euros, Chateau entrance 18. Total 73 euros.
13th
June 2006
Moved
on today to see Oradour-sur-Glane a town which has been left exactly as it was
after the Nazi’s slaughtered everyone there.
Not exactly an enjoyable visit but very moving. We’re staying on another municipal campsite
around 12kms away which, although quite basic, is very good value for money and
quiet too. Very hot & sunny
all-day. Rang home. Costs: Fuel 30 euros, Accommodation 5 euros, Food etc. 21
euros, entrance fees 12 euros. Total 57
euros.
14th
June 2006
Overcast
start but warm with it. Had a good run
across some very pretty roads and via some really lovely villages e.g.
Segur-le-Chateau which is stunning and like stepping back in time. We also discovered a huge Chateau at
Pompadour. Arrived at Rocamador from
the top end and the views from here are great.
We’re staying on a basic but functional campsite opposite the old
town. Ended up very hot & sunny
again. Costs: Fuel 24 euros,
Accommodation 12 euros, Food etc 84 euros.
Total 120 euros.
15th
June 2006
Another
very good day spent looking around the old Medeival city and visiting the
Raptor centre where we saw a multitude of birds fly including a Condor!! Hot & sunny again although a little
overcast for a time in the afternoon.
Spent some time on the campsite watching woodpeckers feed their young
and later watching bats. Costs: Accommodation 12 euros, Food etc. 80 euros,
Entrance fees 22 euros. Total 114
euros.
16th
June 2006
There
was a strong storm overnight, lots of thunder and lightning but not much
rain. Overcast start to the day then
hot & sunny. Very pretty run to
Cirq le Popie, Monpazier & Monfalquin before we rode through Cahors (not
intentionally) and on more pretty roads and some not so, pretty roads to
Condom. Stayed in a very comfortable
Logis and ate a very good but expensive meal at the superb converted Chapel
next door where the Maitre’D selected wines to accompany each individual
dish. Rained during the evening &
overnight. Costs: Fuel 45 euros,
Accommodation 68 euros, Food etc. 220 euros.
Total 333 euros.
17th
June 2006
Another
thunderstorm overnight but not much rain.
Had a pretty good run across to Rochefort but there wasn’t much there so
we moved on to St-Jean-pied-de Port on the west of the Pyrenees. There were no
decent hotels with off-street parking so we went to the Municipal campsite
which was small and basic but okay and within the Citadel walls. The rain held off for most of the day but
had a few spots later. Costs: Fuel 14
euros, Accommodation 8 euros, Food etc. 40 euros. Total 62 euros.
18th
June 2006
Had
a fabulous run through the Iraty forest to the Col and, although a bit ‘iffy’
to start, the weather cleared as we went up.
Also had a pretty run east with good weather however, as we took the Col
de Aubisque the heavens opened and we were wearing our mesh jackets!! Stayed at a hotel in Argeles-Gazost and
watched the rain. Costs: Fuel 13 euros,
Accommodation and food 145 euros. Total
158 euros.
19th
June 2006
Sunny
from the start going from warm to hot.
Had a cracking run over at least 4 passes (highest 2074m) into Spain
then moved up to Andorra Lavella – yuk – what a disappointment. Consumerism and driving gone mad so we drove
through and stayed in Andorra en route back to France (for about a third of the
cost). Costs: Fuel 15 euros,
Accommodation & food 100 euros.
Total 115 euros.
20th
June 2006
Not
our best day!! Had a fairly slow although
pretty run from Andorra but there was light rain on and off from the start and
that brought great blobs of mud down with it, everything was covered and
visibility was poor. Arrived at a
campsite in Carcassonne and set up only to be joined by 2 coach loads of school
kids (but it turned out okay other than being a bit a of a strain on the
facilities). Costs: Fuel 11 euros,
Accommodation 14 euros, Food etc. 46 euros.
Total 71 euros.
21st
June 2006
Some
rain overnight but it improved throughout the day and turned out very
warm. Spent some time this morning
trying to organise a parcel home which we’ve now done. Spent the afternoon in
the Medeivel city which was well worth a visit. Rang home and spoke to Dad, Tony C taken ill in Turkey, he will
keep us informed if necessary. Costs:
Accommodation 14 euros, Food etc 97 euros, Entrance fees/trolley tour 15
euros. Total 126 euros.
22nd
June 2006
Very
windy and mostly overcast but still hot with some sunshine later on. Started off on pretty roads but the surface
was dire and progress so slow that we changed route across country to the E75
and went across the Millau viaduct (impressive despite the wind). Stayed on another municipal campsite at Le
Roiser near the start of the Tarn Gorge.
Once again, it’s basic but okay.
There wasn’t much in the town but we did find somewhere to eat. Costs: Fuel 20 euros, Accommodation 14
euros, Food etc. 77 euros, Toll 3 euros.
Total 104 euros.
23rd
June 2006
Had
a great if tiring ride through the Tarn Gorge – beautiful and well worth the
effort. Any ideas of going through the
Ardeche valley today went out of the window as it took us so long to get
through the Tarn. Stayed at a municipal
campsite in Ruoms. I ended up not
feeling well, aching and full of what feels like a head cold. Costs: Fuel 2 euros, Accommodation 13 euros,
Food etc. 60 euros. Total 97
euros.
24th
June 2006
Rode
through the Ardeche and although pretty it’s not as good as the Tarn. Rode down to the Carmargue and Saints Marie
sur Mar which is a very pretty seaside town.
We didn’t stop as it was too early but that turned out to be a mistake
as the other side of the water is very industrial. We spent far too long on the road and ended up in a hotel near
the Verdun Gorge. The hotel was okay
but it was noisy because of a local fete but the restaurant was good. Rain showers this morning then hot &
sunny. I’m still not feeling too good! Costs: Fuel 35 euros, Accommodation 162
euros, Food etc. 30 euros. Total 227
euros.
25th
June 2006
Rode
through the Gorge du Verdun which was extremely pretty but hard work again
because of the surfaces. We then used
major roads to get us to the coast. As
it was hot and very, very windy we decided to hotel it in Le Lavendou a nice
seaside town. Oh great, it’s tonsillitis. Costs: Fuel 19 euros, Accommodation 94
euros, Food etc 45 euros. Total 158
euros.
26th
June 2006
Moved
on to try to find a campsite to spend a few days chilling out; tried one or two
but they were expensive and pretty grotty.
We rode through St Tropez which has some nice boats but not much else
going for it (as far as I’m concerned).
Found a campsite at Port Grimaud which was rather big and family
orientated but okay. Booked in for 3
nights. Hot & sunny all-day. Costs: Accommodation 21 euros, Food etc. 60
euros. Total 81 euros.
27th
June 2006
Spent
a very lazy day on the beach doing nothing but soaking up the sun (and
recovering from the tonsillitis). Hot
& sunny all-day. Good blues(ish)
band playing on-site this evening.
Costs: Accommodation 21 euros, Food etc. 60 euros, Sunbed hire 20
euros. Total 101 euros.
28th
June 2006
Had
a bit too much sun yesterday to sit out in it again today. Walked into Port Grimaud which was pretty
but not much more. Took the Petite
train to Grimaud town but there wasn’t much to see apart from a reasonable
view. Weather went from hot & sunny
to overcast but still hot & sticky.
There was another very good band on site again tonight. Costs: Accommodation 21 euros, Food etc. 33
euros, Petite train 11 euros. Total 65
euros.
29th
June 2006
We
left fairly early and it was already 80F.
We rode all the way along the coast through St Raphael, Antibes (okay),
Cannes (very nice), Nice (very good) and on to Monte Carlo (very built up)
where we rode along part of the F1 circuit and then parked on the waterfront by
some of the really big boats. We then
moved inland where the roads turned out to be hard work and both we and the
trike overheated. We stopped in a very
nice 3* Logis in a pretty setting, on a dinner, bed & breakfast deal. Costs: Fuel 20 euros, Accommodation &
Food 195 euros. Total 215 euros.
30th
June 2006
Had
a great ride through parts of the Italian & French Alps with stunning
scenery all-day. Rode through
Bescanscon and although it’s supposed to be the highest city in Europe there
seems to be little there. We then
carried on towards Grenoble and stayed in a pretty roadside hotel/auberge in a
fabulous mountain setting and by a tumbling stream. Hot & sunny all-day.
Costs: Fuel 20 euros, Accommodation & Food 152 euros. Total 172 euros.
1st
July 2006
Today
turned out to be hard work as we crossed 3 high mountain passes above the
snow-line and we had a slight mix up with where we were supposed to be meeting
Brian & Barbara (our friends from the U.S.). The views, however, were breathtaking all the way. We eventually met up with Brian & Barb
in Chamonix at the base of Mont Blanc where we stayed in an okay hotel and had
a very pleasant evening in Brian & Barb’s company. Hot & sunny all-day. Costs: Fuel 24 euros, Accommodation 84
euros, Food etc (for 4) 187 euros, Mont Blanc tunnel 21 euros. Total 316 euros.
2nd
July 2006
We
had a gentle ride on ‘N’ roads across to Annecy but then spent a few hours
trying to find a decent campsite with an open office!! We gave up for a while and had lunch (which
is no doubt what all the campsite staff were doing) and then went back to a
very good site overlooking the lake (from a distance). The site facilities were very good and
included a swimming pool and restaurant which was very good value (an oversized
3 course meal for 12.80 euros). Hot
& sunny all-day. Costs:
Accommodation 17 euros, Food etc 60 euros.
Total 77euros.
3rd
July 2006
We
rode in to Annecy this morning to have a look around, we parked the trike
alongside the canal with other motorcycles but ended up moving it to a pay car
park after two teenage girls decided to try to sit on it to have their photo
taken (they didn’t even ask!). They
soon got off as we were still in shouting distance!! The town was quite pretty but the old town is quite small so it
didn’t take us long to look around. We
also took a boat trip around the lake which was quite nice. During a discussion with one of the campsite
staff we discovered that there is a museum & monument dedicated to the
French resistance close by and we’ve decided to stay so that we can visit them
tomorrow. Very hot & sunny all-day
but there is the threat of a big storm overnight. Costs: Accommodation 17
euros, Food etc. 80 euros, Parking/boat trip 29 euros. Total 126 euros.
4th
July 2006
The
overnight storm didn’t materialise and it was hot & sunny again. We visited the resistance museum which,
although small, was very interesting.
We also saw a cemetery where 105 resistance members are buried. From there we went on to the memorial which
is on a high mountain plateau and we took the back roads which turned out to
be, err, interesting with a large section of very uneven gravel road including
hairpin bends. If only we’d realised
there was an easier route!! It was then
back to the site for a cooling swim (for me anyway). Costs: Accommodation 17 euros, Food etc. 60 euros. Total 77 euros.
5th
July 2006
We
had some very heavy thunderstorms overnight but by 08:00 this morning it was
hot & sunny again. Our route this
morning started out on some very busy roads around Geneva but thankfully that
didn’t last too long; we were then back on to pretty roads ending up in Ornans
(south east of Bescancon) just as the really, really black clouds built
up. We booked in to a reasonable hotel
which was not cheap but meant that we weren’t going to get drowned (and we
would have) as it rained most of the evening and night. Costs: Fuel 26 euros, Accommodation 101
euros, Food etc. 60 euros. Total 187
euros.
6th
July 2006
It
was very wet this morning but we decided still to head for the
Alsace-Lorraine. It did dry up as the
morning went on but remained very grey and there were some heavy showers during
the afternoon as we walked around the lakeside town of Gerardmer. Were staying in an okay hotel again, it’s
not cheap but better that than camping in the piddling rain. Very noisy overnight as it’s a tourist town
full of youngsters. Costs: Fuel 27
euros, Accommodation 164 euros, Food 8 euros.
Total 199 euros.
7th
July 2006
Quite
a pretty run up to the German border stopping en-route to look at Kayserburg
(very pretty) Riquwhir (an extremely well preserved walled town), Ribeuville,
another pretty wine town. Were staying
in another nice old town, Wissembourg, which is right on the border. We’re in a nice hotel overlooking the main
street and the food was good too. We
had 2 showers today otherwise it was dry.
Costs: Fuel 18 euros, Accommodation & food 136 euros. Total 154 euros.
8th
July 2006
We
left in sunshine and headed, via pretty roads and through a forest in to
Germany. It started to rain so we
stopped to change our jackets and thank goodness we did as it absolutely
poured. We then moved across to the
Rhine where, once again, the heavens opened.
From there we moved across to the Mosselle and the town of Cochem (which
we know) and booked in to a hotel we know, Onkle Willi’s. Rather than eat at the hotel we walked in to
town for food which turned out to be a mistake – oh well! Costs: Fuel 23 euros, Accommodation 99
euros, Food etc. 48 euros. Total 170
euros.
9th
July 2006
This
morning we rode up to Koblenz in a mix of sun & cloud. We had considered camping for 2 nights near
the Lake in Eder but it turned out that there was nothing there. We managed to change our jackets in time for
the nasty storm we encountered as we continued on to one of Germany’s scenic
roads which takes in a number of towns of wooden buildings. We checked in to a hotel in Hoxter, one of the
wooden towns. Costs: Fuel 19 euros, Accommodation
& Food 112 euros. Total 131 euros.
10th
July 2006
We
decided to cut across to the Harz Mountains and camp for 2 nights BUT we looked
at 3 campsites and none had suitable facilities for Graham so we went to
Goslar. We spoke to the tourist office
there and asked them to find us a guest-house with secure parking and they
booked one for us which would have meant parking the trike on the side of the
road (and it was 70 euros) so we cancelled that and went on to Weringerode (one
of the wooden towns) and found a hotel which had parking in an enclosed
courtyard, was owned by a biker, had a bikers service centre (washing and light
service facilities) and cost 49 euros.
The weather was dry but not always warm today. Costs: Fuel 26 euros, Accommodation & food 108 euros. Total
134 euros.
11th
July 2006
We
plumped for a day off of the trike so stayed in Weringerode and took the
mini-train up to the castle which was well worth a look. The afternoon was spent goofing around the
town and shops. It was hot and mostly
sunny all-day and the thunderstorms that were threatened for overnight arrived
early and the heavens opened at around 20:00.
Costs Accommodation & food 131.
Total 151 euros.
12
July 2006
We
left reasonably early under overcast skies. We used motorway and major roads as
we had miles to kill and had only one hold-up in the shape of road works (20
minutes) overall an okay run but nothing special. We’re staying in a nice hotel, with a terrace. Costs: Fuel 25 euros, Accommodation 134
euros, Food 12 euros. Total 171 euros.
13th
July 2006
We
managed to find our way across the country lanes to a main road and then up to
Puttgarden where we caught a ferry which only took 45 minutes to get across to
Denmark. From there we had a good run
up to the site for the Motocamp which was easy to find as it was well sign
posted. We’re using a small school
which seems to work pretty well. Sunny
and warm all day but breezy during the evening. Costs: Fuel 25 euros, Food, 14 euros, Ferry 35 euros. Total 64 euros.
14th
July 2006
A
very civilized start to the day as our bike tour didn’t leave until 11:00.
First there was a short visit to a small port then on to a nice coastal
restaurant for lunch and then on again to a ‘fortress’ museum which was
essentially a huge gun emplacement/Ops room which was still in use until
2000. There was also an entrance at sea
level onto a small beach. A mix of sun
and cloud and breezy so quite cool at times.
Cool overnight. Costs: Food etc.
28 euros.
15th
July 2006
Another
good day. Had an organised
‘mini-parade’ in to town where secure parking had been supplied. Then back to the site for a traditional
Danish buffet lunch – excellent. We
were lazy for the rest of the afternoon and then there was more food (dinner)
at 20:00. There was a pretty good band
but not really enough people to really get things going. Hot & sunny all-day but cool
overnight. Costs: Fuel 25 euros, Food
etc. 14 euros. Total 39 euros.
16th
July 2006
We
had a leisurely departure from the site and an easy run to Rodby for the
ferry. We then rode across the ‘lake
district’ but couldn’t find much to make us want to stay for 2 nights,
never-the-less, we checked in to a 3* hotel in the wood and close to a lake which
had a good restaurant. We also found
some information that could be useful for tomorrow. Hot & sunny all-day.
Costs: Fuel 25 euros, Accommodation & food 150 euros. Total 175 euros.
17th
July 2006
A
nice run around the lakes this morning.
Not much to see in our original destination, Plau-am-See so rode on to
Waren a very nice lakeside town. The
tourist office found us a hotel with a garage and we’d booked in by 11:30. As we had plenty of time we went on a 3-hour
boat trip during the afternoon – very relaxing. Very hot & sunny all-day.
Costs: Accommodation 85 euros, Food etc. 80 euros. Total 165 euros.
18th
July 2006
A
very leisurely run via pretty roads to the F.I.M. site. Everything seems to be pretty well organised
so far although, once again there are no provisions for handicapped showers and
Graham is going to have to use the organisers showers a bit of a walk
away. The main issue here is the lack
of any shade at all!! Very, very hot
and sunny all-day. Costs: Fuel 24
euros.
19th
July 2006
Very,
very hot today. We spent a lazy day on
site chatting to various people and were surprised by Richard’s arrival. A number of us walked in to the local
village and had a nice drink and some food in a local bar.
20th
July 2006
Arrival
control was something of a farce as we were sent to the wrong place to group up
and, by the time things were sorted out everything was running 40 minutes
late. The U.K. was also the second to
go so had all-day to waste in Spandau (which doesn’t have that much to offer). Very, very hot all-day and it was far too
hot to stay in the hall during the evening so we have no idea what the
entertainment was like – a shame really.
21st
July 2006
Tour
day and another early start (it was too hot to stay in the tents by 06:30 this
morning). The tour was a coach/boat
tour of Berlin which was pretty good and has whetted the appetite to go back
(by air) one day. Too hot to stay in
the hall again this evening so sat outside discussing the possibility of a U.K.
F.I.M. Very, very hot & sunny again
all-day.
22nd
July 2006
We
had to leave the site at 08:30 for the parade!! Also turned out to be a wasted day (except that I found a 20 euro
note) as we met up at a car park at the Olympic stadium but there were no
facilities there at all – no drinks and no toilets!! The parade was tortuously slow and no one seemed to know it was
on. There was hardly anyone on the
streets and those that were there showed no reaction at all. Ridiculously hot too i.e 100F on the run
back from the parade. The evening was
okay but not much atmosphere. Total
F.I.M spending 150 euros.
23rd
July 2006
Nice
ride from the site back to Weringerode where Richard joined us for the
evening. An overcast start but very,
very hot again. Rained overnight. Costs: Fuel 19 euros, Accommodation 115
euros, food etc. 15 euros. Total 149
euros.
24th
July 2006
Took
a bit of a nadgery route across to the motorway to get us past Koln and then
back on to B roads towards Koblenz, then motorway to cross the Rhine and
smaller roads again to Nurburgring where we found an off the road hotel (quite
nice but quite pricey). Hot & sunny
all-day. Costs: Fuel 43 euros,
Accommodation/food 150 euros, Food 6 euros.
Total 199 euros.
25th
July 2006
We
started out on nice B roads but soon joined the motorway to get the miles done. Not a particularly good run as the Belgian
motorways were up to their usual standard.
We headed for the border with France and booked in to a Logis which was
okay but incredibly hot, even overnight. A reasonable but pricey meal last
night. Very hot & sunny
all-day. Costs: Fuel 17 euros,
Accommodation & food 182 euros.
Total 199 euros.
26th
July 2006
We
used the motorways to Calais and arrived early expecting to catch an earlier
boat but as they wanted 69.50 euros to change the crossing we went for ride
along the coast instead. We caught the
15:25 ferry and were home by 18:00.
Overcast for part of the run to Calais then hot & sunny again. Costs: Fuel 30 euros, Food etc 10
euros. Total 40 euros.
Total
mileage for the trip was 6,700 (ish).