Day10: 4th Sept 2019: Millau to Castellane…440Kms 8hrs+
Having waved off the other guys as they headed North for home I got myself ready for a big day’s ride East to Castellane, just above Cannes. The route will take in some great roads through the “Parc National des Cevennes” and some of the “Ardeche”, both areas with spectacular scenery and twisty roads. My plan is to then head through the Cote du Rhone wine region and call in to some friends for lunch who live in a small village called Rasteau; then ride over the famous Mt Ventoux before joining the Route Napoleon at Digne for the final 50Kms blast down to Castellane. No short days for me..this is gonna be a serious day’s ride..8hrs+ 🙂
The sun was shining as I set off and was soon into some serious twisties and entering the Cevennes. This is fabulous countryside, the road climbing ever upwards and then looking down on deep gorges; spectacular rock formations all around with the road actually running through them in many places..what a fantastic ride 🙂
I just had to keep stopping to take pics..a privilege of riding alone, but time was ticking on 🙂
Cevennes 
Says it all
I rode through miles and miles of vineyards into the Cote du Rhone wine region; small Domaines (wine producers) were everywhere; great place if you love wine! Finally I crossed over the mighty Rhone river which left just 25Kms to my friends in Rasteau; I arrived at 14:15 and it was hot, 32c. Steve & Francoise used to live just a couple of miles from us back in the UK and moved out to France when they retired. They have a lovely old farmhouse set in its own grounds and with their own vineyard; it really is a beautiful place about a kilometre outside the small town of Rasteau. They both speak fluent French and have integrated totally with the local community and its way of life..good for them. They love their wine, unfortunately none for me this time 🙂
When I left Rasteau it was nearly 15:30 and still 230Kms to ride!! I made for Mont Ventoux, which is one of the famous climbs for the Tour de France guys..seriously steep, twisty stuff.
Mont Ventoux ski 
quick drink on top of Ventoux
The view from the top of Mont Ventoux is fantastic: check out the video https://youtu.be/W3gmsSyhEzo
Time is marching on so better get my head down and ride..well behind schedule; but no one complaining 🙂 Arrived at Digne and the Route Napoleon, I was tired..time for coffee. Its 19:15 already and still 60Kms to go !The final 60K to Castellane was one of my best rides EVER..the sun was setting, but not yet dark, such a fantastic road and NO TRAFFIC..time to have fun 🙂
As I arrived in Castellane it suddenly got dark and the Sat Nav took me to the centre of town; however I knew my B&B was nearly 1km out of town! The Sat Nav was not charging again, so it was time for iPhone Google Maps backup. This took me up a dark road out of town and told me I had arrived..I rode up the drive of a large house in the dark. A lady came running out and I said ” Is this Maison Castellane” ..”Non” was the answer and she told me in French that it was back down the road and off to the right!! I followed the “instructions” and turned down a side road, at the end was a B& B, as I rode in a lady came running out “Hello” she said (she was Dutch) ..”I’m glad I found you” said I…” you don’t have a reservation” she said,, “I do” said I, “you don’t” said she…”Is this Maison Castellane” said I, “No, its down the road” she said !!! 🙂
This lovely lady then said she would show me the way to my B&B..she ran down the road with me slowly following on the bike in the pitch dark..so funny. After a couple of hundred metres we arrived at Le Maison Castellane; which turned out to be owned by another Dutch lady..she had been waiting for my arrival! I thanked the first Dutch lady, she really had saved me 🙂 By now it was 20:45. I was shown to the room and told that the restaurants in town close at 22:00!! Breakfast did not start till 08:30 🙂 I had a quick shower and legged it down the 700metres to town. Managed to find a pizza restaurant that was open. What a great day! 🙂
Day11: 5th Sept 2019: Castellane to Cannes via Gorge du Verdun…270Kms 6hrs
It was a slow a SLOW start. Lots of friendly Germans at the B& B; they liked my BMW and I chatted to the guy with the old Merc SL350..that’s one of the benefits of riding alone, you meet all sorts of people. When part of a group you tend to just talk with each other. My plan for the day was to take a loop of the picturesque Gorge du Verdun and then spend the night in Cannes.
Blue sky and sunny again and mid 20sc as I set off for a loop of the mountains around Castellane as a warm up for the Gorge. Such beautiful countryside to ride on a sunny morning. I arrived back in Castellane and stopped for coffee. A nice little town overshadowed by an enormous rock with a church right on top.
Soon I was into the Gorge du Verdun; great road fabulous gorge, so deep with sheer sides and great vantage points to admire the views. Guys climbing the sheer walls of the gorge! So many stops and picture opportunities !
Check out the video..fantastic place https://youtu.be/kZzJhGrdiEM
I had bought a panini for lunch and it was now a matter of find a piece of shade that was unoccupied; finally found a nice cool shady spot to have a leisurely lunch 🙂 The road round this gorge was very twisty and it was 32c..it was hard work. Fantastic scenery..loads more picture stops and by now I am way behind schedule again 🙂
Those little dots are canoes
Check out the video: https://youtu.be/S2xOzdkumko
So many twisties today and with the heat I am seriously feeling it, one of the hardest days yet! so stopped in a quiet village up in the hills for a Cappuccino; and what a nice one it was 🙂
It was quite a relief to get on some dual carriageway after Grasse. The long drag down into Cannes via Le Canet was clogged with rush hour traffic when I arrived and I was pleased to arrive at the IBIS hotel in central Cannes. At check in they said I could park the GS in their garage, for 12Euro!! I pointed out that I wouldn’t be taking a whole space, but it fell on deaf ears; so I parked it in one of the Moto bays opposite the hotel for free..left it with disc lock and chained to a road sign 🙂
The Prom at Cannes 
Locked up for the night
After a nice shower I donned my floral shirt and headed for La Croisette and a bit of posing in front of the famous Carlton Hotel..sad I know 🙂 A beer is 9 Euro here!..even 3 blocks back from the sea front; but there are plenty of “nice sights” to see walking by while you drink it…:)
Day12: 6th Sept 2019: Cannes to Lyon via some fantastic roads & passes …485Kms 8hrs
A good night’s sleep and my body is ready for another long day in the saddle; it was a lovely sunny morning as I headed North to Grasse to join the start of the N85, Route Napoleon. This is the route taken by Napoléon in 1815 on his return to Paris from exile in Elba. In my opinion the best stretch is the full 130Kms between Grasse & Digne les Baines, punctuated by a stop at Castellane to catch breath. Its a mix of fast smooth sweeping road interspersed with tight sections through stunning gorges and mountains. the first 80kms to Castellane went so quickly, what a fantastic ride..very little traffic 🙂
At Castellane I parked up with all the other bikes and happened to stop next to a Triumph Tiger Sport with UK plates, and a Scottish flag. I decided to say hello to this Scotsman 🙂 Seemed a nice guy on his own, we chatted and went for a coffee together. Turned out to be a guy who worked on oil rigs all over the World..all was going great until we discussed Scottish independence and UK leaving the EU…totally different views; time to ride on!
For the next 50Kms up to Digne the N85 passes through some spectacular mountains and a gorge, quite a few tight corners but a superb ride. At Digne I branched off on the D93 towards the quaintly named town of DIE 🙂 and then headed for Chamaloc and the Col de Rousset. I found via this road from the website Best Biking Roads, which has roads World Wide. Check it out https://www.bestbikingroads.com/
Col de Rousset is one of the best passes I have ridden anywhere; great fun blasting up the mountain between the corners and spectacular scenery.
View from top of Col de Rousset..MUST check out the video https://youtu.be/89eaLHqbXpw
It was very windy at the top and only 8c, so I stopped at the next town for a cappuccino to warm up and realised it was 17:00 already and still 175kms to go!..none of those short days for me 🙂 With 120kms still to go my Sat Nav suddenly would not charge and shut down! Over to the back up plan; iPhone and Google Maps. The iPhone battery was also running low but thankfully I have a power socket on the GS which I can use to charge it. I plugged in the hotel address and chose fastest route, even though some of it was peage. Finally got to the hotel at 20:15, just as it was getting dark..another great day’s riding done 🙂
Day13: 7th Sept 2019: Lyon to La Petite Pierre in Les Vosges..530Kms 8.30hrs
La Petite Pierre is a small town in Les Vosges Nord, close to the river Rhine which is the border with Germany. It will be another long day as I want to ride some good roads in Les Vosges Natural Parc des Ballons ,which is on my way further south. I planned the route into Google maps on the iPhone and placed it into my map holder clipped to the handlebars. Not easy to read, but better than nothing. After a lazy start I headed north on some nice D roads through rural France; it was sunny and 18c, perfect riding weather. 🙂
The French certainly have taken road safety seriously; most villages have 30kms speed limits and big speed humps to slow the traffic. Also lots of signs warning of radar controlled speed checks and the odd camera, most of which have been burnt out by the “Gilets Jaunes”. Suddenly my iPhone screen went black and I could see a warning message..”your iPhone is overheated and needs to cool down”..Hmmm. I stopped and took it out of the plastic holder and gaffa taped it instead to the outside; on the basis it would get more air to keep it cool. At one point riding through a nice wooded area cars coming the other way were flashing me..speed trap?? instead I came upon a really nasty accident blocking the road; it had not long happened and there were pieces of car and engine parts, and oil, spread all over the road..a proper mess. I just managed to squeeze through and round the traffic queue that was building. A few kms down the road I met the pompiers, fire engine and the gendarmes racing towards the crash.
The Vosges are a mountain range located in the north-east of France. This mountainous massif has as its highest point the Grand Ballon,which reaches 1,424 meters above sea level. Plenty of great roads often passing through miles of woodland and at the high points are popular ski areas. I stopped in a small town for coffee and sat outside in the sun.
After a while couple of French bikers pulled up and sat next to me..a nod and “Bonjour” was exchanged. Some time later they got up to leave and I was ready too, they had parked a Harley and an old Moto Guzzi next to my GS. The guy on the Guzzi went to start it; didn’t sound good..flat battery. Shouts of “Merde” and kicking his bike in frustration!
We happened to be parked on a hill, so via sign language I motioned to his mate that we could push his bike up the hill and he could try and bump start it on the way down. On the second attempt the old Guzzi burst into life and big smiles, waves and cries of “Merci” were heard..that was my good deed for the day and sole contribution to the EU 🙂
As I rode on the road climbed and at the top was a ski area, I stopped to admire the view and happened to be underneath a chair lift which was bringing lots of mountain bikers and their bikes back up the mountainside. I then noticed the track running down the mountain and the guys charging downwards on their bikes. Good use of resources in the summer months 🙂 Check out the video: https://youtu.be/QBcFKYnwtEg
Time to get moving and I soon caught up a group of 6 German bikers; I tucked in behind them having decided that it was too many to overtake on the these windy downhill roads. They obviously saw me and picked up the pace; these guys could definitely ride and my practice on all the twisties in the Pyrenees was put to good use..no way you guys are shaking me off 😉 It was getting late again and the sky was threatening rain and it was cold..fastest route plugged in again. This included a nice stretch of dual carriageway with 110kms/hr speed limit..opportunity to make up time; 140kms/hr is close to 110kms 🙂 It was raining now and did so for the last hour; arrived at the Hotel Au Lion d’Or at 19:30. Receptionist told me that last orders in their very nice restaurant were at 20:30..so quick shower and change 🙂
Day14: 8th Sept 2019: La Petite Pierre to Antwerp..440Kms 5hrs
After breakfast I had a walk around the small town and as I arrived back at the hotel a guy in hiking gear and backpack started to speak to me in French..”je suis Anglais” I answered and he switched into good English (wish I could do that in a foreign language). He wanted to know if he could get a coffee in the hotel if he wasn’t a guest..I suggested asking at reception, no reason why not. He came back with a coffee and we started chatting; turned out he had lived in Richmond, near London, for a few years and worked in a circus! He had a large earing in one ear and was on a 12day hike, camping out..interesting who you meet.
As I loaded the bike the rain started; quick check on the radar forecast suggested that going North I would ride into more of it, so put on my full wet riding gear and sected Rain Mode on the bike. I had plugged into Google maps a mainly straight route passing through Germany and into Belgium..only 5 hrs, a short day 🙂 It was 11c when I set off and the roads were wet; the French have a liking for bitumen over banding to fix cracks in their roads..this can be slippery in the dry; but when wet it is lethal and really slippery, especially when your tyres have been ragged around the Pyrenees for a couple of thousand miles!!
After 90mins of nice rural roads I crossed the Rhine and into Germany at Saarbruken and picked up route 1 motorway North. No speed limit on this road for long stretches (actually there is a speed limit apparently 250kms/hr..must be why my Merc AMG is electronically limited to 155mph). I made good progress in the cold rain and eventually it began to ease off and I pulled into services for a coffee and warm up. There were 2 bikes parked next to mine with Belgian plates, the rides came out and spoke in rather plummy British accents; I said hello and found out that the old guy riding the Honda Fireblade with the No93 Marquez helmet was English. but lived in Belgium. He was in full leathers and a wet oversuit..we discussed the weather and there was blue sky showing ahead, I said looks like its clearing up..so he took off his wet gear and off they went.
I followed 10mins later and about 15mins up the road the rain started again; heavy with wind this time and cold 🙁 I was following Google maps and somehow I managed to get in front of them and they came blasting past me; noticed he had put on his waterproof top. A long way further on I pulled in for a fuel stop and there they were. The old guy came over to me and had a go at me for saying earlier that it was clearing up..he was wet and cold because he had taken his wet gear off; my answer “Ride your own road mate” 🙂
As I set off the sun really did come out and the temperature rose from 10 to 20C for the rest of the journey to the Holiday Inn Express in Antwerp..free parking in their garage for motorbikes 🙂 The hotel is near the old port of Antwerp with lots of bars & restaurants nearby. Antwerp is a really nice city, lots of street cafes and people on bicycles; the old town has nice architecture and really relaxed vibe to it, I had a walk around the port before walking into the old town and dinner at my favourite Italian restaurant Da Giovanni
Day15: 9th Sept 2019.. Antwerp to Calais and Eurotunnel to Home
Its less than 3 hrs from Antwerp to the Eurotunnel at Calais, so time for a walk around in the sun before setting off. Back to the port and watching the boats leave and the road bridge raised. Then some interesting shops..a Meat wholesaler and a strange shop selling little orange men..
How do you like your steak? 
Same to you
The journey to Calais is all Motorway and I’m there in no time..train delayed for 30 mins; gave in to a Burger King.
only 30 mins delay 
Well at least its not McD
Loaded onto the train with a lot of other bikers..good to chat to guys and swap stories on where we’d been. Some not far, another group just back from a 24 day tour of Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Turkey. Then off the train and onto the M20 and M25 for the dreaded ride home. The M20 had 20 miles of roadworks with 50mph avg speed cameras; 2 narrow lanes and jammed with traffic..welcome back to the UK John 🙂
Arrived home safely at 8pm after a total of 3600miles on this trip. What a great trip; the Pyrenees with the other guys and then my 5 day solo adventure to round it off. Fantastic roads, fantastic scenery, great fun,..can’t wait to do it all again!! 🙂 Opened my post and found a letter from France..speeding ticket!! Quicker we leave the EU the better I reckon..
Next big Adventure already booked for Feb2020..back to Thailand with 4 Americans :)..stay tuned, lots of planning to do over the winter months and deciding where to go next.
