It’s September 2023 and I am finally setting off on my first solo motorcycle tour. I’ve wanted to do something like this for a long time but have really been working towards it for the last 18 months since getting tired of my own excuses and decided to make it happen.
The bike, a new Honda NC750X, arrived just before Christmas ’22 and I have spent the last 9 months gradually acquiring the kit I wanted to take with me. An overnighter at a campsite close to home in May revealed a few gaps that needed filling, a chair being the main one!
The last few months have been spent counting the days until I set off but trying very, very, hard not to plan too much. It doesn’t come at all naturally to me to leave it open but that is a big part of the experience that I am chasing.
With less than a week to go the trip nearly doesn't happen, I crash my race bike at Snetterton and although fine at the time I have a bad week sleeping and struggle with my ribs. If I'd been due to set off two days earlier I don't think I'd have gone.
By the time I set off I have a ferry to Dieppe, the first two campsites, and a ticket for the World Superbikes at Magny-Cours in France on day three. The rest is to be made up as I go along. The ribs are improving and I tell myself I can always check into a hotel for a night and head for home if the inflatable mattress is unbearable.
What follows for me is 13 days and 2237 miles which push me outside my comfort zone in ways I never expected (as well as a few which I had), challenge me, make me smile, laugh (usually at myself) and send me home with no question in my mind that this is what I want to be doing.
While away on the trip I posted daily on my personal Facebook page for my friends and family to enjoy, and kept a hand written journal which I scribbled in as and when things happened. Having since started this blog, I have combined these posts and journal entries to tell the story, with a few additions that weren't published first time around, over four parts for everyone to enjoy...
Day 1 - Friday
137 miles + 4hrs on the Ferry
Hailsham to Fontaine-Simon, France
Here we go! After months of counting down the days, the first day of my solo tour is here. It starts with a 17 mile ride from home to Newhaven to catch the ferry to Dieppe. I can't quite believe I am finally on my way and as I ride the familiar roads to the port I'm both excited and nervous in equal measure. I've ridden on my own plenty of times, I've ridden abroad, I've camped - but I've never put it all together like this, and not really knowing where I am going isn't something I would usually go in for either.
I've never done the crossing to Dieppe before which seems crazy given how close I am to Newhaven. I get there in plenty of time to find a small port with friendly staff everywhere. Passport checked and I'm in the correct queue with plenty of time to chat to fellow passengers.
Everyone is keen to chat about their plans while waiting for the ferry but the prize for most ambitious has to go to the two guys cycling to Turkey. Apparently it's 'only' about 2500 miles! I do a lot of cycling and have done a little bit of bike packing, but I can't comprehend this, kudos to them.
The sea is flat calm as the Seven Sisters disappear behind us. I find a seat at an empty table on the boat and chat to Lillie on the next table over, she is heading to Normandy on her Triumph Tiger to meet a group for a weekends riding. It makes a pleasant change to meet a fellow motorcyclist who is my about my age and doesn't have a grey beard.
The restaurant on the boat closes at 2pm so I head down to get something to eat about 1:30, only to find I have missed it - turns out the boat is on French time while I haven't changed my watch yet. A crap sandwich from the bar fills a hole, nobody said this travelling lark was all luxury but I had hoped for a slightly better first lunch than this!
We get into Dieppe bang on time at 4pm but it takes nearly 40 minutes to get out of the port. It's not as efficient as Calais but on balance I really liked the crossing, it's a lot more relaxed and very convenient from where I live. I'll be using it again.
120 miles and 3 hours of mostly motorways and main roads follow without any stops. I want to get a reasonable chunk of the journey covered this afternoon so I can slow down and stay off the main roads from now on.
I hit the roads around Rouen at rush hour and it is manic. Even with lightweight riding gear on the heat makes it feel like sitting in a sauna, even once I get moving again. I've lost a lot of time now and the campsite I have booked has a reception that is only open until 7pm. I'm looking at the clock and starting to wonder what happens if I am too late getting there. This is not the way I had planned my first time camping in France and the nerves start to resurface.
For the last 20 miles I turn off the motorway and onto quiet D roads weaving through lovely countryside and pretty little villages. This is the France I have experienced on a bike before, and a big part of what I am back for. I arrive at the campsite I have booked in Fontaine-Simon. It's just gone 7, the reception is still open but they ask if I can come back before I leave tomorrow to pay.
Setting up camp doesn't take too long but it's nearly dark by the time I have finished. As I sit eating my dinner, tuna and pasta cooked on the stove, I watch several more people being shown to their pitches long after the supposed 7pm close and realise I had nothing to worry about. The earlier nerves subside and I start looking forward to the rest of the trip again. I'm in bed by 9pm so I can get going reasonably early tomorrow.
Day 2 - Saturday
171 miles
Fontaine-Simon to Nevers
I didn't sleep all that well last night, bruised ribs and inflatable mattresses aren't a great combo. I'm not sure what's worse, blowing it up or sleeping on it! I am at least comfortable on the bike and hope that the sleeping situation improves as my bruised ribs do. I guess I will get used to sleeping in a tent as well.
After breakfast and coffee I pack up camp and am in the reception as soon as it opens to pay for my pitch. I ask for directions to a local supermarket because I need some toilet roll. First lesson lesson learnt - French campsites don't always supply it. They actually sell it in reception so I am able to buy a single roll here and get on the road without the diversion.
No motorways at all today. A quick stop for petrol (ouch that stuff is expensive over here) then onto the town I've picked out on the map for a possible lunch stop. Orléans is a beautiful old city on the river Loire. I arrive early so park up and go for a wander along the river bank and back through the cobbled streets lined with shops and cafés. I pick a nice looking bistro with some shade (it's over 33°C here already) and order. €9 for a continental breakfast - toast, jam, pan au Chocolat, coffee, orange juice and a bottle of water. When I try to pay they give me 10% off because the service was slow, if they think that was too slow I hope they never come to the UK!
I'm really starting to relax into the trip now. The nerves have all but gone and I am enjoying the moment. After lunch I set off again and head towards Nevers where I have a campsite booked for two nights. As I head south the scenery is continually stunning but noticeably changing. The huge flat areas of farmland make way for forests but it is still flat. Later in the afternoon come the rolling hills and, at last, a few bends.
It's noticeably drier down here as well, the grass and trees are all very brown and the soil on the ploughed fields looks more red. Clay? Maybe I'm a bit sad but I find it interesting to see the gradual changes as you ride along, you don't get this when you get on a plane at one airport and off at another.
Mid afternoon I spot a picnic area in the shade next to a little river so decide it's time for a stop, the advantage of getting an early start this morning is I can afford to take my time now. I have it to myself so sit watching the fish darting around in the crystal clear water and a kingfisher doing it's thing - this is blissful.
I drink the coffee I made this morning from my flask, it's gone a bit cold for my liking, I'll remember to drink it earlier tomorrow. I also adjust the screen on my bike - today has been the longest day I've done so far on this bike and the wind noise that has been slightly irritating before is really starting to get to me now. As I leave the picnic area somebody else arrives and goes in for a swim - I might go for a dip at another one.
More rolling hills and a couple more photo stops before I arrive in Nevers where my campsite is easy to find. There is a great view from my pitch across the river, still the Loire, to the city with a church on top of the hill, I'd like to go and explore but even at 5pm it's 30°C+. There's an onsite bar which looks to do reasonable food at a good price so I decide to give that a go tonight. As I walk up the hill I notice a lot of UK plates on bikes and campervans as well as a lot of t-shirts, stickers on vans and even flags which suggest most of my fellow campers are here for the same reason as me.
Sitting outside the bar with my chicken burger I meet Stu who is also here from the UK on a bike. He's been a crew chief in British and World championship racing for 20 plus years and even I recognise the names of some of the people he's worked with. The team he has been working with this year has folded so he is down here to do some networking in the hope of a new a job next year. An enjoyable evening chatting about everything from World Superbikes to my own MZ racing exploits, these really are opposite extremes, and it's time for bed. Turns out solo travel can actually be very sociable.
Day 3 - Sunday
21 miles
World Superbike at Magny-Cours
No urgent rush today. Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours is only 15 minutes away from the site and I'm back here tonight so I leave the tent behind and get to the circuit in plenty of time.
Getting in is easy and the bikes are able to park right next to the circuit so popping back to the bike during the day will be easy if I need to. I lock all of my riding kit to the bike and set off to find a good spot to watch from. I settle on the entrance to Adelaide hairpin for the sprint race. If you're going to watch Toprak racing it might as well be somewhere with a heavy braking zone. I won't bore everyone with a play by play of every race but what I will say is the TV doesn't begin to do justice to the speed of the bikes, the shapes Toprak is making when on the brakes, or the length and speed of his celebratory stoppie when he won the sprint race!
I buy lunch at the circuit which is, as expected, a lot of money for a very basic hot dog. I find a spot in the shade to eat. It hits 35°C today and the trackside is completely exposed - I have to spare a thought for the marshals sitting in their orange overalls and direct sunlight! I stay in the shade until I hear the bikes on their formation lap and head back to Adelaide for the next race. I end up watching all four races from the same spot, it's such a good view and there is always action. Between races I head for my spot in the shade again. Fortunately there are taps to refill my water bottle for free.
There's a French rider on the podium in one of the support races and the French crowd really get behind one of their own. What a great atmosphere and I enjoy being part of this nearly as much as the main superbike races.
After the last race it's the 15min return ride to the campsite where my tent is in full sun, I dump my stuff, have a shower and head for the on-site bar again. The seating outside the bar is the only area on the campsite which is in the shade. Whoever set this campsite out was a business man!
I have a beer with a fellow solo traveller who's also here for the racing. He tells me a few bikes were nearly stolen from this site last night, campers were woken up by a couple trying to lift a bike over the fence! I know I have locked my bike up but can't help going to check it again anyway.
When it finally cools down I walk into the city for a look round. The church is all boarded up so there isn't a lot to see from close up which is disappointing, it looks stunning from a distance. I find a restaurant for some dinner and sit outside in t-shirt and shorts, even though it is now 9:30pm.
I've now bought lunch and dinner two days in a row and am under no illusions that if this carries on I am going to run out of money. I'll have to get back to the budget traveling tomorrow, this will be easier because it's Monday so there will be more shops open, France really does close down on a Sunday.
I have a look at the map and decide on a rough route south for tomorrow. I'll set off early before it's too hot and see how far I get.
I walk back over the, now beautifully illuminated, Pont de la Loire bridge to my campsite. It's gone 10 now and still very warm - I'm not entirely sure what the rest of the trip holds yet, but if it carries on like this I am really looking forward to finding out.
The Route
This is only an approximation of my actual route which shows where the main stops were. I'll upload the GPX track of the complete route at the end.
I hope you have enjoyed what you have read so far. In the next part of my journey I head south with no firm plans. You can read what happened next here.
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