2024 - Armchair Adventure Festival

 

ABR weekend via Oxhill

France Day 12

What a long night - after a good Cantonese meal downstairs, I then retired and watched the England v Serbia match on the TV.

Then a quiet village suddenly got noisey as after about an hour a lady with a boom box was roaming about outside and her friend; totally plastered was shouting at the moon and waving his shirt about!!!

Managed to escape from the Chinese restaurant with a room upstairs very early and I was on the road for 8am. The rain was still chucking it down. I managed to stop for fuel and a spot to eat and finally arrived at Caen about 11am. Apparently the boat is fully booked and I was lucky to swap tickets. We are full of Porsche cars, Aston Martins and that sort of car returning from Le Mans.

So ah well on my way home again ….

France Day 11

Well what a long day that was…. It started off wet and just got wetter and wetter the further north I travelled.

Visited Oradour-sur-Glane (Martyred Village) and the weather matched the somber mood of the place. Just ponder on this : it was alleged that one German Officer was captured, they retaliated by slaughtering 600+ people from this village!! 80 years on and the same thing is happening in another place. "Never again" and "Lest we Forget" appear to be hollow sentiments …. We just don't learn….

So it's still chucking it down with rain, onwards and upwards we rode. We arrived in Saumur soaking wet and in need of a cup of tea. The idea of putting up the tent in a rain storm just ain't going to happen. So Googled for a cheap Hotel and found one just a few miles away - I confirmed the booking and arrival time was 4pm… I don't suppose that means French time!!! I arrived and waited until 5:30 for them to open up - no apology expected or received !!! Now I know why it is cheap…. PS the "en suite" translated means it down the hall !?!?

Slight change of plan ( as expected by those that know me) I catch the ferry at 4:30 tomorrow - riding all day in the rain is just no fun - wet gloves, wet bum, wet boots and wet socks. Next time I'll leave the Altbergs at home….

France Day 10

The view from my room

Well the rumblings from the another night carried on… I got to the room and crashed out.. totally wasted. I fell asleep until about 8pm then all hell broke loose in the Stomach area. I must have visit the facilities over 10 times. It finally stopped at 4am. I manage a tea and a couple of slices of bread at breakfast but there was no way I could ride the bike. Too weak and wobblerley. So book another night.

I took a walk up the hill to the supermarket as I needed something to eat. Having got some food and water I noticed a laundrette in the car park - so back down the hill to collect the festering pile of clothes and back up the hill. It's now 3:30pm and I am going to try some sleep. !!! Good lord I looking tired in that photo of me outside the portal to my underwear…
I will be riding tomorrow to Oradour-sur- Glane and the Saumur probably.

France Day 9

I enjoyed a lovely meal at the camp snack bar : and couple of small beers. Then a quick shower and off to bed…. But… at 2:30am things we're not right tummy wise…. Rumble rumble and a quick dash to the facilities but oh too late and the inevitable happened…. Yet another shower and some clothes to be washed at 3am - at least the water was hot.

Packed up the tent and had a morning coffee and then on the road just as it started to rain - it stayed over cast and wet all the way today, not much fun at all, hence few photos. Stopped for a break and a cuppa then on to this place… in Payzac. Hotel des Voyageurs…. Nice and cheap too…

As usual I arrived early (2pm) and am now awaiting the arrival of the staff!!

Tomorrow we are taking a visit to Oradour-sur-Glane outside of Limoges and the north somewhere once I have located a campsite..