A normal weekend would shape up like
this:
You will make your own way down to the
Chateau in order to arrive here on the Friday afternoon.
If you wish we can assist you in arranging your ferries.
The best route is an overnight ferry from Portsmouth
which will get you into Le Havre or Cherbourg early on
Friday morning. You then have all day to ride down here
at a relaxed pace.
Saturday, Sunday and Monday are all reserved for
ride-outs and visits of places of interest. Departure is
on Tuesday morning.
The roads we will be riding are very pretty with
stunning scenery, but will also cater for the most
demanding road-rider. There are plenty of bends and we
have developed a number of circuits of around 200 miles
each. These can be tailored according to the size and
experience of the group and we will always aim to be
back home by about 5pm.
We use the "drop-off" system when on the road (see
" How we ride"), so
nobody ever gets lost and everybody can ride at their
own pace with no pressure to ride at a rate that they
don't feel comfortable with, nor have to plod along at
the rate of the slowest rider.
If you haven't ridden in France before you'll be
amazed at the welcome you'll receive from the people
here. Policemen will wave (you down....), traffic will be light and
will be trying to help you wherever possible by getting
out of your way; the myth of the little café terrace, in
the middle of nowhere, where we stop to take on coffee
and water and to regale each other with our tales of
derring-do is TRUE! There'll be lots of coffee stops,
lunch in a little local restaurant and more stops in the
afternoon. You'll come home to the Chateau tired, but
with your eyes popping out of your head, ready for the
next day's roads. You'll park the bike up and grab a
cold beer, before hitting the showers in preparation for
dinner and another round of "Did you see me when.....?"
Dinner! People have complained that I haven't said
enough about the FOOD!!! So here goes: It's French, 4 courses,
plus the aperitif (and
nibbles), wine and/or beer included. All the cooking is
done by me (still in leathers) and my sensational
cook/much-better-half, Violette. 100% French she rules
the kitchen like a kitchen ruler and always seems to
have just a hint of flour in the lock of hair that falls
provocatively across her eyes... The dishes are prepared with seasonal
vegetables and therefore change all the time through the
year. We go to a lot of trouble to put really
interesting and challenging foods on the table so make
sure you finish it ALL or we get very upset. You WILL
try new things when you're down here and you WILL enjoy
them. Don't forget, I hale from the Basil Fawlty
school of hostelry.
Seriously though chaps, steady on!
Massages!? If you feel like it you can have a shoulder and neck
massage while you unwind when we get back at around
17h00
(see "Massage Central")
|
