Category: France

The fast way from Split to London

It was late September, and with my adventure in the Balkans complete, I bordered the overnight ferry from Split to Ancona.

From Ancona, it was an easy ride across Italy to Civitavechia, the Port of Rome to catch the ferry to Barcelona.

A restful way to travel and 14,000 km touring.

The village of Civitavechia is a little way from the port, but it is a nice place for a bit of sightseeing while waiting for the ferry.

There is a certain chaos at Italian ferry ports. There are no electronic tickets, and the ticket office always seems to be placed a long way from the ferry dock with a myriad of one way unmarked lanes to be negotiated between the two.

But the Italian ferries are relatively inexpensive, and it was a restful 20 hour crossing from Rome to Barcelona.

From Barcelona, I took a route across the Pyrenees through Andorra. Agh the beautiful Pyrenees.

I stopped for the night at Ax les Termes in the Midi Pyrenees. A beautiful hot spring village. With public hot foot baths.

My next destination was to Cahors and its famous bridge. Travelling along the tree lined back roads, past the Midi Canal, rivers, and beautiful villages.

Cohors is a vibrant city. To complement the famous bridge.

My last stop in Europe for this trip was the port city of St Malo, with its old walled town right on the Atlantic Ocean

Of course I had to join in for a swim!!!

For lovers of the maritime world the port  at St Malo is a treasure.

The overnight ferry had me soon back in England and my sister’s house in London.

Before boarding the flight back to Australia, I caught up with a mate for lunch in the Cottswalds. A beautiful part of England and reputedly an inspiration for the writing of ‘The Hobbit’ and the ‘Lord of the Rings’.

It’s February in Australia as I reminisce about last year. There are some adventures to be had here at home, but my mind keeps back to a sign at Civitavechia.

I’ve been to Spain (Spagna). Ive been to Greece (Grecia), Sardinia (Sargegna), and Sicily (Sicilia): but I haven’t been to Tunisia.

I think I’d better fix that this year!

Corsica (La Corse) -2

The views from the coast road leading south from Porto are just stunning as the road winds it way along a Ridge in the mountains that meet the sea.

The section to Piana is especially stunning, but the coastal road through to Ajaccio is beautiful scenic riding.

Just before Ajaccio there is an opportunity to cut inland into the mountains in search of another beautiful Col.

Corsica is a bit like stepping back in time. Back before livestock were kept in cleared paddocks. Domestic pigs, cows and sheep grazes freely in the Corsican forests. This adds an extra challenge to riding these amazing mountain roads.

Just below the Col de la Vaccia there is a little Auberge that serves beautiful Corsican dishes, wine and beer. The next day we were on the afternoon ferry to Corsica from Bonifacio, an easy ride away so this seemed to be the spot to stop and watch the sun go down over the mountains.

Two nights in Corsica definitely wasn’t enough but that is the downfall of planning trips from the other side of the world.

The next day was a ride to Port town of Bonifacio where there are three ferries a day that cross from Corsica to Sardinia.

Corsica (La Corse) -1

As the ferry approached Bastia the clouds hanging low over the mountains was a portend of the hot and steamy welcome awaiting in Bastia.

The ferry berthed at 0700 and the line of exiting traffic snaked along the roads out of the city.

The road over the Col de Vergio (the highest road in Corsica) is one of the great rides of Europe. Therefore on my agenda.

Morning coffee at at a little village Cafe in the foothills was the perfect first stop of the day.

The road crosses Corsica from east coast to west finishing in the seaside village or Porto.

The eastern side of the Col climbs up though beautiful pine forests offering cool shade.

Higher the forests give way to rocky gorges, steep sloops and narrow ancient roads.

Till the Col is reached.

With the Virgin standing atop the Col

The road down to Porto on the west side of Corsica is also a cracker.

Don’t you just love those stone Corsican safety barriers.

The road, one of the great rides of Europe end ar the beach at Porto, a small boating village. The municipal camping ground is only 400 metres from the beach and offers cheap, shady camping sites.

And a cold beer at the beach bar after a long day’s ride and a swim.

The dash to Toulon destination Corsica

There 8 moto camps across France that  cater specially for motorbike riders. These camps are set in some of the best biking regions of France.

I had allowed a 3 night dash from Cherbourg to Toulon to catch the ferry to Corsica. First night at the Fortified Farm Retreat, then a night at Camping Moto Dordogne and finally at Rendezvous Moto at Lunas in the Haut-Langauedoc

At Montoucant there is the annual outdoor photo exhibition- always a treat!

Moncoutant is about 30mins ride from.the sanctuary of Pete and Vikki’s Fortified Farm b&b and camping.

It is around 450km to Camping moto Dordogne and the bar terrace, the cool forest setting  and swimming pool are welcome after a long ride.

It’s a beautiful 300km ride through mountains and gorges to the Haut-Languedoc next welcoming moto camp – Camping Rendezvous Moto.

Next day it was on to Toulon to catch the overnight ferry to Corsica.

Got a taste of the summer heatwave while skirting Marseille with the temp readout hitting 37c.

Luckily on the last leg to Toulon there were little shady places to stop by the vineyards.

But soon it was Toulon, the ferry terminal and the Cote d’ Azur.

It was an overnight trip to Corsica under clear skies on a blue sea

Cherbourg Scenes

Just on the edge of the old part of Cherbourg is a graving dock emblematic of the cities maritime history.

I’ve come and gone on ferries from Cherbourg on a number of times to Ireland and to ports in England.

The street markets are full of colour.

The maritime scenes touch the imagination of an old Sailor like me.

From the marina of modern yachts to old classics.

The historic theatre a tribute to French great playwrights such as Moliere, my favourite.

In every town I find there is something a little quirky. In Cherbourg it’s the parasol factory and boutique.

And of course the great European moto culture is evident at the hotel with dedicated garage for motorbikes!