On the Road Again!

The first job of the day was to junk the old boots and get some new ones.  So once we left the hotel we went different ways. I had Google Maps which seemed to have no idea that it was straight forward to find and I had a great loop trekking about 4kms when 1 would have been best. In the end the deal was done. Boots bought . The first part of the non toll route was in rain that occasionally became drizzle. Today we had two fuel stops. Sticking to the speed limits or there about produced over 59mpg for the first stop.  We stayed on the N10 in its various states and departmental names. Lunch was at a massive truck stop just off the N10. It had stopped raining but we weren't fooled. Waterproof gear stayed on until the fuel stop just after Bordeaux. We guessed the owners might have been Portuguese!! I had become separated from Neill as we turned onto the toll free A10. There was a single lane flyover looping to the right and left over the N10. It was nose to tail. Crunch. T...

Leaving home at about 0708 in lashing down rain doesn't fill one with enthusiasm for a near on 350 mile ride to the first overnight stop. I had opted for the Triumph Steve McQueen ISDT replica jacket with my usual green Bikers Australia chino jeans. Fill waterproofs over the top. I have three pairs of waterproof gloves and two non waterproof pairs! All in the left pannier!  The first pair lasted until we were on the train. My hands wouldn't go back in them! Scratch Belstaff leather and hipora.  Did I say it was lashing down? We set off on the A16. I fuelled up at Auchun Calais. Scratch £100 worth of Alpine Star Goretex gloves. Couldn't get my hands in them. The lining sticking to the minutest damp.  Cue the old Akito Mercury gloves my brother was ditching and I had taken. Went on okay and with careful management they lasted another 300 miles. By that I mean at the lunch stop drying each hand under the hot air blower in the loo and then putting each one one separately!!...