day 1

Day 1, 28/07/2017 London – Troyes (Fr)  (Motorway route/ Eurotunnel/ Motorway) 3pm to 2am

Finally the BIG DAY arrived. Unfortunately we had to work until 12pm on that day, so we set up our departure time by 3PM. We got back home and as all luggage were already packed, it was just a matter of loading the bikes  and there we go.. . See you in two weeks London.

We booked the Eurotunnel for 6.30 pm so we had plenty of time to get there. The first stage was only interrupted by the usual annoying english summer rain, meaning that 1 hour after we left we had to stop near Ashford (M20) on the hard shoulder to put the waterproof suits on.

At the Eurotunnel

The Eurotunnel was quick and by 8.30 pm french hour (+1) we were in Calais, France. It was quite warm even if cloudy, but no rain in sight, so we took off the waterproofs and packed them again. ( something we eventually became better at.. bungee straps, cargo nets, accommodating luggage, loading and unloading) I don’t have much to say apart from the fact that french motorways are very well maintained and as it is quite known, you have to pay tolls to ride in most of them. We barely saw any police on the motorway; still we passed a parked up police car on a side exit with something that seemed to be a speed gun, so better stick to the speed limits in France, 130kmh on dry weather, 110kmh on wet (80mph/70mph). We did a couple stops on the motorway for petrol, snacks and drinks before we arrived in Troyes, and 4 hours later my girlfriend started to give a little sign of tiredness.5 hours later, 1am, VOILA, we were arriving near Troyes. As I had a colleague from work staying at a campsite near Troyes and I was aiming to see him before going, we decided to look for a cheap hotel. It was late and we had nothing booked, hotels were either closed or fully booked and campsites receptions all closed at that time. As a result we had no option than to sleep by the lake, close to my friend’s campsite as what the french call ”par terre” meaning on the floor next to the bikes, by the side of the road. Anyway, it was all good as it was the only night we didn’t have any kind of planning.. and that was our first “romantic” night on french soil!!