Toulouse 4th and 5th of Aug ( Resting days, no riding)
After 20 hours riding we just wanted to sleep and rest, I wasn´t that tired physically but the stress from the previous day/night worn me out. I am not going to detail these two days much as we were in family. So apart from resting, eating and sleeping we didn´t do much. It was also when I found out that my GoPro camera had a faulty memory card and some of my recordings were simply gone.
On the second day in Toulouse we went to the city centre on public transports, eating and drinking out. Coffee shops and restaurants were busy with locals and tourists like us but we eventually found a nice crepperie for a nice snack and dessert. Not much to say here apart from that it was a nice time in family.
- Pretty but busy Toulouse
La Vache (the cow) tube St.
A biker on the tube!!!
- Toulouse Place du Capitole (Town Hall)
I had planned the Pyrenees mountains for the next stage but after checking the weather app, we decided to change the trip plan as it was going to be rainy and a sudden temperature drop was eminent for the upcoming days… how annoying!!! I had so carefully planned this trip including unique roads and places. Due to the bad weather we had to change our plans otherwise risking unpleasant travel conditions! After discussing about it with my other half we came up to a decision.
Plan B…
We would go back to the French Alps being Saint Andre Les Alpes our base to then explore a bit further for the next upcoming days, meaning another 300 mile motorway run… at least we were now rested, and most importantly, we had no arrangements with anyone!!! And we were talking!
Day 10
Toulouse- Saint Andre Les Alpes 06/08/17 (motorway/ mountain)
We woke up early, fully energized and we knew what was coming up… A long stretch on the motoway back to Saint Andre. We had a breakfast with Marie`s family but it was time so say goodbye and load the bikes again. As usual, it was sunny and hot as we left Toulouse ( around 10am) for a 6 hour ride on the motorway. Not much to say on this one, we were happy and not tired so it was easy. 300 motorway miles riding in between 80 mph and “censored” mph, two full tanks (not bad) with a few stops for refreshements and stretching the legs.
The warriors
When stopping for a drink, ciggie or stretch the legs there is always time for a pic
Even Marie posed for the camera!!!
Really nice this resting area.
As we left the motorway we joined the famous N85 route de Napoleon ( quite known in between bikers due to its curvy shape and scenery) we went straight to the camping site we stayed previously in an attempt to enjoy a bit of sunshine and to go for a swim. We arrived by 5.30/6 pm, mounted the tent on time for a dive and a bit of sun on the swimming pool. We were back to the amazing village of Saint Andre Les Alpes and the camping site “Les Isles” would be our base until the end of our trip!!
Tent mounted up, and still some sunlight to enjoy
Camping site swimming pool… Splaaaash!!!
I had previously routed a specific road in this region, the dangerous Gorges du Cians . As it was still early, we had a snack and we decided to head on towards this amazing gorges. After riding for nearly two hours we ended up in a small village on the a mountain called Rigault… nothing special, although we passed some really nice roads with the occasional hairpin here and there but we didn´t find the Gorges du Cians. My other half was getting tired so we decided to head back to the camping site and have a snack somewhere.
The Scenery is just amazing
Felt like we were in the right place
this pic just doesnt do any justice
And another hairpin with Rigault on the far end
Little Rigault, nothing special apart from the road and scenery
On the N202 ( close to the roche percee) there is a little village with a snack bar area. and at around 11pm it was the only place we found open. We had some sausages with fries and salad. No wonder it was busy… it was delicious, an immaculate hospitality and also priced very reasonably. I ended up chatting with the owner ( I am a chatterbox by nature anyway). Mom and daughter own the place and on the other side of the road they manage the local hotel together, although we didn´t stay there. They were so friendly that we decided to stop there every time we would go for a meal. Really recommend it but can´t recall the name of the place.
That was it, 400 miles later and with the tent calling us our day was complete. The next day would take us to the very upmarket town of Saint Maxime and to the outstanding Mediterranean sea… We were back to the Alps and loving it!!!!
Welcome Biker 