First camp was set on a village green, in a tiny village called Blangy-sur-Bresle. Too tired and anxious to crack on , we popped the bottle of red in saddle bag and with right back and shoulder pain, we popped the pop up and set about the Barbie. A beautiful spot, wooden picnic bench, running stream next to us, even a shower in the park toilets- we were set!. The locals all seemed to be locked away at home, shutters closed, but for some curious village teenagers and a few estranged dog walkers who thought we’d actually arrived from Mars! - we had a lovely peaceful evening.

Day 2 was not quite so fruitful. Having got desperately lost and going around in large circles North West of Paris, the bike was very erratic, carbs could no longer balance and first gear was graunching and juddering terribly after a few hours drive – ‘oil on clutch plates I thought’….Sh..! – seems the loosely matched seals were loose!- gritting teeth and pushing on through the beautiful town of Londinier we found our next night in an old dense forest with wild Dear and harvesting tractors stomping through all night, but after a few glugs and food all was fine.

More Tweaking!!!

Day three, bike had miraculously fixed herself after rest and a top up and gearbox oil change, we were off again, only to get lost (once more!) and end up on a FOUR lane motorway with a hill that went on for eternity in second gear on the hard shoulder ..oh and then the rain!!! Finally we were sucked off it by the speed of our own tailwind vortex (poetic license!) and carried on and on, batteries now getting severely low as no sun for nearly a day and a half and nowhere suitable to camp…and rain! Something myself and definitely ‘Maltese Monica’ my wife, were not used to. Then the inevitable….ber..bbb.ber bub ..which went on for about 20 miles! As we just could not find one of the local villages that we had passed through every five miles before the rain started!. then…..bum.. she died!! Luckily on the brow of a hill and we free wheeled down into a bustling village called Bernay - straight into a parking space, much to the locals amazement ‘another Lunar landing!... Or was it looney? – batteries were on six volts, which would have been fine had we had 6 volt ignition! –

Got a quick power pack start from a friendly garage owner (probably still in shock with that bewildered look on his face) – this enabled us to get another 200 meters up the high street, a little closer to the only Hotel, which did have a Euro 69 room available, thankfully! - though, we would have paid anything at this point!- unpacked the whole sidecar (nightmare) in the rain and exhausted by now, got both batteries to a Peugeot scooter shop, who generously put them on trickle charge for three hours until close of business on this SATURDAY ‘Sunday tomorrow, what shall we do? – we’ll be ok, we’ll find somewhere!) Push bike to Hotel, hot bath, dry clothes, glug glug… good night!

 Charging the bike and ourselves

Day four, making a rapid exit from Hotel car park and the largest slick yet, we slid out (literally) – the cloudy morning didn't inspire us, voltage was seriously low after such a rapid charge. We made a decision that day to forget our intentions of cruising the Atlantic coast and head southeast, I felt the gearbox (among other things) was not going to last and we had a LONG way to go, it was decided we would meet my other son Sebastian and ‘patient Paul’s’ son, Jake, in Orleans on the Loire the next day, instead of further West.

Loire stop - lovely...

The bike actually managed a much longer run today, and made it to a corn field (carefully hidden behind three bushes) on an avenue slip road off a motorway outside Chatres. This was the outskirts of a small farming village (where once again, all were shuttered in their houses) the only sign of life was a nearby paddock filled with ‘spitting’ Pyrenees mountain goats and a Deer! – the smell was not dissimilar to a Tunisian Marrakech! (That really smelly leather smell times by 1000!)- fascinating little things though! – then, whilst settling into a good Barbie and glug….the whole village descended on us, in cars, trucks, vans, bicycles…what’s going on? – too busy glugging and cooking, I earlier failed to register Jake pointing out the avenue of trees were full of cherry plums and ripe ones! … sweet, red and fresh as, we were not to be outdone by the local hermits, and set about filling water bottles, shoes and all un-sundry to the brim! – so much so, we and the friends and family we were about to meet could not look at another plum after 4 days!! – not to mention the cornfield and other toilet arrangements! – well…my wife is really holding up well, or about to explode into Mediterranean - Latino hysteria!! all said, I’m proud of her, and as long as the bike keeps moving and the sun out we might actually make it!

Day 5 was fairly uneventful, batteries were just holding and we had a nice straight country road to pick up the A10 to Orleans, about 90km I think, which under normal circumstances you would do to get a loaf of bread, but under these, each stretch was not so much an ordeal as a challenge. We had probably lost about 200kms in mistakes, but bearing in mind we were only on lonely tiny country lanes we thought we were doing pretty well.

Oil leaks and 1st gear shudder, we pulled into a municipal campsite in Checy on the banks of the Loire just south of Orleans, just time to find a supermarket and the Cavalry (Seb and patient Paul’s son Jake) arrive armed with valuable supplies of EP90 (impossible to get in France) and a battery charger, albeit conditioner, which was pretty much US, but did the job for a few days.

There we stayed for two days visiting Châteaux’s and Kayaking the Loire (now joined by patient Paul and his lovely wife Melanie) and generally charging our own batteries.

Day 7, as there was a car amongst us we could offload a few non essentials, as Jake was fed up with doing the ‘contortionist’ in the sidecar. We followed the Loire down to Briare and later, after some heated discussion, found a lovely pitch in Chatillon-sur-loire among trees on the riverbank, so nice it was we stayed for 5 days, swimming , exploring and washing in the Loire….and of course a glug or two….wonderful!... and the wine!

Day 13. With tearful eye, it’s time for Seb and Jake to leave for Calais (my son Seb now living in UK has just started with P&O as third officer at 21 and is doing VERY well, Jake also has to get back to his summer job at Port Lympne zoo) ….. and off we set with ‘patient Paul’ and Mel on their Bandit to explore more of the Loire, me taking more of a back seat on the navigation Paul is now decision making (as stubborn as me!) … just as long as it doesn't involve steep hills!....which of course it did…later the next day...our first monumental hills into the Rhone alps!!!..... crunch…crunch….Bandit not breaking a sweat though!!.. which is more than can be said for me!...Giant Haystacks??...whimp..!

We had a great time with Paul and Mel, finding some lovely spots. From lakesides to a lovely luxurious b&b with pool to an ancient forest filled with termite mounds, giant orange slugs and wild Boar!!!...really, I don’t think anyone had set foot in this place for centuries if at all!!

ghhhhhhhhhhhg