Millau Viaduct is amazing. I hope you get good weather and don't ride across it too fast! Have a good one.

Stephan

Fri 5th June
I wake up after having a great nights sleep, the sleeper seats are really comfy and fold down flat to make a bed.
Another passenger tells me that there's showers on board so off i go to freshen up and change back into my bike gear.
A little while later im standing in a cue to buy a cup of coffee and i see an old soldier all decked out in his medals, one of the medals catches my eye because its got an Irish harp on it. (Im Irish). I start chatting to him and ask him what this medal is for, he tells me "young man thats the medal of the royal Irish gaurds (or regiment, i cant remember) and that he recieved it a few years ago on the anniversary of their foundation.
He fought in WW2 and was involved in the Normandy landings.
Im humbled to be in his presence.
He asks me where im off to and i tell him my story, he reply's that my trip sounds better and that he might slip away and join me! We share a laugh and he goes back to his family.
I head outside and its nice and sunny, I can see Le Havre and it suddenly reminds me of what im about to do.
The boat pulls in and we get ready to roll off, finally the the ramp comes down and i can see France! I roll down the ramp, telling myself "ride on the right, ride on the right"(I also have some red tape on my right hand mirror)
I go about 100 yards and i think "s*it, i dont know what im doing" I pull over and get off my bike, pretending to secure my allready oversecure luggage.
Within 5 mins theres 12 bikes pulled over on the side, all pretending to check luggage/maps etc, all grinning sheepishly at each other.Looks like im not the only one whos never ridden in France then!
I mount up, say "f*ck it" to myself and head out into Le Havre traffic.
I follow a sign that says "tout directions" and about 2 miles down the street i pull in to fill up with fuel, my credit card works in the machine and this little piece of good news spurs me on and i get back on my bike and just go for it.
My destination on my first night is to be a town called Vierzon about 200 miles away so i head out onto the motorway twords Rouen crossing over a massive suspension bridge with gorgeous views on both sides.
A few miles down the road and i come to a toll booth, i pay the fee (1euro 90 cent i think) and pull over on the hard shoulder to check my map, no sooner have i pulled over than a bmw 650 pulls in and the rider, an English chap who looks no more than about 18 gets off to say hello, its his first time in France too and he's off to the alps,we wish each other a safe trip and were back on the road again.
I jump off the motorway and head south thru Evreux, Dreux, and onto Chartres, the land here is flat for miles all around and the wind is unbelievably strong.
I come up behind a yamaha cruiser with Uk plates, in front of him theres an artic lorry and the wind is pushing it around big time.
A powerfull gust of wind comes in from the left and the lorry is blown clean off the road and onto a dirt track running alongside the road, its all i can do to keep the bike upright and i see the yamaha is having the same problem.
The lorry swings back onto the road and both Mr yamaha and i overtake him, its safer to be in front than behind him i think!
I stop at a set of lights at the city of Orleans and the Yamaha cruiser rolls to a stop beside me, "where abouts in Ireland are you from?"( I have Ireland stickers on the back of my bike and helmet.) I give my standard answer "just south of Dublin" "I was born in Dublin" he says and we pull in and chat for a while.
We move on and as soon as we get past Orleans i start to feel tired and i havent eaten since the boat this morning. I pull in to a little village called Nouan le fuzellier and locate a campsite, the guy on reception charges me 12euro for the night and on my way out the door he hands me a tin of pork and beans for free!
I pitch my tent, have some grub and then go and fill up with fuel for the trip to Le Puy en Velay tommorow.
On the way back into the campsite im approaching the barrier where i need to type in an access code to enter. There a group of teenagers sitting around the barriers drinking bottles of and as i approach one of them stands up and moves twords me, "here we go" i think as he walks to the keypad and types in an access code, the barrier goes up and he holds up his hand for a high 5 as i ride past! Everyone of them says Bonjour as i go by and it just serves to remind me that im not in the UK anymore.
I climb into my tent start to read a book i bought on the ferry, i wake two hours later not having finished the first page, i turn the light out and sleep the sleep the of the dead.

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My trip to Millau (France) and back 2009.http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...u-france-43474

Sat 6th june
I woke this morning with a banging headache and it takes me a few seconds to remember where I am, I look at my watch and i've over slept by about 1 hour, thats not like me, I must have turned my alarm off in my sleep!
I get up, shower, pack my gear and im on the road by about 10.30am.
I've got my waterproofs on as its dark and cloudy today and sure enough within 30 mins of leaving the campsite the rain is bucketing down.
I take a bypass around Vierzon and head for Bourges, its raining really heavy now and im not enjoying this at all.
I pull in at bourges for a cup of coffee and some cheese on toast to warm me up, water is streaming down the streets and i really have to force myself to get back on the bike and get moving again.
Im hoping to make it to Le Puy en Velay today, about 240 miles away.
I keep moving at a steady pace, and pretty soon im making headway, passing thru St Amand Montrond and Monlucon.
After a couple of hours of cold windy wet riding i get to Clermont Ferand and pull in to have a kebab!
Thers lots of locals driving around with blue and yellow flags hanging out of their car windows, blowing horns and cheering, must be some local football or rugby game on tonight!
Im sitting in the kebab shop looking at my map and I decide that maybe i wont travel as far as Le Puy today as im pretty knackered and i need to dry out.
I jump on the A75 and get going again and soon the rain gives way to lovely warm sunshine!
This gives me a boost and i decide once more to make Le Puy tonight.
I get off the A75 and take a smaller road and now im having fun, the road is dry, theres no traffic and the scenery is good.
I round a corner only a few miles from my destination and see on my left some ruins of an old castle, i pull in for some pics and then get going for the last couple of miles.
The approach into Le Puy is gorgeous, theres an old chapel built on top of a hill, with the base of the chapel being the same diameter as the top of the hill! how the hell did they build it?
Some more statues surround the town, all looking down from great heights and looking spectactular.
I ride thru the town and soon something catches my eye, Buddy Mulligans Irish bar and right next door to it is Le Shamrock Irish bar, I can feel a good night coming on!
I pull up outside the bars, take off my helmet and stroll indside Le Shamrock, the barman sees the Ireland sticker on my helmet and asks me "have I ridden all the way from Ireland to here?" I tell him i've come from the UK and i could do with a cheap hotel for the night so as i can dry out and warm up.
Next thing i know he's on his mobile booking me into a cheap clean hotel 100 yards up the street, he hangs up, gives me some directions and tells me theres a room witing for me. I shake his hand and promise to return later on for a drink or 7, I really think im going to have a good time here tonight!
But thats another story.

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My trip to Millau (France) and back 2009.http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...u-france-43474

Having fun reading your post. I haven't ventured outwith the UK as yet, but the more I'm reading about your adventure the more I'm tempted to get the panniers down from the loft and on the bike and just head off. I've been wanting to ride through France for ages so keep the updates coming.

Sat night 6th June.
I walk into hotel reception and ask for a room, "what kind of room?" the receptionist asks in perfect English as she looks at me like im something she picked up on the sole of her shoe.
"A hotel room" I say with a smile, "I believe someones just booked one over the phone for me?" ah yes, room 16 she says and i pay for the room on my credit card, i hate using the card but i want to keep my cash for more important things!
I park my bike directly outside my window and cart all my gear indoors, im determined to sample the French nightlife tonight and i start looking for some clean clothes to put on.
I open my tail pack and remove my stove and other cooking gear and think to myself jokingly "imagine i get so drunk tonight that i come back to my room and start cooking some camping food on my stove"
But surely that could never happen....could it?
Im showered and changed in record time and my first port of call is the hotel bar.
I pull up a stool and order a , oh no its the ice queen from reception, she's a barmaid aswell!
Within 20 mins her mood has completely changed and i have her laughing like a hyena and to be honest she is'nt half pretty when she smiles!
2 hours later i've got her playing traditional Irish music on her laptop and speaking fluent Irish, (all be it filthy swear words)
Shes in great form and im in even better form and its then that i drop the clanger!
"You have a beautifull french accent" i say, "whereabouts in France are you from?"
"Dreseden" she replies, "Germany, im here just for the summer months"
Christ im embarassed, how the f*ck did i mistake a German accent for a French one? I must be pretty drunk allready.
I dont think i could be more ambarassed if i pissed myself in front of her.
Only one thing to do... another frauline sil vous plait.
Beer makes everything seem better.
I finish my drink, mumble something about it being nice to meet her, make my excuses and leave, i've got 2 more bars to visit yet.
I walk/trot/roll down the hill twords Buddy Mulligans and enter to see everyone watching a rugby game between Clermont Ferand and Perpignan (I think), so this is why everyone was waving flags around Clermont today when i stopped for a kebab!
Against all my better judgement I order a pint of Guinness, now, any Irish man will tell you NEVER drink a pint Guinness in anywhere but Ireland and maybe a few places in the UK, its just not the same and a bad pint of Guinness can really mess you up for a couple of days.
I take my first mouthfull and oh my god, I cannot believe how bad this tastes, i look around the bar and everyone is smiling at me and saying stuff like Guinness nice yes? I force myself to swallow it and i really think im going to throw up.
I takes me nearly an hour to finish the pint.
I go next door to Le Shamrock to visit the barman who booked my hotel room and to buy him a drink.
Im only there a few mins when he produces a laptop computer and shows me photos that are strangely familliar.
He tells me he goes to Ireland every year to play golf and to fish, and the pics he's showing me are from a golf course not far from where i grew up and where my parents still live! What a small world we live in!
I spend a few hours here, the barman having a drink everytime i have one and all the locals making me feel as one of their own.
By the end of the night im discussing the finer points of the Toulouse rugby defense with a local who cant speak English, we communicate with wild hand movements.
Its closing time and i wish my new friends good luck and wobble off to my hotel, I've been told theres a fast food outlet called Mick burger just up the street (apt name for an Irish man looking for a late night feed dont you think?) but i cant find it, i search everywhere but no sign of it, were my French friends having a laugh at my expense? possibly.
Im drawn to the sound of laughter and music and i find myself outside another bar, will i have a nightcap, it would be rude not to.
I dont remember much about this bar except for one vivid flashback of me, on the bar gyrating to loud music and a girl has her arms wrapped around my legs and something about a dog on the bar aswell! somethings are best left in the murky depths of memory loss.
I wake the next morning in my hotel room with a stinking hangover, i open one eye and straight away i notice a strange taste on my breath, meatballs! I look around and there on the middle of the floor is my camping stove and empty food packets, looks like i got something to eat last night after all!

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My trip to Millau (France) and back 2009.http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...u-france-43474

Sunday 7th june.
I pack my gear onto my bike and go to reception to check out, the fella on reception asks me if I enjoyed my stay, I tell him I did but that now i feel as sick as a small hospital and that i just need to find a cafe where i can chill out and let my hangover dissapear.
I pull out of the hotel car park and just roll down the street to the town square where i find free motorcycle parking.
I lock the bike up and head across the street to a small cafe with lots of tables and chairs outside on the footpath.
I order a large cofee and a sandwich and I just sit in the sun fermenting for the next hour.
"Excuse me mate are you British?" I hear from behind me, i turn around and there's 3 fella's standing there in bike gear, looking as bad as i feel.
"Nah mate im Irish" i say, "but dont let that stop you from joining me" they laugh and pull up some chairs.
Turns out they've come from Doncaster and have travelled a similiar route to mine, they've also been out last night and are feeling the aftereffects now aswell.
We drink coffee and talk bikes and routes for the next hour, they're a good bunch of fellas and its their first trip abroad too.
Turns out we're all headed to Millau today, but they're travelling a different route to me so we arrange to meet in Millau town centre tonight.
They saddle up and head off and i cross over to my bike and get ready to leave also.
I,d like to have travelled with them and they even asked me to but i declined their offer for 2 reasons, no. 1 i want to ride the Gorge du Tarn into Millau and no.2 is that about 15 years ago I had a really nasty bike crash in which I hit a lorry head on and ended up underneath it, I damaged my spine but luckily was'nt paralised, it took me a while to walk again and i couldnt work for a year.
Now i tend to travel at a sedate pace, 75 to 80 mph on the motorways and slower on the smaller roads, nearly everyone else rides faster than this so i allways feel that im holding people up when i ride with them.
Hence the reason i usually ride alone.
I hop on the bike and im pulling out of the car park when i see, in all its glory.........Mick burger!
My new French friends were'nt having a laugh after all! and its all of 50 yards from the Le Shamrock pub! How did I miss it last night?
I head out of town twords another town called Mende, climing steeply and looking back down the hillside at stunning views of Le Puy en Velay, it really is a nice town and the locals are magic.
The road to Mende is fantastic, stunning views all around and the suns out aswell, lifting my spirits and im smilling so much inside my helmet that my jaw is starting to hurt.
I pass thru Mende and head twords the gorge, the roads are getting smaller now with lots of 1st gear hairpins and steep climbs, the bike is running great and im really gunning up the moutain side, this is it, this is why im here, i havent felt this happy for a long long time. I have had a pretty shit year, family deaths and so on, but this feels like im blowing all that crap away with my throttle and the harder i twist it and the lower i drop the bike into the bend the more all those sad times of the past year just dissapear.
I drop down into the gorge and i cant believe the views, the villages are picture perfect, the river running along on my left and a sheer rock face to my right, twists and turns, steep climbs and steeper drops, and the bike feels like its got a mind of its own! im just along for the ride.
I stop numerous times to take photos and just admire the views, i look at my map and im getting close to Millau.
For 2 years its been a pin in a wall map of France in my bedroom and now im allmost there.
I pass thru another gorgeous town and i must be getting close now.
I round a right hand bend and there in front of me about 6 or 7 miles away is the Millau bridge, i pull over and just sit on my bike and stare at it, i cant believe i've done it! i've got a lump in my throat and i cant stop grinning.
Time to find a campsite, im going to be here for 2 days.

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My trip to Millau (France) and back 2009.http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...u-france-43474

Nice story. I know the feeling when you got the first sight on the Millau bridge. It realy is impressive.

I was there last year. On my website I have a trip report with lots of pictures.
Jan Krijtenburg homepage (Travel pages)

Enjoy your stay there and have a safe ride home.

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Jan Krijtenburg

My bikes are a Honda GoldWing GL1200 and a Harley-Davidson FXD Dyna Super Glide

My personal homepage with trip reports: https://www.krijtenburg.nl/
YouTube channel (that I do together with one of my sons): motormobilist.nl