Off to France: Dordogne by BMW 1200gs
Tomorrow I leave for my ninth motorcycle trip. I’m heading down to South(ish) west France, to the Dordogne, camping for the most part (apart from two nights at a friend’s house in La Rochelle). Since my trip to the Black Forrest last summer, I have a new bike, new luggage, a new GPS (I bought it with the bike), new bluetooth headset and even new prescription sun glasses non polarising – so I can read the GPS screen. What could possibly go wrong? Well, the weather for one thing. I ought to publish the dates I go camping so that everyone else can make a point of staying at home. Its blustery and raining on and off today and some sailings from Portsmouth have been cancelled today due to bad weather.
This clever little map makes it all look so calm:
Still, supplies have been renewed, the bags are packed according to my printed list below,
oil and fuel strapped on the back of one pannier, a litre of vodka on the other, trying to travel a bit lighter this time, so the huge Redverz tent is staying at home in the cupboard and my faithful Vango tent is coming along. (Interesting remember this till later in my record of the trip.) A sharp hair cut from Charisma on Mill Road (instead of last minute dental work which I remember I have had on the day of at least one previous trip) too. There is at last some poise.