Across the water day 2

Told you the weather was too good to be true - pissing it down. Plan for today is to head for Verdun, but by a bit of a roundabout route via Bastogne, into Luxembourg, towards Ettlebruck, then south back into France and then follow the Meuse from Stenay to Verdun.

Bastogne, stopping for snap in the Place McAuliffe. This town has a great significance for Americans due to the WW2 battle of the Bulge. There's US references all over.



Just outside Bastogne, the Mardasson Memorial to the 76890 americans wounded or killed during the Battle of the Bulge. Its a big un', as the Yanks like to do things in style.

 

 

The Sgt Major on top of the memorial gives a sense of the size of it. Memorial big too.
 

Run down to Verdun now and a quick visit to the Douamont Ossuary. This is a memorial containing the remains of both French and German soldiers who died on the WW1 Verdun battlefield. Through small  windows, the bones of at least 130,000 unidentified soldiers of both nations can be seen filling up alcoves. On the inside of the building, the ceiling and walls are covered by plaques bearing names of French soldiers who fell during the Battle of Verdun.

Whats through the square window.....?

The square windows, each looking into a 18 cubic meter vault containg the remains from different areas of the battlefield. there are 36 vaults in total with two larger 150 cu.meter vaults at each end of the building - so 948 cu.meters in total.

After that sobering experience it was off to the hotel in Verdun and something to eat in the steakhouse next door.

Across the water to see the neighbours

Off to France/Belgium/Switzerland for a week with Neil & Alan - bit of a repeat of 6 years ago when we went to Normandy/Brittany together on teh bikes.
So its down to Dover for the 1 o/clock boat, meeting some other guys on the way at a cafe in Deal so that gives us 9 - quite an invasion force!!

Reporting in to the boss - all safe & sound

We are sailing......

 Once at Calais, we head out towards Ypres to check out the Menin Gate, then head on to Lille for the first night's stop. Just before we get to Lille we take another detour to Fromelles to have a look at the new CWGC Pheasant Wood cemetery built in 2010 to hold the remains of 337 WW1 soldiers found nearby in 2008.

Menin Gate

 

Alan finds something to 'amuse' himself with

Pheasant Wood, Fromelles

 

 

 Weather's been really good - dry & sun shining, but it ain't going to last.

A flying visit to the Borders

Popped up to Moffat to meet Nige & Steve who were on their way back from an early Scotland trip - quite an experience they had by all accounts what with punctures, sat nav induced mystery train spotting tour, a road gradually disappearing into a muddy track before their very eyes and being stalked by a mysterious french biker!! And it did nothing but rain as well.
I was meeting up with them on the last stop and travelling back home with Steve the next day.
Took a leisurely ride up with the weather fine, off the A1 at Darlington and stop in Corbridge for a drink and a bite at Grants bakery in the market square - three sausages in a bread bun and a coffee for £1.99 - its on my stop list for the future.

Breakfast on the go - good little bakery in the background, Grants in Corbridge

 

Parked up in Corbridge, filling up on sausage butties.

 

Its around 09:30, so go a little further up the A68 and then cut across towards Alnwick through Rothbury and up the road to Coldstream. I'd planned for a little bit of a wander west following the Tweed towards Moffat with a little detour to Scotts View and the William Wallace statue near St Boswells.

View from Scotts View. As you can see, the weather is holding, but it ain't going to last.

Mr W Wallace - 'Great patriot hero! Ill requited Chief!'. Thats what it says on the inscription anyhow.

Can you see what a Scotsman wears under his kilt?

I'm heading for the Glen Cafe near the Tibbie Shiels Inn on St Marys loch for a bit of snap. Rain starts as I come out of Selkirk, but more of a sprinkle to wet the roads. I stop and have a fry up whilst it starts to rain harder, so two drinks of coffee taken in order to spin out the time whilst its raining.

Glen Cafe

Old AA box at the turn off for the reservoirs road

Retracing my steps a few miles back from the cafe, I take the road at the AA box and go across the hills past the Megget & Talla reservoirs to pick up the A701 at Tweedsmuir. Rain is heavy now and the wind has picked up but its a sneaky little road with some good views, plus the run down to Moffat is a more sweeping A road and definitely sports bike territory - if there were any out in that weather that is.

Looking west over the Talla reservoir - looks like more rain as I'm heading straight towards the centre of this picture, down the hill and along the right hand bank of the water

Get to the B&B in Moffat, park up and then Steve & Nige turn up literally minutes later. I've had a nice 400 mile or so steady run up and around some of the Borders I've not been to before, so a good day in all.
Wash & brush up then into the town for food & drink, starting off at the Stag Hotel for a couple, then down to the Star Hotel for more guiness and some food, where I hear all about the previous couple of days goings on from the two intrepid travellers.

Lincoln Grand Prix

Its that time of the year again and the spectacle of the most prestigious one day race in UK cycling.
13 laps of an 8 mile course giving 102 miles overall, so its 13 times up the cobbles of the 1 in 6 Michaelgate climb.
Always a good day out watching this, its about 20 minutes for them to come around each lap so plenty of time to get a beer in at the various pubs on the route in the city - I usually get into the Tap & Spile, Magna Carta, and Wig Mitre
Race won by Team Sky rider and Olympic gold medallist Peter Kennaugh, riding in Isle of Man colours.

Escort bikes leading through Castle Square

Coming along West parade

Leaders coming through Castle Square on about lap 4 (Kristian House leading in black)

Peter Kennaugh at the top of Michaelgate

A spin out to Staffordshire to visit a hole in the ground

A day out with Mr.A and its a big loop from Lincoln, Grantham, Melton Mowbray, Oakham, Burton-on-Trent and back to Lincoln via Nottingham.
All to visit a bloody great hole in the ground near Burton, (former!!) site of a WWII ammo dump that ended up being the 4th biggest explosion in the war after Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the New Mexico atom bomb tests.

Steve A. takes his life in his hands and jumps the fence to play russian roulette in the woods with unexploded ordinance.

A big hole, courtesy of WW2 armourers neglecting to use spark proof tools

Sign outside the Cock Inn. (pubs with this name are usually locally known as 'the lady's delight')

A new bike??

...........Well no.

Had  a test ride on the new water cooled GS - very nice but I'm not sure it's what a BMW GS is all about. Cruise control on a motorbike? Whatever next.
Very smooth and nippy, but I like my old tractor somehow.

First day out on RBR...

Get a text from the Sgt Major on Sunday asking if I'm up for a scoot around on Monday. Yes says I, how about kicking off the RBR for this year, so its off to East and North Yorks we go on a circular route over the Humber bridge, over the wolds and up to the moors, then down to Scarborough for fish&chips and then back to Lincs.
Its quite cool out so the electric jacket gets another airing. Not many bikes out but I've forgotten its bank holiday Monday so plenty of cars and caravans!!

The young lady at the Humber Bridge insisted we both stop and go through separately and won't lift the barrier until we work out what she wants - no problem its free now after all. First stop is at the Fimber Cafe as Neil is dying for a fag and his hands are getting a bit cold I think. I treat him to a mug of coffee. Theres no one else here bar one other car in the car park. First time I've ever stopped here, but passed it dozens of times.

Suitably refreshed, out to the moors via Malton and Pickering and up and over Blakey Edge. Sprinkling of snow up here as you would expect.  Passing the Lion Inn its a bit too early to stop for a bit of lunch, so we head on to the viewpoint on top of Leaholm Moor.

How far does Mrs Garmin reckon it is to Scarborough

Neil struggles to get a light. It's easier when you're facing away from the wind.

 Plans are made to head on down to Scarborough and into a greasy spoon for something to eat. Theres a greenlane leading eastish from here, and a quick check of the map shows it's known as Stonegate and about 2 miles long. Its a well maintained track, but plenty of loose stones and water filled holes 4-6" deep but not looking too bad today so away we go. Worst part is the last 15 yard before joining the tarmac again near Stonegate village - foot deep muddy ruts and a 'bombhole'. Steady up, decide which rut, gas it and we're through.


Start of track to Stonegate at Danby end

Excitement over for the day, we head on down to Scarborough for some snap. Neil seems to know the whereabouts of a cafe on the north bay, so we join the bucket & spade brigade and its a fill up for just over a fiver each. Time for a steady run home, this time via Driffield and no dramas at the Humber Bridge this time.



Full of fish & chips and a mug of tea, no time to build sandcastles today, but always time for another fag.