InvictaMoto's Red Pepé Blog

Some refining needed doing.  The original route out looked a bit in need of optimising. And that's what I have done. Taking the A26 route will be a toll route.  I am fully aware that "experts" reading this will be horrified that I have even suggested using a motorway/autoroute when I could use back roads. There. The elephant in the room is loose. Sod the "experts".  It will give me a chance to use my T-Liberté tag, also known as Emovis Tag.  It works perfectly in the car. Approach the toll booth barrier and "bing", the barrier goes up. Payment later on account.  It is also supposed to work on the bike as with the car.  I emailed Emovis to check on the procedure. It seems to know the length of the vehicle, so when a bike approaches the barrier it needs to be clear behind. No tailgating.  They also said to check my account a few days later to make sure I was charged the bike toll not the car.  I'll get it out of ...

As I am off for a few weeks over the summer I have decided to have a day on the bike.  My vain attempts to ride the bike more and from MoT to MoT and get more miles under the wheels than last year seem to have been somewhat blunted. So later in August I have planned and booked a trip across to France. Although the ferry is cheaper than the Shuttle it is less convenient.  When the Shuttle isn't plagued by delays and cancellations that is! So. The date will be August 21st. Midweek might have less of a crush! I have planned a route that will take me down the motorway as near as possible to Corbie to visit William Devall and then have lunch.   My plan is to ride back via Bazentin le Grand to see where the KSLI 7th Bn attacked and came a cropper on the undamaged wire. I have chosen a no-toll route back  Out via A26 In - no tolls William Devall

Oops. Posted on another of my blogs and here are some posts.  http://devalltravel.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/some-trip-reports-somme-2016.html

Day 2. After the long day the day before I was feeling a little tired and after the early night,aided by two pints of Monaco at the restaurant, I slept most of the night. I set my alarm on my phone for 0800. By the time I had showered and got changed I got to breakfast to find all my travel mates already there.   We had a good chat over breakfast and by the time we were ready to leave it was easily 0945.   The first stop was to be the site where the Red Baron was shot down. Somehow we had missed it last year.  It would be easy to miss as it is simply a small notice board at the side of the road. The next stop was only a few miles along the road. Grove Town Cemetery where David wanted to look up one of his relatives buried there. Although from Google Maps the cemetery looks to be in the middle of farmland, what it didn't show was the rough track to get there. Unlike the Pals, we couldn't miss this one. At least Neil got to take his new Honda Cross Tour...

An early start on Saturday. I had old friend Ken Fulton staying over. My plan was to be up about 5.30am, leave at 6am to arrive Dover at 6.30am. Except Ken was up earlier and we left and arrived  at Dover way before 6am. I messaged Cal to say we were going through immigration and check-in. We were first in the line. It took so long at Costa to get a coffee that the others had arrived and we were almost ready to load. Bugger. The crossing was pretty straightforward and after breakfast we were disgorged into dull weather Calais. The plan was to head down the A26 to Arras and then cut across to the first stop at the Accrington Pals Memorial.  First delay was that the autoroute ticket machine played up and some of us got tickets and others had to wait to get one. At the pay station near Arras, the lucky ones from the ticket collection found their tickets were not recognised!!! More holdups. Then we got split up twice! The eight bikes...