Hello. Bonjour. Hola, to my leetle tour through France and onto the Barcelona leg of the Harley-Davidson Open Road Tour. A trip through the pleasures of rural France before joining Harley's 100th birthday bash.
And for this trip, I shall be using my long-term V-Rod. What else? The V-Rod is a pose machine, destined for the urban theatre rather than grand tours of Europe but with a few mods (sissy bar, my old Ventura bag/backrest and a few well-positioned straps) we were ready for action while new chrome switch gear ensured the Rod would be the belle of the ball.
With photographer Tennent astride a BMW and laden with camera gear, we headed to Le Havre on the open road to adventure. I had envisaged the ride to Barcelona as being one of my greatest adventures, meeting lots of like-minded Harley riders and making friends wherever I went mainly because, like them, I was sat astride a Hog. Not so. A middle-aged guy on a Road King leant across as we waited at Le Havre and asked what I thought of the
V-Rod. Fantastic, came my reply. His look suggested he'd just caught me in bed with his wife. There I was with 20 other Harleys and no one wanted to know my half-breed of a bike.
Drive through any English town and the admiring glances the V-Rod gets makes the £14k price tag almost bearable. However, in France I soon found no one gives you a second look. Then again, northern France is one of those places that appears devoid of people. There are houses, villages and the like, but very few people. On the plus side, this makes for superb almost-empty roads. And in seven days I didn't see a single policeman or speed camera!
The ancient city of Châteaudun appears in the distance above the Dormouse. For a breather, stop at Le Commerce in the main square. Good priced food and drink and a delicious Salade Italienne for seven euros!
Our next stop, Chambord on the banks of the Loire is a stark contrast. Full of regal excess and built on a grandiose scale the surrounding countryside is that of royal parkland with forests, brooks and game a-plenty. From here the D764 near Loches winds its way with rural charm past Montpoupon, once a landmark of strategic importance but now no more than an interesting shell.
But at the end of the day, life got really good. After 360 miles in baking sunshine we were still sweating buckets as we rolled into our hotel car park. And then I noticed our hotel was in fact a castle. Too stunned for words I checked in before heading for the pool and a chilled brew. Looking up at the 15th century turrets, the beer in my hand and the cool water lapping my sides, I thought I must be in heaven. I was afraid to blink in case I woke up back in Margate on a C90.
Thursday morning saw a cruise to Lussac. A perfect way to shake the cobwebs out with fast sweeping bends the Rod chewed up and spat out with ease. South again on the N147 and shade of the tree-lined D675, we were off to the one place that we had been advised to drop into by a number of people - Oradour-sur-Glane. About 15 minutes NW of Limoges, it's a remarkable historic site and free to enter. On 10 June 1944 a group of SS soldiers marched in and decimated this peaceful town, killing 642 for what is still a mystery reason. The most moving and disturbing place I have ever visited.
Continue the V-Rod trip across Europe
