I Have Arrived

I made it safe and sound! I arrived Thursday night at 10.00p.m. I will just back track to tell you about the journey.

Day 1
Tuesday 28th August, the big day! The ferry was booked for 10.50a.m. so I decided to start at 6.00 to give myself plenty of time to get there. At half 5 my beautiful wife and 3 girls all got up see me off. It was hard to think that I was not going for a couple of days and that it could possible be months before I saw them again. Look ally I had lots to do with loading my bike! (When I can figure out how to link my phone to this PC I´ll upload some pics.)
I had brought panniers, back bag and tank bag so there was more than enough room to fit everything I wanted to take.
At just after 6 I have a great picture in my mind of Jo and the girls all stood at our front door in their dressing gowns waving me off!!!!
That was it I was on the road. I felt a bit weird for quite a long time that I was not going to go back for a long time. Once I got lots of motorway miles under me then I began to focus on the journey and route ahead. I had adapted a car sat nav to the bike(with the help of mates) but obviously from Nottingham to Dover it is pretty much a straight road. The first concern was that the bike only does 100miles on a tank full of gas so I needed be aware of where the services were! I passed a service station with 70miles on the clock and thought I would be ok. Then at 100 I went on to reserve so this is were I used the TomTom to get me to the nearest petrol station. It took me off the motorway and I think I was just about in fumes when I got there.
Has I got off the bike I put it on the side stand (couldn't put on main stand with all the luggage on the back!) . As I walked round to the pump the bike slowly fell over!!!! Well adrenaline must have kicked in cause I went straight back round and after a coulpe of heaves stood the bike back up!
I had now learnt 2 very important lessons. 1 if I see a service station at 70miles stop and secondly when parking the bike on the side stand always leave it in 1st gear!!!!!
After this little glitch I was back on the motorway and on time to get to Dover. Having never been on a ferry with a bike before didn´t quite know what to do but basically if you just follow the signs it´s really simple and a chap helped strap the bike down for the crossing.
Ist part accomplished, I was on the ferry!!! Spent the 1st 20mins I think just texting people saying I was off.
Now I´m in France.
I had planned my journey on maps (again with help from a mate) so I set the sat nav to the next destination I wanted to get too. I had decided to miss out Paris and that I would use pay roads as I thought the cost of petrol verses the cost of roads would balance it self out.
Got used to driving on the right by following other cars for the first few miles. I found it quite easy, probably cause I was concentrating so much.
The miles went by pretty fast and a lot of the roads were like driving through Scotland's countryside. Got the hang of picking up a ticket at one Toll Station and then paying at the next.
Didn´t have a problem of when to fill up with gas either because there are signs at each service station showing in K´s how far the next 3 stations are.
So after 480miles I had reached Troyes which is just south east of Paris and where I wanted to be at the end of the first day. I had a ride round and again because I had the sat nav just typed in the nearest Formula 1 hotel and off I went.
The first thing was I don´t speak French and the lady in reception didn´t speak English. Not a problem really, with a bit of grunting and pointing managed to get a room with breakfast in the morning all for 36euros.
Now these hotels are cheap and easier than camping but they are as basic as you can get. You get a room with a bed and sink. Everything is bolted down. There are toilets and a shower down the corridor but that's it(every time I went for a shower it was being used). Not moaning really cause all I wanted to do was sleep!!!
So that was it. It was 5.30p.m. I had a bed for the night in France were I wanted to be so as far as I was concerned - Result!