Felixtone - Calais

[Maltese_Wizard]

I'm thinking of heading down to Felixtone next Friday and catching the Eurotunnel over to Calais where I'll then spend Sat & Sun messing around in France and possibly Belgium.

I'm not going to be iron-butting it over there but probably getting a couple of hundred miles a day max. Can you recommend any routes, must see places, places to stay, eat etc ?

Also, are there any wierd laws on loud exhaust systems in Europe? I don't want to end up bikeless for any reason.

Cheers in advance as always.

Rob  

[Orson]

Can you recommend any routes, must see places, places to stay, eat etc ?

for a weekend, you might want to make it over to the Eiffel Mountains around the Nurburgring track. Follow the Mosel River into Luxembourg. The northern part of Luxembourg and the Ardennes in Belgium are also nice.

Of course, that's just me. I'm always thinking about where the curves are  

[Maltese_Wizard]

I don't suppose you have the links to any downloadable european road maps do you? a while ago before STN changed servers.. or whatever the problem was, someone posted a couple of links to downloadable maps for me.. I think they were Michellin but not sure... do you have any odea what i'm talking about?
 

[Orson]

I think they were Michellin but not sure...

I think you're right.

I think FJR-UK posted a link to the Michelin road site....

via michelin

[sven]

The channel tunnel is in Folkestone (Kent), near Dover  

I'd second the Mosel valley and Eifel mountains.  The B257 from Aachen to the Nurburgring is a nice fast A road.  From there, head to Cochem in the Mosel. I normally stop at the Zur Post hotel in nearby Klotten.  Great food and decent rooms, and run by lovely people (Klaus & Bettina).  It's next to a railway line though, so it can be noisy every 15 minutes or so...

www.motor-bike-hotels.com

[FJR-UK]

I'm thinking of heading down to Felixtone next Friday and catching the Eurotunnel over to Calais

I hope you're going to Folkestone, or you're in for some disappointment!  

Everytime I've gotten off Le Shuttle, I've headed southeast. You can make it to Reims in a day. Rouen is a very nice town, too. Some of the lesser towns still have nice restaurants on offer: Lille, Cambrai, Laon and Amiens are worth a stopover.

If you want to stay close to Calais, Boulogne is nicer. The biking roads aren't great around there. Orson has you go all the way to Luxembourg to find the twisties. If you travel as far as that, Metz is a very nice place to stopover. Don't take the Autoroute, take the N-roads and you'll catch some curves.

Bon chance.

[Orson]

Orson has you go all the way to Luxembourg to find the twisties.

FJR-UK is probably right.  

For a 2 day weekend, the Eifel Mountains & Luxembourg might be stretching it. That wouldn't leave much time for doing or seeing anything.

[Maltese_Wizard]

lol, whoops, I guess I can't just make up places to make my trip easier...     I will be going to Folkestone... durrrrrrrrrrrrrr. hmmm

Does having 'newbie' next to my details excuse my geographical nonsense? I hope so..

You'll like my next question too I'm sure   ...  Do you have to pay anything to travel between countries ie border control? I'm not thick (honest) but am new to the whole ST thing and used to travel by plane/ferry where most of this malarky is taken care of for me... also, do you need any additional documentation (apart from passport obviously   )

You've got a task on your hands with me here i tell you I'll post some good pics afterwards to make it up.

Cheers

[Orson]

Do you have to pay anything to travel between countries ie border control? ... also, do you need any additional documentation (apart from passport obviously   )

No border fee and I've never been asked to see any documents other than my passport.

But you should have all your bike's registration & insurance papers just in case  

brush up on your French...if you blurt English at them, they look at you as if you just spit on their shoe   must have something to do with that unpleasantness with the Duke of Wellington  

[Maltese_Wizard]

brush up on your French...if you blurt English at them, they look at you as if you just spit on their shoe   must have something to do with that unpleasantness with the Duke of Wellington  

ha ha, quite possibly... I was in the west of France a couple of months ago (in a car i'm afraid ) and managed to pull off a bit of French... I managed to order beer reasonably succesfully and also managed to get another French lady to order us some oil for the central heating system.. to be honest i'm not sure how we managed to pull that one off.

We also got stopped at customs and had 3 armed officers search the car, and just as you say, speaking to them in English really got their backs up.

so, the checklist is:

• Bike
• Clothes
• Pasport
• Bike Doc's
• Waterproofs
• Camera
• Spare Batteries
• Maps
• Money
• Eurostar Tickets
• Small tool Kit
• Petrol
• Gaffa Tape

Anything else?

Do French hotel receptionists speak English or do you think I should get a phrase book  maybe.. hmmmm.

[Orson]

small flashlight

tie wraps...not sure what they're called in the UK

spare gloves

swim suit?(may be too cool for that)

don't pack a lot of clothes for just a weekend

a room is "une chambre" (said with a pleading, puppy dog expression)

 

[Maltese_Wizard]

a room is "une chambre" (said with a pleading, puppy dog expression)

 

Ah, that's right... must remember that.

Cheers for the good advice.

[Maltese_Wizard]

tie wraps...not sure what they're called in the UK

Cable Ties or Zip Ties is the UK equivalent...

Just one more thing I thought of, is there anything I should know about bike crime in Europe? I always assume that Europe has less thieves and is more relaxed, is this the case? I was planning on taking a big chain and lock plus a bike cover... what do you normally take with you or are you more trusting?

[Orson]

one time I forgot my key...left it in the ignition  

bike was still there in the morning   probably because it was parked right next to the front of the hotel.

I don't have any statistics for bike thefts in France. I just put a disc lock on and hope for the best. Use common sense. Try to park out of view of the main street. I usually ask if they parking for motorcycles. Sometimes they'll put it in a shed or let you park in the back.

[Maltese_Wizard]

That makes sense, i'll try not to leave my keys in the bike  

Thanks

[FJR-UK]

I'll just add my tuppence worth:

Ride with your headlight on at all times. It's the law. Do not speed on the autoroute. They have cameras, especially as you get closer to the toll booths. (If you get to Germany, carry a spare bulb set.)

You should really mask off your headlamp, but it's not too bad during daylight hours. At night you'll be blinding oncoming drivers.

Learn enough French to ask for a room or a menu. Once you butcher the French language, most people working in the tourist trade will speak to you in English. However, they're much more helpful if you show willing, first. If your bike breaks down, you WILL NEED a phrase book.

Fill your tank in Folkestone. If you can believe it, petrol is cheaper here.

If a biker approaches from behind, drop a foot off the footpeg on the side you expect him to pass. Actually, he will probably be past you before you realise!

The French are very accommodating to bikers. Ask your hotel where is a good place to park your bike. Most will offer you garage space. I've never had a problem. One woman even let me park my bike in her restaurant overnight! No, really!

Bike thieving is just as popular in France as it is here. Take a lock to discourage the casual thieves.

Have a great time and post lots of pics. If you like pork and you like sausage, try andouillette!

[Ant]

Learn enough French to ask for a room or a menu. Once you butcher the French language, most people working in the tourist trade will speak to you in English. However, they're much more helpful if you show willing, first. If your bike breaks down, you WILL NEED a phrase book.

 

This is the best advice you could get if your French is a little rusty (or downright none existant). The stories of the arrogant French are very exaggerated and usually from arrogant foreigners who refuse to learn their language! I've found however that if you can grunt in the language they will laugh at you for a while and then talk to you in better English than yours... They really appreciate the effort since the majority don't make it.

[Maltese_Wizard]

Thanks, I think I'll take a phrase book just in case, I can just about get by when in France as long as I only need a beer or bread shop  

I've booked the channel tunnel Shuttle and also now booked my first hotel in Brugge, Belgium. still haven't decided where to go after that yet... (I assume French is widely spoken accross Europe?)

I may try the andouillette, you're not having me on though are you? I'd hate to be presented with a horse penis or something similarly disgusting. last time I was in France I tucked into an array of different snails which was an interesting experience... especially the next morning!!!

I will post some pics.

cheers

[FJR-UK]

(I assume French is widely spoken across Europe?)

France, parts of Belgium and Luxembourg. If you go to Ghent or Antwerp, you'll hear Flemish – in which case, just speak English.

I may try the andouillette, you're not having me on though are you?

No. I love andouillette, and it's one of those things you will only find in France. Most brasseries will serve it with frites and Dijon mustard. Andouillette is serious stuff in France. They grade it from A to AAAAA. It gets served in some pretty serious places and one restaurant I went to in Paris specialised in the stuff. The rough versions smell of urine! Just use more moutarde!   Have it with a draft Leffe blonde.

Cheers!

[FJR-UK]

I've booked the channel tunnel Shuttle and also now booked my first hotel in Brugge, Belgium.

I don't know if this article will be of interest to you:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/main.jhtml;jsessionid=JRCPMTRCHHPYPQFIQMGSFFWAVCBQWIV0?xml=/travel/2007/04/04/etperfectbruges104.xml