Motorcycle Tour Ireland to France Italy 2025 Ep 16 - WHAT DID THE ROMANS EVER DO FOR US ?

Motorcycle Tour Ireland to France Italy 2025 Ep16 - LOCHES, CORMERY, TRUYES, SPEEDWAY TOURS BIKE SHOP IN CHAMBRAY-LES-TOURS, SAINT AVERTIN, MONNAIE, LA GRANDE VALLÉE, SAINT OUEN, THIVARS, YVETOT.

   / @tony-buzz  

While I knew that I wasn't happy with my front tyre, I knew that it would get me home. There was nothing suitable in LOCHES, but I found one in TOURS, in a bike shop called Speedway, so arranged to go there the next morning. We set off and found the Bike shop, which had fantastic people working there, sorted the bike out while we looked around the extensive shop at the gear etc having a coffee, the owner tried to help me link our intercoms up via Mesh, but it still didn't work unfortunately, but we were still able to use the Bluetooth for the whole trip, so no worse off. He even helped John out by showing him where to buy new underwear, in a nearby outlet ! When we were leaving, we met another biker in his 50s, who was from Morocco, but had been living in France for 30 years, but knew some of the places Raymond and I had travelled to in 2023 ( it was absolutely fantastic ), and he enjoyed hearing of our experiences there and the exceptional people.
We travelled on North through the towns and villages towards the Normandy coast, but had been told of another must see place there by another biker - the coastal town of Étretat - so decided to go and see it, as it was a central point from which we would part company with Percy, who would be sailing from Dieppe to Newport, before heading home to Scotland. We travelled through miles of agricultural spaces and as it was a transit day, a lot of motorway miles were needed too, given our return ferry schedules.
Unfortunately, the video files for the trip into Yvetot, were lost, but our accommodation in Yvetot was on the outskirts, and our first attempt at getting food and beer was thwarted and would have been a disappointing LAST night to celebrate our time together, so after a further search, found a gem of a place which had everything we needed, including a bike on a plinth, in the restaurant and our table was beside it. A must better place, so great food, craic, company and beers were enjoyed along with a few whiskies. A great location to head to Étretat the next morning.

Yet another BIG day travelling through fabulous France, where we met lots of interesting & helpful people, while riding along and seeing the ever changing scenery and businesses - whether in the countryside where local producers were making Rillettes and Charcuterie products, to the humungous industrial and business parks, where we found Speedway Tours bike shop - the only dull part was the straight, but neccessaryroads we encountered - where we definitely missed the twisties in the Alps and the sweeping bends of Route Napoleon - WHAT DID THE ROMANS EVER DO FOR US ?? came to mind to all the Monty Python fans...!

Background :-
ON OUR WAY TO RIDE THE ROUTE DES GRANDE ALPS & ROUTE NAPOLEON along with the Gorge De Verdon, the balcony roads of the Gorge de Vercours and any other peaks, valleys & twisty road we can find along the way. All of this, before heading to visit Oradour sur Glane and then the Normandy beach war memorials on our way back to Cherbourg.

On our Twisties & Beer tour, we left Ballygawley/Monaghan and rode to Dublin to catch the ferry to Cherbourg. Geoff & Percy were travelling through the UK, to get to the Newhaven ferry to Dieppe, and I had us all booked into a cheap hotel with secure parking on the southern ring road of Chartres - in Barjouville - as that would be similar distances for both groups and would be a good start for our trip towards the Alps and beyond.

This trip had it all - something we will not forget. Riding to the highest paved road in Europe and then to visit Europe's version of the Grand Canyon. Great friends, craic, roads, scenery, beer, food, the odd mishap, rain, sunshine, no mechanical issues and a lot of laughs.

Thanks for watching our efforts and hopefully these videos will help inspire you to start planning your own trip, big or small, either solo or with friends. If we can do it, so can you. It was great meeting David at the bike queue for the ferry, who while nervous of the 3 week solo trip he had planned to do, and just go with the flow. I had completed a solo trip to watch the Bol D'Or 24 hour bike race in the Paul Ricard circuit near Toulon, when I was 23 many years ago, with a tent and the AA Camping and caravanning guide book, no mobiles etc and had a fantastic trip and experience. I hope David enjoyed his trip too.....The first step is said to be the hardest, but hats off - he was on the ferry, so good luck to him and all those who follow and share this fantastic and very fortunate way of travelling.

Cheers. T