This tour is awesome and as its my fifth time guiding it I was really looking forward to it, everytime I go back it just seems to get better! The weather was forecast to be brilliant as well, result!
The group met at Stop 24 Services on a sunny Saturday morning and without any fuss we rode to the check-in lanes for the EuroTunnel. Quickly through the check-in process and with hardly any time to grab a coffee, we rode on to the train and began our journey across the channel and into the unmistakable French countryside.
It’s always a bit manic riding away from the tunnel and unfortunately we managed to lose Adam and Andre with Andre’s wife riding pillion. Luckily Adam caught up very quickly but Andre found himself back at the tunnel. A quick GPS rerouting and they were on their way to the first coffee stop where we were waiting for them to catch up.
Riding across the french countryside, along the motorways you are aware of all the places that have recently been in the news as part of the 100 years since the end of WW1. Arras and Cambrai, with us also passing a memorial to the Canadians who fought in the war. It’s very sobering when you realise just how big that war was.
Our final stop before the hotel was at the Ossuary at Verdun which due to our late arrival was closed but we came back the following day as it was only a fifteen minute ride from our hotel. Our hotel was the lovely Les Jardins du mess, a 19th century building situated right in the centre of Verdun and positively lovely after a long day on the bike.