Vera packed and ready to roll ..

Fitted the new tank-bag as well. Plenty of room in there for those essentials to save me dipping into the panniers and top box.  It is also expandable and I may need to do that on the way back!

Once loaded I checked the TomTom clearance and fitted the security strap in case the Givi bag decided to fly off.  

The view from the saddle isn't too bad and the new bag doesn't obscure the TomTom at all. I had to make a few changes so that nothing clashes with the steering especially when using full lock to manoeuvre.

The speedometer is digital on the right side of the clocks and so isn't obscured. I can change that to kilometres when I land in France.

One thing I have packed in the tank-bag is a towel!  I have learned from experience over decades that waterproof gloves with a variety of linings, from Goretex to other copy versions, don't like wet hands going into them! So a small towel to dry them is essential.

According to the miles to empty display I have 123 miles before a fuel stop. I was going to do it on the way to Eurotunnel, and still might if the local garage is open, but it appears that French Unleaded 95 is about 30p a litre cheaper than locally in this part of Kent. We are royally ripped off down here!

With the weather hardly looking to have improved since I last looked on the BBC Weather app it looks as though we will be in waterproofs for the first couple of days.  First overnight stop is near Tours on the Loire.

Luckily it looks as though it improves to mid-20's in Spain and seems to be something similar for the ride back up the A20/N20 route towards Cahors and Orleans. 

Our last night in France on the way back is in Chartres.

So an early start tomorrow to make sure that we are on the train we have booked. It will be a miracle if that actually happens as my experience with Eurotunnel over twenty plus years isn't favourable! Whether in the car or MoHO or indeed, on the bike.

Decision made!

So it will piss down for 300 miles on our first day. And for part of the day after.

So I have decided to wear my Triumph Steve McQueen jacket. 

It's not going to be waterproof so like in Czech when it lashed down I will wear the Triumph overjacket to protect it. But it has loads of pockets that the Rev'It lacks!

When the going gets warmer it also has zipped vents that can be opened front and rear.

It looks once we cross into Spain early on  Friday that we will be into better weather with temperatures in the mid 20's centigrade.

I am hoping the crappy weather through France will have passed by the time we get into the Pyrenees.

Typical!

After a summer where the powers that be called a drought it has begun to change. 

Of course the change couldn't wait a few days. It will start on Wednesday. The day we are going to set off on this trip!!!!

The nearest weather to where I live and the Eurotunnel Terminal.

Then on the way on Wednesday once we have crossed the channel.

Our first overnight is just to the south of Tours. For some reason BBC weather couldn't show Tours but worked for nearby Amboise.

Thursday when we leave Tours and head for Orthez in the south looks pretty nasty as well.

Five days to go...

Now that we have no football this weekend as a show of rspect for the dath of HM The Queen, it gives me more time to fettle Vera for the trip. 

I have wasted too much time in trying to get my Shoei Qwest and the Cardo SHO-1 to work nly to find that the helmet lining has fallen to pieces rendering it useless!

I have managed to sort out the LS2 Metro reafy to wear. I bought it in 2016 and although some of the lining is showing a little wear, its foam hasn't turned to dust like the Shoei! The bluetooth kit is working.  

So back to Vera. I have already (touch wood) sorted the charging problem with the TomTom using the dashboard power socket. Making a cigarette lighter style plug was totally useless as it wobbled about in the socket and lost connection.  The TomTom then went crazy!

So I have bodged up what I hope will work. Photo to follow here!

The tyre pressures need checking and I will have to get the electric pump and gauge out of the MoHo and use that.  The PR5's are 40psi in the rear and 32/33 psi in the front.  

And of course, check the oil. Vera was serviced when I bought her 13 months ago and in that time I have only covered about 4500 miles. This trip will be about 2500 maximum and so still within the service period.  It's out of warranty so a few extra miles between services won't be too much of a bugger.

Less than 3 weeks to go...

We have had the routes sorted out for quite a while and the outward journey will be taking the westerly "N10" route nearly as far as Bayonne before cutting inland.

The first stop will be at the Kyriad Hotel in Chambray-les-Tours to the south of the main city of Tours. Claire and I stayed nearby many years ago at a Campanile Hotel.  I don't remember ever staying in a Kyriad before but they are part of a larger chain.

According to the route planning software it should take us the best part of seven hours to complete a non-toll journey of over 310 miles.  

Neill has planned the outward journey and we will follow a route he took a few years back when he did the trip solo.

There is a fuel stop around halfway where we can have lunch at a McDonalds. I don't tend to use them when away, and rarely at home, but they are good for free wifi and of course a McPee.

Day two is also a long day in the saddle. The planner shows it as 316 miles and another 7 hours in the saddle. The second overnight is still in France at another Kyriad in Orthez. 

I am hoping there ae some good cheap restaurants on both nights. As I have said I am not a great fan of dinner at McD!  But we need to try and keep costs down.

But before all that I need to make sure that Vera is up to the trip. She needs a good clean and the chain adjusted and cleaned.  Careful maintenance in the year since I bought the bike means that I have not had to adjust the chain myself. It was done when the new tyres were fitted.

On that front there should be plenty of life left in them and they may need replacing after I get back. The same goes for a service. I have done a little over 4000 miles in the last year and the interval is 7500. The trip to Spain will be about 2000 miles return.

This time I will take less with me as well. On the Czech trip many of the t-shirts and a pair of jeans had a round trip of 2000 miles without being worn or even removed from the bag!

You Tube Video Somport

Neill's Aragón Blog

https://ndtea.blogspot.com/2022/08/aragon-here-we-come.html

My brother has his own travel blogs to cover the trips he goes on. Most usually with his Route 66 mate Patrick.

I have then linked all on the right panel --------->

His are usually always one-off blogs for a particular trip and so this one linked above is different in that it covers different trips.

Tickets bought!

Eurotunnel was booked months ago and we have been waiting to see when tickets for the track went on sale.

This week as it happens.

To my amazement there is a 50% ticket reduction for those of us lucky to have lasted more that 65 years.

I tried for ages to book seats in Grandstand 1C but it didn't work. I messaged Neill and he tried.

I gave it one last time from the laptop and it worked successfully first time!

So two seats booked. I have offered to go 50/50 on the tickets. It means it will cost me €25 more than the senior ticket would have.

 Booking direct with Motorland rather than using the agents saves a few quid each.

Official Motorland Site