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Although we were heading for Switzerland (see Switzerland 2006 page) we decided to meander across northern France, as although I have passed that way many times, I have never really taken the time to have a real look around. Got the Norfolk Lines ferry from Dover to Dunkerque and stopped overnight in the Kyriad Hotel at Loon Plage which is only around 2mls from the ferry port and only 2mls from the main A16/E40 Autoroute so is absolutely ideally situated. First time I have  stayed in a Kyriad Hotel, normally use Formule 1’s as they are so cheap but the Kyriad was so handy. Turned out to be OK, 60 euro’s for a twin room but with en-suite facilities and a bar and a decent but reasonably priced restaurant in the nearby Premiere Class Hotel. If you want to save a bit of money don’t order a meal, simply ask for the buffet starter and suite, around 14 euros and you can go around as many times as you like. I’ve probably mentioned this before but if when you book in to most French hotels etc. you ask for secure parking for the motorcycles, there usually isn’t any but they either let you park right outside your room window or right in front of the main entrance to the hotel, as was the case with the Kyriad. This was just as well as when we were there we saw several groups of would be ‘asylum seekers’ living rough in the nearby woods. The hotel staff were aware of them but even so, don’t be tempted to leave any loose luggage on your bike. That said we never had a problem but probably due to the fact that we did’nt take any chances. Next day t urned out to be a scorcher - around 35c so we stopped in Peronne, around 120mls away. We were only going to stop for a break but found out that there was a camp site just on the edge of town with a pool so we thought ‘why not’ so we did. The camp site was called le Port du Plaisence on the N17 about a mile from the centre of Peronne in the direction of Eterpigny, turn right at the Total garage and then about 500yds down the road. It had a good pool, a small shop and a bar and was just a nice walk from the town for a cool beer in the evening. Peronne itself is a nice little town and is worth stopping at for the Historial de la Grande Guerre or War Museum. Peronne was behind the German lines during  the Great War and the museum is dedicated to the Battle of the Somme. The camp site can be very busy during the peak holiday period, especially at weekends as many people use it is a overnight transit site due to it’s good proximity to the main channel ports and there were a large number of British caravanners present when we were there. Indeed the site was so handily placed we decided to stop there on the way back. Pushed on a bit further the next day stopping at a camp site in the village of Buzancy in the Champagne Ardenne region. Only managed around 120mls as again it was scorching, around 35c. The site itself was good with lake swimming, a small shop, chip van and excellent shower facilities and just a short walk to a good restaurant in the village. Next day saw us at a campsite in Rothau which is near to the German Concentration Camp of Natzwiller which was where we were heading. Natzwiller was the only concentration camp o n French soil and although not classed as a ‘death camp’ it is estimated that there were approx 25,000 deaths at the camp, many as a result of being worked to death. There was a gas chamber and crematorium and also medical experimentation block at the camp and many of those murdered there were members of the French resistance. One of the early commandants at Natzwiller was Joseph Kramer who was later to become commandant at both Auschwitz and Belsen where he was arrested by the British at the liberation of Belsen. Visiting any place such as this I would defy anyone not to be deeply moved when seeing the actual gas chamber, crematorium and cell blocks that have been preserved at the camp and particularly when one reads the various plaques around the site that detail what went on there. As we were leaving the site we noticed large coach parties of both French and German school children being shown around the camp and it struck all of us there that whereas in the current ‘Politically Correct’ climate in Britains schools where the past is being buried in case it happens to offend anyone, elsewhere history is still seen as being important especially something like the concentration camps where lessons from the past can still be learnt. From Natzwiller we carried on to Switzerland for a week as planned but meandered back through France on the return. Stopped at a site in the small town of Masevaux which turned out to be owned and run by a Scots couple. Camping De Masevaux is another site I would happily stay at again. Good facilities including a small bar and with food and a nearby Municipal Swimming Pool. Left Masevaux next morning on the D466 which turned out to be one of the best roads I have ever ridden. Shortly after leaving Masevaux the road started to climb and had a really twisty section that was so enjoyable, even on a fully laden Pan that we all felt like riding back down and doing it all over again. From the paint on the road it appears that that particular section is used often for cycle races, including the Tour de France. All was not joy however as not long after one of the guys had a rear wheel puncture which was actually the second he had suffered in a week, the first being in Switzerland which had already resulted in a brand new tyre, not cheap when it is for an FJ1300. We managed to plug this one but only by using two plugs in the same hole. Obviously it would not have been wise to carry on regardless so we pulled off the road and into the town of Epinal where we were lucky enough to find MotoExpert. As luck had it they were just closing for the normal (in France) 2hr lunch  break but they parked the bike in the workshop and invited us to join them for lunch at a biker cafe across the other side of town. After lunch a brand new rear tyre was fitted and we obtained a new puncture repair kit with a 50% discount. This was Steve’s second puncture in under a week. It was duly noted that none of the rest of us had had a puncture and we were all riding the same roads. Steve was the only one who was’nt using any sort of puncture sealer. I have used Ultraseal for some years now and whilst I have never had a puncture in that time I can’t obviously claim for certain that it was down to the Ultraseal. On both occasions Steve’s tyre had been punctured by sharp strips of metal, not nails. I had some cuts in the tyre tread, not noticeably serious but visible. The thought of a front tyre blow-out at 100mph on the Autoroute makes the approx £20 for the treatment of two tyres seem a small price to pay to reduce the chances of such a blow-out. Having lost so much time with the puncture we only managed another 100 or so miles before stopping at a Municipal camp site in Bar le Duc. I don’t know if I have mentioned this before but a number of French towns have council run or ‘Municipal’ camp sites. These are generally much cheaper than commercial sites although generally don’t have pools or bars but all that I have stayed on have always been clean and with good shower facilities and are generally within the town so usually mean only a short walk for a night out. Bar le Duc was no different, very basic but get this - only 13.60 Euros for all six of us in six tents for the night, or approx £1.60p each. Pushed on the next day back to Peronne as the site was not too far from Dunkerque and it meant we could simply meander back, which as it was Bastille Day found us stopping in Arras for the parades. Arras is a town I have passed through before but never stopped. I never realized what a beautiful town it is, (see photos 2006 page below). The town was crowded when we got there but the local police were brilliant, waving us through the barriers so that we could park the bikes right in the town centre. I’ve found this many times, that the French are generally much more friendly towards bikers than they are at home and yes I have been pulled for speeding before but got off with just a ‘talking to’. After that it was back to the Kyriad Hotel and the ferry back to Dover but we have already booked for 2007, going back to Camping-Moto in the Dordogne for a few days, (just love the atmosphere there), and have wanted to see the Millau Bridge ever since it opened.
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