Car and Guitar solo road trip.
Discussion
br d said:
Dan,
No special secret places, I just drive about wherever I like the look of. Plenty of that type of countryside in Central Loire where I am now. I've also had a lot of fun around the Beaune area (which is a cracking place anyway and worth the visit even without a car).
France is way too big to get a handle on all the driving conditions but everything is here.
Most people always seem to want mountain roads, lovely for the scenery and all that but I prefer the flat stuff for early morning blasting!
Nothing on the car front today, driven all around Tours for an hour and a half and haven't seen anything remotely interesting, might be time to move the thread to Mumsnet.
Good info, thanks No special secret places, I just drive about wherever I like the look of. Plenty of that type of countryside in Central Loire where I am now. I've also had a lot of fun around the Beaune area (which is a cracking place anyway and worth the visit even without a car).
France is way too big to get a handle on all the driving conditions but everything is here.
Most people always seem to want mountain roads, lovely for the scenery and all that but I prefer the flat stuff for early morning blasting!
Nothing on the car front today, driven all around Tours for an hour and a half and haven't seen anything remotely interesting, might be time to move the thread to Mumsnet.
If you like Beane
This place is a must for petrol and/or wine heads!
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g12...
This place is a must for petrol and/or wine heads!
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g12...
mikey k said:
If you like Beane
This place is a must for petrol and/or wine heads!
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g12...
Yep, I visited that last year, great place! This place is a must for petrol and/or wine heads!
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g12...
Yesterday was a very quiet day, woke in the morning to this:
Oh dear.
And I'd had a couple of bottles in the bar before I went back to my room, as you can imagine I wasn't feeling too wonderful. Still, it is a holiday after all.
Headed up to Ruoen. The hotel here is superb, right in the middle of the old town.
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/uroak-hotel-...
I've got a room at the top with a view over the square:
Getting in and out of the Hotel car park is a bugger though, about an inch to spare either side.
As I got here I realised I'd left my passport and driving licence in the hotel safe in Tours, something to do with all those empty bottles no doubt. Sod driving all the way back down there though, they are sending them up (if they don't get here by Sunday I'm going to have to stay longer, nightmare!).
Went out for a drive about this morning, traffic is a bit mad. I found some reviews of a village about 45 minutes away called Lyon De Foret which was supposed to be lovely so I headed out there, took a blinding road over the hills and was thrashing through the countryside when I spotted an Orange Lambo up ahead.
Floored it to catch up and a Megane Sport pulled out behind it too, both on English plates. They pulled over and I came alongside, driver dropped his window and said they had lost the rest of their convoy, we were blocking the road anyway so I just said "I'll see you down there"(I'm going down to Saint Saturnin for the English gathering tomorrow). I carried on then a few miles later the same guys plus a load more cars came out of a side turning, I waved them all out and they drove on and stopped at Lyon de Foret.
Turns out they'd booked dinner here on there way down.
They graciously accepted me tagging along so we all went and had dinner.
A lovely bunch of guys, there are a few PH's amongst them but it was a bit of a whirl of names and faces. The bloke who was doing his best to organise the rabble and was in the orange 550-2 was Peter.
If any of you are reading this thanks, it was a pleasant surprise to run into you all.
Some very nice cars, a few pics:
Gym and swim tonight so I can be fresh for the gathering tomorrow, leaving early in the morning. If all goes to plan I should be back here by about 4pm, an hour to fill this thread with car pics from Le Mans then out on the piss in Ruoen! Friday night as well, I'm not coming back to the hotel until I've forgotten where it is.
Oh dear.
And I'd had a couple of bottles in the bar before I went back to my room, as you can imagine I wasn't feeling too wonderful. Still, it is a holiday after all.
Headed up to Ruoen. The hotel here is superb, right in the middle of the old town.
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/uroak-hotel-...
I've got a room at the top with a view over the square:
Getting in and out of the Hotel car park is a bugger though, about an inch to spare either side.
As I got here I realised I'd left my passport and driving licence in the hotel safe in Tours, something to do with all those empty bottles no doubt. Sod driving all the way back down there though, they are sending them up (if they don't get here by Sunday I'm going to have to stay longer, nightmare!).
Went out for a drive about this morning, traffic is a bit mad. I found some reviews of a village about 45 minutes away called Lyon De Foret which was supposed to be lovely so I headed out there, took a blinding road over the hills and was thrashing through the countryside when I spotted an Orange Lambo up ahead.
Floored it to catch up and a Megane Sport pulled out behind it too, both on English plates. They pulled over and I came alongside, driver dropped his window and said they had lost the rest of their convoy, we were blocking the road anyway so I just said "I'll see you down there"(I'm going down to Saint Saturnin for the English gathering tomorrow). I carried on then a few miles later the same guys plus a load more cars came out of a side turning, I waved them all out and they drove on and stopped at Lyon de Foret.
Turns out they'd booked dinner here on there way down.
They graciously accepted me tagging along so we all went and had dinner.
A lovely bunch of guys, there are a few PH's amongst them but it was a bit of a whirl of names and faces. The bloke who was doing his best to organise the rabble and was in the orange 550-2 was Peter.
If any of you are reading this thanks, it was a pleasant surprise to run into you all.
Some very nice cars, a few pics:
Gym and swim tonight so I can be fresh for the gathering tomorrow, leaving early in the morning. If all goes to plan I should be back here by about 4pm, an hour to fill this thread with car pics from Le Mans then out on the piss in Ruoen! Friday night as well, I'm not coming back to the hotel until I've forgotten where it is.
sealtt said:
Hi Br D,
Nice thread you have here, stunning car to be doing it in as well. Did you just get it recently? I'm becoming a big fan of McLaren, will certainly take a look at them once I am ready to trade in my F430 Spider.
I'm not very good at spending much time on my own and am not much of a musician, so I don't think this would be the setup for me.... BUT, squeeze a few bags & my fiancee into the Ferrari, swap the photo of the french girl for a sneaky glance at checkout, and it looks like a fantastic trip!
We love visiting Chateaus and such like, so I'll keep on watching with interest your route.
Ever done any good trips in the UK?
Enjoy!
Thanks seal.Nice thread you have here, stunning car to be doing it in as well. Did you just get it recently? I'm becoming a big fan of McLaren, will certainly take a look at them once I am ready to trade in my F430 Spider.
I'm not very good at spending much time on my own and am not much of a musician, so I don't think this would be the setup for me.... BUT, squeeze a few bags & my fiancee into the Ferrari, swap the photo of the french girl for a sneaky glance at checkout, and it looks like a fantastic trip!
We love visiting Chateaus and such like, so I'll keep on watching with interest your route.
Ever done any good trips in the UK?
Enjoy!
Picked the car up early March, hasn't missed a beat yet.
I have done a few English trips but just there and back really, Europe is just much more fun for actually driving about.
I've done a couple of French trips in the past in a 430, had a great time and my partner came on those as well. She's not into the whole thrashing about the countryside thing like me so she's happy to let me come out here on my own and get on with it. Perfect woman!
Get something planned, you wont regret it!
BobSaunders said:
Any service station bins?
Receptionists in bikinis?
Awesome trip OP - totally jealous.
Just seen this Bob! Yeah the bin, that was pretty interesting!Receptionists in bikinis?
Awesome trip OP - totally jealous.
The girl in pics at the hotel is the one who offered to do them in the bikini last time, didn't think to ask this time, suitable man point deduction.
Well, I know I was supposed to be going to bed early but after killing myself in the gym I can have a couple of these can't I?
This place is mad, this is the bar.
And this is the floor:
That's the swimming pool down there, when your swimming you can see people buying drinks, very clever, it works!
And these are my fine barmen tonight:
This place is mad, this is the bar.
And this is the floor:
That's the swimming pool down there, when your swimming you can see people buying drinks, very clever, it works!
And these are my fine barmen tonight:
Brilliant last day, went out to the Seine National Park and drove right through it on the D90. These D roads are were it's at, loads of flat fast stuff, twisty wooded sections and intermittent gorgeous little villages.
After the D90 I just let the sat nav take me wherever, there's miles and miles of this sort of stuff around there:
Great fun.
All this stuff is in the Ruoen area which is only a 2 hour drive from Calais, so much easily accessible, great driving roads out here.
Made a balls up. Found a little petrol station in the middle of nowhere, just a couple of pumps that take cards. Stuck the card in, faffed about for a while trying to work out the instructions then it said "Card accepted fill the car maximum 120 Euros" in French obviously. When I lifted the 98 pump it wouldn't let me do it and said "Wrong Nozel", same with the 95, I'd messed it up and ordered Diesel. Nothing I could do, couldn't go back or cancel it just sat there telling me to fill with Diesel.
b
d thing! So if somebody comes in after me in a Diesel they're going to get 120 Euros of free juice.
Last few beers and a Pizza tonight then back to Blighty tomorrow.
What's your weather like?
After the D90 I just let the sat nav take me wherever, there's miles and miles of this sort of stuff around there:
Great fun.
All this stuff is in the Ruoen area which is only a 2 hour drive from Calais, so much easily accessible, great driving roads out here.
Made a balls up. Found a little petrol station in the middle of nowhere, just a couple of pumps that take cards. Stuck the card in, faffed about for a while trying to work out the instructions then it said "Card accepted fill the car maximum 120 Euros" in French obviously. When I lifted the 98 pump it wouldn't let me do it and said "Wrong Nozel", same with the 95, I'd messed it up and ordered Diesel. Nothing I could do, couldn't go back or cancel it just sat there telling me to fill with Diesel.
b
d thing! So if somebody comes in after me in a Diesel they're going to get 120 Euros of free juice.Last few beers and a Pizza tonight then back to Blighty tomorrow.
What's your weather like?
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