Day Five - Toulon to Roquebrune Cap Martin

Well today is my last driving day until Saturday.  It's a relatively short drive, only 120 miles.  I spent last night in an underground car park at Ibis Styles Toulon.  Even with Sat Nav I still had to ask a Gendarme for directions to get in.  I'm amazed by the lack of Red cars in France.  Either it's a political thing or red is too hard to keep clean.  In the south there seem to be more dark coloured cars, not sure why.  Black is the worst colour for showing up muck.  I was parked next to the Toulon Stadium so took these, Jonny Wilkinson was nowhere to be seen....

Toulon Stadium - They wouldn't let me on the turf.

No sign of Jonny Wilkinson today.

 Anyway, out of Toulon and onto the A57 and A8 to Antibes.  This section seems to have a never ending number of sections of toll road.  Some you get a ticket and pay at the end of the section, others you pay cash at the booth.  One was 80 cents but with no cash the card will cost about four quid - bugger!!!!!!!.  You NEED around 25 Euro in loose change from Calais to Antibes via my route for the tolls, PLUS a card for the longer stretches (I'll do a cost for fuel/tolls/etc later in the blog).

Just had to visit Antibes to tick a box.  Drove around the promenade and found a 2012 brother.

Best looking in foreground

Best looking one is at the front

Even though the Frenchy is a 2012 registration

Chose to ignore the Sat Nav and finished up on the battlements at the North side of Antibes.  One way through the market area, full of pedestrians, 10mph, then back along the battlements.  Dont know the history but Antibes was deffo defending something.  Then past the Marina (even two jags couldn't fit with his small wallet in here!!!), and along the seafront to Villeneuve -Loubet Plage.  Full of cars and everone laid on a beach full of large pebbles - NO SAND, just pebbles.

Back on the A8 and a series of tunnels and twists and turns to junction 58 and the D2564 down about five miles to Roquebrune Cap Martin.  On the way a quick break....

Me in the shade - you thought you'd get my number...no chance

Half way down the mountain, twists and turns then...wow

So, that's me in Roquebrune Cap Martin outside the Hotel Victoria.  Due to the lack of parking space even here, I'm having a couple of days rest (blocking a parking spot).  I'm straight opposite the bay, so forgive my artistic licence....... 

Give a French driver an inch in a BMW.... and he'll take your space too.

This is the view I am seeing tonight

Then, on Saturday morning I'm off for my photoshoot in Monte Carlo, hope to get some good shots, depends on where and when, will post what I can, then on to Monza for the night and then.................

Stelvio Pass.  Can't wait. . . .

Day Four - Millau to Toulon

Today was really going to be a boring trip to Toulon.  Surprisingly, it had a few surprises along the way.  First one, straight out of the starting-blocks and I got told - yes you WILL be photographed at the viaduct.  Not many cars get this honour.  I'm really up for this.....
So I drove back along the road from Millau to the toll booth end, paid my toll (about 9euro) and took the first slip road INTO the Millau Viaduct rest area.  You can't see the bridge whilst in there, but if travelling SOUTH, drive into and part-way out of the rest area, keep looking back and you get this....

Looking South (but I'm facing North) BRILLIANT, JUST BRILLIANT

Just had to do this in massive mode, it really means a lot to me.  Not every day does a British Architect get in at the French side of the Channel.  Talk about a way of putting a big smile on my face. Yesterday was a big NO, today it was yes, yes, yes.

So onward along the Auto Route, again NO POTHOLES, just brilliant driving tarmac.  Towards Montpellier and in the area of junction 50 to 52 you drive down the mountainside.  Honestly I drove at around 50mph down this left, right, left, right slalom for several miles, through the Tunnel de passage de l'Escalette, more slalom then normality...

Tunnel de passage de l'Escalette

onward to Montpellier where the mototway network is ballsed-up.  You finish up in town when a few million Euro's would bypass the place (a bit like Birmingham without the M42).  Montpellier suffers the same as any other city.  ROADS ARE CRAP.  Council prefers to spend on non-infrastructure projects (even if the money was for roads).  Sat Nav didn't recognise the place too well, but map reading got me onto the A9 to Nimes, the A54 to Aix-en-Provence and A52 to Toulon.
Round every corner is a surprise and overlooking La Ciotat is a rest area Aire du Pos Ouillier, with this view - much better in clearer conditions

View of La Ciotat from Aire du Pos Ouillier rest area

again, I can't get a photo, but I was parked in the shade....

Me in the shade at Aire du Pos Ouillier



A cooler device for travellers at a rest area.

 And at an Auto Route service area this device spurting out a cooling mist........... NO SURPRISE REALLY, THE TEMPERATURE WAS 32 deg C.

Came across a fair bit of roadworks from Aix en Provence to Toulon.  They were completing the concrete central barrier having widened the motorway from two to three lanes.  Speed limit - 110 kph (75mph).   WITH CONES PROTECTING LANE THREE - ANY CHANCE OF FRANCE TAKING OVER OUR MOTORWAY NETWORK????????? 

Some indiscrimate French person has unloaded his luggage and scraped my nearside in an underground car park this evening.  Hope he's first out the car park or he's gonna get a BIG shock tomorrow morning..........

Toulon to Monte Carlo tomorrow - slowly - loads of views - hopefully.






Thursday.........................................

Day Three - to Millau

I was hoping that my stopovers would allow much more time to enjoy the local sights, but time soon overtakes us and onwards we must go.

This morning, following a brief windscreen wash, it was back on the Auto Route from Bourges to Millau via Clermont Ferrand.  I have to say that this has been the most brilliant piece of Tarmac so far.  Not that any of the miles from Calais were poor, but from a driving view, it was just brilliant, NO POTHOLES.

Bourges to Clermont Ferrand was a Toll road.  120 miles of fenced-in tarmac.  Got a wave from another Brit en route (a white BMW towing a caravan - hiya to you).  Here on the Toll Roads you realise a pee can be a problem.  Those French park anywhere in the rest areas, but you can't take a motorway exit and dive into the bushes.  Oh no, French Tollkeepers have fenced the entire route.  You can't leave unless you pay. I paid at Clermont Ferrand.  Now no more tolls all the way to Montpellier on Day Four.

On to Millau, another 140 miles.  This road was twisting, up, down, viaducts, gorges, mountain tops (well some were 1000 metres above sea level.  We were HIGH.

At junction 7 I needed a break and photstop.  Just off the motorway, I parked up and got the Puy de Dome volcano (20 miles away) in the background. 

Just off J7, Puy de Dome in background

As above

The expanse of France is slowly coming to light.  The country is massive, full of farming, with fields full of sunflowers and other crops.  Roads with NO POTHOLES.
Back on again to the town of Massiac at J23.  Now you might think - why stop here?  Well I did, smashing town, quaint Railway Station, Spar Supermarket (open til 1300 on Sundays), and the town centre was busy with locals sitting out and taking in the really good weather 23 to 26 deg C today.

Railway Station - Massiac 

Then on again to J45, then D911 into Millau and my stopover tonight Ibis Millau.  You might not know this, but the Ibis and Mercure are in the same building.  How that works is anyones guess, but mine is... IBIS have floors one to four, Mercure have Five to Seven.  Only a theory..... but we all in the same building.

On the way out of town I passed my first French brother, note he has different wheels to me - had to photo this:

One of my French brothers with different wheels

Then straight up to the Millau Viaduct.  There's a visitor centre under the viaduct approached from one side of the river, as these views:

At the visitor centre under the viaduct

I am completely dwarfed by this bridge.

view from Le Clerc supermarket in Millau:

and on to the viewing area at the North side of the bridge, I'm not allowed in the human area:

Approaching from the North side road

From the viewing area (humans only)

At roadway level

Overlooking the rest area looking North.

There you have it, tomorrow I wll drive over the viaduct en route to Toulon.



Day One..and Two

On Friday morning, when the bells rang out for the start of those Athletic Games, I was loaded and ready to go to Dover.  That was it, really.  Started out at 0815, drove down the A1, M11 and M25 to the Dartford Crossing. 

Dartford Bridge in Traffic

The bridge took 15 minutes to cross but after that, all of the traffic was coming the other way.  (I took a couple of photo shots of Smogdon from the top of the Crossing, but didn't see the eye or much else due to the weather).

Smogdon from Dartford Bridge 1

Smogdon from Dartford Bridge 2

Why ANYONE wants to battle into and out of London in that is beyond me!!!!!
Sat under my carport, comfy, breathing FRESH Yorkshire air is better than anything London can churn out.

So on to Dover, well almost.  Drove into the Eurotunnel slip road thinking you get to a roundabout and get back on Motorway. . . NOT. . .    Then a few miles later, saw a sign for the Battle of Britain Memorial so just had to call by, take a few moments of thought, and a couple of photographs.

Centre Section of the Battle of Britain memorial tablet

Waiting for them to return...

Monty with a Spitfire in background

Monty beside the 1940 memorial

Managed to reach Dover by mid-afternoon and an early night before catching the 0420 ferry to Calais..

Bed

I'm booked on a P&O one.....

Calais has loads of onwards choices depending on where you are heading.  Leaving Calais at 0700, for me it was Rouen, Took a wrong turning and headed back to Paris (Versailles) and then the A10 to E10 and on to first stop Bourges. My tyres were pretty hot, kept a super pace for most of the route but a couple of jams were inevitable.  Only traffic - no accidents. Arrived in Bourges around 1500. 
AA Route Calais to Bourges 335 miles.  Monty (with detour) 354 miles.

IBIS Styles Bourges

Front Door IBIS Styles Bourges

Thought I might pop to the railway station and see if anything interesting, only this....
Not seen a drop of rain all day until posting this evening.


Railway Station Bourges



Same Again

MILLAU & BRIDGE TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Three Days to go....

Well, in three days time I set off on my trip to Monte Carlo, the Holy Grail of the Monte Carlo Rally. I can't imagine the preparation by those entering the rally every year, its a logistical challenge what with maps, sat nav, cool box, luggage, fuel, route, and getting away from the Olympic Arena.  I'm going around the M25 on Friday 27th so hope no delays.  WINDSCREEN WIPERS CROSSED. :-) :-)  MONTY.

First Steps...

I left the forecourt of D M Keith at Leeds on 7th September with enough fuel to get me to Morrisons (about 3/4 of a mile away).  I was filled up and brought home before being tucked-up under my personal bedclothes.

Over the next few weeks I had trips out to Scarborough, Bridlington and other local beauty spots (well some...), and covered 600 miles.




Scarborough with Lighthouse background



Scarborough Oliver's Mount monument





Tide out Scarborough North Bay




Scarborough Castle



I went to Harrogate (pronounced Harrow Gate according to posh locals) to the Country Fair on 22 October cos my owners had won tickets to the event.  We didn't stay too long before blasting up Sutton Bank, Helmsley, Pickering and home again.

The following weekend I went to Chesterfield to see some old steam and diesel engines.  Some engines were over 60 years old.  I didn't gert too close in case I got a touch of ferrous oxide fever.  Then to Nottingham, but no Goose Fair this weekend, and the following day to York and Bridlington.

The first weekend in December was an event.  I set off on Friday 2nd to go to Land's End, yes, bonkers in December, but seemed a good idea during October when the weather was much better.  I drove to Plymouth first, then to the "Union Inn" pub, just across the water in Saltash.  The pub faces the waterfront, with a statue of Isambard Brunel underneath the Tamar Railway bridge.  Cars driving from Devon into Cornwall cannot see this view from the roadunless you stop at the viewing point at the Devon side.




Monty at Tamar Bridge




Tamar Bridge - Cornwall bound





Union Inn - Saltash





Brunel Monument - Saltash






Brunel Monument under Tamar Bridge


I slept in Liskeard then blasted to Lands End on the Saturday morning arriving at 9am.  The place was deserted.  No other cars in the car park.  No humans in the complex.  Sneaked a phot in the entrance.  You can't do that in summer!!!!



Entrance to Land's End complex


It was raining, windy, cold and I had to wait over an hour for the Land's End photographer to arrive.  When he did arrive the sun had come out and it had stopped raining....just.

After the photshoot, it was back to Penzance, a photo with Saint Michaels Mount in the background....

...and off to Weston Super Mare to see a septogenarian.  She was the only other person apart from my owners to be transported by me in 2011.  Gotta keep these seats as-new.  Then it was M5 home and back under my cover.

The rest of December was pretty steady until the Christmas blues took effect.  Boxing Day and dad says "lets go to Tan Hill Inn".  It was windy, cold, wet and after Reeth the road had been resurfaced. CHIPPINGS!!!! Hate 'em. Didn't stay long at Tan Hill (could show the video of the pub sign almost horizontal due to the wind - fit the best - Everest!!!!!!!!).  All of the photo's were blurred.




Reeth





Tan Hill - blurred by the wind





Hawes - going home


So that was it for 2011, but July and August 2012 is going to be an event without any Olympics.  I'm going to my namesake....MONTE CARLO. Watch this space......