Ladies Ride to France with Elspeth Beard 6-9th June 2024 DEPOSIT
(MLEB2024)
£50.00
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Ladies Ride to France with Elspeth Beard 6-9th June 2024 DEPOSIT
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(MLEB2024)
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Ladies Ride to France with Elspeth Beard 6-9th June 2024 DEPOSIT Product Information
THIS TRIP IS NOW FULL BUT WE ARE RUNNING A WAITING LIST SO PLEASE PHONE US ON 01483 407500 IF YOU ARE INTERESTED.
We did one of these rides before Covid. We were going to do one last year but, honestly, we didn't get our act together. What we came to realise was that, with most households having just the one multi-tasker on the books, arranging time out for an event like this takes a bit more forward planning. We simply left it too late. So, this time round, we're building in a greater notice period!
Anyway, the previous format worked pretty well, so we're looking at doing something similar. Let's go through the basic itinerary, but early next year Chris and I will recce the final route, book lunch venues, hotels and so on.
We'll set off from ML pretty early on Thursday 6th June. The plan will be to get to the Eurotunnel in time for something like a nine o'clock train. Once on the other side, we'll put in about 50 miles or so, taking us to lunch at Montreuil sur Mer. After lunch, another 50 miles or so headed towards Reims before a stop for tea. After tea another 50 miles or so heading south east; overnighting somewhere like St. Quentin.
We'll be finding comfortable 'Logis de France' hotels which, as you some of you may know, are often referred to as fine dining establishments, with rooms attached. Last time round we shared rooms. Those who don't want to, don't have to; but we need to be mindful that the kind of places we'll be staying won't have an endless quantity of rooms.
We'll have dinner, obviously, and either tonight or the following night Elspeth Beard, who will be riding with us, will talk to us about the round-the-world trip she embarked upon when she was aged just 23.
The next day we'll be covering less than we did the first day. But essentially we will break the ride down into 50 mile schleps. 50 miles to our first coffee break. 50 miles to lunch. 50 miles to afternoon tea. Then another 50 to the hotel. So both today and tomorrow, we'll be covering between 200 and, at the most, 250 miles.
We are not in a rush. The riding will be relaxed. The roads in France are great. They are open and smooth, and even though we will be keeping off the main roads we will still make good progress. We will be backed up by a 'man in a van'. The van will carry all our luggage, and will be able to transport one or two bikes if we encounter issues.
Tonight's destination is Sancerre. Same kind of deal with the hotel. In the afternoon, the plan will be to do a tour of one of the vineyards. Again, we will wine and dine with gusto.
The next day will be Saturday, and our ride home. Now nothing buttoned down yet, but today will be relaxed, even though we might cover a few more miles. And I say that because we don't need to be at the Ouistreham, just outside Caen until c.10.00 pm. We know a fabulous restaurant just outside the port, so we will aim to get dinner there before we board.
The boat will dock in Portsmouth about seven o'clock on Sunday morning, and what we did last time was join up with our partners at the Plucky Pheasant at Newlands Corner for a farewell breakfast.
We clearly haven't buttoned down all the details yet, but this is Motolegends, so we like to do these things with a certain sense of style. We won't be setting out to scare the locals. We won't be racing anywhere. The plan is to find lovely, quiet roads, some nice hotels and fabulous eateries.
If you've never ridden in France, you've missed out. But don't worry; it's much safer than riding over here! The roads are beautifully maintained. The visibility inspires confident. And motorists will invariably pull over to let you come by.
In terms of bikes, we reckon anything over about 350 cc will cope fine. We won't be doing huge miles, but we will still be in the saddle for four to six hours every day, so you will want something comfortable, and reasonably long legged.
Over the years, Chris and I have been involved with lots of customer rides, both here in the UK, and overseas. But I have to tell you that the most fun ones have always been our ladies' rides. I am not trying to make a point here. But on a ladies' ride, nobody ever seems to be out to make a point, or to impress. The rides are very supportive. There's always a lot of noise. And there's a lot of laughter. You will make new friends.
Now, we will be about 20 souls in total, and if you would like to join us, we would ask you to click here and put down a £50 deposit. The deposit is returnable, but this is the only way, we have found, to gauge interest. We reckon that the final cost will be in the region of £600. This will include ferries, accommodation, lunches and dinners. And the man in the van. We'll put together a kitty for coffee and tea stops, and for drinks of an evening. You cover your own petrol, obviously.
We will keep everybody updated on the arrangements. As I have mentioned, Chris and I will drive the route in early spring to button down all the details.
Anyway, I hope you can join us. It will be a blast!