The beginning

Summer 2012.

  Honda Goldwing 1500SE      Alan 

  Yamaha FJR1300                  Bob                         Karen

  Honda Varadero XL1000v    Bram

  Honda VFR800                      Ian                          Claire

  Honda Goldwing 1800GL      Kevin                      Helen

  BMW 1600GTL                     Paul                        Pauline

  Suzuki V-Strom 1000             Sietse

Holland - Belgium - Luxembourg - France - Switzerland

3,169km/1,980miles - Route de Napoleon - Gorges du Verdon 

Millau Viaduct - Oradur Sur Glane - Somme

My name is Alan and I would like to share with you the story of what I consider to be a terrific adventure from start to end. In the hope that I can stimulate other motor bike enthusiast's to make their own trips or even follow this one. It may be helpful to know that while I now live in Holland I originally come from the North East of England.

The story of this adventure actually begins in the summer of 2010, When Kevin was planning a motor bike weekend in Scotland, being semi-retired it was an opportunity to good for me to miss. Kevin and Ian were part of the original Scottish bikers group. Bob/Karen, Paul/Pauline were like me and simply came along for the ride. While I had done group rides before this was my first group trip with over night stops. 

The weekend was a great success. The views, the roads and of course the company were simply magic. Despite the fact that we "enjoyed" heavy rain on the way back. 

The photo above is the group that I had my first real motorbike weekend with in Scotland.

This photo was taken at the top of the Applecross Pass which is in the Scottish highlands.

Starting from the left, back row. Standing alone Paul. Kevin (my brother), Ian, Pauline, Karen.

The two guys standing to the right had decided not to join us on our trip to France.

Front row from the left, Bob and then me.

Bram, one of the two Cloggies (Dutchmen) who are going with us, Bram has been exposed to the Geordie sense of humour before, so I have no doubt he can cope with us for a week. I did walk Hadrian's Wall with him so I know we can cope with him!

Siestse, the second Cloggie to join us. He was planning a Group bike trip to Norway but unfortunately for various reason's it wasn't going to happen. So naturally in my entheusiasm for our trip I invited him. Immeidiately he checked with his Boss at work and his Boss at home that there were no problems and in no time he was booked into our hotels. Making us now a group of seven bikers and four passengers. Having now done a few practice runs with him and tried the Geordie humour on him I feel sure he can cope? 

This is me with my nearly twenty year old Goldwing. I don't usually wear a reflective vest but for the trip I bought it, basically for two reasons firstly so I was easy to spotted by the rest of the Group but also so that other road users could see me as well.  

Having now the time to enjoy my bike I was looking for a challenge, and the thought of doing the Route de Napoleon started to blossom. Naturally as the route de Napoleon starts on the Mediterranean coast and runs up to Grenoble the questions start to come how, where, when and of course how much.


Having already done the Scottish trip it was easy for me to contact the bikers again and see if there was any interest to do the Route de Napoleon with me. Of the original seven bikers from the Scottish trip five including myself were keen to go.


Then of course it starts, the ideas and suggestions start. Can we fit the Gorges du Verdon in? It would be great if we could cross the Viaduct at Millau? Oradur Sur Glane is a special place to visit? I have always wanted to see some of the battlefields of the Somme?


The start has been made but can we fit it all in. That was the next question.