Taxi & Bos Holiday

Day 1 - Friday 11th

Barnsley - Portsmouth

Portsmouth - Caen

Caen - St Quentin Sur Le Homme

Start Taxi:40685

End Taxi:41220

Start Bos:2035

End Bos:2538

Saturday morning was grey and wet but soon cleared up. We were only around 50 miles away from the rally, so after a stop for breakfast we arrived at the rally at about 10.30 and soon had our tent set up.

We had a great time chatting to people, going on the rideout and enjoying the meal and entertainment in the evening. We went to bed relatively early as we wanted an early start and had our first day of riding the next day

We awoke at around 6am, very cold and damp - much like the weather. As the facilities weren't open and breakfast wasn't until much later we just packed up and said our goodbyes.

The sat nav guided us to a nearby MacDonalds where we stopped and I ordered breakfast in my very best French. Fed and watered we continued on our way. As we approached Le Mans we began to run low on petrol, so decided to follow signs for a local 24 hour supermarket. We arrived in a little place called Loue and rode through the centre, out the other side and back in again with no sign of the store.

I bit the bullet and asked a couple of locals for directions - and they understood me! We followed their directions and soon arrived at the store. I tried my credit card in the pump and magically it worked - hurrah! a big improvement on our last journey through France! We had a quick snack and set off again, driving through Le Mans to the sound of the vintage cars racing around and even doing a bit of the 24hour circuit ourselves.

By now it was very warm, so we pulled in to a local bar and I bought a bottle of water. Shortly after we set off Bos's scoot decided to start playing up again but we managed to carry on. The weather also improved and it was soon quite warm - a big improvement on the morning.

Around 4pm we were about 15 miles away from Tours when I started feeling very ill and tired, so i made Bos pull in. We stopped at a cafe but it was closed for a private party, so we parked to the side where I sat in a tired heap and had a nap while Bos played with his scoot again.

Some of the family came out, interested in the scooters, so I explained that we were on our holiday and were riding to Spain. They told us that the celebration was for their grandmothers birthday, Vespas were very popular in France and a few of their friends had them before wishing us a safe journey. The pain killers, nap and water had done their work and I was able to carry on and we were soon riding over the Loire, into Tours past the Hotel de Ville and out the other side, arriving at our hotel at about 5pm - too late to go into town for a walk around, which was a pity as there were several sites I had wanted to see :o(

After a shower and putting on some normal clothes we headed out to find a restuarant, only to find that while we had been changing the heavens had opened. We found an Italian restaurant nearby and had a simple meal of pasta and salad. We were back in the hotel for 8 and asleep by 8.30!

After a great nights sleep we woke up at 6, much refreshed and looking forward to the day ahead. We packed and had breakfast and were on the road for 7am as we knew that we might have trouble with buying food or fuel in some places in the afternoon due to it being Bastille day. We set off in blazing sunshine but had gone less than a mile when Bos's scoot started acting up again.

After god knows how many stops and starts we pulled into a supermarket having gone no more than 10 miles. While I went in to use their facilities (my tummy was playing up!) and to buy supplies for lunch, Bos decided that instead of the problem being with the spark it must be with fuel, so he opened up his carb and changed the atomiser and some of the jets. We then filled up and set up once more - it was now 10am!

It seemed that the new jets had done the trick as both scoots ran beautifully and we were soon riding along fantastic tree lined roads, climbing hills and passing farms. However, as we approached a place called Chatereaux the scoot started playing up again. We pulled in to a MacDonalds for a coffee and Bos took his carb apart again, cleaning the float chamber filter and finding a bit of fluff in it - aha! that must have been the problem.

We headed towards Montlucon, passing through Culan, a fortress town, where preparations were well on the way for Bastille day with the local band and fire service practising their displays in the main square. The fortress was on the far side and was well worth stopping and looking at.

As our stomachs started rumbling we kept our eyes open for a picnic spot, soon spotting one on the other side of the road and pulling in. There were a couple of English guys on bikes just finising their meal there already so we made our way over. It turned out they had just been to the Stella Alpina bike meet which was in northern Italy and were just on their way home via the scenic route. After about half an hour of swapping stories they set off and we got on with our lunch.

We arrived in Montlucon on dregs of petrol and soon found a 24 hour garage, but my card did not work - eek! A bit more wandering around found us at a large Carrefour and much to my relief my card worked! Filled up once more we set off on the last part of our journey for that day - to Clermont Ferrand. The road wound steadily upwards with lots of twists and turns and surrounded by pine trees. We arrived at a panoramic view spot and were able to look down into the valley we had just climbed up and at a ruined castle that was perched on a hill.

Cars came and went, one of which was driven by a young French man who came over to talk to us about the scoots. He asked where we were going, so we explained. He told us that we should make time to see the volcanoes around Clermont Ferrand as they were not to be missed. Unfortunately as we had wasted the whole morning sorting out Bos's scoot we had no time for sight seeing, pulling in to our hotel at 7pm - a whole day to do just over 200 miles!

I awoke at about 6.30 with my shoulder killing me, so popped some more pain killers before packing and loading up the scoot. We set off at 8am after breakfast, but it was not long before Bos's scoot starting playing up again. So began the usual morning ritual of stop/start, tinker and try different things to find the problem. In the end he decided that the only thing to do was another complete carb strip down so we turned off the road to find a quite spot to perform the surgery.

Half an hour and one fly in the float chamber later the scoot was rebuilt and we were back on the road again. But it had made no difference. We limped along for a little longer before pulling off the road and into yet another MacDonalds. I grabbed a couple of coffees while Bos took out his petrol tank and checked his fuel lines. As there was a shop next door I went and bought supplies for lunch - bread, cheese, ham and fruit. We took advantage of being near petrol to fill up and set off once more. This time the scoot behaved itself, so we breathed a sigh of relief and settled down to enjoy the ride.

As we had a lot of miles to do today we had opted for the faster E11 road, which although like our A roads, was a lot more scenic consisting of a climb up to 1100metres. After a couple of hours Bos's scoot started playing up again. At a total loss he decided to change his stator plate, which he duly did, and off we went again. Everything was working perfectly - so we thought we had finally found the solution to the problem.

We pulled off for lunch at a picnic area that boasted a fantastic viaduct and enjoyed half an hour relaxing in the sunshine before setting off again. The next stage of our journey would take us over the Millau Viaduct.

When we were planning our route we had decided to go through Millau as it was a route that Bos has used on his way to Majorca in previous years. When I was talking to a colleague at work about our plans he asked if we were going over the viaduct. I hadn't heard of it, so he emailed me some pictures and my heart sank! I don't do heights very well and this monster was taller than the Eiffel Tower in places!! Eek! I had an agreement with Bos that I would make up my mind if we were going over it or under through Millau itself when we got there - though I knew he really wanted to go over it.

I first spotted the bridge about 20km away - it was HUGE! and my stomach started to churn. As we got closer it was lost from view and it wasn't until we were nearly on top of it that I saw it again - time to make a decision! With a big gulp I paid the toll fee of €3.70 and we made our way to the viewing area to take some pictures. The walk up to the viewing area did nothing for my peace of mind - especially when looking down into the valley and reading that the bridge was 2.5Km long! Still, it was too late now, and you have to face your fears, so off we went.

Needless to say I survived the crossing and was even able to relax once I saw the high barriers that were in place at the edge, although I kept my eyes straight ahead!! Time was marching on now, so we decided to stop for dinner and some petrol so that when we finally arrived at Beziers all we had to do was shower and sleep. We came off the motorway and took the N9, passing through a long mountain tunnel and coming out the other side onto a beautiful, winding road that took us down from the heights we had been travelling at for most of the day to something nearer sea level. I was dead on my feet by the time we arrived at Bezier so just took some more pain killers and crashed out!

Another day, same old routine - up, pack, breakfast and off. Today we set off at about 8.30. Half an hour into the journey and all seemed to be going well - could we have finally sorted the problem with Bos's scoot? Obviously not! We had just passed through Narbonne - noting that the Tour De France was due there later in the week - when the scoot starts playing up again.

Poor old Bos had tried everything - 3 new spark plugs, 3 different suppressor caps, a new HT lead, countless carb strip downs, new stator etc etc but the problem was just not apparrent. There seemed to be no pattern to give clues so we pulled in and Bos performed yet another carb strip down by the side of a ramshackle old house and a vineyard. Getting desperate Bos took off my carb and put it on his scoot - taking it for a test ride - but no joy! By now Bos is shouting at his scoot - threatening to trade her in, ship her home in a van - you name it!

After a couple of hours we decided to push on, but didn't get very far, this time Bos changed the coil, but we didnt' even get 100metres before it conked out again. I asked Bos to humour me and to pour in his can of spare fuel - amazingly it worked and we were able to continue until lunch without anymore problems. Therefore we worked out that the problem was related to the level of fuel so when we stopped for lunch we filled up and were able to carry on riding for the rest of the day without any problems.

By now it was very hot, so I changed from my normal jacket to one a had bought specifically for this holiday. I had affectionately named it my T-Bag coat as it had mesh panels on the front, side and back to let air flow through, while still having armour to protect me if anything nasty happened. I am happy to report that it worked perfectly and there was no repeating of my tantrum next to the Rhine a couple of years ago!!

We rode along the coast and soon came to Perpignan which was very busy, so it was with relief that we passed through it and started to climb the Pyrenees up to the Spanish border. The roads were excellent, with brilliant views that we were able to relax and enjoy as we got stuck behind a camper van that was going even slower than us!

Once over the border and into Spain it seemed like all the lorries we had avoided by taking quieter roads over the few days had gathered together to see if they could push us off the road - in fact they did as it was safer to ride on the hard shoulder! After a quick stop to fill up and have a cold drink we were on our way - the last stretch to our destination of Barcelona. Before long we could see the Mediterranean and were soon riding alongside it on roads lined with palm trees - bliss!

The last few miles had to be done by motorway as our hotel was on the other side of Barcelona - but the Sat Nav said it wasn't far - approximately 20 minutes - yeah right!! We got caught up in rush hour as we had arrived much later than planned and spent the next 3 hours stopping and starting, filtering, changing lanes at the last minute and getting very stressed when we missed our turn off!

We finally arrived at our hotel at 8.50, I was so tired i was shaking. Luckily there was a lift and a luggage cart so we only had to make one journey to get all our gear into our air conditioned room - bliss! I ran a bath (which is unusual for me) and lay there for about 20 minutes and then collapsed on the bed while Bos had his. Too tired to go out we opted to eat in the hotel restaurant, sitting down to eat at nearly 11pm. An hour later we collapsed into bed - absolutely knackered but glad we had arrived safe and sound!

Our time in Barcelona was spent doing all the usual touristy things - La Rablas, the marina, all of Gaudis brilliant work, the Olympic stadium etc etc. Every day was filled from start to finish with wonderful things I had always wanted to see. Bos was fascinated by the number of bikes and scooters and the way they were able to get to the front of traffic so that when the lights changed it looked like a scene from Wacky Races!

We spotted loads of Vespas - in fact it was a joke of ours that they could be found on any corner - and the majority of times we were right! We also saw loads of Lambrettas - far more than we had seen when in Italy, although they were all Servetas.

One day we returned to the hotel slightly earlier than usual so that Bos could take out his fuel tank and see if there was anything obviously wrong - but inside it was perfectly clean and the fuel line wasn't kinked or trapped on anything so the only thing we could think of was the fuel tap, but as Bos didn't have the right spanner to undo it, he had to just leave it and ensure that we always had our fuel cans filled up when we were travelling.

I took millions of pictures, but will only bore you with a few here!

As we wanted an early start we had gone to bed early on the Saturday night and set the alarm on my mobile for 5.55 - however, I had forgotten that it was still on English time, doh! So we set off at 8 instead of 7 - never mind!

Because of the horrible ride in to Barcelona we had talked about going the more scenic route, but when we compared distances it was over 50 miles longer, so we decided to bite the bullet and brave the motorway again. Luckily it was early on a Sunday morning, so there was very little traffic around. Unluckily we got on it facing the wrong direction - but as it's a ring road we stayed on it going around the top of Barcelona instead. We dropped down off the motorway into Montgat - it had taken us an hour instead of the 3 it took to get in - result!

The roads were clear, bikes were running fine and it was very, very hot. We were riding alongside the mediterranean for miles and miles - absolutely brilliant. When Bos's scoot got down to between 1/4 and 1/2 a tank it started playing up, so we topped it up and it ran fine - problem not fixed, but a solution found to keep it going - result!

We filled up just before the border - taking advantage of the cheaper fuel (all those pennies count you know!). When we arrived at the French border it was raining - how rude! However, it was only a shower, although the skies did look threatening all the way to Perpignan. We passed all the many places Bos had stopped with problems on his scoot on the way in - and I have to admit to teasing him through the intercom.

We passed through Bezier at 3.30 - only 7.5 hours riding - so our planned timings had been pretty good and we would have arrived in Barcelona early afternoon if the scoot had played ball. We carried on riding, passing through Montpellier and stopping for a drink and a snack in a layby which was soon overtaken by gypsies in transit vans towing caravans - nice! Needless to say we did not hang about and were soon on the road again heading for Nimes which we arrived at at 6.30. Checking in to our hotel and dying in the heat as it didn't have air conditioning!

With a solution found to Bos's scooter problem we hoped that today would go exactly to our original plan. We set the alarm for 6 (the right time this time!) and were on the road for 7. Low and behold his scooter was soon spluttering, but a quick fill up and we were off once more.

Once we had passed through Nimes the roads started climbing - however, it also got windier and windier! We were passing through farmland on tree lined roads with the Alps in the distance - beautiful. Bos's scoot started complaining at 10am so we pulled in and had a coffee, filled up and bought supplies for lunch. Once we got closer to the mountains they shielded us from the wind and the ride became much more enjoyable. We stopped just outside Chambrey for a picnic lunch with only 50 miles left to do to Annecy. And what a fantastic 50 miles they were. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking, especially when we reached Aix au Bais (or Aches and Pains as Bos pronounced it!) which was situated at the side of a stunning lake. Another coffee and petrol stop and then on for the last few miles to Annecy.

We arrived at our hotel at 4.30 - pretty much to schedule, so we checked in to our hotel, showered and asked for a map at reception. We walked in to town - via the scenic route as Bos was having trouble figuring which way was up on the map! A gentle stroll along the river led us into town and down to the lakes edge. Oh my god! How pretty?? And definitely worth the effort of getting there. We ate at a restaurant which was situated next to the river - very picturesque and touristy - but the food was crap and overpriced - oh well, we should have known better! However things were made better by a double scoop of maple and pecan ice cream and a leisurely stroll around the lakes edge.

Two years ago we crossed the Alps to get to Italy, passing through Geneva with no time to stop. As Annecy is only 35Km from Geneva we decided that we would take the opportunity to ride over and have a good look around.

I had awakened with a strange pain in my kidneys and was slightly paranoid that all the painkillers I had taken over the last 5 weeks had done some damage - so I decided to see if I could manage a day without them. Anyway, we got up, dressed and headed for the local Carrefour to buy breakfast and fill up.

I have to say the ride into Switzerland was not particularly pretty from this direction, so we were more than a little disappointed when we arrived in Geneva - especially as there had been no sign at the border for a photo opportunity! After riding around in manic traffic and having to turn around time and again when we met dead ends, we parked up and walked to the lake side looking for the tourist information place. We found it eventually and picked up a map. We nipped into a store to answer calls of nature and to change some money into Swiss Francs as they don't accept Euros.

We walked back to the scoots to bring them closer to the lakes edge - parking them alongside some of the 100's of scoots and motorbikes that were absolutely everywhere. We set off for a stroll along the lake side - only then noticing that the Jet d'eau was turned off!! How very rude! We bought some supplies for lunch (how expensive??) and headed for the nearest park which was beautiful with its views out over the lake. As we sat there eating a load of sparrows settled nearby and came closer to beg crumbs. They were so tame that they actually flew up to take food out of Bos's hand!

After lunch we went to check on the scoots - all was fine, apart from Bos noticing he had left his sat nav on! Once he had taken it off and stowed it away safely we headed off for a bit more sightseeing - however, by now I had a pounding headache and had to resort to some pain killers. We found a quiet spot opposite the Reformation Wall and I had a nap to try and get rid of my headache, but it didn't do the trick.

Wanting to beat rush hour we made our way back to our scoots, only to realise that the battery on the sat nav was completely dead - and we had not brought our map with us! We headed off in what we thought was the right direction and were soon following signs to Annecy. However, our relief was short lived when the signs ran out! We carried on regardless as the road was quite pretty - much better than the way in! We stopped in a village and popped into the local supermarket for a look at a map - we were on the right road, so no problems!

By the time we arrived back at the hotel my headache was a full blown migraine, so I had no choice but to retire to bed giving Bos strict instructions that he was not to watch tv, turn on the light or make any noise!! Bless him, he had not had any dinner, so foraged amongst our bags coming up with a half eaten bag of Doritos - he cut such a pathetic figure that I didn't have the heart to shout at him for making a noise while eating them!

I awoke with a fuzzy head, but nothing too drastic - thank god - we had a lot of riding to do today as we were heading home. We packed up, loaded scoots and paid our hotel bill, hitting the road at 7.30. Bos said there was a McDonalds on the way out so we could stop there for breakfast.

We soon found the McDs but it was closed - oh well, onwards and upwards, there was another one not far down the road. We arrived there at 8.30 and that was closed as well - how rude! We pushed on with rumbling tummies and soon Bos's scoot was spluttering, so we pulled in at a supermarket and bought supplies for breakfast and lunch at the same time as filling up.

With everyone full and happy we set off once more coming off the quieter roads and getting on the N79 towards Moulin. This was not a pleasant ride with lorries pushing us all the time so that we ended up riding on the hard shoulder most of the time. It was with relief that we pulled off for some lunch. We had made good time, but riding was not fun. We started off again, pulling off the main road and heading towards Dios for petrol. The roads were so much nicer that after we had filled up we worked out a new route that would allow us to carry on on D roads (the equivalent of our B roads)

What an improvement, nice quiet country roads with beautiful scenery and very little traffic. We began to relax and enjoy the ride at last. We missed a turn off so Bos told me to pull in and turn around. I slowed down to about 3mph just touching the grass at the side of the road and the next thing I knew I was on the deck with my scooter on top of me! Such a stupid accident! I picked myself up and checked myself and my scoot for damage - I could not believe how much damage there was for such a silly fall! My mirror had broken off it's stem, I had pulled some trim off the legshields and my side panel was really scratched up - oh, and I had a poorly finger and lots of bruises on my legs!

We picked up my scoot and I got back on it gingerly! Luckily I was able to change gears and not move my damaged finger, so we set off once again. We reached Bourge but could not see any signs for the Formula 1 hotel that was supposed to be in the area, so we headed towards all the other hotels and booked into a Premier Class which was a tad more expensive, but well worth it as the shower and toilet was in our room and we had air con - bliss!

We had an impromptu picnic on the bed for dinner as there wasn't really anywhere to eat nearby and I didn't fancy getting back on the scoot. After a short walk around the area we returned to the hotel and raided the vending machines for cool drinks and sweeties, before crashing out at 9pm - party animals aren't we??

 After such an early night I awoke at 5am and had to lie their patiently waiting for Bos to wake up, which he finally did at 6.15! As usual we packed and had breakfast. We had decided that as we had til 11.15 that night to get to Caen we could afford to take the scenic route again, so had planned a route along D roads.

Once we had passed through the outskirts of Bourge we were soon on lovely country roads and settled down for a good days riding. Before long we needed fuel and the sat nav pointed us in the right direction - just in time as my stomach started lurching in a most peculiar way. Luckily the garage had a toilet which was equipped with plenty of loo roll and air freshener!!

Much relieved (if you will pardon the pun) we set off once more. We bimbled along at a steady rate along roads that were lined with trees and passed close to lakes and farms which were cutting their wheat. We stopped for coffee, carried on a bit, stopped for lunch and carried on a bit more. By mid afternoon we were not far from Caens so stopped in a layby for cake and a drink before pushing on a bit further. We stopped again for coffee at around 5pm as it looked like rain. As it was only drizzling we decided against breaking out the waterproofs and headed off on the last stretch to Caen. Well, what an end to a great days riding - the motorway around Caen at rush hour - yuk!!

We arrived at the ferry port a short while later - way too early for our ferry, so we settled down for one last picnic before checking in and sorting out what we would need on the crossing. Our peace was soon shattered by 2 coach loads of kids who had been caged up in coaches all day beign let lose in the ferry terminal!! Our worst nightmare, but also a real shock after two weeks of our own company! We soon escaped outside and sat there reliving the highs and lows of our holiday until it was time to board the ferry.

 After a couple of hours sleep on the ferry we arrived in Portsmouth at 7am and were soon off the ferry, passing through passport control with no problems. We could tell we were back in Britain as we were immediately told off by a jobsworth in a yellow bib for pulling in on the other side to put on our gloves and our passports away - where did he expect us to do it??

When we had planned our holiday we knew that Solent Cougars were having a rally in Southampton that weekend, and we had thought we would call in there and do the Saturday of the rally and travel home on the Sunday, also taking the opportunity to meet up with the girlies who I haven't seen forever. However, we were so knackered from 2 days hard riding and very little sleep that we decided to give it a miss and pushed on towards home.

We stopped at Tot Hill services for a McDonalds brekkie with proper sized cups of coffee and to fill up. We saw a couple of scoots at the petrol station when we went to fill up - obviously on their way to the rally.

What followed was a long, boring ride home with nothing of note to mention apart from a few scoots in the Northampton area - on their way to Strangetown perhaps? and a load of bikers passing us near Nottingham. We arrived home at about 2pm, unloaded the scoots for the last time and collapsed on the sofa - total anti climax - was it really all over??

There was nothing much left to do that day except shower, eat, sleep and begin catching up with all the boring household stuff - tut!

Well, what can I say - we had done what we set out to do. A few mishaps along the way, but all in all some excellent riding and brilliant memories for future years. Plans are already in the offing for next years jollydays - we have a fancy to do some of the Scandinavian countries - best we get saving then!