Motorway avoidance at all cost!

The ride down to Folkestone was a lot of fun. Lindsay sent me a route that avoided the M25 etc so I thought I'd give it a go. Not bad, great scenery a 'bitza' route eg Berkshire, Hampshire and the South Downs and then into Sussex almost down to Eastbourne. Never really toured down here before and pleased I did, some great picturesque villages particularly impressed with Petworth, must visit there again one day. Started drizzling just past Alton, avoided rain gear as long as possible but eventually stopped just inside Kent as the sky turned leaden and rain got heavier as I wound my way past windmills and those conical grain store roofed houses I don't have a name for!

I text Steve who was having trouble with a puncture. Luckily he noticed it yesterday and had it fixed just in time to collect this morning. As he put it 'ruddy great screw in back tyre chap'. Anyway, he arrived way before I did despite setting off later it he did use the dreaded M25 north from Bedford and got the beers in. The Holiday Inn is full of Harley riders heading down to the rally at Faakar See in Austria. Amazingly I met Gary France who is running his own HOG tour company where he does it one way and transports the bikes back on a truck after the rally. I first met Gary on the Le Touquet trip with Ron Brett in 2007 when myself and Rob had our Sportsters and we first met Steve. Small biking world!

Forecast tomorrow is a bit more rain until we get past Amiens then brightens up fingers crossed !!