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The seed was sown for this trip back in 2008, Ed had come up to Cheshire to go to the Staffordshire Classic Bike Show, using his son Dan's 600cc Suzuki Bandit.   Whilst he was staying with us my wife suggested that we (Ed & I)should go on a road trip together, France was suggested as I am quite used to touring in that country.   Ed was up for it and we provisionally settled on some time in September providing that Ed's wife, Med, & his job could be persuaded to do with out him for a couple of weeks, also he needed to arrange with Dan to borrow the Bandit again. We got the go-ahead on all counts and the last 2 weeks in September were booked for the trip.   A slight change of plan was needed, however, when Dan decided that this sounded too good to miss and wanted to join the party.   Fortunately he was already thinking about getting another bike and sold his Suzuki to his dad to help finance the new acquisition!   Ed also sold his Indian built Royal Enfield for the same reason. Ed had also suggested a change to the plan... why not go a bit further down and visit his brother who was running a B & B in Alora with his partner Cheryl, near Malaga, in Spain.   Why not indeed, it was only when a rough route was plotted, using road map software, that we realised it was going to be a 3000 mile round trip!

The final route was built around various 'must see's'

• 1. The Millau Bridge
• 2. The Route de Col from Coloure into Spain
• 3. Dans inlaw's apartment in Denia on the Costa's   (first rest day)
• 4. Ed's brother's place at Alora   (second & third rest days)
• 5. My daughter, Wendy, and her husband Benoit's place in Arcachon, France   (fourth & fifth rest days)

Around lunch time on Friday the 11th of September I loaded the bike with clothing, maps and road books to start the 200 mile trip down to Ed's place in Kent.   We were due to catch the ferry from Dover to Boulogne at 7:45am on Saturday morning.

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