Up at 4am, for a quick trip to France today. Got my gear already sorted so dressed, out and off I went really quickly. I can’t quite explain the beauty of riding my motorbike at that time of day. The roads are magnificently empty. It’s a cold trip as I am heading into the rising sun, all misty and the heat of the sun not yet strong enough to burn off the haze.

Arrived at the Eurotunnel at 6am. Rather chilled but still not frozen so able to control the bike nicely! Now all I needed was a ticket. A while later, conversation with the nice ticket lady and i’ve parted with more money than if I’d bought the ticket online. Bummer. Oh well. I don’t plan spending more than the twenty euros cash I have in my pocket. Forty give minutes to wait til departure, which in reality means I have time for a comfort break, no coffee and back on the bike to queue up for passport control and boarding. And that’s how it happened.

On board….and thirty give minutes later we’re off-loading in France. I follow my satnav and am heading for a coastal village called who knows what that hopefully should provide coffee and breakfast. Only about twelve miles away, and after getting slightly off route in the town centre (satnav wanted to take me to the shopping centre!!) Thirty mins or so later its coffee, bread and jam (no croissants, what is that all about? Am I really in France?) And a fab view over the ocean….very hazy, though gorgeously crisp and warm enough to sit outside in the sunshine. Wandered down on to the beach and took a few photos then back to the bike for a great day’s riding on the empty French roads.
What a fabulous day. One to be repeated again. And a million times cheaper than getting botox injections in London like my friend did - experience over products any day!