MooN Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Well I had planned to get up early (ish) and ride my default or "go to" round trip, the one I like, and ride when I can't be arsed to plan anything properly. As it happened I didn't manage to drag my sorry carcass out of my pit untill nearly 11, so by the time I'd got my eyes lined up with their holes it was lunch time and my "go to" ride was no longer doable comfortably in the time remaining before curfew as its pretty much a 5 Hour ride... So, I concocted this one 250 odd km, and using the village of Chevroches ( literally "goat rocks" ) as the southern point and sticking to the more minor roads. Lovely spring day, nearly 20 degrees and a high thin layer of cloud just to stop the sun being too bright. No leaves on the trees yet so not really spring, just felt like it. one of the numerous memorials to resistance fighters on the roadside in this part of France. I think I've posted this one before but it would have been a looong time ago so you won't remember . notice that the distinction is made between " Tués" ( killed) and " Fussillés" ( shot). Tué, means killed during a fight or in action. Fusillés means lined up and shot. the woodlands: I'm quote proud of this one, not good at panoramic shots usually, but the light was good and I think i pulled it off... This is Chevroches, a small medieval village just south of Clamecy, I wanted to stop and have a look here because I might be running some boats from here later this season if the Local mayor can pull his finger out. more woodland on the way home "Good evening Lemmings" Yeah, the curfew won't stop the french going on holiday ( Paris-ite school hols this week) but it means they are ALL on the road between 6am and 6 pm. Auxerre is where the 6 lane autoroute becomes 4 lanes which is always fun when its busy. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Great report Chris! Interesting to see the roadside memorial.......are they all over France? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooN Posted February 20, 2021 Author Share Posted February 20, 2021 26 minutes ago, XTreme said: Great report Chris! Interesting to see the roadside memorial.......are they all over France? Yes, wherever there was extensive and organised resistance action, so more towards the end of the war, post D-Day like this one for july '44. the earlier dates are rarer though the resistance was officially organised from July 1940 following De Gaule's " Call to continue the combat" broadcast by the BBC from London on the 18th June 1940. Date still commemorated by the French every year. "L'appel du 18 juin". i could bore the socks off you with this, it's my pet subject... Had Churchill's " we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets..." actually come to pass, we would probably see similar in the uk today. Many think that that speech by Churchill was at least partly aimed at encouraging the french resistance and persuading them to actually do this and that we should do the same. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 13 minutes ago, MooN said: Yes, wherever there was extensive and organised resistance action, so more towards the end of the war, post D-Day like this one for july '44. the earlier dates are rarer though the resistance was officially organised from July 1940 following De Gaule's " Call to continue the combat" broadcast by the BBC from London on the 18th June 1940. Date still commemorated by the French every year. "L'appel du 18 juin". i could bore the socks off you with this, it's my pet subject... Had Churchill's " we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets..." actually come to pass, we would probably see similar in the uk today. Many think that that speech by Churchill was at least partly aimed at encouraging the french resistance and persuading them to actually do this and that we should do the same. Do you know much about the D Day landings Chris? In terms of the movements of the Royal Gloucestershire Regiment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooN Posted February 20, 2021 Author Share Posted February 20, 2021 3 minutes ago, XTreme said: Do you know much about the D Day landings Chris? In terms of the movements of the Royal Gloucestershire Regiment? Nope, only in very general terms, not my specialist subject I'm afraid. I did a lot of research into the Somme offensives of the 1st war prior to going there a couple of years ago, and a lot more into the resistance, specifically in Burgundy as I can easily access local records and have been able to speak to people who were actually there and involved... no longer alas, as those alive today would have been old enough to even run messages for the resistance in 1940 would be well into their 90's today and those old enough to bear arms have all gone. The last person I spoke to who actually remembered the occupation from when she was a young girl was the wife's grandmother, who died " years ago at the age of 98. I still want to visit the Normandy sites butthey're too far from me for me to actually get involved with. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooN Posted February 20, 2021 Author Share Posted February 20, 2021 @XTreme I hope you noticed that I did the screen shot of my route with the adventuremotorcycles tab in the background at the top... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Looks like some great riding, and the bike looks really nice in that light. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 15 minutes ago, MooN said: @XTreme I hope you noticed that I did the screen shot of my route with the adventuremotorcycles tab in the background at the top... Using two tabs on the browser Chris? Are you no longer a Luddite? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooN Posted February 20, 2021 Author Share Posted February 20, 2021 8 minutes ago, Grasshopper's Ride said: Looks like some great riding, and the bike looks really nice in that light. " In that light..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 12 minutes ago, MooN said: " In that light..." Sorry about the photographer talk.... In the soft diffuse light on a cloudy day the highlights and shadows are nicely balanced. Colours will also appear more rich in vibrance. Still nothing...... Ok, how about this......Your bike looks awesome dude! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedro Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 That's a nice rideout, Chris. How long did that 250km ride take, though? I think you guys over there can cover ground much faster on small roads than I can here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boboneleg Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 That looks bloody brilliant Chris, I'm so envious. To me, if you get off the main routes in France and get on the back roads there is always something interesting to see. My mate and me have come across war memorials even on trails in France. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yen_powell Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 3 hours ago, XTreme said: Do you know much about the D Day landings Chris? In terms of the movements of the Royal Gloucestershire Regiment? https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/units/344/gloucestershire-regiment https://soldiersofglos.com/announcement/invasion-liberation/ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 22 minutes ago, yen_powell said: https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/units/344/gloucestershire-regiment https://soldiersofglos.com/announcement/invasion-liberation/ From the second one! 5th Battalion was converted to 43rd Reconnaissance Regiment which, equipped with armoured cars would act as the eyes and ears of 43rd (Wessex) Division in 1944-45. .........landed at Gold Beach on D-Day and fought in the Allied campaign in North-West Europe. That's what my father was on! @MooN do you know Gold Beach? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooN Posted February 20, 2021 Author Share Posted February 20, 2021 1 hour ago, boboneleg said: That looks bloody brilliant Chris, I'm so envious. To me, if you get off the main routes in France and get on the back roads there is always something interesting to see. My mate and me have come across war memorials even on trails in France. That's one of the more strongly worded one Bob! " assanitad by the enemy" ! I have also come across them in some very remote places. One of the first I found round here you would need to know it was there to find it and it's a big one, apparantly where the Local Kommandatur liked to take his suspects and line them up to be shot, a secluded spot with a bloody history. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooN Posted February 20, 2021 Author Share Posted February 20, 2021 48 minutes ago, XTreme said: @MooN do you know Gold Beach? Only that it was one of the 5 designated beaches, right in the centre between Juno and Omaha... around Arromanches. The problem with visiting the beaches today is that they bear no resemblance to what they did 10 or 15 years ago, let alone 77 years ago, coastal erosion has completer remodelled the landscape, though I believe you can still see the remains of the Mulberry harbours, one of which would have been on Gold Beach, the Other on Omaha. As a kid I studied the naval engagements surrounding D-Day ( obsessed by boats even then. so I could probably tell you what ships bombarded and then supported Gold beach, but I'm sure that's all on the web somewhere. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catteeclan Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 We visited the beaches on a BMW outing, and lots of other places on a D day anniversary. There are plenty of things to see like some of the German built bunkers for one. But like Chris said the beaches are just beaches with everything geared up to feed and water the visitors. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 47 minutes ago, Catteeclan said: We visited the beaches on a BMW outing You were allowed on a Beemer outing Dave? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooN Posted February 21, 2021 Author Share Posted February 21, 2021 BMW's riding round France can be hears saying ti each other " My grandfazer vos here, durink ze vor. Ja, but he had no veels, only traks on both zides und a big gun in ze front... " 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yen_powell Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catteeclan Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 5 hours ago, XTreme said: You were allowed on a Beemer outing Dave? I got involved when I was asked to go off road with them as a tail ender. It's when I had the XL500r. I was allowed to join them on a few road outings. A bit pipe and slippery but they knew how to organise. I did get quite a few comments as I was riding the TDM and Mandi had her GSR. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 1 hour ago, Catteeclan said: I got involved when I was asked to go off road with them as a tail ender. It's when I had the XL500r. I was allowed to join them on a few road outings. A bit pipe and slippery but they knew how to organise. I did get quite a few comments as I was riding the TDM and Mandi had her GSR. I think the official dealer organised ones stipulate only Beemers. Same with the Harley twats! WTF are they going to do if you start following them on another make? Call Plod? I hate that pretentious bullshit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catteeclan Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 This was Beemer only but had just opened up ranks. One of the places we stayed in France there was an underground bike park with a thin path going to the doorway in. I rode mine and mandi's in while most of them were still wobbling their way towards the door. Having said that there were also riders who I had no chance of keeping up with. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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