There was no early start on Tuesday, having learnt my lesson I opted for the full continental breakfast,yoghurt, baguette, jam, pain au chocolat⁷, juice and coffee, the whole works. The sun was well and truly in the sky as I left for my last day with no luggage strapped on the back, although in fact it’s no worse than a passenger when on the move. Today’s jaunt was to be a good dose of the famed Route de Napoleon, a must ride together with the D900 and Gorges de l’Ardeche, for anyone remotely into riding motorbikes.
The Route de Napoleon, this section being the D4085, took me to Castellane before turning left and north along the banks of the very beautiful Lac de Chaudanne, then eastwards to take in that areas Routes des Crete’s. Then lastly south through the Gorges du Loup and on to Grasse, which is France’s and maybe the world’s perfume capital. Grasse is also the gateway to the southern section of the RdN, this time the D6085, my destination being a roadside diner made up of a series of shacks that has seriously expanded over the best part of 25 years that I’ve been stopping there. Unfortunately the owners son, who cooks a mean burger, was not in work that day, so it was pizza or pizza or nothing. I chose the latter, just took a few pics, admired the view, then back on the Route de Napoleon to enjoy the road. When the French have a crash they don’t do it by halves. Within a mile of my roadside diner stop, a Clio was on its roof, and a Renault Traffic had its front lying in the road about 30 yards from the rest of the vehicle. Cars had already stopped with people on their mobiles summoning help. There was no assistance I could offer, so gingerly picked my way around the carnage and warned oncoming traffic of the situation. Back in Digne I gassed up ready for tomorrow’s first leg of the journey home, and bought a few items to rustle up something for the nights meal.
The Route de Napoleon, this section being the D4085, took me to Castellane before turning left and north along the banks of the very beautiful Lac de Chaudanne, then eastwards to take in that areas Routes des Crete’s. Then lastly south through the Gorges du Loup and on to Grasse, which is France’s and maybe the world’s perfume capital. Grasse is also the gateway to the southern section of the RdN, this time the D6085, my destination being a roadside diner made up of a series of shacks that has seriously expanded over the best part of 25 years that I’ve been stopping there. Unfortunately the owners son, who cooks a mean burger, was not in work that day, so it was pizza or pizza or nothing. I chose the latter, just took a few pics, admired the view, then back on the Route de Napoleon to enjoy the road. When the French have a crash they don’t do it by halves. Within a mile of my roadside diner stop, a Clio was on its roof, and a Renault Traffic had its front lying in the road about 30 yards from the rest of the vehicle. Cars had already stopped with people on their mobiles summoning help. There was no assistance I could offer, so gingerly picked my way around the carnage and warned oncoming traffic of the situation. Back in Digne I gassed up ready for tomorrow’s first leg of the journey home, and bought a few items to rustle up something for the nights meal.
Whizz kid sitting pretty on his two wheeled stallion.