Pre-ride briefing at Sainsbury’s car park in Ashford Mow for that hot drink - or shall we jet off somewhere warmer? Despite the outrageously early start - and I had one of the later starts with a 4am rising time - we all arrived at Dover docks bright and breezy. We had all been excited for weeks about this holiday. The internet site of the accommodation promised a superb house with swimming pool and hot tub. The internet site for the area promised loads of chateaux and prehistoric caves. And Google Earth promised great roads. We were not misled. The house, roads and tourist points were all fantastic beyond our expectations and dreams. As for the roads, we had straights where some of us blasted our bikes. We had tight bends, large sweeping bends and even the odd hairpin bend. Paul L had the biggest grin when he went sailing past everyone on roads 2 metres wide and 3 metres deep in grit. Visibility was generally good although some bends did tighten rather more than expected and some bends proved rather lamer than expected. As a taster, on day 2, just 40 K from Bergerac, we came upon the most wonderful bends. We all kept up a good pace and the drop off system proved as good as ever. Well done Denis. Paul R came up trumps by taking over the kitchen, organizing both the shopping and his sous-chefs. We ate like kings and queens all week at a fraction of the cost we had budgeted for. I jealously guarded the veggie options which were made especially for me and were just divine. A real sensation of sensual taste. It is the only time I have been to France and not been subjected to a daily diet of omelette and chips. Apparently, the carnivores were equally delighted. And as for the wine, well ……! We weren’t without our mishaps. After seven weeks at the dealer’s getting my gearbox changed, the gear lever dropped off just as we were approaching some toll booths. Luckily I was with lots of guys in shining armour, and lucky it didn’t happen just