Here's the deal.

John Eggleton, owner and operator of Bike Normandy, has offered a weekend worth £199 in, surprise surprise, Normandy as a prize in a charity raffle being held by Middlesex IAM. The draw will take place on 13th October, 2003.

Now we don't usually do this, but on this occasion we are going to help out.

If you fancy doing a good turn for Deaf Children and getting an opportunity to win a really good weekend away then I suggest you e-mail Tony Ryan of Middlesex IAM and find out how to get the money to him.

How much? Just one measly pound.

If you want to get an idea of exactly what you're going to win, read Tony's report of his recent trip...

“Exquisite location, gourmet food, roads designed in heaven and the perfect hosts - God just has to be a motorcyclist! Thanks for a superb 3 days that could not have been improved upon - even the weather was perfect!”

This is the comment that I left in the visitors’ book at Bike Normandy when 4 of us went to visit in July. Many of us have been on Stuart Pearson’s excellent trips to The Mill near Le Touquet, but this year we were looking for something different. When we heard about this new Bike Normandy operation, my girlfriend Claire and I decided to go and check it out with our good friends Carol and Dave Pavitt.

Our hosts, John and Jen Eggleton used to be Observers with the Wey Valley IAM Group. They both loved riding their Fireblades, enjoyed the excellent food and the quality of the roads that they found in France on their several visits each year and were getting fed up with the quality of life in England. Rather than moan about it (like most of us do!) early this year they upped sticks and moved to Normandy – complete with their delightful Springer Spaniels – Spencer and Ellie! They have purchased and ‘remodelled’ a lovely farmhouse set on the rolling hills, where some of the famous World War II battles were fought all those years ago. Their beautiful house has five guest bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms and they have now been granted Gites de France status (they hope to have registered in time to appear in the 2004 Normandy brochure).

So what do they do exactly?

They run organised ride-outs throughout Normandy and beyond, offering full days riding with stops for coffee/ lunch or alternatively with prolonged stops taking in activities, places of interest, chateaux, festivals etc. They can be as flexible as you wish - it's for your enjoyment. As they live there, they know the area and what is going on. They will meet you at a local port of arrival - Caen, Dieppe, or Le Havre (all are 1.5 to 2 hours by a direct route to their place), from where they commence the first ride out of the trip. John has clear (laminated) instructions of how to get to the house, in case you get lost, together with photos of the different types of French road signs – particularly the ones you don’t find in the UK. These accompany the short talk that John gives about how to ride quickly, but safely, in France.

They offer en-suite accommodation on a bed/breakfast/evening meal basis including all evening drinks (whether alcoholic or not!). Facilities include spacious, secure, dry parking, drying room, games room (full size pool table etc.) and gym. A jet wash and some tools are also available. They accept bookings from groups or individuals and can accommodate a maximum of 10 people. They cater for all standards of riding and machines and will endeavour to organise individuals or smaller groups riding together with those of a similar standard of riding.

Where is it?

Their house is known as "Champ Massé" and is based in the Orne department of Lower Normandy, between Vimoutiers and Argentan, with Camembert (yes, that cheese!) only 5 miles away. The property is situated in 11 acres on "Hill 262", a place of important strategic significance in the battles of the "Falaise Gap" during World War II (they will take you to a local museum that recalls the horrors of that period in all too vivid detail – lest we forget). The house is on the south slope of the hill with magnificent views over the old battlefields. They even know their GPS position (within a few hundred feet) – its N48 50.667 EO 07.895 (for all you Garmin bores).

And how much does it cost?

It costs £199 per rider and £145 per pillion to stay with them for a 3day / 2night break. This includes bed, breakfast and evening meal with all evening drinks (yes, you really can try and drink all the wine and beer that you can handle, but I would not recommend it!). As mentioned above, they will meet you at a local port and guide you for three days throughout Normandy, going where you want to go (if you have a preference) but on the best roads. Pace and itinerary is varied to suit everyone’s needs.

Note: Prices do not include your ferry crossing, or admission to any places of interest etc. Weekday breaks, additional nights and accommodation on a bed & breakfast basis only, are available by prior arrangement. Please contact them for applicable prices. Extra nights or accommodation only are available.

For those who wish to extend their stay, in addition to the Chateaux, museums, markets etc, there is always a local fete, fireworks, or public dance with a live band taking place. Most local towns will hold a few cycle races, and boules tournaments (which you can enter) during the summer. Haras du Pin (the national stud) is only 10 miles away and horse racing takes place every Thursday night in July and August. If you want to go pony trekking there is a stable in the village.

We chose to go on the Newhaven-Dieppe Sea Cat, as it is the fastest crossing (just under two hours) and it is not as boring as riding to Dover! John met us at the port, together with Keith and Anthony from the Kent IAM group. We decided to make our own way down to John and Jen’s place, as we wanted to take a specific route for a lunch stop that did not fit in with the others, but John was happy with this arrangement. As it turned out, several hours later we arrived at the house at almost exactly the same time as the other three!

The weather was scorching hot for the whole weekend, the food that John and Jen prepared for us was certainly at the gourmet level, but with portions so large that they would shame most Cordon Bleu restaurants! Coupled with the ‘unlimited wine and beer’ offer, you are guaranteed a good night’s sleep! The rooms are comfortable and spacious, as John and Jen have spent several months remodelling and redecorating the place.

There is no end of chateaux, exhibitions, museums, festivals to see, but we preferred to spend the majority of the time enjoying the excellent French country roads – almost traffic free in most places we went. Jon and Jen showed us some spectacular routes, almost akin to racing circuits, but we (of course) never exceeded the speed limit to take full advantage of them! For the soft cheese fans amongst you, there is a delightful little museum in the local town of Camembert that is worth a visit. Dave and I made several jokes about the roads there having ‘adverse camembert’ but the others soon tired of our childish humour.

Everyone who has visited the place so far, without exception, has said that they want to come back, and they have already taken repeat bookings for later this and next year. They also produce a regular newsletter which you can subscribe to simply by registering on their website.

 

Interested? Then e-mail Tony Ryan to get more details...

 

One thing, though. We are happy to publicise this event, but would like to stress that it is nothing to do with us technically, organisationally or legally.