I've had three Honda NC750x's. I am also a member of a forum that is focussed on such bikes and motorbikes in general - they are a good bunch of people. I'm also a member of the Honda Deauville forum - same vibe, I've got life long friends all over the country from being a part of that group for well over 14 years now.
So a motorcycle tour that picked up two meetings of the above groups was conceived in the dark winter months of 2022 with a get together in Brittany with the NC riders and southern Ireland for the Deauville riders. The fact there were lady riders and pillions in both groups encouraged Rachel to come along.... a decent tour for her having not done too many pillion miles in the last couple of years.
So we booked the accommodation and four ferries and sat back and waited for May. As in life time seemed to pass slowly but on reflection it arrived so quickly we were off to catch the overnight ferry from Plymouth to Roscoff running late as always and the M6 was clear one minute then closed the next !! We made it with a couple of stop for leg stretches within the boarding time. Not done ferries for a few years but the guys on the Brittany ferry were very good at tying the Honda down and we headed for food and rest.
France is a lovely place to ride a motorbike. Nice food nice people nice roads nice everything really. We met up with a fella from Scotland who was joining the party and I lead him down stopping for a coffee as you do on the way. It was a great few days - Saturday to Thursday, new friends made, lovely rides nice accommodation. We even had a three course three apartment meal one night where on the ground floor we had aperitifs, top floor main meal and we hosted coffee and dessert in our mid floor apartment - a great night. We rode with French motorcycle groups, we had a day off the bike and walked the Nantes Breast Canal to a ruined abbey, got baguettes from a vending machine and ate and drank well.
All too soon we were saying our goodbyes on the Wednesday night as we had to head off at 6am for a ferry from St Malo to Portsmouth. Another sublime ride in the early cool French morning to the ferry port, a lovely smooth crossing where we got some sleep in our cabin - we pushed the boat out and had a cabin on all four ferry crossings. On arrival in Portsmouth we rode into the evening to a hotel and a friend meet up just outside Bristol via Cranborne chase another great ride.
Next morning we set off for Fishguard, again choosing a route via the Brecon Beacons, more gorgeous riding and again just made the ferry. The Irish ferry was the least appealing and oldest vessels we travelled on but it was a short crossing and before we knew it we were heading to our base of Clonmel via Rosslare.
Great catching up, Guinness drank, Irish stew eaten and the odd Jameson's imbibed. Great riding and catching up with old a new friends alike.
Far too soon we were heading via Wateford to Dublin for the last ferry of the trip to Holyhead and home. Getting into Wales early evening it was a nice ride across north Wales - wed' have preferred the A5 but did the A55 for speed and before we knew it we were home a few thousand miles later, memories absorbed friends made and met and just happy to be able to undertake such a trip. Rachel did very well for saying she'd not done many bike miles in recent years..... where next ?
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