Day 8 - Hanging around
Sunday 17th July 2016
We wake up to another beautiful morning at Camping Saint-Jean eager to ride along the fabulous Gorge du Verdon.The tents are down, the gear is packed, breakfast has been eaten but we are going nowhere.
Sean's clutch has leaked empty and the GS is going nowhere until the break in the clutch line (probably requiring a new slave cylinder) is repaired. And without the tools for the job we are going to have to rely on insurance recovery and BMW Motorrad to sort it out.
Sean gets on the phone to his insurers, Carol Nash International Breakdown. It's a long saga and not particularly interesting, but the upshot is today is Sunday so there will be no pickup until tomorrow. Then it's a trip on a truck to Frejus, down on the coast, to the nearest BMW Motorrad dealership.
So we end up booking another night at Camping St Jean and use the opportunity to have a mooch around Moustiers.
It is a very hot walk up into the village. Fortunately we find a small cafe on the way and stop for a salad and cold drinks.
Mick decides this is far enough for him (it is an extraordinarily steep route up) but the village looks charming. There is a church high up in the sky clinging to the mountainside above the village. We noticed it all lit up the night before. A hell of a climb for early morning mass!
Sean and I wander around the picture postcard village. We are not alone, there are hordes of tourists about including the ubiquitous Japanese or Chinese visitors with their selfie sticks
.
Sean enquired about tandem hang gliding (there are lots of them floating around above the gorge) and white water rafting. Unfortunately the gliding jump off place is another hours walk uphill from the village and there is no transport.
The rafting will next occur on Friday which is when the authorities next open the sluice gates and allow a new torrent to wash down the gorge.
At last Carol Nash Insurance call. Sean can be repatriated along with his bike, or he can go with the bike to Frejus and the nearest BMW Motorrad depot. The insurance will pay for a hotel. The bike will not be fixed until Thursday or Friday as clutch parts must be ordered and delivered from Germany.
So we repitch the tents and I go for a ride up the gorge on the north side. It is of course absolutely stunning and I have time for lots of pictures on the road without holding the other guys up.
The sun is blinding as I turn round for the trip back and head west back along the gorge. I am in and out of shadow, often having to hold my left hand up in the air in front of my eyes as a corner takes me from deep shadow into blinding sunlight.
It's not to be recommended as a way to travel on a bike, but there is no help for it when you're riding and the inner helmet dark visor is worse than useless against a fierce setting sun.
At the end of the gorge I take a side trip down to the bridge that spans the exit of the gorge river into the lake.
Back at Camping Saint Jean it's time to try the burger & chips alternative to pizza from the van. I have to say it is pretty good.
And more of the Dutch 8.6% beer of course.
So we come to the end of an unexpected day. Pretty rotten for Sean but we're here to enjoy whatever fate throws our way.
We wake up to another beautiful morning at Camping Saint-Jean eager to ride along the fabulous Gorge du Verdon.The tents are down, the gear is packed, breakfast has been eaten but we are going nowhere.
Sean's clutch has leaked empty and the GS is going nowhere until the break in the clutch line (probably requiring a new slave cylinder) is repaired. And without the tools for the job we are going to have to rely on insurance recovery and BMW Motorrad to sort it out.
 |
| Lunch stop on the way to Moustiers |
Sean gets on the phone to his insurers, Carol Nash International Breakdown. It's a long saga and not particularly interesting, but the upshot is today is Sunday so there will be no pickup until tomorrow. Then it's a trip on a truck to Frejus, down on the coast, to the nearest BMW Motorrad dealership.
So we end up booking another night at Camping St Jean and use the opportunity to have a mooch around Moustiers.
It is a very hot walk up into the village. Fortunately we find a small cafe on the way and stop for a salad and cold drinks.
Mick decides this is far enough for him (it is an extraordinarily steep route up) but the village looks charming. There is a church high up in the sky clinging to the mountainside above the village. We noticed it all lit up the night before. A hell of a climb for early morning mass!
Sean and I wander around the picture postcard village. We are not alone, there are hordes of tourists about including the ubiquitous Japanese or Chinese visitors with their selfie sticks
.
Sean enquired about tandem hang gliding (there are lots of them floating around above the gorge) and white water rafting. Unfortunately the gliding jump off place is another hours walk uphill from the village and there is no transport.
The rafting will next occur on Friday which is when the authorities next open the sluice gates and allow a new torrent to wash down the gorge.
 |
| Sean cooling his feet in Moustiers |
At last Carol Nash Insurance call. Sean can be repatriated along with his bike, or he can go with the bike to Frejus and the nearest BMW Motorrad depot. The insurance will pay for a hotel. The bike will not be fixed until Thursday or Friday as clutch parts must be ordered and delivered from Germany.
 |
| Overlooking Lac de Sainte-Croix |
 |
| Verdon Gorge |
So we repitch the tents and I go for a ride up the gorge on the north side. It is of course absolutely stunning and I have time for lots of pictures on the road without holding the other guys up.
The sun is blinding as I turn round for the trip back and head west back along the gorge. I am in and out of shadow, often having to hold my left hand up in the air in front of my eyes as a corner takes me from deep shadow into blinding sunlight.
 |
| Sun and shade |
 |
| The high road on the north side of Verdon Gorge |
It's not to be recommended as a way to travel on a bike, but there is no help for it when you're riding and the inner helmet dark visor is worse than useless against a fierce setting sun.
At the end of the gorge I take a side trip down to the bridge that spans the exit of the gorge river into the lake.
 |
| Night falls over the lake |
 |
| The pizza hut |
Back at Camping Saint Jean it's time to try the burger & chips alternative to pizza from the van. I have to say it is pretty good.
And more of the Dutch 8.6% beer of course.
So we come to the end of an unexpected day. Pretty rotten for Sean but we're here to enjoy whatever fate throws our way.
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