Can you really take a day trip to Belgium and be home before the pubs shut?
We really did take a day trip to Bruges, there and back, same day, and it happened like this. We were visiting our friend Will in Rye, Sussex, but he had to go to work in the middle of our visit and suggested we do a quick trip across the Channel while he was out. So that’s what we did, and as Bruges is only 65 miles from Calais (and Belgium is famous for chocolate and beer) we thought, why not extend the standard booze run to take that in as well?
So the next day at dafto’clock in the morning we were on the road to the tunnel, and £30 later (not bad for a day return for the bike and two adults) I rode onto the train and parked next to half a dozen like-minded riders. Half an hour later, we were disembarking at Calais.
Now given the time at our disposal, we decided not to seek out more interesting (but slower) roads to Bruges and just headed for the motorways: N216 first, then A216 (signed Paris) and two miles on the A16 (signed Dunkerque and Belgium). In fact, we were over the border very quickly, which saw the road number change to E40, as well as signs for Bruges. The E40 is a wide open main road with little traffic, giving plenty of time to acclimatise while becoming familiar with multi-lingual signs. The scenery, sad to say, was nothing special, give or take the odd windmill.
This story is from the June 2018 edition of Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 2018 edition of Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now
BMW R 12 nineT
Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
After testing the Voge's abilities on a long ride, it was time to take it to the Cotswolds and see how it would manage on the rougher stuff
Portuguese Perambulations
Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored
Highway to Heaven
Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...
Battlaxes at the ready!
We tend to take tyres for granted, never really looking at them in any detail, or at how they work, just hoping that they keep us shiny side up at all times. Even in the wet
Ducati Riding Experience
When I rode the Ducati DesertX to France last year, I did have a bit of an explore on some easy fire roads and gentle green lanes in the wilds of the Médoc area, but was left with the feeling that, had I the experience, the DesertX would have been capable of taking me along some more extreme trails to some even more exciting places. If only there was a way of finding out just how well the Italian adventure bike could cope with some more extreme terrain...
Four pot flyer
Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...
Eastern adventurer
With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry
First Time Lucky?
It's ironic that the first all-new MV Agusta model to hit the marketplace right after Italy's No.1 trophy brand was acquired by Austrian giant Pierer Mobility, owner of off-road titans KTM, should be the company's first dual-purpose model of the modern era, powered by MV's all-new 931cc three-cylinder engine that's destined to form the basis of a whole series of new models in coming months and years.
