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First printed in the July 1994 WIMA GB newsletter

Off Road in France
by Jackie Williams

Well it was more fun I bet than your average dirty weekend, trail riding in the Massif Central region of France over the Easter holiday!  Having ranted on for a year about how good it was in Normandy on last years trip, it didn't take much persuasion to get a friend with a dirt bike to join the West Midlands branch of the Trail Riders Federation (who were organising the event) and find room for my KMX200 in the back of his van.

A previous force 9 experience made the Portsmouth to Caen night crossing in force 7 winds seem pretty unremarkable, though our 'rest' (sleep was impossible) was frequently disturbed by other occupants' chairs sliding unceremoniously at great speed across the bar towards us as the boat tilted at a worrying angle.  There was unmistakeable evidence (complete with the obligatory diced carrots) that some found the conditions unsettling, but I was pleased to find that a combination of lying completely still, sea bands, lager and travel pills left me well able to face sharing some of the driving on the 350 mile journey south to Peyrat-le-Chateau (not far from Limoges), our base for the next 4 days.

About half the 18 or so members opted for the luxury of a hotel in the village (where we spent most evenings sampling well deserved drinks) and the rest of us tougher types camped about 10 minutes walk away on the municipal campsite beside the river.  On arrival however it appeared the site (recommended by a small party who'd come down the summer before for a 'reccy') was normally open only from June-Sept.  It was typical of the French attitudes we encountered that the site was opened especially for us (by a concerned and friendly chap who we gathered was the Mayor), something which would be unlikely to happen in England.

The whole outlook of most of the French people we met was very obliging and positive - instead of folk giving you hassle over rights of way, here they tell you the best routes, rush out to wave, and are generally very biker-friendly.  And this was true of those we encountered in Normandy too, so I don't think its just local tolerance brought about by staying in this region of the Gilles Lalay Enduro in February.

As a consequence of some franglais conversation in the bar, two impromptu afternoon runs were led by French riders, one the hotel manager Serge, the other afterwards christened Jean-Pierre Le Rapide through his riding style and want of adequate translation to learn his name.

We didn't have to range far from the village to use a variety of green lanes, many through woodland and timber plantation giving loads of thick wet mud hiding slanted slick branches to catch me out. There were mountain 'roads' of loose gravel, the occasional rocky stream bed, steep climbs on mud and rock - all fairly tricky with one impossible uphill section after a stream, up slime covered steps and boulders, where most of us ended up pushing each bike, and one vertical downhill where we walked them down, engines off, in gear, one step at a time with anchor person hanging on the back - interesting stuff.  When the weather cleared (rarely) views were remarkable and though the mountains aren't spectacular as the whole area is a high plateau, there were lakes, buzzards in abundance, wild flowers, a mountain top sculpture trail and timeless French scenes with beautiful unkempt farm buildings - lots to thrill the eye when you could safely take it from the immediate hazards in front).

Compared with England the amount of road riding between lanes was minimal and many tracks are marked with colour coded bands, however one could virtually wander at will through comparatively deserted countryside.  With less of the historical feudal landowner culture our kind of fun is refreshingly hassle free.  I'd highly recommend the scenery, the chocolate, the trails, the wine, and the coffee, but NOT the weather at this time of year snow, hail, sleet, rain - you name it, it fell, and then froze on the tent at night.  Challenging riding though to keep you warm through the day and all in all a very enjoyable experience.  As I write this I'm sipping a delicious French red wine - one of the advantages of travelling with bikes in vans - plenty of available space between bikes, even between tyre and mud guard, for crates of wine and chocolate to last til the next time (no chance!).

If anyone out there is contemplating trying a trail or two, the TRF have local groups all over the country, and if my experience is anything to go by, most of the members seem surprisingly non-sexist and non-competitive, but willing to lift anyone's bike off them if necessary!  And don't be put off by the relative height of trail bikes - an electric carving knife can take inches off the seat foam in seconds!  If anyone wants more info., I'd be happy to tell them more.  If you find motorcycling fun, riding off road is a million times more fun!  I've been doing more and more trail riding since an excellent introduction at the WIMA dirty weekend in Derbyshire 2 years ago.

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