Some of you may remember that as much as I was looking forward to my trip to France....... I wasn't feeling to happy about going, (there was something wrong somewhere I felt.) We were due to set off last Monday at eight in the morning. So I got in early just in case of any last minute hitches. Actually made a start at about half past seven. I'll rephrase that, we were ready to make a start at half past seven. Someone told us our paperwork was not in order as we needed more forms for the explosives.......... we got that sorted. Then the wagon we were to take needed extra paperwork to take it out of the country. They decided it was going to be classed as a military vehicle. It is a civilian vehicle, we chose it for that very reason. However they insisted. Paper work will be sorted by about half past eleven when we get the insurance forms faxed through from Bristol. At half past three in the afternoon after a lot of running around we set off. The weather went to cack.......... wind and rain. Luckily (ha ha ha) we had sent the car on ahead at about eleven oclock. There were six major accidents before we reached the M6. More hold ups and tail backs. We reached the Eurotunnel at about one in the morning after frequent stops to refit the tarpaulin.......... MT had put it on for us but had not provided any strops. We had bits of string....... plus a bit of tape I had found in a bin at a service station.... the tarpaulin still came adrift and was dragging on the road behind us......... the tarpaulin was off a vehicle three times the size of ours. We eventually got to the Eurostar at Folkstone despite running out of fuel on the way down due to a sticking fuel gauge. (The rest of the wagon was coming apart too......... the air vents were broken so no warm air in the cab. The car had already crossed the channel by this time......... on our pass!!!! So took ages to get sorted out for crossing, (you know what customs are like) We got across.......... map to the hotel was in the car........ bugger! After getting totally lost in Calais..... we eventually got to our overnight hotel at five in the morning........ nearly twentyfour hours after I left home in the morning. But we had to vacate the rooms by halfpast ten......... so not a lot of sleep. I had gone with just my expense money as I didn't think I would need much......... Had to buy a strop for the tarpaulin.. (good job I did as it turned out.) But it cost me forty quid!!!!! I lost the receipt in the wind so I couldn't even claim it back...... (Keeping the strop) Had to go the long way round to the airfield we were meant to be at.......... then couldn't find our hotel for the week. Finally got there at ten at night. Then the wagon got stuck in the carpark.......... too big. Couldn't go back out the way we got in as it was an automatic barrier that only allows one way traffic..... besides no room to turn around............ got to bed at about eleven or so. The room was awful............ a converted storeroom or something....... only light was a side lamp. I was right above the goods entrance.... where at four in the morning HGV's started to turn up to unload.... not quietly either. I was cream crackered by the time we eventually got to work. eight oclock Wednesday morning!!!!! Then we are told we will have to rush as the aircraft transporter was booked on a ferry back to the UK on the Friday morning. OMG!!!! So we set off the explosives instead of pratting around organising safe transport......(stringent laws in France) Ripped the aircraft apart as quickly as we could and got it loaded up. We still had to sort out our transport and stuff. We were carrying the engine back along with tools and equipment.......... took our little wagon to it's weight limit. Set off for Calais on Saturday morning..... Able to hit fifty MPH down hill............. up hill?? OMG!!!! Could have been overtaken by pedestrians, and the smell of burning clutch was awful. We put as many folks in the car as poss to save them getting stuck with us. Managed to get to the hotel at Calais about ten oclock at night(Saturday) Set off Sunday morning at about ten thirty....... same trouble on chunnel crossing as before..... only now we had to explain to customs about the bloody great jet engine on the back. And they wanted to see it and every bit of paperwork we had. (Including receipts for fuel) Then we reached UK Customs about a hundred yards away............AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!! We finally got on the train........... Got to Folkstone......... Customs and Excise wanted a word again!!!!!!!! We did get back on the road eventually............... guess what, wind and rain and a massive pileup on the motorway that blocked the M6. Got back here about ten or eleven last night. Would I do it again? Don't be bleedin' daft. Although the town was wonderful and the French people were friendly and helpful, I would only ever go back on holiday........ unless I had a cast iron guarantee that the company had organised things properly.
![Ok here goes if you can read this much. - Forums [Biker Match]](/images/backgrounds/strips/8mobileLQ.jpg)
![Ok here goes if you can read this much. - Forums [Biker Match]](/images/backgrounds/strips/8desktopLQ.jpg)
