Pick your places to have fun. There ARE roads with near zero chance of speed detection. The biggest issues are speed limits being potentially different from one department to another. 80kph/90kph I had a small fine from one of the ‘robot wars’ style cameras that get moved about, 86 in an 80. I lived in 90kph department at the time but was riding elsewhere…no point deducted though, still on UK license. As ever, if there is a section of straight road between the twisty bits, that would be the place to set up a camera! Also the most boring place to go quick imo. Pick D roads, route Nationals will have various controls in place.
I love the way the French government voted this new 80 km/h limit, with built in flexibility for departments (Shires, if you will) to revert back to 90 shortly after that if they pleased, and then half of them did. Urban vs countryside lifestyle antagonism at its best. Some regulations don’t work for all environments. At least that was handled smartly. I just wonder who paid for all the road signs that had to be changed. Twice.
A few photos Yes, speed limits all over the place, seems the French don’t seem to pay them any attention tho!!
It’s all about knowing where they matter, where they are to be taken seriously, whether because of an actually dangerous spot (crossroads, etc.) or because of a traditional law enforcement control area or radar. A privilege usually reserved to the locals of the visited area. Imitating the locals attitude is usually a good way to « blend in » and stay out of trouble.
In the countryside, expect the locals to consider the indicated speed as an absolute minimum speed Any less and you are moving roadblock. Expect to be overtaken because, well, you are there. Then they will slow down. Well what do expect…. Foreign innit?
However if you go back far enough the Ingerlanders were descendants of Plantagenets & Normans who came from err... Anjou & Normandy in France. And if you go back even further the Normans came from Denmark. Bloody Danes coming over here...
^^^ thank the Normans for, erm, taxes. And taxes. At least that fancy doomsday book was useful. …very handy for the land grab that followed.
Interestingly enough, good ol’ Harold Godwinson and his Saxons lost their mojo fighting/slaughtering Harald Hardrada and his Danes up north before rushing back south to face William and his Normands in Hastings. Could 1066 have actually been the Number of the Beast for these guys? « Little » things that changed the world… Edit: My understanding is that the Plantagenêts showed up around a century later after that battle.
Yep, Harold & his army must have had their best Nikes on as the 190 mile or so marches to York & back were quite amazing - they reckon 25 miles a day with a quick stopover to demolish Hardrada & his army. But the Normans were the biggest, baddest, b'stards of the day with Robert Guiscard being a particularly notable one. He left Normandy with 5 mounted riders & 30 followers on foot and ended up conquering Sicily. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Guiscard
Yeah I think thats correct... with one of Williams daughters (grand daughters?) marrying the Duke of Anjou (or some such) which begat the Plantagenets.
I’m just back from 10 days in France and Spain. We were pretty sensible about speeds and always slowed down for villagers (unlike the locals). Once you get into the smaller twisty mountains roads we didn’t see any police. In fact I think we only saw about 5 police all trip, none of whole were interested in us (we even got a nod from one bike copper)
Not really, H had the higher ground and were beating Normski and his mob, however Norm feinted a retreat and H lost control of his troops some of which broke rank and pursued the 'retreating' Normski's only to be cut down en masse thereby dooming the balance of the Saxons forces to death and/or defeat. It was closer than some believe it to be. The site is worth a visit if you're in the area, the higher ground really is and must have been hell to attack uphill into a shield wall. The rest they say is history, some historians think that much of world is the way it is today due Normski due to his handing over land that would potentially become theirs should they beat the Saxons as gifts to those he recruited to his service. Much of Englands empire building came from that apparently.
Im off to the South of France in September,so cheers for the heads up on this route, as will now add it to the Viaduc De Millau when leaving Monaco...
H may have lost control of his Saxon troops due to excessive fatigue after the northern fight? Have ever read Marriot Edgar poem about this battle ? That’s quite a fun read… I'll tell of the Battle of Hastings, As happened in days long gone by, When Duke William became King of England, And 'Arold got shot in the eye. It were this way - one day in October The Duke, who were always a toff Having no battles on at the moment, Had given his lads a day off. They'd all taken boats to go fishing, When some chap in t' Conqueror's ear Said 'Let's go and put breeze up the Saxons;' Said Bill - 'By gum, that's an idea.' Then turning around to his soldiers, He lifted his big Norman voice, Shouting - 'Hands up who's coming to England.' That was swank 'cos they hadn't no choice. They started away about tea-time - The sea was so calm and so still, And at quarter to ten the next morning They arrived at a place called Bexhill. King 'Arold came up as they landed - His face full of venom and 'ate - He said 'lf you've come for Regatta You've got here just six weeks too late.' At this William rose, cool but 'aughty, And said 'Give us none of your cheek; You'd best have your throne re-upholstered, I'll be wanting to use it next week.' When 'Arold heard this 'ere defiance, With rage he turned purple and blue, And shouted some rude words in Saxon, To which William answered - 'And you.' 'Twere a beautiful day for a battle; The Normans set off with a will, And when both sides was duly assembled, They tossed for the top of the hill. King 'Arold he won the advantage, On the hill-top he took up his stand, With his knaves and his cads all around him, On his 'orse with his 'awk in his 'and. The Normans had nowt in their favour, Their chance of a victory seemed small, For the slope of the field were against them, And the wind in their faces an' all. The kick-off were sharp at two-thirty, And soon as the whistle had went Both sides started banging each other 'Til the swineherds could hear them in Kent. The Saxons had best line of forwards, Well armed both with buckler and sword - But the Normans had best combination, And when half-time came neither had scored. So the Duke called his cohorts together And said - 'Let's pretend that we're beat, Once we get Saxons down on the level We'll cut off their means of retreat.' So they ran - and the Saxons ran after, Just exactly as William had planned, Leaving 'Arold alone on the hill-top On his 'orse with his 'awk in his 'and. When the Conqueror saw what had happened, A bow and an arrow he drew; He went right up to 'Arold and shot him. He were off-side, but what could they do? The Normans turned round in a fury, And gave back both parry and thrust, Till the fight were all over bar shouting, And you couldn't see Saxons for dust. And after the battle were over They found 'Arold so stately and grand, Sitting there with an eye-full of arrow On his 'orse with his 'awk in his 'and.
We can only speculate on whether they were fatigued enough not to stand their ground and chase a foe despite being implored not to. I guess when your adrenaline is coursing through your brain logic can sometimes not be foremost. Doesn't seem likely though if you are fatigued from a forced march why you would pursue?
Plus their tails would have been up after comprehensively doing one on the Vikings. Fatigued or not, that is what you did when the opposing army breaks ranks & flees i.e. chase & press home your advantage to kill/maim as many as possible. Disciplined retreats often turned into a rout and became a significant cause of death. Evidently a favoured tactic of both the Vikings & Normans was a feigned rout/retreat....
The nearest to original Englanders (as in the days when it was known as Albion)are believed to be the Welsh of today as the Saxons pushed them further and further westwards. Tell that to a rabid Reformer and see the reaction.
