Jim's Summer Trip

A 2020 overseas bike trip might not seem the smartest undertaking during a worldwide pandemic, but after careful consideration, appropriate advice and risk assessed, a trip through France to Italy was taken in July/August. The plan was to follow a series of off road tracks for 5-days in the Apennines region of Italy, followed by a navigation of some of the old military roads in the Alps of Northern Italy.

The route to Italy was via the Plymouth to Roscoff ferry, followed by a direct route through France to the Italian side of the Mont Blanc Tunnel and then down into the heart of Italy. The 5-day route in the Apennines was 1160km with 60% being off road on tracks. The quiet solitude of this region was special, off road you could quite easily not see another person until you came back onto the tarmac.

The old military roads of Northern Italy go back many hundreds of years, these are mountain tracks precariously clinging to the hills and occasionally going through them with tunnels barely large enough to get a small car through; these tracks then lead onto to beautifully old and strategically positioned military fort ruins - stunning.

The route home was hastened by the decision to impose a 14-day quarantine for travellers returning from France. A short visit to the village of Oradour-sur-Glane. Words can do no justice to the horrors that occurred here in 1944, a very very sobering visit.

I arrived back in Kernow 4-hours before the 14-day quarantine began - perfect timing!

You can see a few (six) more photos if you go to our 'flicker' pages- the gallery tab on the website or click here.