VTR1000.ORG

They're big down here - lot's of PV farms, warehouse roofs etc. Mind, the south of France gets a tadge more sunshine than Sheffield

For a 60 euro licence we have the right to decimate a huge swathe of French mountainside for 3 years - mostly beech. :D Am planning to have a decade's stock by the time the licence expires at the end of 2015 -but then we do get through around 10 stere (6 tonnes) each winter. Saving around 900 euros ...

Merci, tous le monde.

Just about woken up now - the 15% Beaumes de Venise may have had something to do with that!

I rent out my house in Leicester to keep me living down here in sunny France. Firking rats have cost me a grand's worth of new drains and two grand's worth of rebuilt kitchen after the council Environmental Health people condemned it. Never want to see or hear of rats ever again! Meanwhile, here in ...

Let this be a wake up call for you to get your sorry arses down here and enjoy some life changing (in the best possible way) riding. Day before yesterday I was at summit of Mt Ventoux, avoiding the pushbikes, enjoying the twisties and admiring slendid scenery. Anything you need to know about biking ...

Ha, just about to fit Scorpion can to the Fazer. My advice, move to a detached cottage, 100 metres from the nearest neighbour, in a miniscule hamlet, in the middle of nowhere, in the south of France.

Apologies for being gratuitously smug.

Around two foot of it here! Won't clear off the mountains for about three months now.

OK, I know it's a few days ago, but the first day of the Monte ran through Chauvac right past our front door. Not once, but twice - we were the first and fourth stages. For those interested here's a youtube link of Sebastien Ogier doing the stage. Unfortunately it was a foul day, as you can see. Cha...

Listening to loads of ancient vinyl 'cos I'm whiling away the long winter nights 'digitising' it and burning onto CD. God, what a palaver! Some is still OK, some cringingly embarrasing. Hey, is this a new thread - own up to your most embarrasing LP. I reckon my Barclay James Harvest takes some beati...

It's at this time of year that I miss a pint of Abbot in a cosy country pub. Just have to put up with Cotes du Rhone at 2 euros a bottle . Also this time of year a Speyside ('cos I'm a lightweight) single malt.

A votre sante.

Bonne Anniversaire from one even older. Ignore these youngsters - they've got no pension, no fuel and working 'til 70 to look forward to

Lucky me, I'm living in it. The Baronnies, south of France. A whole range of fabulous roads within reach. If I had to put my finger on just one route then the 60km from Nyons to Serres will do. Half through narrow gorges, half sweeping round the contours of 4000' mountains. And just 15 minutes from ...

Living in France we are, of course, supplied by EDF, which is a monopoly. Yet over the last five years our prices have only gone up with inflation - which means that in that time they've gone up about the same as you poor sods are being hit for an annual increase. So all that b*llox about competitio...

Noticed that today, as well as being my birthday, is my tenth anniversary on this forum (maybe I was already p*ssed when I signed up :lol: ) Anyway, it's been a rollercoaster ride, with a load of laughs and a few tears along the way. How many of the class of 2003 are still on here? Here's to another...

Ha, now you know why we live in the sunny south-east! Well done on doing do much in so little time. My recommendation for next time would be to find a base (like round here for example!) then set off on various day trips or maybe have the odd day off. Clocking up the miles because you HAVE to get to...