Motorcycle Tour Ireland France Italy 2025 Ep10 B – THE GORGES DU VERDON BY BIKE & DRONE TO AIGUINES

Motorcycle Tour Ireland France Italy 2025 Ep 10 B.
This day has been split into three episodes 10 A, 10 B & 10 C – .
AIGUINES AND THE GORGES DU VERDON.

In the next episode 10 B & C, we continued from Grasse and started to ride the Route Napoleon – after all the planning, we were finally able to start this iconic biker road, but would also divert off the main route, to take in a few other areas nearby, including the Gorges Du Verdon ( France’s Grand Canyon apparently ), so we passed through the towns detailed above and really enjoyed the fantastic road, scenery and particularly, the hint of what was to come when we first started the Gorges and the view point La Mescala. Luckily we got chatting to another biker there, and he strongly recommended riding the Route Des Cretes ( which I had never heard of, but that’s the joy of getting recommendations first hand versus filling up your Google Maps with places you want to visit after seeing them on You Tube etc. We travelled on and the views just got better and better. Sights I had only seen on TV and we were so very fortunate to be able to come here and ride these roads in such a beautiful area….in sunshine !!
After we left the view point La Mescala, we travelled on and got the drone up which gave another distinct advantage to seeing around the area – even though I’m still very new to flying a drone ( a very keen not to lose it ), there were a few squeaky bum moments when warning signs appeared on the console saying the drone couldn’t return to base due to the very strong winds in the gorge ( there were none from where I had flown the drone from – every day is a school day – and thankfully I got it back to base and was able to save that footage, before flying it once again at another site.
The Gorges Du Verdon is a fantastic area and it’s great that so many families enjoy the lazy river experience of floating down the river or canoeing etc, while bikers tootle by watching the stunning scenery unfold.

10 C will cover our journey from this area back up into the Gorges and on to Castellane, where we had booked our accommodation, which was only a short walk into the main town. We were sipping a beer when a marching band of drummers / samba type band marched up the street and like the pied piper – lots of people followed them and listened.
Great preparation for the next day where we would retrace part of the road, and join La Route Des Cretes and beyond.

This place delivers view after stunning view and I was so glad I had bought a drone, as the perspective it gives, is something I really enjoyed watching back, so hopefully you will too.

Background :-
ON OUR WAY TO RIDE THE ROUTE DES GRANDE ALPS & ROUTE NAPOLEON along with the Gorge De Verdon, the balcony roads of the Gorge de Vercours and any other peaks, valleys & twisty road we can find along the way. All of this, before heading to visit Oradour sur Glane and then the Normandy beach war memorials on our way back to Cherbourg.

On our Twisties & Beer tour, we left Ballygawley/Monaghan and rode to Dublin to catch the ferry to Cherbourg. Geoff & Percy were travelling through the UK, to get to the Newhaven ferry to Dieppe, and I had us all booked into a cheap hotel with secure parking on the southern ring road of Chartres – in Barjouville – as that would be similar distances for both groups and would be a good start for our trip towards the Alps and beyond.

This trip had it all – something we will not forget. Riding to the highest paved road in Europe and then to visit Europe’s version of the Grand Canyon. Great friends, craic, roads, scenery, beer, food, the odd mishap, rain, sunshine, no mechanical issues and a lot of laughs.

Thanks for watching our efforts and hopefully these videos will help inspire you to start planning your own trip, big or small, either solo or with friends. If we can do it, so can you. It was great meeting David at the bike queue for the ferry, who while nervous of the 3 week solo trip he had planned to do, and just go with the flow. I had completed a solo trip to watch the Bol D’Or 24 hour bike race in the Paul Ricard circuit near Toulon, when I was 23 many years ago, with a tent and the AA Camping and caravanning guide book, no mobiles etc and had a fantastic trip and experience. I hope David enjoyed his trip too…..The first step is said to be the hardest, but hats off – he was on the ferry, so good luck to him and all those who follow and share this fantastic and very fortunate way of travelling.

Cheers. T