The jolly started with an extreme 3.30am pickup on Saturday 19^th September.  Just under 2 hours later the majority of the 27-strong group assembled at Bristol International Airport.  Only 72 year old Gerald Woodley (in his love truck) and high performing endurance athlete John Croome failed to avoid the A38 speed cameras.  After a 2 hour flight we met tour organiser and master baker Neil Tubbs who (with team Tubbs) had spent the previous 2 days driving from Beer, Devon with 27 dismantled bikes in the back of a hired transit.  We occupied the next 3 hours eating, drinking and seeing the sites of Nice, and then boarded the appropriately named Mega Express V ferry bound for Bastia, the Capital of Corsica.  The 5 hour journey gave us chance to soak up some rays and catch up on some much needed sleep. Unfortunately, Dr Nick Read and I were caught napping in the comfy lounge where a €5 cover charge should have been paid!

At 8.30pm our spirits were lifted as we arrived in the starlit picturesque port of Bastia.  I was informed that Bastia resembled Genoa, the town it was modelled on.  Our spirits were soon lowered when we realised Dermatologist, Chris Bower, had left his fleece together with mobile phone and house keys on board the ferry.  Unfortunately, despite all efforts the mentioned items have not been recovered.  The situation was made worse when Chris’ wife, Sureka, realised she had forgotten to unlock the chickens’ coop!  Thankfully some frantic late night telephone calls remedied the situation. 

After a brief shower and freshen up at the Hotel l’Univers, we regrouped for dinner in the restaurant of the old port part of Bastia, Columba.  Some dodgy waiting was endured but the fayre more than made up for it- and so did the endless pichets of house wine (the red being particularly enjoyable to the pallet!)

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