Ok. Some catching up to do. Hope I don't lose the text this time, as it is a tad annoying.
Wed 23rd. In Bourges, could not find one suitable at a store calling itself 1001 Batteries. Borrowed multimeter to find bird not charging. Honda stealer in town confirmed reg/rec shot, but alternator ok. Over 300 squid for replacement to come Fri. Did briefly consider Jaws, but that would take at least 2 days as well. Moral of story, always travel with a spare.
Thurs 24th. Explored Bourges, especially the magnificent cathedral, the old town, and any free museums in walking distance. That eve, aj got news that his house conveyancing hit snag, so decided to cut short trip, and return. So I didn't need to use folding shovel in the end.
Fri. Set off S in light mizzle on long straight roads. But 30 miles N of Clermount Ferrand, roads started to get v interesting and sun came out. Had not been in Auvergne region for over twenty years. This time going a little faster than my little yellow Dolomite 1850
Two roads worthy of special commendation were the D922 and 990 running through the Lot Gorge. Found a little b&b near the Millau bridge.
Sat. Took photos of the bridge, then rode the D999 to Albi. Shame aj only did the boring mid section, missing these spectacular roads. Then S thru Carcassonne and over the border to Andorra and the Pyrenees.
Found a b&b at Ardall, a tiny town on N260. Walked half mile back to a restaurant I had noted earlier, only to find it didn't open till nine and it was only 7.30 and I was starving. So back to a v simple one I dismissed earlier. My eyes lit up when I saw jugged wild boar, and indeed it turned out to be one of the best meals ive ever had. Dark and rich, it was more like jugged hare than anything porky.
Sun. With a vague notion of wanting to travel SW but on great roads, I set off with blue sky. Still a bit nippy until about 2 pm. From Caspe down to Alcaniz and Calanda, picking up the glorious A226. I had a hoot. In 150 miles, probably passed only 6 vehicles. Just like a private race track with brilliant surface. In Spain, you don't need the biggest mountains for the best roads. Just some minor peaks or limestone hills and gorges make for fantastic high gear cornering. Plan to do some more of the same tomorrow.