Don't beat yourself up trying to find a good map that will fit in the pocket of your tankbag, they don't exist. You need to find a map you like, well atlas really, michelin do one that covers the whole of Europe that's about an inch bigger than A4 allowing for the ring binding. Then you need to get a waterproof map case, ortleib do a nice one, and strap it on top of your tankbag. Then you've got a big detailed map that covers a decent mileage on a page. Once you're there buy the Michelin Regional folding maps of the areas you want to look at in more detail, they're sold everywhere. They show campsites and areas of interest.

I never book anywhere as I like to go at my own pace. Having to be somewhere on a particular day just puts pressure on you to do the miles. The trick is to make sure you're in an area that is likely to have camping. If it's near a big lake or the sea then it's more likely there will be camping. In the mountains there are plenty as people go on walking holidays. The exception to this is the French Municipal sites which are in most towns, I wouldn't like to say all, and in my experience are very good. So basicly just head off into the unknown and you'll be fine. Fuel isn't a real problem if you have a decent range 150-200 miles. If you're on a Ducati then you'll need to be careful! Sundays can be fun in rural France and they have a lot of holiday Mondays too when a lot of petrol stations will be closed. Supermarkets are usually open though and I've never had any trouble getting fuel even on Bastille day if you get on the Autoroute.

It happens to be Bastille Day today! Bon Fete Nationale!

Good luck with your trip, you'll love it. The food will be amazing and you'll come back to Blighty and wonder where all the cars have appeared from and why our tomatoes taste like cardboard.

Bon Route.

Wow, loads of great information here now, thanks guys!

Doh, forgot to update my profile, I've got a V-Strom 650 now! My other half has a Gladius so we're limited by her range but it's still a good 160ish miles!

I'm deffinitely on board with taking our time, I want to be able to visit places without worrying about sticking to schedule so nothing will be pre-booked! If we fancy going down a road that goes in the wrong direction, we'll go down it!

Only thing we were worried about was finding somewhere to stay every night but you've all given some fantastic tips, much appretiated!

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99 Adventures - It's about the things we do, the people we meet and the places we see.

+1 on Bobduro's advice, you can often get a place in a field/garden if you ask nicely in rural communities. One thing is to head for the busiest looking bar with the most tractors parked nearby. A useful phrase is

"Avez-vous un peu d'espace dans un champ ou je peux mettre un tente?"

I've asked on plenty of occasions and usually been lucky and sometimes been treated like a long lost relative and eaten with the family, used their showers and even had breakfast brought to my tent in the morning.

Also check out Couchsurfing if you haven't already. There's a couple of good bikers' groups, regional groups and also fairly new a bunch of rural couchsurfing groups. Well worth having a peak at even if it's just to get advice and maybe the odd contact for coffees or emergencies.

And if your looking for the municipal campsites in France head for either the "Mairie" or the "Hotel de Ville", the town hall basically. They should be able to help.

Oh and if you're coming through Brittany let me know.

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