Jazzandy:
Bake house rings a big bell. There were two Routiers on the right and the Brits used to use the first one I think. As I’m going back to the early seventies my memory is somewhat blurred!
I’m planning to go down that way on a recce in early September but the last time I was in France, about two years ago, I found that half of the old Routiers had closed. very sad!
I think the 2 your thinking of Jazzandy, were at Pont D’ain a couple of klik’s before you turn left to go up Cedon.
Hullo Andy or Arfer,
I would say definitely the Bakehouse is the place that you mean, that was the place in those times. The owner M.Raymond was an Anglophile, loved us and was always good company, he was the Mayor of St.Cyr, that was the hamlet where the Bakehouse was. If I see you in September I shall buy you a verre de Rouge, I am off to CZ and H, must have another look in the Hotel Wien, then back through Italy and France.
Cheers, Archie.
Evening all, was not M Raimond also the local undertaker, as well as mayor■■? Certainly the other one did not put its “pastries” out to cool, next to the toilettes!!! Cheerio for now.
The agreement was signed on 18th October 1964 by both the Mayor of Bonnyrigg, John Moffat and the Mayor of St Cyr, Raymond Paraud.
I believe his wife was called Simone?
Raymond was also a cycling champ.
Thanks for your help guys. It was indeed the bakehouse. The little grey cells have been re-activated. It features in the next part of my story which involves loading at a steel plant near Moutiers after running down from Rotterdam.
The Bakehouse may be the place you lot are thinking about, but it is nowhere near the Tunnel du Chat
Bob, what side was it on? North or south? The one at the bottom on the north side that had a trout farm next door had a little petrol station, I’ve got a sticker from there somewhere, think that place was the ‘restaurant of four something or others’ then there was a couple further up after the split for the N75/85 or the N504 if you went up the 75/85. On the Chambery side, one not far from the bottom of the hill and one near to the dual carriageway into Chambery, the one at the bottom of the hill had a garage next door, but I think that was an Antar, bloody long time ago now so not positive
The Bakehouse for those who never went there was on the right hand side about 10kms from Macon on the Route National 79 towards Bourg en Bresse and was the first Routiers that I was weekended at together with several drivers from Howells and Reavell back in 1974. I believe there was another Routiers further along by Polliat but I never stopped there, maybe others did and have some comments to make on it. As far as the Tunnel du Chat was concerned there were as Mark says a couple of restaurants with good parking on the Bourg side at Chevelu just before it started to get twisty and on the Chambery side there definitely was one by a roundabout next to the french brand petrol station. Shame they put a 19ton wt limit on the tunnel (in fact I think it was reduced to 7.5t eventually) as it was a nice run that way and missed out the traffic around Lyon if you were going the Frejus Tunnel.
It’s definitely the Bakehouse and your comment about the other Routiers confirms it. It will feature in the next episode of ‘My first Continental job’ when you will learn how a pair of idiots chose the most insane route between Lyons and Moutiers and the reason they then spent an unforgettable week in the Alps.
Unfortunately I have more research to do and have been unable to pop over to France to do it just yet. Should be able to take a break in September and will then continue the saga!
Hi Jazzandy, just to make the old Grey Matter work better try Google maps France, it’s amazing what you remember when you start looking at some of the ‘‘old’’ roads we used to travel before they started bypassing villages or building autoroutes which sounded the death knell for many Routiers.
chazzer:
Hi Jazzandy, just to make the old Grey Matter work better try Google maps France, it’s amazing what you remember when you start looking at some of the ‘‘old’’ roads we used to travel before they started bypassing villages or building autoroutes which sounded the death knell for many Routiers.
I had the same idea - see photo below, I think this is the bakehouse, parking looks a little better organized than I remember it !!
