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French gendarmes rescue adventurous retiree’s tractor

Gendarmes near Tours (Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire) had an unusual job this week after being called to help a retiree who was pulling a caravan on the motorway...in a farming tractor.

A German retired man had been travelling around France with his tractor, pulling a caravan that he had been sleeping in every night with no previous issues. The tractor also had a push bike attached on a rack.

However, the man ran into problems this week after accessing the A85 motorway, as his vehicle - a normal farming tractor, complete with huge back wheels and a canvas cabin cover - has a maximum speed of 30 kph: nowhere near the recommended motorway speed.

In a humorous Facebook post, the local gendarmerie wrote: “Nothing surprises us anymore! We intervened late morning on the A85...a German retiree in the middle of exploring France, at the wheel of a more-than-surprising trailer.

“Quickly realising that he was in a “hostile” environment, he found an exit, towards which the gendarmes rushed to escort him away.”

The gendarmes then explained that the story ended happily, with the “adventurous grandad able to continue his trip!”.

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