Off to Euroland again

[Hedgetrimmer]

Heading off on Friday. Trip to include the B500 through the Black Forest and a few days in Switzerland. All booked to that point, will see what comes next. Maybe Italy, but depends on the weather. Too hot could be as off-putting as too wet!

[robbo]

Going to the Bol d'Or in September and planning to have a day playing on the B500 on the way home. Enjoy and have a safe trip.

[5LV]

If you're doing the b500, take the schwartzstrasse down to Oppenau. Well worth it. Watch out for the law at the weekends tho

[Bretty]

Personally I would say, only do the B500 if it is along the way, but don't go out of your way for it, if it means you can spend more time in Switzerland or Italy.

I did the B500 on my way home last year and found it a bit of an anti-climax. I also saw 3 police cars (2 hiding) and although the roads are smooth and sweeping, they are nothing compared to playing in the Alps (Stelvio, Furka, Susten, Gotthard, Grimsel passes) or just generally playing around the Italian or German lakes.

I just did the dambusters tour and was pleasantly surprised how amazing the scenery and roads were, just normal German back roads. :-)
Lake Como is also breathtaking.

I still struggle to see the fascination with the B500, other than it's on the way to Switzerland and slightly less boring then cruising and paying tolls on the French motorways. But I guess I'm in the minority. Switzerland by comparison was beautiful. 40% Mountains, 30% trees, 30% flowery meadows, 0% straight roads. You'll love Switzerland!

I didn't take any photo's on the B500, but here is Switzerland...

[Bretty]

Switzerland again...

[Hedgetrimmer]

here is Switzerland...

It's smaller than I thought...


I had heard about them stepping up the policing on the B500, so I'll be taking it 'carefully'. It seems to be a fairly logical route if you're heading for Switzerland and don't want to do motorways all the way, fairly direct. I've seen photos people have taken along it, and they don't look particularly stunning; they all say it's about just riding it. Oh well, it's on the tick list, so I'll get it done. I've got overnight stops booked on the way; one near Esch-sur-Sure, and one at Baden-Baden.


I'll have time for the Susten/Furka/Grimsel loop (also at the top of the tick list), also perhaps the Neufenen, which seems to be highly recommended, and one or two other places. 4 nights/3 days in Switzerland - might be too expensive for longer.


I spent 3 years in Germany with the RAF, and a mate and me used to ride down to the Moehnesee on Sundays quite often - it was a popular bike meeting spot right at the end of the dam there. I'd like to do more of Germany, as I mostly saw it through an alcoholic haze 

[Hedgetrimmer]

Going to the Bol d'Or in September and planning to have a day playing on the B500 on the way home. Enjoy and have a safe trip.

I had everything ready to go to the Bol on my FZR1000 back in 1991, then just before it, smashed myself up on the bike and never got around to it since    I'd like to get down for the classic version some time, don't know if I ever will.

[locksmith]

Did a bit of of it in the pissing down rain. I had the wet ride of my life, it was superb, but after a coffee and strudel stop everyone else wanted to turn back

[robbo]

If the format is the same as two years ago they run a classic race on the Friday night. At the moment planning on 3 nights camping after the race weekend at Digne les bains doing the D900/N85 including Col du Bonnet, then a dash up to Baden Baden on the Thursday, a day to play in the area and home Saturday.

[Hedgetrimmer]

Col de la Bonette was good (assuming that's the one you mean?). The very top of the mountain road was closed when I went last month, but should be clear by now, as it didn't look like they had much more work to do:








I reckon they'd deliberately blocked it at this point, probably while they finished work at the top:





Didn't miss out on much height though:





So the Classic Bol d'Or is just incorporated into the same weekend? I had thought it was a separate event entirely.


If I was headed for one col in the French Alps, I'd go to the Col du Galibier, further north. Not quite as high as Bonette, but the views are even more spectacular:











Fair bit of zoom used in this shot:

[Red Ceri]

Did the Bol last year and the Classic was a 4 hour race with 2 hours Friday night and 2 hours on the Saturday before the actual 24 hour race.


Did the B500 on the not so direct way back, after we did the Route Napoleon, much better and longer


Did Italy (top to bottom) in late July 2014, it was a little warm (mid-30s +) and felt a little strange being the only person in leathers and textile (black to boot) when all the Italians were in shorts and t-shirts. Had to retire my leather jeans after that trip.

[Hedgetrimmer]

Ceri, did you write up any kind of trip report for your Italian jaunt? Italy is the one I really want to do - it is the country that has left the fondest impression on me from last year - but just a bit put off by distances and the heat. Heat was what defeated me last month, but tbh, it was having days booked at a hotel with no air con that tipped the balance. I coped ok with the heat whilst on the move (I resorted to t-shirt and jeans on a couple of days), and in hotels with air con or a fan even, I was ok. I know better now to specify that when booking.


I seriously want to do Rome and the Amalfi coast. Would two days (from Switzerland) to get down that far be overly ambitious? Not bothered too much about missing out on the in-between, as I'll already have done some exploring in the Alps beforehand.

[Bretty]

I can't answer your question directly, but can confirm the E35 motorway is the boringest road in all of Europe.

I think it had something to do with the romans, miles and miles of straight motorway, boring as hell.

I did the South coast of France, into Italy and round to Pisa, Lucca, Siena, Florence then up to Bologna, Then Milan to Komo. I thought Florence was beautiful (almost as good as Rome).

I did Nice to Florence in a day and Florence to Komo in a day, Comfortably is the wrong word, but that is a 'do-able' distance, if that helps you.

Brett

[robbo]

Why I chose Col de la Bonette is that from where I'm camping I can include it in a day out loop as it's sort of on the doorstep.
I get the feeling that the B500 isn't worth putting myself out for, as once north of Gap it would be all motorway in order to get there in a day.
Ceri, if you still have a record of the route you took, could you maybe pm me when you have a moment please.

[Hedgetrimmer]

I can't answer your question directly, but can confirm the E35 motorway is the boringest road in all of Europe.

I think it had something to do with the romans, miles and miles of straight motorway, boring as hell.

I did the South coast of France, into Italy and round to Pisa, Lucca, Siena, Florence then up to Bologna, Then Milan to Komo. I thought Florence was beautiful (almost as good as Rome).

I did Nice to Florence in a day and Florence to Komo in a day, Comfortably is the wrong word, but that is a 'do-able' distance, if that helps you.

Brett

Sounds similar to the trip we did last year. We also did from just west of Nice to Florence in one day, including a (late) lunch break at Pisa. We did Florence to just beyond Riva del Garda in two days, Riva to Ramsau am Dachstein in Austria in one day, and I don't remember any of those being particularly short days, though we did avoid motorways and tolls (er, mostly  )

From the Italian lakes, let's say, to Rome, I'm willing to hack boring roads, as long as it doesn't take too long, as it's the destinations that I'm keen on.


I loved Florence. I loved Italy tbh. Great scenery, friendly people, good roads (where we went, anyway), good food, fascinating and beautiful architecture, good weather (on the whole) - what more could you ask of a country? 

Why I chose Col de la Bonette is that from where I'm camping I can include it in a day out loop as it's sort of on the doorstep.
I get the feeling that the B500 isn't worth putting myself out for, as once north of Gap it would be all motorway in order to get there in a day.
Ceri, if you still have a record of the route you took, could you maybe pm me when you have a moment please.

Fair enough robbo. I've really only chosen the B500 as it makes a reasonable route to Switzerland, which is my main destination, and I don't really want to hang about too much getting there. Bonette is worth the detour, I'd say.


Ceri, likewise    (for the Italy bit).

[Hedgetrimmer]

If you're doing the b500, take the schwartzstrasse down to Oppenau. Well worth it. Watch out for the law at the weekends tho

I can see the Lierbachstrasse (K5370), but can't see Schwartzstrasse (on Google maps)?

[slimwilly]

Google Joe Pirelli  for b and b in switzerland

[Red Ceri]

Robbo, my sat-nav has overwritten the trip log of routes i did, plus I had to delete the daily routes to make space for my trip to the Bol last year, I'll try and re-create the routes as best as I can as I did a daily log of miles and start and end points. This may take sometime as I've just bought a new bike specific sat-nav so may spend some time playing with this first


I did do quite high daily mileages and long days but did a mixture of twisties for Fun and A-roads for mileage, although some of the major roads were quite interesting. Plus I was on my own so not adverse to clocking up the hours on the bike.


I'm not  a great taker of photos, unlike Nick, so there aren't may photos available I'm afraid.

[Hedgetrimmer]

If you're doing the b500, take the schwartzstrasse down to Oppenau. Well worth it. Watch out for the law at the weekends tho

I can see the Lierbachstrasse (K5370), but can't see Schwartzstrasse (on Google maps)?

I've chosen two stretches off of the B500 through the Black Forest, just to be different from everyone else     They look to be very twisty    All programmed into the sat nav now.

Bill, I Googled your suggestion, didn't see anything relevant   All booked for Switzerland now anyway - hotel at Meiringen, right on the corner of the Grimsel/Susten/Furka loop 

[dickturpin]

Seems ironic that you're doing all these euro trips now you're living up north!..(assuming you ride down to the south coast and back?)

[Hedgetrimmer]

I guess it does a bit! It's only now that I find myself in the financial position at the same time as having some time on my hands that I'm doing it now though, just grabbing the opportunity while it's there, although this will definitely be the last one for a while. It is a bit of a chore now to have to ride all the way down south first, but I don't really like long boat trips, and prefer to ride the distance.

[Bretty]

Is it worth considering the ferry from Hull to Holland to save you the long drive down the UK?
You say you don't like ferrys, but if you get an overnight crossing you sleep most of the way and wake up in Europe. :-)

Have a look on aferry.co.uk. It can seem expensive but when you offset it against the price of a hotel, fuel, the time it saves you (traveling while sleeping) and the boring long motorway drive. It might be worth thinking about.

[Hedgetrimmer]

I did briefly consider using that ferry. But I found it so boring being cooped up for just 24 hours on the Portsmouth-Santander ferry, despite getting the beers down me. Christ knows what people see in cruise holidays. No, I'm happier to just thrash it out for a day on the motorway. I always allow plenty of time, and have frequent coffee/food stops, and it's soon done.

[robbo]

Ceri, there's a pm for you.


Nick, enjoy and ride safe.

[Hedgetrimmer]

B&B at Folkestone last night, did a quick ride out in the evening. Dover castle:







Deal castle:








A short walk along the cliff top:








Chunnel train this morning, and down to my hotel near Esch-sur-Sure. Bastogne again:





Some sort of classic car event on there:











Went out for a spin on arrival here this evening. Went through Ettelbruck, Diekirch, Echternach and Larochette. Schloss at Larochette:








Memorial to General Patton at Ettelbruck, who's 3rd Army liberated the town in 1944:











Black Forest at Baden-Baden tomorrow.