nxt years big ride.hmmm

[fazerboy1969]

Right...im bored...early nites,shitty weather,nows the time I start thinking of where to go next year.this year was northern france,last year was spain and a bit of france,year befor was scotland..so where nxt year?ok spains great,done it twice,france is ok done it 4/5 times and scotland 3 times.
I actually fancy doing central europe..so any ideas? Maybe 7 days..10 at a push..so any experiences u can share...bring it on..

[Fazerboy]

Did a trip last august/september (my first big tour) on the trusty Fazer
6 Countries, 2500 miles in 10 days

Highlights being Germany (nurburgring) and Italy (all of it)
 

[bigralphie]

I,m hoping to get to Monza for WSB

[devilsyam]

bugger europe wont be able to afford owt over there so off to the states again i'll go twice as far for same money

[pitternator]

I have toured in europe for the last 7 yrs, and could write page so it tbh ! ..but to to try and summarize, my favourite areas are  essentially-
1. alps ( almost all areas)
2. western austria ( access to 3 big alpine areas - switzerland/ austria/ north Italy ( dolomites etc))
3. pyrenees/ n. spain- some absolutely awesome mountain roads just south east of pyrenees, plus access to picos europa.
I do prfer central european alps because of its grandeur of scenery ,great infrastructure, and the welcome given to bikers.I think the dolomites are my favourite so far for this welcome and general infrastructure. Austria IMO is my favourite country for its services, road standards and scenery.But its hard to generalize as I could list just so many incredible biking roads I have seen over the last 7 yrs.A big factor is the weather in the alps, I have seen both extremes- hot dry sunny, to freezing , snow and unending rain. Yet still I want to return because I have seen the good bits and it does call me back.
If I was to run a trip, I would head to a superb bikers hotel I know in austria, spend  a coupla days there, do the stelvio amongst others , plus switzerland...then move onto another great hotel I know in the dolomites , then head across to the french alps, and back home.Its more like a 9 or 10 day trip though. If you only had 7 days...head for west austria, a great base to see so much , then head back through french alps.If you are interested I am trying to create a trip for 2012?
A couple of notes-
1. at moment switzerland is extremely expensive, due to euro being so weak. Avoid stopping here, but day visits over the border cost nowt. If you use motorway you must buy the quite expensive swiss vignette( £30 approx).beer wine and food are expensive here.Hence why I like west austria ( where fuel is cheapest too).
2. It will cost as much to ride to the pyrenees as central europe alpine areas. Distance is similar, and usually need 1 overnite stop each way.Spain is great for cheap food and drink etc, but it doesnt have the incredible infrastructure and vastness of the alps.Its  a difficult choice as each area has its strengths.For example the N260 from sort to la sur d'urgell is probably the best road I have ever ridden..while the south side of the stelvio has the most incredible views and alpine switchbacks , while the ride from Italian border to val disare is best scenic road  I can think of. And to ride the 7 swiss passes near meiringen in clear weather is jaw droppingly awesome.
3. The weather in central europe is just so variable....I reckon best thing is to have  a trip set up but not  actually booked, and go when weather is good. The hotels I pick are never full up for a small group of bikers , since they are winter ski lodges , which always work hard to get bookings for summer, so generally u get good prices and  a warm welcome.Its hard though if you have to give firm holiday dates at work...
hope this helps

[Trossman]

Plan for next year is Catalunya MotoGP in Barcelona, via Cherbourg, French Alps, Cote D'Azure (St. Tropez, Nice, Cannes, tits on the beach!) Pyrenees then Barca for racing.
Home via Santander
 
Roll on June.

[phil on a fazer]

I'm looking at doing N.France with the Mrs and then a weeks Europe trip without her (and her luggage!)
 
To be honest the problem i have is cash - i want the best/most interesting trip possible but i want it to be cheap as possible...so camping with the odd B&B thrown in, cheap food/drinks and so on. So on Pitternator's advice...Switzland is a no go. 
 
Also gonna use the Euro tunnel as i can use my tesco vouchers. I'm not a cheap arse...I'm just broke 
 
Phil

[pitternator]

phil
Last december I spent a lot of time researching hotels and its quite easy to find reasonable 3 star hotels on line for about 35 to 40 euros a nite bed and breakfast. Many reckon you can get deals on the day just on spec. I prefer to not have this " risk" element , but many hotels show availability on line, so you can either pre book , or check to see if what you want is still available, etc.
I do think its possible to get 7 nites accomodation for around £350.In my mind that compares favourably with most sun holidays....and probably better hotels too.

[phil on a fazer]

phil
Last december I spent a lot of time researching hotels and its quite easy to find reasonable 3 star hotels on line for about 35 to 40 euros a nite bed and breakfast. Many reckon you can get deals on the day just on spec. I prefer to not have this " risk" element ,

yeah I'm the same, i like to a plan. 40 Euros for a room is good, especially if theres two of you sharing a twin room. If i go on my own i think i will have to camp though.
 
wish i didn't have to sleep.....would make touring cheaper 
 

[pitternator]

my thought is that the bike tour is a holiday, so I prefer a en suite  hotel room as it gives so much comfort , especially if the weather has been shite. Its also great to have a bar and a good restaurant available.This is why I like the alpine hotels, they are relatively cheap for what they offer, and my favourites offer a fantastic welcome plus really good food and accomodation.Each of my hotels have great locations too, close to the biking action and scenic views etc.
With the scope of t'internet , its really easy to link together a tour, researching in the comfort of your home, rather than hoping you stumble onto a good one each day .IMO the big issue is trying to please all the people all the time !

[bigralphie]

i only book hotels if I have to be at a set time and place i.e watching a bike race,I like the flexibility pushing on or finishing early as conditions dictate

[GringoRojo]

if you had more time I'd suggest Nordkapp.

...sod it, I'll suggest it anyway. Nordkapp, do a circular route to include Sweden and Finland as well as Norway. you'll need at least 2 weeks, take a tent as back up but Hytte (cabins) are very common and start very cheap if there are 3 or more of you. (same price as pitching 3 tents). shop from supermarkets, and take a hip flask with you (don't buy local booze - way too pricey)

[Phil]

I've been to Germany several times. They are keen bikers and you always get a good welcome at hotels & B&Bs. No skanky flea ridden places either, even cheaper priced places are good and you nearly always get a nice breakfast.

You've got the whole area from SE of Aachen through the Eifel area, down through the Moselle area around Cochem, Saarland, a flat boring bit over the Rhine valley and then you are into the Black Forest all the way down to Lake Constance.

I've been to Sachsenring 3 times and Lausitzring twice and have found some good roads on route. If you pencil off the area bordered by Cologne, Arnsberg, Paderborn, Harz mountains, Efurt, Bamberg, Wurtzburg, Mainz, Koblenz, Bonn, you'll find some nice countryside and good roads. Just stay off the autobahns and major roads unless you need to get somewhere quickly.  Ive passed through several routes through that area on my way to the races.
The area around Munich is very flat and uninspiring on a bike.
I've also been down the CZ border area from Bayreuth to Passau which is good. Last year I went down there and continued to Linz then south through central Austria to Slovenia. The west and south west area in Slovenia I wanted to go to was hit by a storm so I avoided that and went futher south then east. It was ok, but not great. Then back north to Vienna through the eastern side of Austria.
I've also been to Austria before on my way to Brno in CZ and have found the Alpes on the western side around Landeck/Innsbruck/Zell am See to be dramatic in scenery but wet. The rest of the country is still hilly and has better weather. There also seems less traffic on the roads if you stay away from the bigger cities.
Austria is also good for VFM hotels and B&Bs away from the bigger cities which are a bit pricier.

The parts of CZ which border Austria and Germany are also nice areas, the towns tend to have an old historical city and a newer concrete highrise flats town area. Sometimes you arrive at a town through the concrete jungle and think this is a shit place, then go through the old town walls and its a different place completely. Ceske Krumlov in particular is worth visiting.

The Belgium Ardennes area is worth a visit. Some roads are bumpy through.

I've also been through northern Luxembourg a few times. Petrol is cheap as Luxembourgs have low tax on it, 30 cents/litre cheaper. You know when you reach the border as there are 10's of pertrol stations in a row for the Belgium/Germans to cross the border and fill up.

I've always left deciding the actual route to the day before as the weather can be variable. Going to Slovenia last year I went the way I was intended to come back, and came back the way I was going to go, sort of. I've always found hotels en-route rather than pre-book for that reason. The only time I book in advance is for a race meeting. I've got caught out once in the Harz where there was a huge craft fair and everywhere was booked for miles. The 1st hotel I asked at said best go 30k away. Another time in Germany at touristy Altenahr in the Eifel it took a 7 or 8 hotels/pensions to get a place. I usually go outside of school holidays.


Short trip to Belgium Ardennes, Eifel/Westerwald and back through Luxembourg last year in April.
http://www.photobox.co.uk/slideshow?album_id=759028776

Slovenia/Austria/Gemany trip
http://www.photobox.co.uk/slideshow?album_id=803948169

Nurburgring for WSB then a meander to the Black Forest then north to Edersee where the weather forecast looked ok
http://www.photobox.co.uk/slideshow?album_id=891822444

If anones got any info on Slovakia I'd appreciate it. Looking on the map the northern half looks interesting.

[thekeg]

if you fancy a camping trip to nordkapp . i would be up for it if we could sync times