Hi All,
Take a look at my latest blog post on planning my European trip, it has a day-by-day agenda that is certainly not set in stone.
Any suggestions of things to do, see, avoid are more than welcome.
http://motorbiketest.info/ride-reports/ ... -planning/ (http://motorbiketest.info/ride-reports/european-motorcycle-trip-planning/)
I'm a bit bemused, easily done with me I know, but why are you going so far east to go south west? You may have a reason and if you do I ain't knocking it but Calais to Brussels, then Luxembourg?
By the way Pont du Gard is amazing, good spot for a pic nic by the river there.
Why not go down the middle and over the Millau viaduct? Great camping in the Gorge du Tarn just before the bridge as you go down.
No other reason than we have time and want to collect a few countries under our belt along the way.
We did think about Milau Viaduct which is still a possibility, although cutting across country after lake Geneva.
Hope you have a great trip. One point though, £20 for a tank of juice. :shock:
I filled up last week and it cost e £28 :cry:
Managed to get £30 in my Girly 3 days ago :(
To think you could spend more time,in the Dura/Alps/Cevennes/Ardeche/Picos de Europa,and you want to have lunch in Brussels and travel to Luxembourg :roll: ,yep there's no doubt you've never travelled Europe before :D
Don't put a noose round your neck about avoiding motorways and toll roads,If I had a pound for every biker I've meet on a motorway who's told me they didn't realise how long to took to travel any distance on the A roads I'd be a rich man,and if the weather turns warm,when you sat in some town stuck in traffic blowing a gasket a cool run on a motorway will be a godsend.
If you do insist on Luxembourg,go out of Calais run down to Cambrai on the Auto route then travel along and over the boarder into Belgium and head for Bastogne thats the way we go to the Nurburging,but we do the Spa Classic most years and in a van but still avoid Brussles like the plague and go via Mons.
The fuel is more like £25-30 per tank those figures were just rough estimates, I have a separate version with the higher fuel costs, I know I can get roughly 200 miles to £20, my tank normally has some fuel left when we have to fill up my mates Mulitstrada.
Chris: Certainly no noose around by us, it's the most flexible trip of all. If we hit traffic and it's easier on the motorway then that is what we will do, or we will just pull over get a coffe and let things move on for a while.
We have looked at the Black Forest, but I don't know many of the other areas you have talked about.
What's wrong with Brussels and Luxembourg? Just thought they would be pretty easy places to tick off.
Quote from: "Goodwinsplace"What's wrong with Brussels and Luxembourg? Just thought they would be pretty easy places to tick off.
I'm just as intrigued as to why you want to go :? ,unless I can avoid it,won't even go past Brussels on the motorway never mind on an A road,as for Luxembourg apart from cheap fuel what do you think is there??,if it wasn't for the boarder signs you could be anywhere in the Ardennes,I'd rather go to Holland yes it's flat,but boy do they do a good job on how to use it,out on the coast the dyke system to control the water level is fantastic.
If you know your second world war,Bastogne is good with the Sherman tank in the square complete with hole in it,and just off the square is a shop thats been turned into a museum,and of course Belgium is never complete without chips and mayonnaise.
After that I'd be diving down south through Dura,western Alps,about as far south as Gap turn south west to Ales and head for the Pyrenees and travel down through central Spain,just don't make the mistake of having had the French diving into the gutter to let you over take that the Spanish will do the same because they won't.
Oh and if it rains while in Spain take your time to feel the roads they can be like a skating rink,to this day never forgotten about the driver in a Pajero in front of us after it 4th revolution finally stopped jammed up againt the armco in Andorra the look on the drivers face as we passed :roll: :D
Thanks for the heads up on the roads.
Black Forest and B500 are looking strong options, we are going to plan again on Thursday, any more comments before then are welcome.
There are a million roads like the 500,just thats had more coverage by the power rangers.
I'd seriousley have a chat with your mate about exactly what your going to do,having several long days,riding on the otherside of the road is a strain you will drop a bollock at some time,just riding off the ferry to Spain period will be a journey.
If you insist,I'd go autoroute to just south of Reims,ride to Bescancon and into the Dura,cross into Switzerland(for a tick in box) via Vallorbe across and over the Grand St Bernard,looking for an adventure??,go up there late when the tourists have gone,stay at the hostel on the top the air is thin and it gets cold at night,15 minutes down the road I've known a difference of 25c.
Into Italy and back in a loop into France towards the motorway,head south,come off and go into Andorra(another tick) and head south again through central Spain.
On the way home,cross Spain and head up the west coast of France,and if you have time,have a look at the likes of Toledo or Salamanca.
Quote from: "Chris Canning"There are a million roads like the 500,just thats had more coverage by the power rangers.
I'd seriousley have a chat with your mate about exactly what your going to do,having several long days,riding on the otherside of the road is a strain you will drop a bollock at some time,just riding off the ferry to Spain period will be a journey.
If you insist,I'd go autoroute to just south of Reims,ride to Bescancon and into the Dura,cross into Switzerland(for a tick in box) via Vallorbe across and over the Grand St Bernard,looking for an adventure??,go up there late when the tourists have gone,stay at the hostel on the top the air is thin and it gets cold at night,15 minutes down the road I've known a difference of 25c.
Into Italy and back in a loop into France towards the motorway,head south,come off and go into Andorra(another tick) and head south again through central Spain.
On the way home,cross Spain and head up the west coast of France,and if you have time,have a look at the likes of Toledo or Salamanca.
OK, I don't seem to be hitting the mark with any of the roads I am suggesting.
Fancy having a go? We have 6 days to get from Calais to La Zenia, I wouldn't want anything set in stone but something that is achievable and has some good sights/roads would be good.
Catch 22,the route I would do for you on your first trip isn't mine and I'll explain.
I guess we have ridden down to Spain 6/7 times,if it hot it can be a serious hike,we normally ride down from St Malo or Le-Havre and on the way home cross spain(we go to Valencia) to either Santander/or Bilbao,the problem being for you is cost,for us we are glad to sit on the ferry for a day or so and chill out.
So
Have a look at Calais/Rouen/Le-Mans/Tours/Poiters/Bordeaux/San Sebastian/Vitoria/Valladolid/Salamanca/Toledo/Albacete,there are zillion options at being able to drop off that route for smaller roads along the way.
After that I'd be more than happy to get on the ferry as I said on the west coast,your option for going home,I'd go back in land to Albacete then head north on the A roads don't worry there not very 'A' and head for Lleida,through Andorra/Toulouse and head north or go further east towards Montpelier and up through Clermont Ferrand.
Looking for an experience!!! to tell your mates,head to Paris ride round on the Peripherique untill the motoways were built that avoid Paris it was the norm!!,you'll have you bikeing head on by then it'll be an experience and it's well sign posted,it's just that your be doing a million miles and hour :D
Thanks for the updates, cost isn't a problem - we are camping on the way down as a bit of an adventure and taking the ferry back from Bilbao.
The aim was to do a good ride on the way down, taking our time where needed, we have 7 days to get from Wales to Spain, I know people who have done it in around 2 days.
I understand that everyone has different opinions so it's probably something we will need to plan, adjust and keep an eye on whilst we travel.
Any particular mountain passes that anyone would recommend?
With due respect you didn't mention that you were going home via Bilbao in any of your postings which makes a great deal of difference,but just remember the boat doesn't go from Bilbao!!! it goes from Santurtzi which is on the otherside of the river.
Mountain passes there are thousands from the Grand St Bernard to the Furka,or just ride up to Alp d Hueze absolutely endless,look at a map and check the pass heights thats what we've done over the years,what I forgot to tell you between now and early june any of the high ones can still be blocked,but they'll tell you at the bottom of the climb with either a green or red sign.
Were time can disappear quickly is in places like Andorra,an architectural wonder it aint,but when it comes to motorcycle accessory shops it is,going in on the French side at Pas dela Casa,or on the south side between the town of Andorra and the boarder there are heaps of shops,not the bargain they used to be because of the exchange rate,but in 2000 it was like the wild west with the place jammed with Brits bikers buying anything they could get their hands on,I still have my 50lt Givi top box that cost me £70.
What it can be good for is clothing etc that isn't imported into the UK,we both have a Spidi armoured jacket that the UK importers refused to import as they were too busy ripping the public off with a lower spec version.
Oh!! the Ibis in Andorra is the best one we've been in,you actually ride inside
Another one for your list maybe on the way home is this place,we went there a few years ago and it blew our socks off,the joys of having a connection in Spain for insider info.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinch%C3%B3n (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinch%C3%B3n)
Chris thanks for all the feedback,
The post on my blog mentions both the outward day by day plan and return trip, planning is mainly on the outward as the return is pretty direct and the ferry gives us set times, I will take a look at Chinchón to see if we can take this in on the return.
Andorra sounds good, will see if I can find anything online, is there a certain area of shops or spread out?
Chris this is probably a bit too far south for you but how about the gorge du verdon?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorge_du_Verdon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorge_du_Verdon)
Quote from: "Goodwinsplace"Chris thanks for all the feedback,
The post on my blog mentions both the outward day by day plan and return trip, planning is mainly on the outward as the return is pretty direct and the ferry gives us set times, I will take a look at Chinchón to see if we can take this in on the return.
Andorra sounds good, will see if I can find anything online, is there a certain area of shops or spread out?
Pas del la Casa is a high street,the center of Andorra town is shop city,it's what the Dover/Calais thing was to us Brits,but it's mainly(now that the exchange rate is crap) for the French/Spanish,the majority of bike shops are from the town center to the boarder,be carefull not to go on the little bypass around the town you'll miss loads of e'm.
What I haven't put :oops: ,what you are going to do,is our only kind of bikeing now,and has been for years,we have only ever been turned over twice at customs,both times going out of Andorra into Spain,they are after booze and fags,it's an experience I can tell you,the hotel was 200yds from the boarder,just packed everything and they wanted the whole lot out :roll:
I see John has put a link to the Gorge du Verdun,it's nice but a real tourist trap :( ,in comparison to travelling down through central Spain a rank outsider.
If your only experience of Spain is the package kind,boy are you in for a culture shock,you'll need a grasp of the language,even if it's only a phrase book.
I'll leave it to you then Chris! After all you are the expert on Euro travel and bikes and testing and..................... :roll:
I know it's the Brummie way mate but I thought the idea was to give him lots of options, I agree Spain is fabulous but I also like France and the Gorge Du Verdon is quite spectacular and generally isn't too busy as long as you don't go in French holiday time.
Don't ever fall off a bike John you appear to have thin skin :lol: ,like I said it's nice but a tourist trap.
And of course your opinion is always right :lol:
Chris's opinions cannot always be right bcause mine are :shock: :oops:
In any case this months Ride mag (may issue) has a Euro trip planned out on page 155 may be worth a look,
cheers Spud
Quote from: "John Stenhouse"And of course your opinion is always right :lol:
Who's right and who's wrong is the problem of the original poster,he's got two choices,you seemed to be consumed by a minor detail,were dealing with a guy who have never travelled Europe before and he needs as much info as he can get,what he makes of it is up to him.
Try Verdun in northern France,park up at the memorial and look(still after all these years) at the shell holes for as far as the eye can see :shock: ,or another eye opener the Thiepval(memorial).
Quote from: "Spud"Chris's opinions cannot always be right bcause mine are :shock: :oops:
In any case this months Ride mag (may issue) has a Euro trip planned out on page 155 may be worth a look,
cheers Spud
I'd have thought you'd have told him about Oradour never mind the mag :wink:
But which one? Sur Vire or sur Glane?
There was an article a little while ago that said it was a mistake and the village they meant to target was Oradour sur Vire which was a resisitance stronghold.
http://tigertriple.com/forum/index.php/topic,9794 (http://tigertriple.com/forum/index.php/topic,9794)
Quote from: "Chris Canning"http://tigertriple.com/forum/index.php/topic,9794
Would of done if I was clever enough to work out how to post the link :oops:
cheers for doing that mate Spud :wink: