Paging the Euro travelers

I've been toying with the idea of taking Horse on a roadtrip and it looks
like there's a fair chance that it's actually going to happen this summer

Or to put it another way, I've bought a less unsuitable bike, booked the
time off work and fired up Google maps.

I know where I'm starting from (Calais/Boulogne area) and I know where I'm
going to (cousin's place in Agerola/Amalfi). All I need to sort out is the
bit in the middle.

I was worried that the drive might turn into an ordeal by motorcycle if I
tried to cram it in to too few days, and while I quite enjoy that sort of
thing, I really want to ensure Horse enjoys it too. So I've decided to take
5-6 days each way for the journey.

So, I'm open to suggestions on routes and night stops. Only real
constraints are that I'd really like to take in the lumpy bits of the Alps,
I'd prefer to stay off the toll roads to keep the costs down a little and
make it more interesting and use inexpensive motels or b&b type
accommodation (as I've spent all my holiday dosh on the bike)

 

If you're heading down that coast of Italy, drop into the Cinque Terre
south of Genova: campsites and some spectacular seafood. Also, have a
wander round Tuscany (Pistoia is the neglected one here and try
Lucca). My own favorite (Kathryn liked it a lot) is Ferrara which has
a council campsite just outside the city walls. Great food (Jewish
aubergines are the man here) and it's a lovely preserved Italian city.

You can also cross the Alps by the Brenner. Just south of it is
Vipiteno/Sterzing. The campsite is at the entry point to the Passo
Giovo (proper windy Alps) and it's not far up the Brenner proper into
Austria (Innsbruck) and pleasant hilly riding into Germany. If you
want to go through Germany, we liked the Mosel valley (Cochem) which
is near the Luxembourg border.

If you want a shufty at my department, this weekend might be best.

 

On 17/02/2011 22:45, M J Carley wrote:
<snip>

I'll have a look at those tomorrow, cheers, though the beautifully
formed but not overly practical Triumph luggage isn't big enough for
camping. If I wanted to camp, I'd take the R80 (possibly + trailer) and
that would undermine my argument for buying the Tiger...

Ah, we're not planning to be down this weekend or next, though we're
there every weekend in March. Are any of those any use? If not I'll see
if I can get Horse up early Saturday.

I fancy visiting the Prior Park National Trust Gardens at some point
too, which might fit in well with a non-school-day and a but as Saturday
looks like it could be very wet it might not be ideal for that either :-(

 

All those places have hotels as well.

March should be okay. I'd thought you were doing successive Saturdays
and I'm tied up for a couple after this week. Mid to late March should
be okay.

 

september.org:

You can get all the way to the Alps on motorways without going on a toll
road by heading for the Black Forest via Belgium & Luxembourg. Saarbrucken
is a sensible distance from Calais and you can pick a nicer route through
the Ardennes twisties to get there. Petrol is cheap in Lux so fill up
there.

Then down through the Black Forest towards Lake Constance. The Austrian
lumpy bits start there. You can use their motorways for 10 days for 5 euros
if you want to cover some miles quickly. The scenery on the motorways is
good, apart from when you are in a tunnel, which happens a lot. You'll get
your 5 euros back on 1 tank of fuel. Hotel Enzian at Landeck is where we
stayed in 2009 and is a decent distance from Saarbrucken for an
overnighter.

Brenner or Timmelsjoch passes drop you into Italy. Take a day off the bike
at Lake Garda - there are theme parks such as Gardaland at the southern end
if Horse likes that sort of stuff. Personally, I prefer the northern end as
the terrain is Alpine. The southern end is pretty flat and the lake is
wider so the resorts are more like being at the seaside.

No idea from there onwards as I flew to Naples when I visited Amalfi.

On the way back, head to Aosta and take the Petit St Bernard into France.
Then from Bourg St Maurice go over the Cormet de Roseland to Albertville,
up through Annecy, the Jura and pop in to see Bruce. From Bruce's, through
the Vosges to Champagne Ardennes. I like Reims as an overnight stop, others
prefer Verdun. Either are close enough to Calais to get home in 1 day.

Other options include wiggling your way through Switzerland to avoid
motorways.

 

IMHE, Cinque Terre is overrun with tourists and not worth the bother.
OTOH, Corsica is amazing and worth every second. If you have the time,
take the ferry over from Livorno. On the mainland opposite Corsica,
Monte Argentario is nice.

 

plus you can impress T by taking Horse to Titisee, Wank & with a bit of a
detaour, Fucking

 

Route must include the Stelvio.

 

Bollocks.

Nice to do, yes. Essential? Bollocks. Scenery is better elsewhere and,
quite frankly, the stack of hairpins gets a tad tiresome after no. 10.

The run down into Bormio is quite fun on the Lombardy side.

 

Cheers

Looks like a weekend on Google again to try and find that lot. I'm glad
I've got 5 months to plan this

 

Splendid

 

I did look at the Salerno to Corsica, Corsica to Barcelona and Santander to
Plymouth ferries for the trip back but it all started to get a bit pricey
and I decided to keep it simple

 

Oh yes.

 

(The Older Gentleman) gurgled happily,
sounding much like they were saying:

Thirdeded. We spent a rather fantastic week bimbling around there last
September.

 

Cool. Email me your dates, just in case anything else comes up.

 

We are not really on the way, but you would be welcome to call in at
'the chateau'. Wessie's Luxembourg route works well. We used it to get
to the Alto Adige twenty years ago. Merano is a pleasant place.

 

Gyp being the master of the double intendre, those locations would
render him speechless due to overload.

 

I wouldn't even say that, particularly going downhill. If a road
looks like it would be too bendy for a coach I tend to avoid it.

 

What he said. Two-up with all the gear for a month's trip on a big
heavy bike is not the time to do the Stelvio.

 

Yebbut everyone needs to do the Stelvio at least once in their life.