2 months on the continent

Jonny_L

Jonny_L

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Right, as promised, here's the rough layout of my travels this summer. It'll be just me and my bike, covering just over 5000 miles.
I'll start from Caen, Cherbourg, or Calais, haven't decided yet, and I'm planning on camping mainly, with the odd hotel to dry off.
First stop is Le Mans Moto GP, then through the Loire Valley to Nantes, then all down the west coast of france to Bordeaux.
Then all along the Pyrenees through Bielle and Lac Bleu and all in between to Andorra (provided I can get insurance!). I'll then cut down to Barcelona for a few days.

From there, I'll go to Millau to see the bridge, and then all along the south coast to Monaco, with a detour to Verdon in between. Into the Alps to Lake Geneva, I'm pretty much following most of the roads written in "motorcycle journeys through the Alps and Corsica", through Lichtenstein, all the way to Innesbruck, then down to Slovenia.

Lake Bled and the Triglavski National Park, then to Ljubliana. From there Budapest, then up into Slovakia and follow the border to Bratislava. Back into Austria for Vienna, then up to Prague.

From there, It's into Germany. I'm half German, so have various relatives to visit near Frankfurt, then a few cheeky laps of the Nurburgring before heading through the Harz Mountains to Berlin. Osnabruck for more family, then Amsterdam beckons :cool , though I don't touch the stuff any more, so I'll just be there for the sights. Back through Rotterdam, and a quick stint through Belgium and Calais, then back home.


I think I've chosen some good places, though I'm completely open to any suggestions or tips. I've not really done much touring before so I'm limiting myself to around 200 miles a day most days. Besides, I'm not really touching motorways, so I'll want to stop and have a look about!

I'm not doing Italy because I've heard too many bad opinions on their driving. I think I'll come back and do that without the bike, instead of worrying all the time.

So there we are. I can't blooming wait :D
 

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I hate you

But in the best possible way! :augie

Awesome tour. I'm well impressed. Are you going to keep updates posted during the trip?
 
Shrimpo said:
But in the best possible way! :augie

Awesome tour. I'm well impressed. Are you going to keep updates posted during the trip?
Click to expand...

Hehe, glad you guys like it.
I'm gonna try and keep a blog on my website so I'll put a link up when it goes live. I should think I'll be having too much fun to get on the net regularly! I'm gonna be keeping a diary as I go so I won't forget the little things to put in.

Obviously I'll be taking tons of pics, but I work in huge .RAW files, so won't get them up til I'm home. Gonna be worth the wait though I'm sure!
 
You'll be passing within 40 miles of me as you go through Montelimar, drop in for a cup of tea and a bacon butty.
 
Take care on the autoroute to Lyon - Route du Soleil. The route across Italy to Venice near Milan might be manic but the Italian drivers do not stay in Italy. Beware of being passed on all sides at enormous speeds (including the hard shoulder!! The summer storms can be short very violent with huge hailstones - find a garage and sit it out.

Apart from that you'll have a fantastic time
 
Perren said:
Take care on the autoroute to Lyon - Route du Soleil. The route across Italy to Venice near Milan might be manic but the Italian drivers do not stay in Italy. Beware of being passed on all sides at enormous speeds (including the hard shoulder!! The summer storms can be short very violent with huge hailstones - find a garage and sit it out.

Apart from that you'll have a fantastic time
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up, I know first hand about the storms. I was stuck in a car going about 10mph between Osnabruck and Frankfurt last summer, driving through nearly a foot of water, got back to find it had been the worst storm in the area for 80 years :eek: I'll be sure to take cover, and check my mirrors constantly for crazy cagers :thumb

I've booked my tickets now, decided to take the boring fast route from Calais to Le Mans. I'd rather be riding than sitting on a ferry I reckon (though ask me that again after 300 miles of motorways!).

I'm really excited now, The bike's starting to look sorted too, got my Zegas on, top box, sat nav, etc., I'm just waiting for a Sargent seat now and I'll be well away.
 
I if you're taking a mobile with you, charging can be assue on the move, obviously. Have a look at http://www.powerletproducts.com they seem to have a solution to most problems. I particularly like the Tank Bag connections, and I also now have the facility to charge within the Back box.
 
after lake bled make sure that you do the caves around ljub. and watch out for the roads in slovenia they are made of limestone (hence the cave networks) and they are as slippery as **** and that's when they are dry:eek: :eek: :eek:
 
Perren said:
I if you're taking a mobile with you, charging can be assue on the move, obviously. Have a look at http://www.powerletproducts.com they seem to have a solution to most problems. I particularly like the Tank Bag connections, and I also now have the facility to charge within the Back box.
Click to expand...
I should be alright for charging stuff, I've made up my own cables to go to the tank bag, mainly consisting of a well butchered multi socket adaptor from halfords :D Works a treat. Thanks for the info though.

gavinbell, I'll PM you when I've got my itinerary in front of me!

Robbie C, I'd not heard of the caves, I'll definitely have to look into that. I have however heard of the slippery road surfaces. I understand that in places they have cobblestones on hairpin bends too :eek:
I think I'm gonna try to avoid riding in the wet or poor visibility when I can, not much fun when I could be riding through sunny mountains with incredible views. Still, that's what indoor attractions (and bars :beer: ) for :thumb2
 
continentally jealous

Hi Jonny L,
I've been thinking about almost this same trip for a while now. I will be following how you get on with interest, from the worlds most remote city. Just out of interest, what sort of budget are you hoping to run with, as the exchange rate from down here for Euros is a bit of a shocker and I have no idea what sort of costs might be incurred.
Best of luck mate.:thumb2
 
You should take the Gorge du Tarn from Millau, cut through the Cevennes and pick up the autoroute near the Pont du Gard after visiting it of course!
 
Hi, looks great, for what its worth the road from pamplona to jaca in the pyrenees is superb went back to ride it a second time:D , Verdon is great too. it looks like you have already spotted the route des alpes up from menton area to Geneva this was a brilliant ride too, really high passes, mile upon mile of stunning roads. Beware the goats.:thumb2
 
twofat, budget wise I'm hoping not to spend over £2000 (3000 euros), mainly camping and cooking my own food - Looking forward to buying food from local markets a lot. I will be staying in some hotels, maybe 1 a week, but I'll also be staying with relatives throughout Germany, so that'll be a nice cheap part.

Shenzi, thanks for the tip, I had a feeling there'd be more to see around that area than just the viaduct.

GUZZZI, I'll have a look at the map for that one too, cheers. The Menton - Geneva route that I've chosen was part of an on Centopassi route. when it comes to the Alps, I'm doing most of the routes listed in "motorcycle journeys through the Alps and Corsica", so I should think I'll get some spectacular roads and views, even if it does take me a few weeks :D

I should think I'll be stopping so often to take photos and admire the views, it'll take twice the time. Joke is, a lot of these places I only know of from watching top gear and megastructures :eek: Love it when I see these places on telly and think it's amazing, then realise I'll be there soon.
 
I have driven all over western Europe, though not ridden. And frankly I cannot see a real difference in driving style. Maybe more heated in the south and less in the north.

City driving is always the worst but so it is too in the UK.

The Italians are crazy parkers and any space, even too small is up for grabs. In France and Italy you can part your bike on the pavement... which is nice.

Where I did see a big difference was driving in the states... where everything is much slower and generally no one seems to get upset, well at least in California and Nevada, didn't drive anywhere else.

The American's have 2 great driving rules. Turn right on a red light if clear. Would love to see that adopted over here, and any lane on the highway goes at any speed. So no more morons sitting in the middle lane oblivious to the hold up they are causing.

One bad thing about driving in the US is the 55 mph max speed in most states. Try driving from Pheonix to the Grand Canyon on some of the longest straights of road in the world and not being able to do more than 55!:mad:
 
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