2 do Alsace Lorraine in France & German Black Forest/Mosel

JohnnyBoxer · Saturday at 20:38

@ikkje and myself planned a trip to eastern France

and Germany for 10 days this year, late May and into June

We had discussed it a few months ago and booked the Newhaven to Dieppe Ferry in anticipation

@ikkje is a master at finding quirky and funky accommodation-generally self catering as we like to please ourselves, coming & going and choosing locally produced food, with the option of eating out at nights or cooking for ourselves

In the planning stages we decided to a variety of 2 night stops at various places and then a few one nighters there & back

Afterwards we have both agreed that we need to do more & better planning as mileage ended up at 2200 for the 10 days (including the run from the north to Newhaven & back)

Ideally narrow it down to better biking areas and spend longer there and just do the Chunnel in future

We both like France over Germany (too regimented/too clinical/sterile and too many rules, food that doesn’t inspire) we decided and will do more of that and/or Spain

Anyhow ….enough of the preamble

JohnnyBoxer · Saturday at 20:46

We set off from Yorkshire at lunchtime on the very hot (30-35c) BH Sunday to ride to Newhaven
A long slog down the A1 and M11 to M25 (stopping at Thurrock and met a chap on a Mandello V100 who was doing the Chunnel - why weren’t we

)

Onwards towards Brighton it just got hotter

We arrived at about 7pm at the pub at Cuckmere Haven for some tea (recommended on here) and very good it was too

Got a whiff of fuel around my bike (more later) but just thought it was a whiff from the breather in the high temps

JohnnyBoxer · Saturday at 21:02

Got to ferry and queued up from about 9pm
Only 4 bikes - but one muppet on an AT fell off his stationary bike and just caught the edge of my pannier, but fell in an adjacent new VStrom 800 DE owned by an Italian and gave it a right clatter - smashed front lever and tank panels/crashbars etc
Left them to swap details
By now there was some ‘wetness’ near my rh fuel body and leak from a QD connection

Not bad - but heat had exacerbated the issue
So, we pressed on and got on ferry at about 10.30pm
Straight to cabin and tried to get some kip
However the boat docks a 4am uk time so it was hardly worth it and a night crossing we may never repeat
Off in the morning and by now there was a pool of petrol from my bike that had made its way to where the cyclists were parked (they weren’t at all happy)
Oh, we were off ski and straight through customs and out of the port
We decided to press on as bike was running fine to get to Amiens (we were heading to Verdun for our first night)
Being early on a BH Monday there was sod all open
We got Amiens at about 7.30am and found a boulangerie open for coffee and croissants
Parking the bike up, there was a drip now from the QD connection

Game over for the day and we had to call breakdown

JohnnyBoxer · Saturday at 21:04

My bike insurance is with Lynbrook & ERS and they include breakdown cover in uk and Europe
Not sure who the underwriters are for breakdown

However I rang from France

and it went straight through to Opteven/Europ Assist helpdesk

Very fast service - even in a French BH Monday

Tow truck & mechanic to the Boulangerie cafe where we were having coffee and breakfast, within 35-40 mins

Bike uplifted onto tow truck by ourselves and driver immediately

Off to their garage to attempt a fix - but they didn’t have the correct part (it was a car garage/tyre centre and breakdown fleet)

Bike garaged there, due to no parts on a BH Monday

Recovery agent phoned them to advise predicament and their agent booked me into a hotel and arranged a taxi immediately, no quibble or hassle

Taxi turns up in 20 mins and I am whisked away from tyre centre to hotel with outdoor pool

From initial call…. to being in a hotel room was about 2.5-3 hours tops…Can’t fault that

Found a BMW Motorrad dealer 1km from my hotel

Phoned them on the Tuesday morning to obtain the bmw parts and took a Uber to collect and bring me back to hotel

Breakdown assistance brought a taxi to hotel to take me and luggage to the bike, across town

Fixed bike myself and back on the road again within 24 hours total downtime and onwards to Vosges via peage to Nancy, from Normandy to meet up with my touring companion again

Bike fine for rest of trip

Couldn’t fault the breakdown cover

JohnnyBoxer · Saturday at 21:06

So @ikkje left me at the hotel and made his way to Verdun
Meanwhile I was in hotel by 11am ish and showered/changed and had some lunch by the pool

JohnnyBoxer · Saturday at 21:09

On the BH Monday afternoon I decided to take a Uber into Amiens to have a mooch as there were no dealers open until the following day
Amiens is a beautiful city with an amazing cathedral
In a way - I was glad I could explore it, due to the breakdown

JohnnyBoxer · Saturday at 21:18

Tuesday dawned and @ikkje had had a good night in Verdun and was making his way to the next digs for 2 nights at Thann (south of Epinal) in the Vosges and via Route des Crêtes (jealous, just a bit)

Me-I went up the Motorrad dealer a 1km away and got the poxy €4 QD o rings and then the Assistance took me by taxi to the bike with my gear
2 min fix and I was on my way from Amiens
It was a 400 mile day, started at 3pm on the Peage to Reims/Metz and into Reims and then down to Epinal towards Thann

@ikkje had sorted supper after I arrived at 9.30pm
Thank you sir

JohnnyBoxer · Saturday at 21:22

Thann in the Vosges was a lovely wee town and our apartment was excellent and well appointed
Garage for bikes too

JohnnyBoxer · Saturday at 21:29

Tuesday - @ikkje had arranged a vineyard tour at 9-9.30am (the apartment owners also had a vineyard and wine business)

So I trundled down to town at 7am for provisions-fresh bread and croissants, plus fruit from the veg shop and milk & yoghurt from the Carrefour
Part of the attraction of France and self catering is searching out local good food

Great wee old town

JohnnyBoxer · Saturday at 21:33

Off up the vineyard and the terracing was steep in parts, but the views worth it
Great wines too and learnt a lot about wine production

We ate out that night and had some excellent pizza type flambé

Apartment resident cat - lovely natured

JohnnyBoxer · Saturday at 21:41

Finally …on the Wednesday I got to ride some decent roads on the Route des Crêtes and Grand Ballon - an area I had ridden before but not for a good few years

JohnnyBoxer · Saturday at 21:45

We crossed the Rhine and were heading for the Black Forest - weather still glorious

Stopped in a German town for lunch and met a couple of Dutch bikers - one on a GS and the other on his Kwack Z1000, that he’s had from new - 48 years

JohnnyBoxer · Saturday at 21:46

TBC …..

wessie · Saturday at 21:59

I love Alsace and the wine there. Rarely see a sylvaner over here. What was the vineyard you visited (or the agency used for the booking)?

Also, maybe fortuitous you were not on the tunnel. I was on there on 30 April and I just got a whiff of petrol and then all hell broke lose with the floor flooded with soapy water and the air filled with a mist. I think one of those behind us had dropped their bike and must have spilled some fuel, which then evaporated in the compartment.

We were evacuated into the carriage ahead. There was a lot of huffing from the crew when we arrived in Coquelles. No idea what to do, until I suggested we push the bikes into a dry carriage before riding off. Delayed about half an hour due to Gallic shrugging.

JohnnyBoxer · Saturday at 22:09

wessie said:
I love Alsace and the wine there. Rarely see a sylvaner over here. What was the vineyard you visited (or the agency used for the booking)?

Also, maybe fortuitous you were not on the tunnel. I was on there on 30 April and I just got a whiff of petrol and then all hell broke lose with the floor flooded with soapy water and the air filled with a mist. I think one of those behind us had dropped their bike and must have spilled some fuel, which then evaporated in the compartment.

We were evacuated into the carriage ahead. There was a lot of huffing from the crew when we arrived in Coquelles. No idea what to do, until I suggested we push the bikes into a dry carriage before riding off. Delayed about half an hour due to Gallic shrugging.

DFDS didn’t seem overly bothered luckily
Chunnel would have been a different matter entirely as you say

@ikkje will be along soon - he did it all via booking.com

Not sure of the vineyard contact details - but their name is on the very bottom of the labels …..Lea Schnebelen they do export direct to uk, via mail order
Her father was Eugene
Great wine

and very moorish

wessie · Saturday at 22:24

thanks
here https://www.ruedesvignerons.com/en/domaine/1494/domaine-eugene-schnebelen-ses-filles right in the middle of Thann
looks a nice village with a decent looking Logis Hotel and a tram line into Mulhouse if someone wants to visit the Schlumpf or railway museums.

JohnnyBoxer · Saturday at 22:42

wessie said:
thanks
here https://www.ruedesvignerons.com/en/domaine/1494/domaine-eugene-schnebelen-ses-filles right in the middle of Thann
looks a nice village with a decent looking Logis Hotel and a tram line into Mulhouse if someone wants to visit the Schlumpf or railway museums.

It’s a great old town and scenic - old town is bypassed on the outskirts and down the valley
All the better for it
Thanks for the tips about Mulhouse tram (worth noting)
I think we’ll go again for 4-5 nights
Plenty of riding opportunities and a wet day could yield a trip to Schlumpf in Mulhouse on the tram
We got the sc accommodation on booking.com and spot in
Newly converted and comfy, 5 mins walk into town and with a garage for the bikes

JohnnyBoxer · Sunday at 09:05

Where were we ….

So we travelled up into the Black Forest, just south of Freudenstadt to a small village called Winzeln near Peterzell
SC accommodation again and named the Green Loft which was the top floor of a large detached timber house with our own roof terrace
Warm it was
Good job there were fans in every room
Pleasantly furnished and equipped
Bar opposite and a supermarket within 10 mins walk and a restaurant too, where we ate the first night
Friday we decided to visit Touratech DE and then explore some higher roads (valley roads turned out to be extremely busy on a Friday afternoon)

Touratech wasn’t anything to write home about and seemed poorly laid out, no staff talked to us or asked us if we needed help and whilst a bigger shop, didn’t seem a patch on the older shop 10-20 years ago

Other bikers turned up and we didn’t see much buying going on

So, we left and had lunch with a view…. at a Landgasthof

JohnnyBoxer · Sunday at 10:36

Off up to Mosel on the Saturday morning and took the B500 from Freudenstädt to Baden Baden
What a crap road it has become ….70kmh limit (43mph or thereabouts) for the full length except for a few 50 limits in the built up tourist bits
Glad I rode it in the glory days when you could zip along at 3 figures
After BB we took the 48 after Wissembourg (FR) up past Kaiserslautern
The 48 is again hamstrung by a solid white line for most of the length and another 70/80 kmh limit
I digress
We stopped for lunch at the biker cafe in the middle of it, south of Kaiserslautern