Took a wrong turn the other day and ended up here …
2024 Euro ride
- Thread starter Boxerboy55
- Start date
Then I found myself here …
Next week I have a ticket for Bastogne Barracks and Spa Francorchamp classic car racing.Sun is out and bike is purring like a pussy cat.
9 years since I retired and acquired this trusty steed.
Today I “saluted” the unfortunate Astell Dambuster crew who didn’t make it after clipping a pylon and came down in a farm near Borken. (Not the first time I’ve passed here)
At last, this afternoon near Sundern I found some lovely sweeping roads. That’s what it’s all about.
The beer is good too
Today reached 25 degrees as I tootled out of Sundern round Sorpesee and Biggesee.
I normally try to avoid weekend riding as it was mobbed with a million Harley riders and moto GP riders. Plus all the other weekend traffic.
Luckily I found some roller coaster country roads. Can hardly believe how smooth they are.
I normally try to avoid weekend riding as it was mobbed with a million Harley riders and moto GP riders. Plus all the other weekend traffic.
Luckily I found some roller coaster country roads. Can hardly believe how smooth they are.
My impression of German roads on a car trip last year! The occasional bit of frost damage, that's all. If you're in that neck of the woods, have a look at Wewelsburg castle. There's a yoof hostel attached and a museum. Interesting place. https://www.wewelsburg.de/en/kreismuseum-wewelsburg/geschichte-der-wewelsburg.php
Today I enjoyed running circles round Winterberg - a ski resort. Found some absolutely brilliant roads. Roller coasters. Hairpins. Sweepers. Zumo XT behaving. Gave me a perfect "round trip" loop. Late afternoon a pesky shower of rain had me diving for cover under the shade of a tree so I could shut all my zips and wrap up. Blow me, a mile up the road things dried out again. Temp has been running up to 24 degrees.
ps - I fuckin' hate this wee Kindle when it changes every other word I type. And it doesn't handle any of my photos. They have to come from my phone. Hey Ho!
ps - I fuckin' hate this wee Kindle when it changes every other word I type. And it doesn't handle any of my photos. They have to come from my phone. Hey Ho!
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Thanks for the tip. I did.My impression of German roads on a car trip last year! The occasional bit of frost damage, that's all. If you're in that neck of the woods, have a look at Wewelsburg castle. There's a yoof hostel attached and a museum. Interesting place. https://www.wewelsburg.de/en/kreismuseum-wewelsburg/geschichte-der-wewelsburg.php
A very enjoyable tootle on brilliant cross country L and K roads with a B road thrown in got me to the ex-SS museum. With lunch to follow.
And back to Waldeck on same roads. For a couple of cool cans on my hotel balcony.
Yet again the wee Dam Buster museum was shut. My last chance.
Heading west tomorrow. With one stop before using my 2pm ticket on Friday at Bastogne Barracks.
Spa Francorchamp ticket for Sunday classic car racing.
I fear rain is expected after a week of sun.
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Today started dry but dull into Belgium.
A puzzled GPS caused me to pull up. And see the biggest hole in the ground the size of a town with the biggest excavator I’ve ever seen.
Celebrated crossing the border by having a P in the woods (unlike the bears)
2pm ticket for Bastogne Barracks. A bit disappointing compared with Bovington or Overloon. A kind gent pointed out that the obvious entry and car park Wasn’t! Drive along the road a bit to a gate house. He got the FRO, while the kind gent let me park my bike in front of his barrier and checked my ticket. Then I wandered blindly into the yard and found 2 big sheds full of tanks and other vehicles. Very poorly signed and structured. What was there was interesting.
One Morris (not Minor) truck rebuilt to far more than original finish. One tank turret surprised me with several small bullet holes that penetrated the steel.
But the rain just kept on coming.
Hotel Leo Station is right on the square in Bastogne. But a bastard to park and find the check in door. Then be taken a 100m to the “annex”. Then get back in the bike, ride round the block and abandon it in a patch of waste ground near the annex. I’ll be lucky if I see it again
Nice spacious room. 3 beds.
Still pissing down so dined on the premises and sampled Chouffe beer. Fuck its strong.
And it’s still pissing down. Folk are walking in drenched.
Will walk to 101st museum tomorrow. No riding. Have been before. The dioramas are brill.
I’m crossing my fingers this rain will ease for Sunday at Spa Francorchamp for some classic car racing. We’ll see.
And it’s still pissing down.
A family member in sunny Scotland sent me a pic of first Al Fresco dining. Wee Shite!
A puzzled GPS caused me to pull up. And see the biggest hole in the ground the size of a town with the biggest excavator I’ve ever seen.
Celebrated crossing the border by having a P in the woods (unlike the bears)
2pm ticket for Bastogne Barracks. A bit disappointing compared with Bovington or Overloon. A kind gent pointed out that the obvious entry and car park Wasn’t! Drive along the road a bit to a gate house. He got the FRO, while the kind gent let me park my bike in front of his barrier and checked my ticket. Then I wandered blindly into the yard and found 2 big sheds full of tanks and other vehicles. Very poorly signed and structured. What was there was interesting.
One Morris (not Minor) truck rebuilt to far more than original finish. One tank turret surprised me with several small bullet holes that penetrated the steel.
But the rain just kept on coming.
Hotel Leo Station is right on the square in Bastogne. But a bastard to park and find the check in door. Then be taken a 100m to the “annex”. Then get back in the bike, ride round the block and abandon it in a patch of waste ground near the annex. I’ll be lucky if I see it again
Nice spacious room. 3 beds.
Still pissing down so dined on the premises and sampled Chouffe beer. Fuck its strong.
And it’s still pissing down. Folk are walking in drenched.
Will walk to 101st museum tomorrow. No riding. Have been before. The dioramas are brill.
I’m crossing my fingers this rain will ease for Sunday at Spa Francorchamp for some classic car racing. We’ll see.
And it’s still pissing down.
A family member in sunny Scotland sent me a pic of first Al Fresco dining. Wee Shite!
Looks like you got the all day and heavy rain that we got in the South yesterday.
I’ll work backwards from Now.
This afternoon ended in lovely sunshine my bunkhouse has a balcony. 4 Dutch bikes joined mine in the front yard.
Right now I’m supping a Bofferding. Or 2. In Luxembourg. I’ll soon stroll across a bridge to my bunk in Germany. Passing an old Customs house.
But Fuck Me - I met Noah sailing past this afternoon when I ran in to a deluge with horrendous surface water. But I out ran the rain into 23 DegC. Weird. Tomorrow’s forecast is poor so I my just put my feet up.
I popped in to the Bastogne War Museum this morning. Good story telling place rather than relics. Nice lass gave me a cupboard for my kit as the bike park Bins need your own shackle.
I don’t carry one. As an aside , some folk on here would have palpitations at my parking in a scruffy yard in Bastogne. No locks. No chains. No ground anchors. Tonight I noticed the 4 Dutch bikes are wearing shackles. No one wants my old banger.
Yesterday was classic car racing at Spa Francorchamp. Luckily a cool, misty morning turned out very pleasant. No rain. Lovely to see, and hear (ear plugs in ) the old cars from 60s, 70s, 80s.
And, the poor sods in Barracuda must have had a bad day at the office.
This afternoon ended in lovely sunshine my bunkhouse has a balcony. 4 Dutch bikes joined mine in the front yard.
Right now I’m supping a Bofferding. Or 2. In Luxembourg. I’ll soon stroll across a bridge to my bunk in Germany. Passing an old Customs house.
But Fuck Me - I met Noah sailing past this afternoon when I ran in to a deluge with horrendous surface water. But I out ran the rain into 23 DegC. Weird. Tomorrow’s forecast is poor so I my just put my feet up.
I popped in to the Bastogne War Museum this morning. Good story telling place rather than relics. Nice lass gave me a cupboard for my kit as the bike park Bins need your own shackle.
I don’t carry one. As an aside , some folk on here would have palpitations at my parking in a scruffy yard in Bastogne. No locks. No chains. No ground anchors. Tonight I noticed the 4 Dutch bikes are wearing shackles. No one wants my old banger.
Yesterday was classic car racing at Spa Francorchamp. Luckily a cool, misty morning turned out very pleasant. No rain. Lovely to see, and hear (ear plugs in ) the old cars from 60s, 70s, 80s.
And, the poor sods in Barracuda must have had a bad day at the office.
Enjoying this Boxerboy. Where is that open cast pit? We passed one last week in our way to Simmerath. Biggest one we've ever seen. Ginormous it was.
Yep. I was leaving Bergheim. More mines and power stations North of Bergheim.
And the Michael Schumacher karting emporium is right beside the A4.
And the Michael Schumacher karting emporium is right beside the A4.
And ——— my previous attempts to add a few pics failed miserably. Phones. Shit.
Today I was optimistic with the weather to the East. So please XT give me a Round Trip to Kirn. Job done. It was a good day. Most of the time. Then damp roads. Then wet roads. Then some pissing rain till I outran it. Then sunshine (21). Then some spanking Hill Climbs and other super smooth country roads. Interspersed with a convenient Backerie then a cafe attached to a NORMA supermarket. Tripped over an air museum that I’d seen before.
Hit the brakes and doubled back up a lovely smooth climb to a 360 degree lookout post. Beside a military radar station. Another “Hauptstrasse” beckoned. Which was wonderful. Then my XT had indigestion and I think started working in reverse. I followed the “dumb map” line till a road closure said Fuck It. Take me home. And now it’s Goodnight Echternach / Echternachbruck with a pleasant glass of Bofferding. Or 2. ps - it’s an unusual language.
Hit the brakes and doubled back up a lovely smooth climb to a 360 degree lookout post. Beside a military radar station. Another “Hauptstrasse” beckoned. Which was wonderful. Then my XT had indigestion and I think started working in reverse. I followed the “dumb map” line till a road closure said Fuck It. Take me home. And now it’s Goodnight Echternach / Echternachbruck with a pleasant glass of Bofferding. Or 2. ps - it’s an unusual language.
Backerei u Cafe! Words to gladden a biker's heart when in Germany!
Indeed. I’m racking up my favourite pit stops .
Any village with a Bäckerei- though many wee villages are completely dead.
REWE - can’t beat a big supermarket with cafe attached.
NORMA - 2nd division supermarket that often has a cafe.
ALDI & LIDL if you just need some stuff .
And of course McD for that desperate cuppa.
Any village with a Bäckerei- though many wee villages are completely dead.
REWE - can’t beat a big supermarket with cafe attached.
NORMA - 2nd division supermarket that often has a cafe.
ALDI & LIDL if you just need some stuff .
And of course McD for that desperate cuppa.
I tend to look for IMBISS on Google Maps when in Germany. Means snack and can be a trailer in a layby, a cabin in a car park or small shop. Currywurst and a bottle of Radler (shandy).
I’m home. 2,277 miles.
My second last night was in a Brauhaus in Eslohe. Very nice. I’ve now ticked off 2 of the many Brauhaus-es (can’t spell) in a little brochure. One of the best stretches of road coming from the south.
My best guess is around 200 bikes came off the ferry at N Shields. Many German plates heading for TT I think.
Today was a bit of a bummer coming home from N Shields. A68 closure seemed innocuous, but there’s no real roads down there. So the diversion sent me southwards on the A68 towards the A69. Completely the wrong way. Fuck!
Then the rain came on so it was rather unpleasant from Gretna to Abington and beyond.
Another couple of road closures and diversions nearer home meant it took 208 miles. The shortest path on the bypass is around 125 miles.
Bike was filthy. Needed a quick gentle hose down before I could even tuck it away for the night.
My second last night was in a Brauhaus in Eslohe. Very nice. I’ve now ticked off 2 of the many Brauhaus-es (can’t spell) in a little brochure. One of the best stretches of road coming from the south.
My best guess is around 200 bikes came off the ferry at N Shields. Many German plates heading for TT I think.
Today was a bit of a bummer coming home from N Shields. A68 closure seemed innocuous, but there’s no real roads down there. So the diversion sent me southwards on the A68 towards the A69. Completely the wrong way. Fuck!
Then the rain came on so it was rather unpleasant from Gretna to Abington and beyond.
Another couple of road closures and diversions nearer home meant it took 208 miles. The shortest path on the bypass is around 125 miles.
Bike was filthy. Needed a quick gentle hose down before I could even tuck it away for the night.
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