9 Alpine Passes

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ellesig2

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2nd August 5.00 am Home – Namur, Belgium. 293 miles
Left home in the dark. We had decided to go to Dunkirk as it is a bit cheaper and a bit further round the coast. We were heading for Namur where we had booked a room for 1 night at the Hotel Beauregarde, which is actually also a Casino. Hotel was a bit strange but served a purpose.

As we were heading for Austria we decided to keep to the motorways in order to cover as many miles as possible.

Stopped at services near Brugge where we saw an Irish guy with a huge Harley trike with two sidecars. The passengers in the sidecars were two boxer dogs!!

3rd August Namur, – Dahn, Germany. 208 miles

More motorways. When we got tired we headed for the nearest town and ended up in a small town called Dahn. We found a hotel almost immediately, which also happened to be a health farm.

We had a really nice room with our own sun terrace. We decided to head into town for dinner and ended up having a beer at a mobile beer stall! I don’t really drink that much so just wanted a small beer – but of course had forgotten we were now in Germany and they only do large beers.

Feeling a bit tipsy we headed for the local pizzeria and feeling more stable ended up the evening with an ice cream at the local ice cream parlour.

4th August Dahn – Sulzbach, Germany. 306 miles
Left Dahn in the most appalling rain and found out my waterproofs weren’t really waterproof at all. Bit of a miserable ride but weather got better during the day and I eventually dried out. Arrived at tourist information office in Inzell and they directed us to a beautiful B&B in the next village, Sulzbach. At last we can see a hint of the sort of countryside we were heading for.

I am really pleased with the bike so far. Have managed to keep up with hubbie without any problems but unfortunately the radios decided to pack up so it was a bit harder to communicate. Quite often ended up dying for a pee or drink or fag before we stopped but not too much of a problem. Also I have never ridden my bike for so many days on the trot and felt very comfortable. Being very short (5’2”) the extra weight from the panniers meant I could reach the floor that little bit better which made manoeuvring the bike around out of parking spaces etc. just that little bit easier. Oh the Scotoiler pipe became unfixed but luckily we had remembered to pack the duct tape so that was quickly and easily remedied.

5th August Sulzbach – Lienz, Austria. 102 miles
Via the Stein Pass we arrived at the Grossglockner Pass!! Stopped at the bottom for a coffee and Apple Strudel and then started the ascent. Unfortunately the weather was terrible and we couldn’t see a thing!

Hairpins were interesting as I couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of me – well maybe a few more feet but not many. We stopped at the top to not see the view then started the descent. Cloud lifted and the ride was much more enjoyable. Going round the hairpins fully loaded was no problem and the grin on my face was huge!!!

Heading for Lienz with my first Pass Sticker for my panniers the weather got better and better and the countryside more and more beautiful. Had to stop for a cow to cross the road at one point.

To be continued ....
 

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9 Alpine Passes Continued

6th August Lienz – Braz 225 miles
Last year I hadn’t passed my test and sat on the back of husbands Honda Deauville all the way to the Italian lakes. This experience made me determined to pass my test and do the riding for myself. Last year we had ended up staying in a beautiful cuckoo clock in Braz and decided to head for there again as we could do more passes, using this stop as a base for a couple of nights.

Today’s journey took us on a visit to a Copper Mining Museum in Jochburg, then a beautiful view from the Gerlos Pass for lunch. Heading for Braz I got sticker no.2 for the Alberg Pass. (That’s 4 passes so far).

7th August Braz – Braz 144 miles

Faschinajoch Pass
Hochtannberg Pass
Flexen Pass
Albert Pass
Sticker no. 3 for Silvretta Pass. I lost husband on this pass as he went zooming ahead and had a chance to come down on my own without following anyone and with no traffic behind me. No panniers and just me whizzing round those lovely windy roads and negotiating the hairpins with much more confidence now I was on my 9th pass.

8th August Braz – Schenkenzell, Germany 215 miles

Destination The Black Forest. We found the hotel on www.motor-bike-hotels.com and booked ahead for 2 nights. The room was huge and the restaurant was excellent.

9th August Shenkenzell – Schenkenzell 104 miles
Unfortunately the next morning was pouring with rain and we decided to take the morning off our bikes and took a train to Freudenstadt. We stopped for a coffee and it absolutely bucketed it down.

Wearing glasses and a Shoei Raid II Helmet means my glasses get a bit of a hammering, as I have to take them on and off each time the helmet comes on and off. The opticians in Freudenstadt kindly tightened them up for me and cleaned them so they were like new again.

After lunch back at the hotel, the afternoon really brightened up and we couldn’t resist a rideout in the Black Forest. It was beautiful and we just chose a random route in a circle. We ended up doing another 104 miles just enjoying the perfect roads in the forest.

10th August Shenkenzell – Rochefort, Belgium 285 miles
Weren’t too sure where we were headed for today but knew we had to start heading north to get the Ferry home 3 days. We thought we might stay in Luxembourg but unlike the Austrian Alps or the Black Forest, there isn’t a beautiful cuckoo clock to stay in every few miles and we ended up deciding to go to a hotel we stayed in last year at Rochefort as we were, by this time only about 1hr away. We rang ahead and they had some rooms.

11th August Rochefort –Ypres 185 miles
Visiting the Menin Gate for the Last Post Ceremony last year was such a moving experience we decided it was as good a last stop as any. The Novotel in Ypres is not that cheap but it is right in the centre and walking distance to the Menin Gate. On the way we visited The Messines Ridge war cemetery. Amazingly, these cemeteries are really tranquil and peaceful and there are 100’s of them around all worth a visit however, large or small.

Walked around until 8.00pm when the Last Post Ceremony is performed every night at the Menin Gate. Last year they had a visiting youth band a bagpiper and a wreath laying ceremony but this year four guys just played the Last Post – very moving once again….

12th August Ypres – Home 154 miles
Although I did quite a bit of this trip as pillion last year this time it was totally different. A fantastic experience and I cannot wait for next year’s trip. We have friends in San Sebastian, Spain so may go via their place and try the Pyrenees next time.
 

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Nice wee RR there thank's for sharing it with us

Schultz
 
Obviously I meant Alberg Pass not Albert!

Are you sure you didn't mean Arlberg? ;)

Well done, Giselle, I enjoyed your report and the pics! It's a great achievement to do all these passes with your licence less than a year old. :clap

The Alps are just such a perfect training ground when you want to get riding experience under your belt - didn't all the roads seem like a piece of cake when you returned to the lowlands? :D

Thanks for sharing your trip with us. :thumb2
 
Silly me - yes Arlberg.

I went out on a rideout on the saturday after we got back with a load of S and ST riders. The route was supposed to be nice and twisty but 90% of it felt very tame after the Alps!!
 
Thanks for posting Ellesig. We are planning to go to Austria next summer and your pics make me wish it were sooner. :)
 


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