With a pass for 8 days, rough plans were made to head down to the Dolomites, as I'd read so much about it here, been recommended it by friends, and seen it on several epsodes of Top Gear.
So, here goes.
Day One - Camberley, Surrey to Chaumont-Sur-Aire, France
A boring schlep down the motorway to Folkestone, followed by a quick crossing to France, and the holiday begins.
Once we got to Calais, it was another boring motorway run, but we wanted to get a few miles ticked off today, so that we could enjoy some non motorway miles tomorrow. The fun began once we got off the motorway, and had a bit of a play on some back roads.
I'd pre booked the hotel for the first night (http://reservation-hotel.logishotel...5848c634e78&custid=12&hotelid=6799&partid=661), as we didn't want to be riding around looking for a bed on the first night, and what a cracking little place it was.
Excellent food, and a comfortable bed, I thoroughly recommend this place.
Day Two - Chaumont-Sur-Aire to Horw, Switzerland
Up, not quite as early as we'd hoped, as several drinks were consumed last night (this was to become a regular occurrence
). I had a look on the map to see where to stay tonight, and decided to head for Horw, south of Lucerne. I found a hotel online but as we weren't 100% sure if we'd get that far, decided to wing it, and find a hotel when we'd had enough riding for the day. We managed to stay on the back roads for a couple of hours, then decided to make our way into Switzerland.
Before we left, I warned Mark that it was likely to be cold on some of the passes, and that base layers would still be required, even though it is May. The weather didn't disappoint, as we headed up the Vosges, up the D417. Once we got to the top, it was cold and foggy, so it seemed appropriate to order some hot chocolate, and a hot meal.
From the Vosges, we then headed into Germany, and through the south of the Black Forest. As we would be spending more time here later in the week, we didn't spend too much time here, so then headed into Switzerland.
When we got to Horw, we stopped at the hotel that I'd seen on Expedia that morning for €80, only to be told that their best price is now €250.
After a couple of laps of the town, we found Hotel Felmis http://www.felmis.ch/de/en/
Where is everyone?
It was reasonably priced, and the food/ drink was exceptional.
They even let us part the bikes under the canopy.
Day Three - Horw to Bardolino, Lake Garda, Italy
Despite consuming our combined body weight in food and drink, and attempting to gate crash a party the night before……………………….
……………..we felt remarkably refreshed.
The hotel manager didn't need to worry about us waking everyone up early by starting the bikes at the crack of dawn, after all!
So, back on the road we go. There's nothing better than getting back on the bike for another full days riding, exploring new sites, and not being quite sure what the day has in store.
Going south out of Switzerland towards Italy, we saw signs for the Furka Pass. They said it was open, even though a search at the hotel said it was closed. So, in for a penny, we were more inclined to trust the regularly updated road signs, and headed up the Furka.
About halfway up, the barrier was down, and it was closed. While we were there, one of the park rangers (or whatever they're called) turned up in a van, and opened the barrier. We couldn't have timed that better. But then he got the other side of the barrier, then closed it again.
So, back down the Furka, and a few miles on the motorway, to get us into Italy. As soon as we got to Italy, there was a more frantic style of driving, a free for all, and we hadn't even got off the motorway yet!
Thoroughly bored of the motorway, I reprogrammed the nav to avoid motorways, and toll roads. When we got far enough down the motorway to get us to the hotel at a reasonable time, we got off, and took what we hoped would be some scenic back roads. They weren't. We went through a few towns, before finally arriving at Lake Garda. We came in from the west, and went via Sirimone, before arriving at Bardolino. The driving/ riding here was crazy, and although I knew what to expect, Mark didn't, and was happy to get to the hotel.
Tonight was to be a night of luxury, after yesterday's hiccup, so I'd booked http://www.hotelcaesiusterme.com this morning, before we left. This was a resort, and was HUGE! Underground parking, meant the bikes were secure, so after a full tour of the hotel to get to the room, and soaked in sweat, we ditched our bags, headed to the pool, and got ourselves some well earned drinks, and antipasti.
A quick shower, then on to dinner. We found a great traditional restaurant by the water, and beer and pizza was swiftly ordered. After dinner, we had a walk to try and find somewhere a bit lively for drinks, but everywhere was quiet. Even back at the hotel, at 10pm, it was a ghost town. So, a couple of night caps, one for the road, and it's off to bed.
The bikes had a good sleep as well!
So, here goes.
Day One - Camberley, Surrey to Chaumont-Sur-Aire, France
A boring schlep down the motorway to Folkestone, followed by a quick crossing to France, and the holiday begins.
Once we got to Calais, it was another boring motorway run, but we wanted to get a few miles ticked off today, so that we could enjoy some non motorway miles tomorrow. The fun began once we got off the motorway, and had a bit of a play on some back roads.
I'd pre booked the hotel for the first night (http://reservation-hotel.logishotel...5848c634e78&custid=12&hotelid=6799&partid=661), as we didn't want to be riding around looking for a bed on the first night, and what a cracking little place it was.
Excellent food, and a comfortable bed, I thoroughly recommend this place.
Day Two - Chaumont-Sur-Aire to Horw, Switzerland
Up, not quite as early as we'd hoped, as several drinks were consumed last night (this was to become a regular occurrence
). I had a look on the map to see where to stay tonight, and decided to head for Horw, south of Lucerne. I found a hotel online but as we weren't 100% sure if we'd get that far, decided to wing it, and find a hotel when we'd had enough riding for the day. We managed to stay on the back roads for a couple of hours, then decided to make our way into Switzerland.
Before we left, I warned Mark that it was likely to be cold on some of the passes, and that base layers would still be required, even though it is May. The weather didn't disappoint, as we headed up the Vosges, up the D417. Once we got to the top, it was cold and foggy, so it seemed appropriate to order some hot chocolate, and a hot meal.
From the Vosges, we then headed into Germany, and through the south of the Black Forest. As we would be spending more time here later in the week, we didn't spend too much time here, so then headed into Switzerland.
When we got to Horw, we stopped at the hotel that I'd seen on Expedia that morning for €80, only to be told that their best price is now €250.
After a couple of laps of the town, we found Hotel Felmis http://www.felmis.ch/de/en/
Where is everyone?
It was reasonably priced, and the food/ drink was exceptional.
They even let us part the bikes under the canopy.
Day Three - Horw to Bardolino, Lake Garda, Italy
Despite consuming our combined body weight in food and drink, and attempting to gate crash a party the night before……………………….
……………..we felt remarkably refreshed.
The hotel manager didn't need to worry about us waking everyone up early by starting the bikes at the crack of dawn, after all!
So, back on the road we go.
There's nothing better than getting back on the bike for another full days riding, exploring new sites, and not being quite sure what the day has in store.
Going south out of Switzerland towards Italy, we saw signs for the Furka Pass. They said it was open, even though a search at the hotel said it was closed. So, in for a penny, we were more inclined to trust the regularly updated road signs, and headed up the Furka.
About halfway up, the barrier was down, and it was closed.
While we were there, one of the park rangers (or whatever they're called) turned up in a van, and opened the barrier. We couldn't have timed that better. But then he got the other side of the barrier, then closed it again.
So, back down the Furka, and a few miles on the motorway, to get us into Italy. As soon as we got to Italy, there was a more frantic style of driving, a free for all, and we hadn't even got off the motorway yet!
Thoroughly bored of the motorway, I reprogrammed the nav to avoid motorways, and toll roads. When we got far enough down the motorway to get us to the hotel at a reasonable time, we got off, and took what we hoped would be some scenic back roads. They weren't.
We went through a few towns, before finally arriving at Lake Garda. We came in from the west, and went via Sirimone, before arriving at Bardolino. The driving/ riding here was crazy, and although I knew what to expect, Mark didn't, and was happy to get to the hotel. 
Tonight was to be a night of luxury, after yesterday's hiccup, so I'd booked http://www.hotelcaesiusterme.com this morning, before we left. This was a resort, and was HUGE! Underground parking, meant the bikes were secure, so after a full tour of the hotel to get to the room, and soaked in sweat, we ditched our bags, headed to the pool, and got ourselves some well earned drinks, and antipasti.
A quick shower, then on to dinner. We found a great traditional restaurant by the water, and beer and pizza was swiftly ordered. After dinner, we had a walk to try and find somewhere a bit lively for drinks, but everywhere was quiet. Even back at the hotel, at 10pm, it was a ghost town. So, a couple of night caps, one for the road, and it's off to bed.
The bikes had a good sleep as well!
We were surprised to see so many people at breakfast, as the place was deserted last night. For those that like a proper breakfast, the Hotel Caesius doesn't disappoint. We resisted the unlimited Prosecco, located next to the smoked salmon and scrambled eggs!
I took enough clothes for the week, and was feeling quite smug with my small tail bag, BUT, forgot to pack a couple of smart shirts for the evenings.
By now, the weather had turned, and we were in the middle of a blizzard. I looked in my mirrors, and couldn't see Mark, but carried on, slowly to the top, as he's more cautious than me! When I got to the top, I sat and waited for Mark, trying to re-connect the intercom, but it kept failing. After a few minutes, I turned around, and went back down the road to see where Mark was. To my relief, he was stood by the side of the road, his bike was upright, and all appeared to be OK. Not so. Mark had come off the bike, sending it, and himself sliding down the road. I got off the bike, and went to make sure he was OK, which he was, but was mightily pissed off that he had come off. We managed to get the bike started, then proceeded to get off the Glockner as quickly as possible. 
