As many European Countries in 1ride - 10days

[Wapping]

If you haven't got one, get a decent paper map of Europe and start to put paper sticker markers on the major cities of the countries you want to visit. Then look at the scale. It is very easy to get carried away, thinking that Germany looks about the same size as England, when it most definitely isn't.

If you are having trouble imagining the distances and the roads you want to travel on from A to B, start to relate them to something you know.... Starting at home. Here is an example:

You live in Warwickshire, let's say Warwick.

From Warwick to Penzance (next stop America) is 310 miles.

From Warwick to Lowestoft, about as far east as you can go and still stay dry, is 180 miles.

From Warwick to Thurso on the far tip of Scotland, is 580 miles.

Now, how would you chose to ride to Penzance or Thurso and then on the next day and the next and the next and the next and still stop to see things?

Now let's look at your map to see where 180, 310 and 580 miles gets you to in France, starting at Calais. I chose Calais as most people are familiar with it.

180 miles will bring you to Reims, in short nowhere other than a nice cathedral and gallons of champagne.

310 will bring you about 40 miles short of Dijon. You are not yet halfway down France but you would have got to Penzance.

580 will bring you to Orange, so you haven't reached the Mediterranean yet, but you would have run out of Scotland and the UK.

I deliberately chose a route that is near enough a straight line north to south, to help you picture the distances.

Now try to imagine riding from Warwick to the far tip of Scotland on scenic (non-motorway) roads in a day, whilst all the time enjoying stops to look at the glories of the Peak District, the Glens and the bogs.... That's what you'll be trying to do to get to Orange.... And doing it the next day and the next and the next.

In short, you'll be foolish to ignore motorways if you really want to get on ticking off countries. I did your route (near enough) avoiding motorways... But: I started each day wheels rolling by nine AM, stopped only to splash in fuel and have a glug of water or coffee, eating in petrol stations or I bought a stick of bread, cheese and a bit if fruit to eat in a lay-by and wasn't much bothered where I stopped or if it was 8pm at night. I was also riding a Honda Blackbird with just a bit of Ventura soft luggage and knew (near enough) where I wanted to go. It was pre-GPS, so I stuck to the A type roads (taking motorways if there was really no sensible alternative) using half decent maps and hand written instructions.

You too can do it but give it some sensible thought first.



PS On the Turkey Trot a few Easters ago, we went from London to Milan in a day on the way down and Budapest to London in a day on the way back..... It's not hard to believe that we took motorways all the way.... And that we didn't stop for flower pressing.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Good advice Wapping

Europe is massive

I did Assen to Dresden once, all motorway & it took 9 hours at least - then next day Dresden to Budapest via Bohemia & Slovakia on interesting roads & that took another 9 hours

Not much time for stopping to see much & pic taking - only stopping for food & fuel

 

[Wapping]

PS

OP, don't let anything or anyone put you off doing the jaunt. I think you'll find it easier if you just ride out the door without trying to analyse it all too hard before you go. See how the fair winds of good fortune carry you, would be my advice.... Oh, and get a map or three.

 

[sven]

I absolutely loath and detest motorways on the bike and avoid them wherever possible. I find them very tiring as they're so dull. It's also like a busmans holiday as I drive a lot of miles in my company car up and down the A1.

If you choose your A/B roads carefully you can cover ground almost as quickly and arrive at your destination feeling much more relaxed and alert, especially in Germany where most people use the very comprehensive Autobahn network. Just use the motorway to nip around the major cities.

I only use the motorways in Europe to get out of the port for the first couple of hours, especially Rotterdam as the Netherlands is very dull to ride through. From Zeebrugge I can be on decent A roads within 50 miles of the port.

 

[Wal2]

if I havn't got a lot of time, and have a final point to my schedule.....

I try and hit a middle point.....I roughly plan 200 mile days on M/ways, this gives me a rough guide where I can be on any day fairly easily, then I make several small diversions off the m/way whenever I feel like it, just having a look into any small town or area I fancy as i'm passing.... that gives me some freedom, and some structure, and if you're new to it all, it will still feel exciting. as you say, its a tester, I wouldn't give specific advice on where or what to see/go , if its a taster you'll draw your own conclusions. 1st time I went I did roughly the above and then followed through on ideas the next time I went.....

I'd agree with Wapping about a good map, I use my satnav mainly for getting out of towns and other uncertain situations, its dead easy to follow the satnav and feel like you've missed travelling and orientation.

same with a hotel 1st night, it settles you down a bit having that sorted 1st day, gets you together. after that, I have a rough idea where i'm heading, a smartphone and www.booking.com, I usually book somewhere around teatime (they do an excellent app, dead easy to book) or just head for a town and start looking (bit of a drag if its raining/dark)

as you say, there are other requirements (some legal) sure they are on here somewhere, some do all of them, some do none....its up to you. I do a sensible minimum......the AA site will give you a good idea

roughly
a legal bike
all original bike docs, passport, E111, travel ins. (check ins covers you, as lots only do up to 350cc)
Germany....1st aid kit, spare bulb kit,
France...helmet stickers, hi viz bib.....(open to argument)

and theres tolls, about £30 for Swiss M/way Vingnette, and about £3 for 100 mls in France (I think, I never work it out exactly)

anyway...hope you enjoy it......

 

[Simon W]

I'd agree that arbitrarily trying to bag a number of countries will end up missing good riding - and probably make it a chore not a joy.

My recommendation: pick a single destination/road/castle/village/pass/museum that you've always fancied visiting, somewhere south of Geneva probably, then meander your way to that. One fixed point to aim for gives a degree of purpose (well, you'll have two as you have Assen at the end of the trip) but you can have a stress-free meander.

Whether you want to test yourself against the Stelvio or Grossglockner or col de l'Iseran, soak up the sun on Route Napoleon, take in the views from the top of Mont Ventoux, see the Millau Bridge, chill out in the Austrian Lake country or on the shores of Lake Como, whether you want to visit the Guzzi museum or the Neuschwanstein or see the jet d'eau on Lake Geneva, or see them making cheese in Gruyere... there's a hundred possible things to aim for. How you get there is up to you and - as Wapping pointed out - if you don't have booked hotels, you can follow your nose from one turn to the next.

Personally, while I always have the paper map, I do usually have the sat nav as well now - just to make it easier to work out whether I'm heading in the right direction or the completely wrong one (and it's good for finding hotels as well - though I assume the first two petrol stations it'll take me to will be shut). It takes the fear out of wandering around at random, holding out the promise of never letting you get too lost as it can always lead you back to a big town with hotels once it starts getting dark...

Obviously I'm also an advocate of the pre-planned route loaded into the sat nav, so if there are particular roads or sequences of roads that you want to ride, you don't end up taking the motorway/well-signed main road to the same destination but missing the good riding on the hard-to-find back roads. There's a whole heap of them on the Routes page of the RiDE website - including an eight-day European tour that could be easily adapted to lead you down through the alps and then back to Assen.

 

[Rasher]

...same with a hotel 1st night, it settles you down a bit having that sorted 1st day, gets you together. after that, I have a rough idea where i'm heading, a smartphone and www.booking.com, I usually book somewhere around teatime (they do an excellent app, dead easy to book) or just head for a town and start looking (bit of a drag if its raining/dark)

+1 on first day, good idea about booking.com, although it is worth noting that there are many small Hotels and pass top refuges that do not appear on such websites - it seems each year more and more join the bg booking sites, but don't worry too much if you cannot find anything close to where you want to be that night in the Alps as in summertime you will drive past a number of places with space.

When going for ad-hoc we ride towards our "planned" day end location but after about 4:30 will stop if we see something we really like the look of, and if we get to our "planned" location before @4:00pm we will normally head on to the next town / over the next pass etc as long as it is no more than another hour away or we know there will be lots of places to stop along that stretch of road.

 

[Timolgra]

Don't be governed by time, get on the road at first light, you don't need that big breakfast it's the best time of day to ride and get some miles under your belt.

End of day location? Forget it, it may be a shit hole so stop where and when you fancy even if that means having an hours kip in the middle of the day alongside that lovely stream, in the wood, on that remote pass.......the places you'll not see the same way again, then look at your map, you may want to change your route,

Eat light food only if you're hungry and eat it in a wonderful place.

 

[The Grey One]

Don't be governed by time, get on the road at first light, you don't need that big breakfast it's the best time of day to ride and get some miles under your belt.

End of day location? Forget it, it may be a shit hole so stop where and when you fancy even if that means having an hours kip in the middle of the day alongside that lovely stream, in the wood, on that remote pass.......the places you'll not see the same way again, then look at your map, you may want to change your route,


Eat light food only if you're hungry and eat it in a wonderful place.

I agree that early morning is a good time to ride but some people, myself included, do not function without a decent breakfast.

John

 

[Rasher]

I agree that early morning is a good time to ride but some people, myself included, do not function without a decent breakfast

Me too, but we often set off and ride for a bit and then grab brekky, or when staying in a French Town / Village grab some grub from the local bakery and eat it at the top of the first pass of the day.

 

[stevie]

Great advice from everyone on this blog this is what forums like this are all about,for my 2 peneth I did St.Tropez to Calais in one go up the autoroute, didnt start out with that intension I just thought I wonder if I can get a bit further,It was a F...... nightmare got off the bike couldnt walk was bent over for about 10 minutes but It set me a yard stick or an 800 mile stick!! On the other side I rode to Malta via all the Countries I needed to get to Scicily for the ferry then back to Naples. back up Italy French riviera Spain And back took about 6 weeks a few hundred miles a day or sometimes none met great people have great memories and pics.So do what you feel like doing take the advice from all the above and adapt it to your adventure thats why we all on here do what we do..enjoy and ride safe