Calais to Pension Williams

B4ndit

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I am off to Pension Williams in the near future. Any recommendations on a decent route to get from Calais at 1000 hrs to Pension Williams by 2000 hrs.
A combination of speed and route variety with good roads thrown would be appreciated.
 
For anyone who is keen to help the OP....

Pension Williams is in Seebach, though it might sound like it's in Wales.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=pen...&cid=0,0,1998863997710833673&t=m&z=16&iwloc=A

Rasher has been there lots of times. He's posted assorted suggestions.... Search is your friend....

Here's a Google map route...

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr...RzEJGN8pN2S9Gw&oq=calais&gl=uk&mra=ls&t=m&z=7

Now use some imagination.... What lies on the route? Verdun, that's a popular destination, what routes have bods posted up before? Same applies to Metz.... Same to Baden-Baden.... Here's a basic sample: http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=338504&highlight=verdun Here's another.... http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=313650&highlight=baden

Now the realities of life......

It is 400 miles between Les Williams and Calais, going direct. That is a certainty.

You have 10 hours to complete the journey 400 mile journey. That is your other certainty.

That is an average of 40 mph, if you don't stop....

Can you ride non-stop? No.

That will bring the average speed required up.

Can you manage to average 60 mph all the way down 'great' D roads for 400 miles? Probably not.

A map and your real world abilities will be your best friend. Seriously, start with the basic Google map and apply what you think you can manage. I could do 400 miles on my own without hitting too much motorway, but I'm not you and you are not me.
 
I've only been down that way once , I navigated down through Belgium but only made Saarbrucken ( sure it took about 13 hours from Ieper ) I think that route would be a bit of a slog to do in your timescale wot about down through France to Reims , Past Verdun , Metz and down through the Northern Vosges ??
You may have to do a blast down the motorway to Verdun ( E15 or E17 rings a bell ) should take no more than 3 hours to verdun from Calais . then you can slow down and enjoy the rest of the journey
HTH , Jok :thumb :beerjug::beerjug:
 
Just bash along the motorway :thumb

You will average about 65mph for the entire 400 miles (assuming indicated 85 cruise) so need to allow 6 Hours.

We stop for 20 minutes every 90 or so minutes for fuel / leg stretch / coffee, with one of the stops being longer for lunch so the entire run is about 7.5 hours. Threes tops on the A26 / A4 motorways and then a last little stop by the Rhine (just after leaving the motorway) which leaves just another 30 minutes for the rest of the Journey.

You can then drop your bags off, get David to book you a table at the Steak House and run up and down the best 20 mile stretch of the B500 which is about 4 minutes up the road (just over an hour to go Almost to Baden and back)

There are very few decent roads to take as an alternate, of course they will be less boring than the Motorway, but my way you can get checked in, ride the B500 for an hour and still have time to shower / change and be sat in the Steak House with a beer before you would get there any other way.
 
Given that you have just ten hours, Rasher is probably about right.

If you really want to lob in some roads other than motorways, it's easy to drag a Google maps line about.

Here's an example:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr...2S9Gw&gl=uk&doflg=ptm&mra=luc&via=1,2&t=m&z=8

It follows the well trodden Calais to Cambrai, via motorway. Then goes on a direct diagonal South-East (the only way to go, given your constraints) down the faster non-motorway roads, thro' Sedan and the delights of Luxembourg, before picking up the motorway again towards Strasbourg. From Strasbourg you have to cross the Rhine (you have no choice) so just pick-up the direct main roads again.

That is a shorter distance than the motorway all the way option but will, not surprisingly, be slower and will take longer. It's doable in 10 hours, even allowing for stops but it won't necessarily be 'easy' per-se.

My hot tip.... If you have one, load your chosen route into your GPS. Keep an eye on two items:

(1) Distance IN MILES (it's odd how some bods get in a panic over km's) remaining to destination

(2) Estimated ARRIVAL TIME at destination (don't forget to re-set the GPS device to reflect CET time... or you'll need to add an hour, some bods forget that in the excitement of a holiday)

Watch (1) and (2) as you go along and be prepared to change your route to suit. That is where a half decent paper map really will be your best mate, trust me.

I did exactly that just yesterday, returning from Dijon to Calais, planning on going via Peronne. It's a route I know well. As we went along it became plain that we would end up chasing our tails if we dawdled in Peronne, so I switched my plans at a convenient stop near Soissons. Ten minutes with a map, a pencil and paper saw us taking an alternative route to cut a corner..... and we had a decent 45 minute lunch stop out of it into the bargain... still making it to the Chunnel in good time, despite the access road off the motorway being shut.

In short, be flexible. Plan something that suits you, not me, Rasher or anyone else. Then be prepared to change depending on how your day unfolds. To make changes, you will probbaly need a map, not least as you'll not have your PC with you.

As Google maps shows, there really is only one or two reasonably direct options available to you if you want to complete the schlep in 10 hours over one day. Play it safe and motorway as Rasher suggests (certainly nothing wrong, as your real aim is to get to Pension Williams in 10 hours, let's not forget) ... or try a bit of a hybrid.... Only on the day will you know how you get on.

:beerjug:
 
Hit the motorway.. get there early and have a beer and a nice steak... :thumb
 
Thanks for all the replies. Most of it is going to have to be Autoroute, certainly down to Reims, if we are going to make it on time. I was just wondering if there were any must do roads on the way.
 
The easy answer.....

You 'must do' motorways, if you are going to do it (comfortably) within your 'must do it in ten hours' journey time you've set yourself..... Arrive early and do the 'must do' that's the B500... As Rasher suggested.

How are you planning on getting back?
 
In my experience few "Must Do" Roads less than a days ride from Calais, most the good ones are in the Mountains of Europe, or nearer the south of France - all of which are a day or two from us Brits.

On the plus side it keeps the riff-raff away, although the B500 is starting to get a bit of a bad rep, ride it mid-week and get onto the lesser roads if your there during the weekend.

If you follow the B500 South from Seebach you will see it meets the B28, make sure you ride along there for a few miles after the 500 junction, a great ribbon of Tarmac with some fantastic Alps-like hairpins.

This is about 20 miles south of PW, you can then loop back around Oppenau and the K3570 back to Ottenhofen and then to Seebach, a lovely little 1 hour ride out.

I always work this section into a route when I am there, and it is a great little evening run if you do get there in time.
 
Whilst I would question whether the Alps hold the monopoly on all the great roads, Rasher is certainly right that there is little point in seeing what elsewhere the country has to offer if a bod's real intent is to get somewhere that they want to be going ASAP. I know that a lot of Wanderers have been very surprised at the 'great roads' that lie not too many miles from the A26.

If the OP wants suggestions on rides out and around the B500, or near enogh anywhere in the Black Forest / Vosges region (and has a Garmin GPS) all the ADAC, Michelin, Mototourren etc. etc. routes I have ever managed to track down are loaded up on the Mapsource file, available as a sticky. It's a big file!

I would definitely suggest contacting Mapsman for a copy of ADAC's suggested roads map, too....

Motorcycle Tour Map Germany, The Alsace & Black Forest

http://www.mapsman.com/store/product.php?id=101

£3.50 well spent :thumb2
 


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