wheeledwidewebb
Registered user
After months of planning, mostly wasted as it turns out, our trip from Blighty to Lake Garda has been completed so I thought I would share some of it with you. Dave-the-Onions and me were travelling down to Lake Garda to meet up with the respective women.
This is not meant to be a write-up of the trip because it is such a popular destination that many people of done Alpine trip reports before and most of them far better than I could manage.
This write up is really just my opinions regarding some of the things that I was unsure of or was worried about, things like the channel tunnel crossing, camping, etc. You never know it might be of use to someone and I certainly gained lots of information from other peoples write-ups.
I was always planning on taking my Pan but was having last minute jitters and thought I might go on the KTM instead. I am tempted to mention the bonus of having a decent tank range on the Pan, but to be honest I was not riding from fuel stop to fuel stop, there was always rests in between so a lesser tank range would not have been a problem.
I plumped for the Pan and to be honest either bike would have it pros and cons for the trip. I don’t regret the decision but look forward to the next one on the KTM.
We left on Sunday 28th June and set off down to Folkestone about 10:30, only living 45 minutes away made for an easy transit. It struck me as a good idea to print a label listing the booking reference and stick it to the dash of my Pan, an idea that worked out well as it meant an easy stop at the barrier, no faffing for credit cards, just whack the number in and away we go.
The tunnel bit was something that worried me, I thought my bike would certainly fall over. Needless to say they are pretty stable once wedged up against the kerb so I was worrying over nothing. What was less impressive was the system of motorbikes having to board last, if it were raining then you are stuck with only a bus shelter for cover while your bike gets a soaking and all of the cars get to drift onto the train.
Anyway the tunnel came and went and we were heading South East towards Metz. No problem on a Sunday afternoon but one thing that I had never considered was that every morning the Sun is right in your face, the tinted visor came in very handy.
We were not planning on using any motorways during the trip (something which would change) and our first night should have been spent at a campsite near Hirson in France. We found the campsite at about 18:00 but despite plenty of campers we could not find any sign of administrative staff, maybe not surprising on a Sunday afternoon in rural France.
In hindsight we should have just pitched the tents and then waited for someone to approach us, however we got frustrated and thought we would crack on to the next sizeable village and see what it offered.
It offered a Logis hotel, but it was closed, we pressed onwards a little more and then chanced upon a camp site that offered self-catering chalets for 90 euros a night, result. We narrowly avoided the ‘Stella sans alcohol’ and found the proper stuff.
The campsite business sort of left us cold to the idea of camping and we then decided to use hotels and only camp if we could find no other alternative. One thing that I learnt is that, for me, next time I do this I would book accommodation in advance. Some might say it takes away from the adventure but I like to have a goal and I especially like to have a hassle free arrival when I stop.
The Monday saw us leave the chalet and press on towards Metz, in-fact we had what we thought was a great idea, and would press on all the way to Lake Constance. A breakfast in McDonalds set us up and off we went, it was now 32 degrees and we had bitten off too many miles, we covered about 350 on the Monday. We had always planned on doing no more than 250 miles a day but its strange how things change once you are under way.
Our destination for the day was ‘Camping Markdorf’, a few miles East of the lake. We hoped they had a similar chalet set-up but despite being a pretty big campsite they could only offer us tent pitches or we could rent a ‘hut’. Sounded interesting, and so we paid our money.
Very soon we were asking for our money back when we discovered that the ‘hut’ in question was exactly that, a wooden shed about 8 foot square and at a temperature of about 40 degrees. Furnished with two bunk beds and nothing else we soon changed our minds and started looking for somewhere else. That said the campsite was friendly, the staff very helpful and even after our change of mind over the shed accommodation, remained patient and attentive.
We had ridden past a small hotel about half a mile down the road and we decided to go back there and see if they had any rooms. They did, 40 euros a night for an en-suite and breakfast included. We parked the bikes in the garage and set about drinking, interrupted only by sausage and chips.
We had to be at the hotel in Lake Garda on Thursday to meet the women and after our stay in the hotel it was now a sunny Tuesday morning.
Not knowing how long it takes to ride anywhere in the Alps our plan was to just ride the route and see where we ended up about mid-afternoon.
One disappointment for me was Lake Constance, of course the lake and the scenery is staggering but it appears that whilst the North West end is OK as you head South East along its Eastern edge the traffic is awful. I don’t know whether it is an alternative route for drivers wanting to avoid tolls, but it was just constant lorries. The South East end of the lake is very busy commercially as well and we ended up struggling through very urban areas.
Soon enough though we were free of it and we started to smell the Alps.
We bumped into a couple on a Blackbird who had come from Finland, the man didn’t speak but the woman spoke perfect English so as usual we felt ignorant. Still the scenery was now everything we had hoped for and the roads were brilliant.
We eventually ended up at a little village right at the top of Lake Resia just inside Italy, maybe only a mile after the border. Even though it was in Italy everybody spoke German, quite a disappointment, not that I have anything against Germans.
We just picked one of the many ski lodges that hope for tourists during the off season and we fell on our feet. 35 euros a night, all en-suite including breakfast. In the basement was a beer fridge that was floor to ceiling and as our host explained (in German) you just take what you want and then write a chit so that they know what we have had.
The Forst lager that was 4 euros for 0.4L at all the bars in the village ended up as 1.8 euros at our sanctuary. Needless to say we didn’t abuse the beer system, I would hate for them to ever change it.
Lake Resia was stunning, the view from my window says it all and it inspired me to have a dip as well. I had forgotten to pack any swimming trunks so I could only really wade in. Just as well as it must have been about 5 degrees; bracing though.
Due to our big mileage on the Monday we were now only about 4 or 5 hours from our destination and it was only Wednesday. We decided to stay another night at Lake Resia and go off for some proper riding, taking in the Stelvio pass of course.
Dare I say, the Stelvio pass was a love hate thing for me. We headed up to the top from the Eastern side and I found the Pan a bit of a handful on the right handers. Don’t get me wrong you have to ride it but there were times on the way up that I was thinking ‘are we there yet’.
We got to the top and I was delighted to be able to touch snow. The weather was bright and the views simply amazing. I climbed up to the little hut that is at the top of a track to get some photos and then descended for a Blueberry Frappe, delicious.
As we were getting ready for the descent down the West side and into to Switzerland I was aware of a 1200GS with pillion that arrived to my right. The pillion jumped off and as she did so the rider became unbalance and over he went. No damage I don’t think other than to Ego and marital relations.
That incident really made me realise how much of a pain the whole intercom business is. As I saw the poor German chap go over my immediate thoughts were to get to his aid ASAP. Trouble is that it means firstly disconnecting the Autocom connection, removing helmet, removing balaclava, prising the in-ear monitors out and only then being able to get to his aid.
I have to say the Autocom / Zumo / Headset Services monitors / RF radio all worked brilliantly but it does get to be a bit of a drag when you want to stop a lot.
I also videoed the whole trip from an on-board camera so here is some footage of the West part of the Stelvio, much nicer IMHO.
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We headed down the pass and made our way to Switzerland, another of the things I had been worrying about. All this talk of Switzerland being so anti-motorist, I was worried about going through it to the extent that our route didn’t even include the country.
Due to just sort of following our noses from Bormio, we ended up in Switzerland and I realised how stupid I was to have thought about missing it. What a lovely country, great roads, great scenery an absolute treat. The only bad thing was that on the Eastern side of the Stelvio pass the temperature was 26 degrees and sunny, but at the height of a pass in Switzerland that I don’t even know the name of it was 7 degrees and hailstones. My Aplinestars air-flow garments did not do a great job of keeping my dry!
A great days riding, we headed back to Lake Resia and another night at our bargain hotel and beer fridge.
Thursday morning was sunny again and we were leaving for Lake Garda, beautiful views greeted us at Lake Resia again and I was a bit sad to be leaving that place.
No sooner had we started off to Garda then we ran into a cycle race of some description. It wasn’t Tour De France madness but it wasn’t far off. We were stopped by the police whilst all of the cyclists came though. It took 15 minutes there were so many of them. We didn’t mind you don’t see that sort of thing every day so good luck to them.
Our mistake of Thursday was heading down the Eastern side of Lake Garda. I don’t know what it is about the Eastern edges of lakes but I don’t seem to like them. It was busy and urban for most of that day, only made better by a fuel stop that included the Holy Grail of ice cream, Pistachio.
The trip to Garda was uneventful and we got to the hotel about 15:00, unpacked and waited in a local bar for the girl’s flight to arrive at Verona.
I had read on here some time ago of a Hotel called Hotel Lugana. They don’t have secure bike parking but we tucked them out of the way and overall the hotel was great, thoroughly recommend it.
I won’t dwell on the time we actually spent in Italy other than to mention Venice. We were warned of prices so astonishing that it seemed you would have to take a packed lunch with you.
Well we did not find it any more expensive than other places we visited, in fact Sirmione was more expensive. You could get a three course lunch including a drink in Venice for 12 euros easily.
So don’t be put off Venice, okay it is not really my cup of tea, all that architecture and history but it is a must see I guess and I am glad we made the 90 minute train journey to see it.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye our Lake Garda break was over and it was time to bid the girls farewell to the Airport and we were off to trace our steps (or not as the case may be).
Now I don’t know why but what with the girls flying home, it seemed like the holiday was over and all we were doing was leaving behind superb roads and views and heading off to roads that were of no comparison and less interesting views.
Rightly or wrongly we made the decision to just push for home in the best time we could. As we rode along the cliffs by Lake Como I was wondering how quickly we could do the journey. Three days would have been sensible, equating to a little over 300 miles per day.
Our route home, however fast, had to take in some more of Switzerland in hopefully better weather. The weather was great and Switzerland was a joy again.
We made it all the way back to Lake Constance and stayed at the same hotel again that night, covering 314 miles. During the evening of drinking and grub we pondered the Zumos to see how long it might take us to get back to Calais. Amazingly the Garmin reckoned we could do it in 8.5 hours. Even with a couple of hours for stops, if we left at 09:00 then we might see Calais by 19:00.
Stupidly we decided that was a great idea, we left the next morning expecting to see the channel by early evening.
Our route was basically North through Germany on Autobahns (so much for no motorways) and then left through Belgium and into France.
The first part was quite nice, taking in the Black Forest up to Baden Baden. Then it went predictably down hill. All motorways and it had started raining. There were accidents everywhere and we seemed to filter for endless miles.
Still, that was nothing compared to Belgium. I am afraid that (maybe due to circumstance) I have not got a good word to say about my Belgian experience, roads were horrible, weather was horrible, other motorists easily the most un-observant and dangerous of the whole trip (the Italians were no problem at all despite people telling me to watch out) and the staff in the fuel station we visited were unhelpful to the point of rude.
Sorry Belgians everywhere, no doubt my experiences were coloured as a result of too many miles, weather that is out of anyone’s control and being unfortunate enough to meet the kind of unhelpful people that exist everywhere in the world. I am sure Belgium on any other day would be fantastic, forgive my blinkered opinion please.
So Belgium passed through, it was just a little bit of France and then back on the train. We were soaked, miserable and it was getting dark. The day saw 12 hours in the saddle and 616 extra miles on the OD.
The trip was great, the bad bits equally if not more memorable than the good, I can’t wait to do another. We met loads of nice people and went through loads of nice places.
Sorry this has dragged on somewhat and probably isn’t very helpful to anyone after all but as others have been bothered to post up their experiences then I thought it was only fair to do mine.
This is not meant to be a write-up of the trip because it is such a popular destination that many people of done Alpine trip reports before and most of them far better than I could manage.
This write up is really just my opinions regarding some of the things that I was unsure of or was worried about, things like the channel tunnel crossing, camping, etc. You never know it might be of use to someone and I certainly gained lots of information from other peoples write-ups.
I was always planning on taking my Pan but was having last minute jitters and thought I might go on the KTM instead. I am tempted to mention the bonus of having a decent tank range on the Pan, but to be honest I was not riding from fuel stop to fuel stop, there was always rests in between so a lesser tank range would not have been a problem.
I plumped for the Pan and to be honest either bike would have it pros and cons for the trip. I don’t regret the decision but look forward to the next one on the KTM.
We left on Sunday 28th June and set off down to Folkestone about 10:30, only living 45 minutes away made for an easy transit. It struck me as a good idea to print a label listing the booking reference and stick it to the dash of my Pan, an idea that worked out well as it meant an easy stop at the barrier, no faffing for credit cards, just whack the number in and away we go.
The tunnel bit was something that worried me, I thought my bike would certainly fall over. Needless to say they are pretty stable once wedged up against the kerb so I was worrying over nothing. What was less impressive was the system of motorbikes having to board last, if it were raining then you are stuck with only a bus shelter for cover while your bike gets a soaking and all of the cars get to drift onto the train.
Anyway the tunnel came and went and we were heading South East towards Metz. No problem on a Sunday afternoon but one thing that I had never considered was that every morning the Sun is right in your face, the tinted visor came in very handy.
We were not planning on using any motorways during the trip (something which would change) and our first night should have been spent at a campsite near Hirson in France. We found the campsite at about 18:00 but despite plenty of campers we could not find any sign of administrative staff, maybe not surprising on a Sunday afternoon in rural France.
In hindsight we should have just pitched the tents and then waited for someone to approach us, however we got frustrated and thought we would crack on to the next sizeable village and see what it offered.
It offered a Logis hotel, but it was closed, we pressed onwards a little more and then chanced upon a camp site that offered self-catering chalets for 90 euros a night, result. We narrowly avoided the ‘Stella sans alcohol’ and found the proper stuff.
The campsite business sort of left us cold to the idea of camping and we then decided to use hotels and only camp if we could find no other alternative. One thing that I learnt is that, for me, next time I do this I would book accommodation in advance. Some might say it takes away from the adventure but I like to have a goal and I especially like to have a hassle free arrival when I stop.
The Monday saw us leave the chalet and press on towards Metz, in-fact we had what we thought was a great idea, and would press on all the way to Lake Constance. A breakfast in McDonalds set us up and off we went, it was now 32 degrees and we had bitten off too many miles, we covered about 350 on the Monday. We had always planned on doing no more than 250 miles a day but its strange how things change once you are under way.
Our destination for the day was ‘Camping Markdorf’, a few miles East of the lake. We hoped they had a similar chalet set-up but despite being a pretty big campsite they could only offer us tent pitches or we could rent a ‘hut’. Sounded interesting, and so we paid our money.
Very soon we were asking for our money back when we discovered that the ‘hut’ in question was exactly that, a wooden shed about 8 foot square and at a temperature of about 40 degrees. Furnished with two bunk beds and nothing else we soon changed our minds and started looking for somewhere else. That said the campsite was friendly, the staff very helpful and even after our change of mind over the shed accommodation, remained patient and attentive.
We had ridden past a small hotel about half a mile down the road and we decided to go back there and see if they had any rooms. They did, 40 euros a night for an en-suite and breakfast included. We parked the bikes in the garage and set about drinking, interrupted only by sausage and chips.
We had to be at the hotel in Lake Garda on Thursday to meet the women and after our stay in the hotel it was now a sunny Tuesday morning.
Not knowing how long it takes to ride anywhere in the Alps our plan was to just ride the route and see where we ended up about mid-afternoon.
One disappointment for me was Lake Constance, of course the lake and the scenery is staggering but it appears that whilst the North West end is OK as you head South East along its Eastern edge the traffic is awful. I don’t know whether it is an alternative route for drivers wanting to avoid tolls, but it was just constant lorries. The South East end of the lake is very busy commercially as well and we ended up struggling through very urban areas.
Soon enough though we were free of it and we started to smell the Alps.
We bumped into a couple on a Blackbird who had come from Finland, the man didn’t speak but the woman spoke perfect English so as usual we felt ignorant. Still the scenery was now everything we had hoped for and the roads were brilliant.
We eventually ended up at a little village right at the top of Lake Resia just inside Italy, maybe only a mile after the border. Even though it was in Italy everybody spoke German, quite a disappointment, not that I have anything against Germans.
We just picked one of the many ski lodges that hope for tourists during the off season and we fell on our feet. 35 euros a night, all en-suite including breakfast. In the basement was a beer fridge that was floor to ceiling and as our host explained (in German) you just take what you want and then write a chit so that they know what we have had.
The Forst lager that was 4 euros for 0.4L at all the bars in the village ended up as 1.8 euros at our sanctuary. Needless to say we didn’t abuse the beer system, I would hate for them to ever change it.
Lake Resia was stunning, the view from my window says it all and it inspired me to have a dip as well. I had forgotten to pack any swimming trunks so I could only really wade in. Just as well as it must have been about 5 degrees; bracing though.
Due to our big mileage on the Monday we were now only about 4 or 5 hours from our destination and it was only Wednesday. We decided to stay another night at Lake Resia and go off for some proper riding, taking in the Stelvio pass of course.
Dare I say, the Stelvio pass was a love hate thing for me. We headed up to the top from the Eastern side and I found the Pan a bit of a handful on the right handers. Don’t get me wrong you have to ride it but there were times on the way up that I was thinking ‘are we there yet’.
We got to the top and I was delighted to be able to touch snow. The weather was bright and the views simply amazing. I climbed up to the little hut that is at the top of a track to get some photos and then descended for a Blueberry Frappe, delicious.
As we were getting ready for the descent down the West side and into to Switzerland I was aware of a 1200GS with pillion that arrived to my right. The pillion jumped off and as she did so the rider became unbalance and over he went. No damage I don’t think other than to Ego and marital relations.
That incident really made me realise how much of a pain the whole intercom business is. As I saw the poor German chap go over my immediate thoughts were to get to his aid ASAP. Trouble is that it means firstly disconnecting the Autocom connection, removing helmet, removing balaclava, prising the in-ear monitors out and only then being able to get to his aid.
I have to say the Autocom / Zumo / Headset Services monitors / RF radio all worked brilliantly but it does get to be a bit of a drag when you want to stop a lot.
I also videoed the whole trip from an on-board camera so here is some footage of the West part of the Stelvio, much nicer IMHO.
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We headed down the pass and made our way to Switzerland, another of the things I had been worrying about. All this talk of Switzerland being so anti-motorist, I was worried about going through it to the extent that our route didn’t even include the country.
Due to just sort of following our noses from Bormio, we ended up in Switzerland and I realised how stupid I was to have thought about missing it. What a lovely country, great roads, great scenery an absolute treat. The only bad thing was that on the Eastern side of the Stelvio pass the temperature was 26 degrees and sunny, but at the height of a pass in Switzerland that I don’t even know the name of it was 7 degrees and hailstones. My Aplinestars air-flow garments did not do a great job of keeping my dry!
A great days riding, we headed back to Lake Resia and another night at our bargain hotel and beer fridge.
Thursday morning was sunny again and we were leaving for Lake Garda, beautiful views greeted us at Lake Resia again and I was a bit sad to be leaving that place.
No sooner had we started off to Garda then we ran into a cycle race of some description. It wasn’t Tour De France madness but it wasn’t far off. We were stopped by the police whilst all of the cyclists came though. It took 15 minutes there were so many of them. We didn’t mind you don’t see that sort of thing every day so good luck to them.
Our mistake of Thursday was heading down the Eastern side of Lake Garda. I don’t know what it is about the Eastern edges of lakes but I don’t seem to like them. It was busy and urban for most of that day, only made better by a fuel stop that included the Holy Grail of ice cream, Pistachio.
The trip to Garda was uneventful and we got to the hotel about 15:00, unpacked and waited in a local bar for the girl’s flight to arrive at Verona.
I had read on here some time ago of a Hotel called Hotel Lugana. They don’t have secure bike parking but we tucked them out of the way and overall the hotel was great, thoroughly recommend it.
I won’t dwell on the time we actually spent in Italy other than to mention Venice. We were warned of prices so astonishing that it seemed you would have to take a packed lunch with you.
Well we did not find it any more expensive than other places we visited, in fact Sirmione was more expensive. You could get a three course lunch including a drink in Venice for 12 euros easily.
So don’t be put off Venice, okay it is not really my cup of tea, all that architecture and history but it is a must see I guess and I am glad we made the 90 minute train journey to see it.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye our Lake Garda break was over and it was time to bid the girls farewell to the Airport and we were off to trace our steps (or not as the case may be).
Now I don’t know why but what with the girls flying home, it seemed like the holiday was over and all we were doing was leaving behind superb roads and views and heading off to roads that were of no comparison and less interesting views.
Rightly or wrongly we made the decision to just push for home in the best time we could. As we rode along the cliffs by Lake Como I was wondering how quickly we could do the journey. Three days would have been sensible, equating to a little over 300 miles per day.
Our route home, however fast, had to take in some more of Switzerland in hopefully better weather. The weather was great and Switzerland was a joy again.
We made it all the way back to Lake Constance and stayed at the same hotel again that night, covering 314 miles. During the evening of drinking and grub we pondered the Zumos to see how long it might take us to get back to Calais. Amazingly the Garmin reckoned we could do it in 8.5 hours. Even with a couple of hours for stops, if we left at 09:00 then we might see Calais by 19:00.
Stupidly we decided that was a great idea, we left the next morning expecting to see the channel by early evening.
Our route was basically North through Germany on Autobahns (so much for no motorways) and then left through Belgium and into France.
The first part was quite nice, taking in the Black Forest up to Baden Baden. Then it went predictably down hill. All motorways and it had started raining. There were accidents everywhere and we seemed to filter for endless miles.
Still, that was nothing compared to Belgium. I am afraid that (maybe due to circumstance) I have not got a good word to say about my Belgian experience, roads were horrible, weather was horrible, other motorists easily the most un-observant and dangerous of the whole trip (the Italians were no problem at all despite people telling me to watch out) and the staff in the fuel station we visited were unhelpful to the point of rude.
Sorry Belgians everywhere, no doubt my experiences were coloured as a result of too many miles, weather that is out of anyone’s control and being unfortunate enough to meet the kind of unhelpful people that exist everywhere in the world. I am sure Belgium on any other day would be fantastic, forgive my blinkered opinion please.
So Belgium passed through, it was just a little bit of France and then back on the train. We were soaked, miserable and it was getting dark. The day saw 12 hours in the saddle and 616 extra miles on the OD.
The trip was great, the bad bits equally if not more memorable than the good, I can’t wait to do another. We met loads of nice people and went through loads of nice places.
Sorry this has dragged on somewhat and probably isn’t very helpful to anyone after all but as others have been bothered to post up their experiences then I thought it was only fair to do mine.
