Well it had been in the planning for quite a while, after reading so many reports on the site and seeing the pictures it was a "MUST" do trip for me.
So the plan was to head out on Friday 29th August on Euro Tunnel, getting to the Stelvio Pass as and when NOT using Motorways and return on Thursday 11th in time to make it up to Ripley for the EM get together.
So packed and ready to leave at 3.00am.
On the Train @ 7.50, only after taking the photo and listening to the announcement did I realise no camera's...Oh well didn't manage to set off any alarms.
So on arrival in Calais it took me and the sat nav a while to get our bearings, sat nav wasn't picking up the small roads. So eventually headed out of Calais towards St Omar and the Belgium border. The plan was to follow the border down towards Luxembourg.
After a good days riding it was time to find a campsite, why is it when you're not looking for one there are signs every where but when it's time you can't find one for love nor money, anyway eventually I stopped and asked some young lad who couldn't speak a word of English, credit to the Kid using hand signals he directed us to a campsite, so my first experience at a French campsite and I must say more than impressed. I know it's sad to be impressed by a campsite but as I am sure so many of you know it was imaculate.
Any way next day head off in same general direction (sorry no photo's).
Sunday was spent riding down through the Black Forest, that was a cracking day lovely weather and just about every sports bike in Germany was there, agian no photo's too busy having a go with the sports bike's.
Carried on in to Switzerland
and had a night in The Hotel Stelvio, it's was packed with a whole bunch of nutters riding mountain bikes up and down the passes. Not a bad hotel £56.00 for the night including the use of the sauna all you washing done and a lock-up garage for the bike.
A few pic's from the hotel room
and the little village, taken from the road heading up to Stelvio Pass.
Afew pic's taken on the way up...I was quite surprised at the amount of road works, on the way. Heck our health and safety officers would have a field day over there...Gravel roads and pot holes like you have never seen.
Just about at the top and for me with it being my first visit to Switzerland never my any passes the views were breath taking...for me anyway..
And finaly at the top well almost...sorry not a good photo of the Sat nav..
Parked up and having a bit of a walk around..
Here are a few pic's taken from the top looking back in the direction I had come from.
So now for the ride down on the road I had seen so many pictures of..There was still quite a lot of cloud around, so the picture was ever changing..a few pic's
So I started on down the road and decided to stop at the first corner where there is a nice big parking area and try a few more photo's.
Not long afterwards a load of GS's pulled in, they were a group of I think 16 from the US & Canada all on a tour so had a good chat with them and a couple of them new about site. So a few more pic's.
Another pic on the way down..
Had to have a go at an arty pic so here it is..
So after getting to the bottom of the pass I decided to head West for the next day.
A few pic's from the camp site for the night.
The camp site had a small restaurant but I decided it was time for a BBQ a cold beer or two. So a couple of pieces of dead pig in fresh bread rolls was the meal for the night sitting back enjoying the views..
Next morning headed off towards Zurich and the lakes, weather wasn't looking to bad at the time, here are a few pic's from the day.
So after riding around for the day the weather wasn't looking to good north so I decided to head back south and in to Italy and then back up to Stelvio from the italian side.
First sign of snow..
Got to the top around lunch time and bumped into a few tosser's from this here site..Karnevil and Co. It was cold and miserable on the Wed.
Anyway after that I decided to head North with the intention of riding through the Black Forest again on my way home.So off I went heading towards Liechtenstein.
The weather turned for the worst once I got in to Germany so I put up in a camp site for three days and managed a couple of rides around the area in between the rain.
The camp site had a good little shop so breakfast each morning was this...
Came across this on one of my ride abouts.
My plan was to head back to Baden-Baden but seeing the weather wasn't great I decided to head West towards Mulhouse and then head north through France, turned out this was the better option as far as the weather was, a couple of pic's on route back to Calais.
After a nights stop over in Calais and the Euro Tunnel back to the UK it's was up the M1 to Ripley for the East Midlands get together.
A great trip and a great way to end my holiday..
So the plan was to head out on Friday 29th August on Euro Tunnel, getting to the Stelvio Pass as and when NOT using Motorways and return on Thursday 11th in time to make it up to Ripley for the EM get together.
So packed and ready to leave at 3.00am.
On the Train @ 7.50, only after taking the photo and listening to the announcement did I realise no camera's...Oh well didn't manage to set off any alarms.
So on arrival in Calais it took me and the sat nav a while to get our bearings, sat nav wasn't picking up the small roads. So eventually headed out of Calais towards St Omar and the Belgium border. The plan was to follow the border down towards Luxembourg.
After a good days riding it was time to find a campsite, why is it when you're not looking for one there are signs every where but when it's time you can't find one for love nor money, anyway eventually I stopped and asked some young lad who couldn't speak a word of English, credit to the Kid using hand signals he directed us to a campsite, so my first experience at a French campsite and I must say more than impressed. I know it's sad to be impressed by a campsite but as I am sure so many of you know it was imaculate.
Any way next day head off in same general direction (sorry no photo's).
Sunday was spent riding down through the Black Forest, that was a cracking day lovely weather and just about every sports bike in Germany was there, agian no photo's too busy having a go with the sports bike's.
Carried on in to Switzerland
and had a night in The Hotel Stelvio, it's was packed with a whole bunch of nutters riding mountain bikes up and down the passes. Not a bad hotel £56.00 for the night including the use of the sauna all you washing done and a lock-up garage for the bike.
A few pic's from the hotel room
and the little village, taken from the road heading up to Stelvio Pass.
Afew pic's taken on the way up...I was quite surprised at the amount of road works, on the way. Heck our health and safety officers would have a field day over there...Gravel roads and pot holes like you have never seen.
Just about at the top and for me with it being my first visit to Switzerland never my any passes the views were breath taking...for me anyway..
And finaly at the top well almost...sorry not a good photo of the Sat nav..
Parked up and having a bit of a walk around..
Here are a few pic's taken from the top looking back in the direction I had come from.
So now for the ride down on the road I had seen so many pictures of..There was still quite a lot of cloud around, so the picture was ever changing..a few pic's
So I started on down the road and decided to stop at the first corner where there is a nice big parking area and try a few more photo's.
Not long afterwards a load of GS's pulled in, they were a group of I think 16 from the US & Canada all on a tour so had a good chat with them and a couple of them new about site. So a few more pic's.
Another pic on the way down..
Had to have a go at an arty pic so here it is..
So after getting to the bottom of the pass I decided to head West for the next day.
A few pic's from the camp site for the night.
The camp site had a small restaurant but I decided it was time for a BBQ a cold beer or two. So a couple of pieces of dead pig in fresh bread rolls was the meal for the night sitting back enjoying the views..
Next morning headed off towards Zurich and the lakes, weather wasn't looking to bad at the time, here are a few pic's from the day.
So after riding around for the day the weather wasn't looking to good north so I decided to head back south and in to Italy and then back up to Stelvio from the italian side.
First sign of snow..
Got to the top around lunch time and bumped into a few tosser's from this here site..Karnevil and Co. It was cold and miserable on the Wed.
Anyway after that I decided to head North with the intention of riding through the Black Forest again on my way home.So off I went heading towards Liechtenstein.
The weather turned for the worst once I got in to Germany so I put up in a camp site for three days and managed a couple of rides around the area in between the rain.
The camp site had a good little shop so breakfast each morning was this...
Came across this on one of my ride abouts.
My plan was to head back to Baden-Baden but seeing the weather wasn't great I decided to head West towards Mulhouse and then head north through France, turned out this was the better option as far as the weather was, a couple of pic's on route back to Calais.
After a nights stop over in Calais and the Euro Tunnel back to the UK it's was up the M1 to Ripley for the East Midlands get together.
A great trip and a great way to end my holiday..
Brings back memories of my own trip and makes me think I want to go again, I want to go again 
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