BigRedUn
Registered user
I think I'm enjoying your trip almost as much as you.
Never trust a Met man...
- Thread starter MikeO
- Start date
21st September 2015
I press the starter at exactly 09:00 and set off into a chilly, clear morning. I turned right yesterday, so let's go left today, eh?
Was this just brilliant timing in your getting ready or did you have to wait until the clock clicked over?
Great RR Mike.
The Dolomites are about as good as it gets (out of high season...).
I camped along the road in Campitello some years ago. A night or two turned into a week! Opening the tent to a view Mt Mamolada (sp?) Every morning was pure bliss.
I returned for a night in Cortina early May en route to Greece a couple of years later.
Must return sometime soon.
Phil
The Dolomites are about as good as it gets (out of high season...).
I camped along the road in Campitello some years ago. A night or two turned into a week! Opening the tent to a view Mt Mamolada (sp?) Every morning was pure bliss.
I returned for a night in Cortina early May en route to Greece a couple of years later.
Must return sometime soon.
Phil
Just "wasted" a whole hour reading this thread.
Thanks
Thanks
They certainly are, one of the best riding areas on earth
22nd September 2015
I sleep better and wake at just after 07:00 feeling refreshed, but slightly deflated in the knowledge that I am heading home today. I shower and shave and then carefully pack – it’s very easy to leave stuff behind if you’ve lived in the same room for two or three days. I want to get on the road early, because there is some weather forecast to hit Colmar, my destination in Eastern France, later in the day and I want to try to stay ahead of it.
I pack the bike and then pay my bill. I really like this place and will definitely stay here when I come back. The staff have a great sense of humour and there is a fun atmosphere to the place. I find out this morning that the hotel – in fact the entire town by the sound of it – is going to close on Sunday until mid-December, when all the shops, hotels and restaurants will re-open for the ski season.
It’s warmer than yesterday, but it will be chilly in the passes (ooh-err), so I carb-up at breakfast, then say my farewells…
…and head off towards the town centre at about 08:00.
Bettie has planned me a direct route and we will arrive at Colmar at 14:45 if all goes well. This should just about keep us ahead of the weather.
I follow Bettie’s directions up the Passo Sella…
…there are wreaths of clouds lying in the valleys…
…and the peaks are in and out of cloud, but the passes are clear. I take a couple of snaps…
…on the way down…
…because it’s a hard habit to get out of…
Most of the traffic I encounter at this time of morning comprises commuters and locals, and progress is, therefore, quite quick…
I’m on the Autostrada heading towards Brenner at 09:00. I set 100(ish)kph as a cruise – but the traffic is so heavy it’s difficult to keep up…
At least the scenery makes it more interesting than the M4…
I come across this very interesting looking lady being towed…
Apologies for the framing of the side shot – had someone behind me being all Italian about my speed…
Managed to get another snap at the toll booths…
Any ideas?
Toll booths. I pay €4.00 at the Italian one, then notice these signs at the roadside...
I know what they mean – you are meant to have a ‘Vignette’ to ride on Austria’s motorways. This is a licence stuck to your windscreen and I don’t have one.
If stopped, I have papers that will identify me as a migrant worker, and an Ausweiss which will allow me to travel to Hamburg, where I hope to stow-away on a neutral ship.
Meantime, I adhere to the speed limits and carry on…
After 80km or so (almost all of which, it seems, was in roadworks) we are directed off the Autobahn and onto a diversion. I spot this little gathering on the offside of the road and turn around to take these pics…
Can anyone identify the models and years? They were in fantastic condition – but without looking ‘over-restored’…
We eventually rejoin the Autobahn and – at length – leave Austria and enter Switzerland.
Do I breathe a sigh of relief at not being stopped? Well, not really. You see, you are required to have a Vignette for Swiss motorways too…
The irony is that I bought a Swiss Vignette before coming – but I can’t find it (I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s on my desk at home).
I ride through Switzerland whistling the tune to The Great Escape…
The weather starts to close in, just as forecast. The diversion added a few minutes to the journey – as did the roadworks, although I now seem to be back on schedule.
I run into some very light rain – not worth getting kitted up for – and stop for fuel just after crossing into France (sighs of relief now being breathed)…
One bonus of all this slower speed work on the Autobahn is that the Adv is doing 53mpg – as opposed to about 43mpg when caned…
I do the last 35km at 130kph, just because, arriving at the Roi Soleil (Sun King) hotel at 14:35, in light drizzle…
I check in to my modestly sized but comfortable room.
There’s no garage for the bike, so I lock it up outside. I try to upload my pictures, but they won’t load. I try a speed test on the internet connection – it has the lowest upload speed I’ve seen recorded – 0.53 MBps. It’s so slow SmugMug won’t even recognise the upload…
Hey-ho
I pop down to see the girl on the desk and ask her to turn their internet connection off and on again, which she is happy to do - suddenly the connection improves by about 300%...
I sleep better and wake at just after 07:00 feeling refreshed, but slightly deflated in the knowledge that I am heading home today. I shower and shave and then carefully pack – it’s very easy to leave stuff behind if you’ve lived in the same room for two or three days. I want to get on the road early, because there is some weather forecast to hit Colmar, my destination in Eastern France, later in the day and I want to try to stay ahead of it.
I pack the bike and then pay my bill. I really like this place and will definitely stay here when I come back. The staff have a great sense of humour and there is a fun atmosphere to the place. I find out this morning that the hotel – in fact the entire town by the sound of it – is going to close on Sunday until mid-December, when all the shops, hotels and restaurants will re-open for the ski season.
It’s warmer than yesterday, but it will be chilly in the passes (ooh-err), so I carb-up at breakfast, then say my farewells…
…and head off towards the town centre at about 08:00.
Bettie has planned me a direct route and we will arrive at Colmar at 14:45 if all goes well. This should just about keep us ahead of the weather.
I follow Bettie’s directions up the Passo Sella…
…there are wreaths of clouds lying in the valleys…
…and the peaks are in and out of cloud, but the passes are clear. I take a couple of snaps…
…on the way down…
…because it’s a hard habit to get out of…
Most of the traffic I encounter at this time of morning comprises commuters and locals, and progress is, therefore, quite quick…
I’m on the Autostrada heading towards Brenner at 09:00. I set 100(ish)kph as a cruise – but the traffic is so heavy it’s difficult to keep up…
At least the scenery makes it more interesting than the M4…
I come across this very interesting looking lady being towed…
Apologies for the framing of the side shot – had someone behind me being all Italian about my speed…
Managed to get another snap at the toll booths…
Any ideas?
Toll booths. I pay €4.00 at the Italian one, then notice these signs at the roadside...
I know what they mean – you are meant to have a ‘Vignette’ to ride on Austria’s motorways. This is a licence stuck to your windscreen and I don’t have one.
If stopped, I have papers that will identify me as a migrant worker, and an Ausweiss which will allow me to travel to Hamburg, where I hope to stow-away on a neutral ship.
Meantime, I adhere to the speed limits and carry on…
After 80km or so (almost all of which, it seems, was in roadworks) we are directed off the Autobahn and onto a diversion. I spot this little gathering on the offside of the road and turn around to take these pics…
Can anyone identify the models and years? They were in fantastic condition – but without looking ‘over-restored’…
We eventually rejoin the Autobahn and – at length – leave Austria and enter Switzerland.
Do I breathe a sigh of relief at not being stopped? Well, not really. You see, you are required to have a Vignette for Swiss motorways too…
The irony is that I bought a Swiss Vignette before coming – but I can’t find it (I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s on my desk at home).
I ride through Switzerland whistling the tune to The Great Escape…
The weather starts to close in, just as forecast. The diversion added a few minutes to the journey – as did the roadworks, although I now seem to be back on schedule.
I run into some very light rain – not worth getting kitted up for – and stop for fuel just after crossing into France (sighs of relief now being breathed
)…
One bonus of all this slower speed work on the Autobahn is that the Adv is doing 53mpg – as opposed to about 43mpg when caned…
I do the last 35km at 130kph, just because, arriving at the Roi Soleil (Sun King) hotel at 14:35, in light drizzle…
I check in to my modestly sized but comfortable room.
There’s no garage for the bike, so I lock it up outside. I try to upload my pictures, but they won’t load. I try a speed test on the internet connection – it has the lowest upload speed I’ve seen recorded – 0.53 MBps. It’s so slow SmugMug won’t even recognise the upload…
Hey-ho
I pop down to see the girl on the desk and ask her to turn their internet connection off and on again, which she is happy to do - suddenly the connection improves by about 300%...
Just ordered my first GSA1200 hence I just joined this forum. Thank you for sharing your trip Mike, amazing photos and love the commentary! I actually plan to do a similar route next year so I took down some location but I will continue on to the south of Rome. Just one small thing, Garmin do have a detour button now
I'm sat here in KL and have just read this entire thread which has taken me about 2 hours as the pics are so amazing.
You've got me thinking now though-last year we did Ireland and this year was the RDGA again.
Next year was supposed to be the Picos at the end of May/early June.But I now seem to have the urge to blat down to the Villa Emma and then stay there for 3 nights or so and ride around as you did.
We normally only go away for 7/8 nights so what do people reckon that have done the Dolomites ? And you were lucky with the weather !!!
You've got me thinking now though-last year we did Ireland and this year was the RDGA again.
Next year was supposed to be the Picos at the end of May/early June.But I now seem to have the urge to blat down to the Villa Emma and then stay there for 3 nights or so and ride around as you did.
We normally only go away for 7/8 nights so what do people reckon that have done the Dolomites ? And you were lucky with the weather !!!
We did the Dolomites last year, via an indirect route, avoiding motorways all the way. We were gone for a week, so 7-8 nights would work.
We went in May, and it was just before the cyclists/ coaches/ tourists arrived, so we had the roads to ourselves most of the time.
We did the Dolomites last year, via an indirect route, avoiding motorways all the way. We were gone for a week, so 7-8 nights would work.
We went in May, and it was just before the cyclists/ coaches/ tourists arrived, so we had the roads to ourselves most of the time.
Have you still got your route saved anywhere ?
I didn't plan it in basecamp; we just put a destination in each morning, as I prefer to decide where we're going each day, rather than planning too much. There may be something in the Nav V history somewhere. I'll have a look to see what's there.
Around a week would be fine, I can't see you getting bored...
I went late May and the weather was beautiful - perfect, however, I received a pic a week after my return & the are had been hit by a snowstorm!
The Dolomites was my first bike trip to Europe in 1998 on my old K100RS, absolutely loved the area, stayed in Moena with some Italian and German friends. I think it must have been late June and the weather was good, but not as sunny as your trip Mike. Brilliant photos, thanks for sharing. Think I might have to plan on returning next year 
23rd September 2015
I sleep relatively well. I was looking at the map last night and have decided to do a long day today to get home, rather than split the journey with an overnight stop. The main driver for this was the forecast for showers all day along the route to Calais. If I'm going to get kitted up for wet weather, I like it to be for a good reason...
I have a crappy breakfast and then load the bike. I don my waterproof gear for the first time this trip and set off into the greyish morning at about 08:00...
It starts to rain - a steady drizzle that just saps morale. I'm listening to a book on my monitors and the Autoroute slips by fairly comfortably, although getting de-gloved and re-gloved at Péage stations is a pain...
I keep up a steady 140kph.This will make the Adv drink fuel like it's going out of fashion, but I'm willing to pay for the privilege of seeing the number of kilometres left reduce more quickly.
I refuel myself and the Adv at about 11:30. I notice something quite odd - the bike is difficult to get in and out of gear...
It seems to have dried up a little, so I ride the next section without my waterproof jacket liner and with my elk-skin ropers rather than my waterproof gloves, which makes life more comfortable. I run into several sections of contra-flow, which slow me down a bit, but my ETA at Calais is still looking good...
Random ornaments adorn the roadside...
I come across three sports bikes and this Ariel Atom and pass them with a wave. About ten seconds later the Ariel and one of the bikes come past me at the speed of heat...
They slow down again and I give them a wave as I pass...
Not long after my second fuel stop, the first signs for the Eurotunnel appear. The French word for the English Channel is La Manche (literally, the sleeve)...
I have decided my clutch slave cylinder is failing - this is confirmed to me by a rather embarrassing 'kangaroo' take-off from the final Péage.
I find that, if I pump the lever half a dozen times, I can get enough pressure to set off in first gear and then carefully match revs on each subsequent up-shift.
I'm surprised at the failure, as I had a brand new unit fitted just over two years ago when Steve Scriminger fitted my custom gearbox.
Let's face it, if it was going to fail, now is the time to do it - not on the to the Dolomites...
I'm soon approaching the tollbooths. The pleasant young French chap tells me I can go on the next train for €66, or the 16:20 for €11. I reach into my map pocket for my credit card that I keep there to pay tolls and find it gone - clearly the kangarooing was more serious than I thought
I use another card and €11 changes hands.
This is one of the reasons I use Eurotunnel exclusively for my European trips - they are extremely flexible about this sort of thing (I'm actually booked on the 11:50 tomorrow).
I meet up with the chaps on the sports bikes and the Ariel Atom...
...and seek out the only place in France that you can actually get a LARGE coffee...
John, seated...
...is the Atom's owner - in a weird coincidence it turns out he used to live next door to my mate Simon in Somerset...
They've all been down to the Bol d'Or and then the Alps and have had a great time...
I ring my Credit Card company to report the card lost and then, before I can finish my coffee, our letter is called and I carefully ride down to the train - only managing to stall twice on the way as I forget about the clutch...
The train is completely full, with the bikes in the last carriage...
The train sets off on time and - just as advertised - pulls into Folkestone 35 minutes later. We ride out into a pleasant afternoon with no signs of precipitation...
...and I head up towards London and the Dartford Crossing. Bettie says I should be home by 19:00 (which is 20:00 body clock time, as I have reset to BST now).
I have an uneventful ride up the M20, M25 and M11, eventually turning off the A11 at Thetford and making my way back home. The sun goes down as I ride through the splendidly named Daffy Green...
...and I arrive home at 18:45...
When I'm unpacking the bike I notice that the head of my compass has disappeared at some stage. Oddly, I was just thinking on the way home that I never use it and ought to take it off...
3057 miles - not a bad way to spend a couple of weeks...
I sleep relatively well. I was looking at the map last night and have decided to do a long day today to get home, rather than split the journey with an overnight stop. The main driver for this was the forecast for showers all day along the route to Calais. If I'm going to get kitted up for wet weather, I like it to be for a good reason...
I have a crappy breakfast and then load the bike. I don my waterproof gear for the first time this trip and set off into the greyish morning at about 08:00...
It starts to rain - a steady drizzle that just saps morale. I'm listening to a book on my monitors and the Autoroute slips by fairly comfortably, although getting de-gloved and re-gloved at Péage stations is a pain...
I keep up a steady 140kph.This will make the Adv drink fuel like it's going out of fashion, but I'm willing to pay for the privilege of seeing the number of kilometres left reduce more quickly.
I refuel myself and the Adv at about 11:30. I notice something quite odd - the bike is difficult to get in and out of gear...
It seems to have dried up a little, so I ride the next section without my waterproof jacket liner and with my elk-skin ropers rather than my waterproof gloves, which makes life more comfortable. I run into several sections of contra-flow, which slow me down a bit, but my ETA at Calais is still looking good...
Random ornaments adorn the roadside...
I come across three sports bikes and this Ariel Atom and pass them with a wave. About ten seconds later the Ariel and one of the bikes come past me at the speed of heat...
They slow down again and I give them a wave as I pass...
Not long after my second fuel stop, the first signs for the Eurotunnel appear. The French word for the English Channel is La Manche (literally, the sleeve)...
I have decided my clutch slave cylinder is failing - this is confirmed to me by a rather embarrassing 'kangaroo' take-off from the final Péage.
I find that, if I pump the lever half a dozen times, I can get enough pressure to set off in first gear and then carefully match revs on each subsequent up-shift.
I'm surprised at the failure, as I had a brand new unit fitted just over two years ago when Steve Scriminger fitted my custom gearbox.
Let's face it, if it was going to fail, now is the time to do it - not on the to the Dolomites...
I'm soon approaching the tollbooths. The pleasant young French chap tells me I can go on the next train for €66, or the 16:20 for €11. I reach into my map pocket for my credit card that I keep there to pay tolls and find it gone - clearly the kangarooing was more serious than I thought
I use another card and €11 changes hands.
This is one of the reasons I use Eurotunnel exclusively for my European trips - they are extremely flexible about this sort of thing (I'm actually booked on the 11:50 tomorrow).
I meet up with the chaps on the sports bikes and the Ariel Atom...
...and seek out the only place in France that you can actually get a LARGE coffee...
John, seated...
...is the Atom's owner - in a weird coincidence it turns out he used to live next door to my mate Simon in Somerset...
They've all been down to the Bol d'Or and then the Alps and have had a great time...
I ring my Credit Card company to report the card lost and then, before I can finish my coffee, our letter is called and I carefully ride down to the train - only managing to stall twice on the way as I forget about the clutch...
The train is completely full, with the bikes in the last carriage...
The train sets off on time and - just as advertised - pulls into Folkestone 35 minutes later. We ride out into a pleasant afternoon with no signs of precipitation...
...and I head up towards London and the Dartford Crossing. Bettie says I should be home by 19:00 (which is 20:00 body clock time, as I have reset to BST now).
I have an uneventful ride up the M20, M25 and M11, eventually turning off the A11 at Thetford and making my way back home. The sun goes down as I ride through the splendidly named Daffy Green...
...and I arrive home at 18:45...
When I'm unpacking the bike I notice that the head of my compass has disappeared at some stage. Oddly, I was just thinking on the way home that I never use it and ought to take it off...
3057 miles - not a bad way to spend a couple of weeks...
Thanks Mike,
Perfect timing, as I just sat down with drink to read your final instalment and it appeared by magic. I have enjoyed all of 'your' journey, almost as if I had been there myself. Top stuff.
Perfect timing, as I just sat down with drink to read your final instalment and it appeared by magic. I have enjoyed all of 'your' journey, almost as if I had been there myself. Top stuff.
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