A brief trip report on a six-day jaunt to the Northern Vosges area...
Seven of us headed out on Monday morning using Eurotunnel. A 1250GS, a 1300GS, a S1000XR, a K1600GT, a Ducati V2 Multistrada, an MV Agusta 800 and a KTM 1150 (?) Adventure. The original plan had been to blast down to the Vosges in a day, have several days there to ride around, then blast back. This changed over time to avoiding motorways (apart from a few quick bits) and taking two days each way to get there and back. We all shared various routes for the trip in advance, but on the understanding that we were not going to ride as a group and everyone was responsible for getting they needed to be.
Day one took us to Chalons-en-Champagne and a B&B Hotel on the commercial estate on the edge of town. You know what you're getting with B&B chain, and this one was no different. Hardly a must-see destination but functional, and a meal in the local restaurant was a similar level. We all arrived at slightly different times and one of the early arrivals in the restaurant (Au Bureau) ordered a dinner to tide him over until dinner.
Day two - Chalons to Schwenheim via Verdun. Again, no motorways and route planning aimed to find some nice roads, but my only memories of the ride to Verdun are arrow-straight roads for miles and miles. They became more interesting after that and by the time we reached the AirBnB in Schwenheim, the scenery and roads were improving. There is a Col de Saverne (Saverne being the nearest town of any size) that could have been fun but was very busy in rush hour and - as much of France seems to be - covered by 50 and 30 kmh speed limits. In general, though, the roads in France are empty, smooth and a world away from the crowded and pot-holed roads in SE England.
One recurring theme that started on day 2 but was repeated every other day was the lack of cafes in the towns. My memory of France is that even the smallest of towns had one or more cafes for elevenses. This really isn't the case any more. We struggled to find anywhere in most towns and villages. In fact most of rural France seems to be shut. We even found one Bar du Commerce that was closed for lunch!
Another fly in the ointment: both bars/restaurants within walking distance of the accommodation in Schwenheim were shut. One only opens at weekends, the other didn't really give any clues about when it might or might not open. The websites didn't give any advance warning of this. The closest one was attached to the tabac, and was definitely a local shop for local people. Apart from tobacco, the shop had a few bottles of water and pop, some industrial size tins of peaches and garden peas, and shelves of pasta. That's about it. Very strange. Anyway, a few people were dispatched to the local Leclerc hypermarket to stock up on bread, cheese, snacks, breakfast for the next day, and beer and wine. We all survived, and planned meals for the next two evenings cooked by willing volunteers. Again, not an issue, but gave a slightly different vibe than expected.
(AirBnB is a good way to go for a group. A fair bit cheaper than hotels, and the place we used (L'Ecrin de Saveurs, www.ecrindessaveurs.fr/) had six en-suite rooms on the first floor, and a great kitchen, dining room and lounge area on the second floor.)
Day three: people went their own ways, but the main route taken was down to Col de la Schlucht near Gerardmer. I think five of the seven of us got there at one point or another. Beautiful roads in the Vosges mountains, endless roads with a decent variety of twists - long open sweepers, tight hairpins, steep hills... The Route des Cretes is a great starting point and it was as good as I remember it from many years ago. Lots more speed limits now than I recall.
Day four: most of us headed northwards to explore the Parc Naturel Regionel du Vosges du Nord and the Pfalzer Wald in Germany. I'd never ridden here before and Pfalzer Wald in particular was fantastic. Great scenery. Keep away from the main roads and just ride all day on perfect twisty roads.
Day five: Schwenheim to La Roche-en-Ardennes in Belgium. Everyone went different ways through France, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium and after a little difficulty because the hotel didn't have any record of the Booking.com booking, but rooms were available so all was well. The Floreal Hotel (www.florealgroup.be/fr/domaine-de-vacances/floreal-la-roche-en-ardenne) was a really good find - lovely setting, within walking distance of the centre of La Roche and the many restaurants and bars. However, we stayed at the hotel which had a reasonable restaurant and bar on the terrace overlooking the river.
Day six: after five days of glorious weather there was a threat of storms. In the end they never really materialised, just the odd shower (for me at least). We all arrived at Eurotunnel within a few minutes of each other despite riding in various different groups and solo through the day.
I'll download my tracks from the trusty Garmin in a bit, but there are so many options and different routes taken that they're only really a vague guide. There's no end of alternatives.
Seven of us headed out on Monday morning using Eurotunnel. A 1250GS, a 1300GS, a S1000XR, a K1600GT, a Ducati V2 Multistrada, an MV Agusta 800 and a KTM 1150 (?) Adventure. The original plan had been to blast down to the Vosges in a day, have several days there to ride around, then blast back. This changed over time to avoiding motorways (apart from a few quick bits) and taking two days each way to get there and back. We all shared various routes for the trip in advance, but on the understanding that we were not going to ride as a group and everyone was responsible for getting they needed to be.
Day one took us to Chalons-en-Champagne and a B&B Hotel on the commercial estate on the edge of town. You know what you're getting with B&B chain, and this one was no different. Hardly a must-see destination but functional, and a meal in the local restaurant was a similar level. We all arrived at slightly different times and one of the early arrivals in the restaurant (Au Bureau) ordered a dinner to tide him over until dinner.
Day two - Chalons to Schwenheim via Verdun. Again, no motorways and route planning aimed to find some nice roads, but my only memories of the ride to Verdun are arrow-straight roads for miles and miles. They became more interesting after that and by the time we reached the AirBnB in Schwenheim, the scenery and roads were improving. There is a Col de Saverne (Saverne being the nearest town of any size) that could have been fun but was very busy in rush hour and - as much of France seems to be - covered by 50 and 30 kmh speed limits. In general, though, the roads in France are empty, smooth and a world away from the crowded and pot-holed roads in SE England.
One recurring theme that started on day 2 but was repeated every other day was the lack of cafes in the towns. My memory of France is that even the smallest of towns had one or more cafes for elevenses. This really isn't the case any more. We struggled to find anywhere in most towns and villages. In fact most of rural France seems to be shut. We even found one Bar du Commerce that was closed for lunch!
Another fly in the ointment: both bars/restaurants within walking distance of the accommodation in Schwenheim were shut. One only opens at weekends, the other didn't really give any clues about when it might or might not open. The websites didn't give any advance warning of this. The closest one was attached to the tabac, and was definitely a local shop for local people. Apart from tobacco, the shop had a few bottles of water and pop, some industrial size tins of peaches and garden peas, and shelves of pasta. That's about it. Very strange. Anyway, a few people were dispatched to the local Leclerc hypermarket to stock up on bread, cheese, snacks, breakfast for the next day, and beer and wine. We all survived, and planned meals for the next two evenings cooked by willing volunteers. Again, not an issue, but gave a slightly different vibe than expected.
(AirBnB is a good way to go for a group. A fair bit cheaper than hotels, and the place we used (L'Ecrin de Saveurs, www.ecrindessaveurs.fr/) had six en-suite rooms on the first floor, and a great kitchen, dining room and lounge area on the second floor.)
Day three: people went their own ways, but the main route taken was down to Col de la Schlucht near Gerardmer. I think five of the seven of us got there at one point or another. Beautiful roads in the Vosges mountains, endless roads with a decent variety of twists - long open sweepers, tight hairpins, steep hills... The Route des Cretes is a great starting point and it was as good as I remember it from many years ago. Lots more speed limits now than I recall.
Day four: most of us headed northwards to explore the Parc Naturel Regionel du Vosges du Nord and the Pfalzer Wald in Germany. I'd never ridden here before and Pfalzer Wald in particular was fantastic. Great scenery. Keep away from the main roads and just ride all day on perfect twisty roads.
Day five: Schwenheim to La Roche-en-Ardennes in Belgium. Everyone went different ways through France, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium and after a little difficulty because the hotel didn't have any record of the Booking.com booking, but rooms were available so all was well. The Floreal Hotel (www.florealgroup.be/fr/domaine-de-vacances/floreal-la-roche-en-ardenne) was a really good find - lovely setting, within walking distance of the centre of La Roche and the many restaurants and bars. However, we stayed at the hotel which had a reasonable restaurant and bar on the terrace overlooking the river.
Day six: after five days of glorious weather there was a threat of storms. In the end they never really materialised, just the odd shower (for me at least). We all arrived at Eurotunnel within a few minutes of each other despite riding in various different groups and solo through the day.
I'll download my tracks from the trusty Garmin in a bit, but there are so many options and different routes taken that they're only really a vague guide. There's no end of alternatives.
