Round trip to Andenes in 25 days

[Greybeard]

Day 23

Route for today -

After breakfast we drove out to a nearby lake for a brief stroll and a coffee before returning to pack my stuff on the bike. After a chilly start it was warming up - it looked like it would be a pleasant days ride.

I left Neustadt just before 1300, initially along small country roads but soon onto to A2 then A30 motorway towards the Netherlands. My destination was Lathum (near Arnhem) where I would meet up with old friends Bob and Liz (B&L) who were living on board a canal boat they had just bought, moored in a marina near Lathum.

At the border with Netherlands the A30 turns into the A1, and I keep on this road until near Apeldoorn when I turn off on the A50 to Arnhem, arriving at the marina near Lathum around 1630. A relatively short ride, I had stopped once en-route to refuel the bike (and myself).

It was great to see B&L, and their boat - which looks great. I was their first visitor and proud to inaugurate the guest quarters!

After afternoon tea, we move on to aperitifs before dining on the aft deck - very civilised.

Miles ridden today ~ 200

 

[oddshapedballs]

First class write up

Have you done many long solo trips like this in the past?

 

[Greybeard]

Day 24

Route for today -

Breakfasted on board with B&L followed by a walk along the lakeside to a nearby hardware store for essential fittings then back to the boat for a sandwich before leaving. Sad to leave B&L, it was a really short visit.

It takes a while to carry my gear along the pontoon from the boat and it is just after 1400 by the time I actually ride off, with my ETA for Amiens (the stop for the night) showing as 1845: however, after stopping for petrol, then for petrol and WC + Twix, and finally petrol again - the ETA had moved to 2000 hours.

My route was once again mainly motorway via Antwerp, Ghent and finally the E17 to Lilles and onto the A1. Fast but boring.

I decided to finish my journey on non-motorway roads so exit from the A1 at junction 13.1 and ride along country roads around the small town of Albert to Amiens. It was a really warm evening and farmers in the nearby fields were bringing in the harvest which filled the air with a fine dust (luckily I don't suffer from hayfever), and I also couldn't help noticing the many signs to war cemeteries - really sad.

I checked into the Holiday Inn Express Amiens (£50 for 1 night bed and breakfast) which is located near the station. I couldn't park the bike on the street but there was a multistory pay car park with a ramp just next to the hotel entrance, so I parked there. Not as simple as it seemed though, the bike didn't trigger the ticket machine so I had to speak in my schoolboy French to the operator who lifted the barrier, but I then I needed to walk through the carpark to find the office (at the exit) where I obtained my ticket, all of which took ages. By this time I just needed food and a beer - the Irish Pub brasserie across from the hotel fitted the bill perfectly (faux filet and chips and a 'pression').

Miles ridden today ~ 280

 

[Greybeard]

First class write up

Have you done many long solo trips like this in the past?

Thanks . It was actually my first solo trip as long as this. Previously the longest ride on my own was from St Malo to Cannes and back, also some 2 day jaunts around Brittany and of course trips up and down the UK from time to time.

 

[dr nosh]

I have been reading this ride report since you started posting it.

I like the detail, in as much, that Norway in on my 'to do' list, and this would be the basis of a route to follow and perhaps modify. (Also like you, it would probably be a solo tour).

The pictures of Eidsvatnet lake, day 17 are fabulous. What a beautiful spot.

Well in fact all the pictures are good and capture the atmosphere.

 

[Greybeard]

Day 25

Route for today -

The last day of my trip, and I got up just before 0800. After breakfast at the hotel (quite good, although no hot options) I checked out and carried my gear down to the bike. I made a relatively smooth exit from Amiens taking the A16 briefly then getting on the A29 / E44 towards Le Havre / Rouen.

The route was fast (and boring) motorway as before, but I soon encountered huge queues at the peage (toll stations) - at least 10 minutes wait at one, and later on I had to queue for a similar length of time to get petrol at a services. Of course - it was almost the beginning of August when almost the entire population of Northern Europe heads South. What a nightmare.

Still one of the advantages of being on a bike is the ability to filter through stationary / slow moving traffic, so I used this to my benefit as much as I could - I think that European drivers are generally pretty good at allowing bikes to make progress where possible. I must also say thanks to the French motorist who pointed out to me (in International sign language) that bikes didn't have to pay a toll to cross the Le Havre bridge, so therefore don't have to queue up there - thanks, mate.

Because I'd left quite early I had a reasonable contingency built in to my timings so I stopped for a bite to eat at one of the less formal French 'aires' overlooking the Baie de Mont St. Michel. Saucisses frites in the warm sun - it probably wasn't entirely good for me but it tasted excellent.

I arrived at the St Malo ferry port at 1650, only to find the ferry was delayed by 30 minutes - but not a long time to wait in the grand scheme of things so I wasn't at all bothered.

It was warm and sunny and I spent some time chatting with the rider of another BMW R1200GS (the latest water-cooled model - he raved over it). At last we were invited to board the Condor ferry and I said 'au revoir' to St Malo ...

I arrived back at home at 1900 after a very smooth crossing from France to Jersey. I'd made it back in one piece...

Miles ridden today ~ 310 - 40 (ferry) = 270

 

[Greybeard]

I have been reading this ride report since you started posting it.

I like the detail, in as much, that Norway in on my 'to do' list, and this would be the basis of a route to follow and perhaps modify. (Also like you, it would probably be a solo tour).

The pictures of Eidsvatnet lake, day 17 are fabulous. What a beautiful spot.

Well in fact all the pictures are good and capture the atmosphere.

Glad you liked the report and hope you do find it useful. Norway is a very beautiful country, especially when the sun is shining - I could have easily spent longer at Eidsvatnet.

 

[barak666]

Excellent ride report - really enjoyed your descriptions and photographs. I rode to Norway in 2014, and like you did the Atlantic Highway, Trollstigen and Gerangerfiord. I was also disappointed with the Atlantic Highway, but Trollstigen more than made up for it.

Thanks again...

 

[Greybeard]

Excellent ride report - really enjoyed your descriptions and photographs. I rode to Norway in 2014, and like you did the Atlantic Highway, Trollstigen and Gerangerfiord. I was also disappointed with the Atlantic Highway, but Trollstigen more than made up for it.

Thanks again...

Glad you enjoyed the report

 

[Greybeard]

Post trip analysis

• Start date = 1 July 2015
• Finish date = 25 July 2015
• Number of days = 25
• Start mileage = 27866
• End mileage = 33332 (I should have gone round the block to get all 3's)
• Trip mileage = 5466 miles
• Fuel used = 446 litres
• Average mpg = 56
• Worst mpg = 40 (between fuel stops)
• Best mpg = 79 (between fuel stops)
• Oil used = minimal (oil level was 2mm below top of visual inspection window)
• Other consumables = 1 x rear/stoplight bulb
• Number of photos taken = 1483

E&OE for all the above!

Also, the rear tyre was a bit 'square' after so much motorway riding, but was still legal.

As you can see, I took loads of images during the course of the trip and I published a subset of these on Google+, most of which were used in this ride report. If you want to see all the published images (including those not in the report) you should be able to view them using the following link -

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMFviEfUX6H4wVfEp7-1oKbI5JhgdZkVvE7thXXCUUudoPPs0gvOT-7SrXIfi1WnA?key=TnF1ZWRWWC1IaW9uUzlTS3hMYjBVeDQ1ZmRxYjRB

[note that when viewing images in this shared photo album, clicking on the 'info' button in the upper right corner of the page should toggle more data about the image, including a brief caption]

 

[JulesDive]

Nice to see another yellow GS out and about... Here is mine on a recent trip to Wales.

sent from planet earth

 

[Ash]

Stunning piccies....