The Great Escape (and added attractions)

Thank you.

Presently just on next tour.
Literally just pulled up at that museum.....

Are you at Speyer today then?

Yesterday



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Nice one. I hope you enjoyed it! Some amazing stuff there to see.

Was v good. Arrived 1500 but 3 hours was just right and it was empty so result

Great thread squire - I'm off work at the moment and reading this was a tad better than watching Jason Bourne films on Sky.

I've always fancied tracking down the sites from Where Eagles Dare...now there's a thought for a bike trip

Indeed. There are good sites if you Google movie locations.

If yiure super sad like me theres also books on Amazon......

M

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BORO

S92GS said:

Middlesborough 1 k

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Click to expand...

I get the feeling that you have spent some time in good old Boro

Sadly not. I'm sure for real it's nice.

Not a part of the world I know at all

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Late ish call but if anyone is interested Im heading back over again to look at the other sites and do a similar Where Eagles Dare themed trip.

Ferry from Dover on 21 Sep for about 10 days or so.

Hotels only

1 day honking mleage to make Black Forest then 250 ish a day.

Basically a large anti clockwise orbit as far east as Innsbruck.

Ending with Colditz, Harz, Hanover for 1 night out with ex comrades then back via some WW2 sites.


Any interest let me know.

I shall be doing a snooze fest on here...…...

Loved reading your trip report and congrats on your health . I to did much of your trip The two damms Great escape tunnel got a picture of the bike by the tunnel Harry exit point but I carried on to Kracow beautiful city and handy for Auschwitz and Birkenau I even stayed at Zary Poland in hotel Jankow think the best vallue and quality hotel Ive ever stopped in.

Not intending to take anything away from your fantastic trip report I've included mine hope you dont mind like you to encourage others to go for it
Little Bit Out Of My Confort Zone.

I've toured most of France many times including the Alpes along with the Italian Dolomites Switzerland Austria Germany Spain etc but for many years had wanted to ride to Auschwitz.
I realized there was no point just going there and back so planned to fit in a few WW2 points of interest on route.
I left my house in Norfolk on Saturday around 6-15am as I had to check in 45 minuted before my 10am crossing with Eurotunnel. All went well and I was soon in France in fine weather riding to my first hotel in Essen A journey of 430 miles so not too bad. I had no idea Essen had such a lovely main street just up from the train station.My hotel was in a really good location with secure parking and friendly staff .
I set off from Essen around 9am for my first WW2 site the Mohne Dam around 60 miles away. I was there before any crowds and managed to park the GS in front for a photo or two. Standing there I tried to imagine what it would have been like on the night of the dambusters raid May 16 -17 1943 . I was shown a book written from the german point of view one point I wasn't aware of was the 800 forced labour women workers drowned inside a fenced off compound. I soon moved on to the next dam the Eder this was much busier but equally impressive and to was breached by the bouncing bomb . Both were rebuilt in a few months by foreign slave labour. I carried on in beautiful sunshine to my next hotel about 30 miles below Leipzig 342 miles today .I spent a good one and a half hours having a beer with the owner of this small guest house he not speeking English me not a word of German but we laughed the whole time just making out what the other was saying I'm now in what was East Germany.
Up and on the road around 8-30 I'm soon at my next point of interest Colditz Castle around 25 miles away. What an amazing looking place the best vantage point is the Lidle car park .I parked up in the main square and walked upto the castle. It didn't open until 10 but the kind lady let me have a look round on my own for an hour . Theres not an awful lot of it you can actually visit there is a museum with items from when it was used as the supposedly escape proof prison where most of the determined escapies were sent. It did photograph very well the buildings are brillaint white against the wonderful blue cloudless skies again. After a coffee in the main square I set off for Zary. I was making good time as todays trip was only 150 miles so instead of going to my hotel early ( I'm now in Poland ) l decide to bring tomorrows visit to Stallag 111 at Sagan of the great Escape fame forward . I arrive late afternoon at the museum to be told its closed and how he shouldn't actually be there. However he gladly let me walk round the museum and exibits and answered any questions I had. In particularly where the tunnel was. From the direction I came the sign was hidden behind a tree so he pointed me in the right direction. It must have been the best part of a mile up a track (at last some off road for the GS lol ) There's nothing standing of the old camp just basically a few concrete foundations a rebuilt viewing tower and a plaque showing where the prisoners exited the tunnel named Harry it had a trail of stones marking the route the tunnel took .I managed to park the bike next to the exit hole for a photo. I moved onto my hotel an amazing place in Zary about ten miles away. Free garage brillaint breakfast beautiful room for about £25 I walked into town for dinner.
Tues morning off I set for Wroclaw . A week before my trip I watched a tv programme about Kaisz Castle. The third largest castle in Poland it was destined to be the Third Reich's Foreign Headquarters well away from Germany it became the largest mining and building project of Hitlers Germany underneath the castle deep shafts and huge tunnels were built by slave labour. No one's quite sure what it was all for some think a shelter for Hitler and his top men others think possibly for chemical and biological laboratory. Anyway before it's completion the Red Army arrived in 1945 and what valuables hadn't been taken by the Germans the Russians took including the library collectioin of 64,000 volumes it's now believed to be in the Soviet union. I arrived and qued in rain for over an hour to get in The Polish seem better at queing than the British nobody seemed to mind and after my visit the que was almost twice as long . The castle was huge but did seem short of furnishings compared to National Trust Properties here It was well worth the trip and not really off my route to Wroclaw.
I stayed in a Campanile hotel in Wroclaw. It was to be a wet windy days rest off the bike .A tram stopped outside the hotel so ten minutes later I'm in the city centre. A lovely old city square which most cities in Poland seemed to have .Surrounded by beautiful pastel coloured buildings and old steel bridges etc
I enjoyed the break off the bike especially with the rain so Thursday morning I set off for Krakow. The temperature started to rise again and I had a great trip arriving at 3 pm giving me time to shower and get my first look around Kracow. My appartment this time was perfectly placed with its own garage. I could see the castle just over the river from my window .It was a two minute walk to the river a half hour to the beautiful main square 20 minutes to the castle. I guess 45 minutes to the old Jewish quarter along the river and similar to Schindlers factory now a museum and close to the Jewish Ghetto and square. Kracow has plenty of guided walks guided bike rides or little battery carts taking you to all the sites I think it's the most interesting city I've ever visited.
I had before leaving home arranged to be picked up by minibus and taken on a guided tour of Auschwitz and Birkenau with an English speaking guide it was well worth the £30 . I was picked up at nine and arrived back around three .The benefits of organised trip meant there was no queing and being guided to the most interesting places with it all explained in English .For me what spoilt it was the need to keep moving as other groupes were following you round so it was all a bit of a blur but I'm gald Ive finally been
Getting back at three allowed me to see some more of Kracow . I again walked to the old square I particularly loved the very smart dressed up white spotted horses and their beautiful white carraiges taking trippers around the town. The next day I visited the old Jewish Quarter followed by Schindlers factory museum . This really is worth visitting I then walked into what was the Jewish Ghetto and found the last remaining piece of the ghetto wall also the square where they were made to line up for there choosen fete...... I loved Kracow.
Sadly I had to move on still in glorious sunshine and temperatures reaching 33 . My next stop was about ten miles away at the famous Wieliczka salt mines . Amazing place a must visit .These previous working salt mines with huge caverns and wonderful carvings into the salt walls dating back hundreds of years. Fortunately a lift brings you back up a couple of hours later.I left here to continue onto Zakopane and the Tatra mountains crossing into Slovakia back into Poland.What should have been a wonderful ride was spoilt by torrential rain bridges washed away and rain gushing out of the man hole covers never ridden in rain like it. My hotel was excellent great food so all was well I never ventured far that night 178 miles covered.
Thankfully after a good nights sleep I set off in dry weather. An uneventful 340 miles ridden taking me through the heart of Pague to my Botel yes Botel hotel on a boat.( I love my Sat Nav ) Again secure underground parking at extra cost. With views across the river of the castle lit up at night from my port hole I was well pleased.I had a good look round after a shower and dinner just over the Bridge .Next day I walked upto the castle and the other touristy bits but if totally honest Prague has nothing on Krakow and I've read that a few times so not alone in my thoughts.
Wednesday after my day off the bike in Prague I set off for Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany just 240 miles away . Another very hot morning temperatures of 27 at 9 am and it got much hotter. Rothenburg is on the romantic route between Wurzburg and Fusson hopefully a trip for the future. It's a beautiful old walled town complete with a pair of stalks on one of the main square buildings. I had a small hotel a little old fashioned but served the purpose for one night again with secure parking.
Breakfast eaten and on the road heading for Thionville but calling in on Heidelburg on the way . I managed to park by the lift to the castle so that was a result. The castle was a worth while trip with excellent views of the town and river a place I'd wanted to visit for some time. Another 250 miles today and it's getting hotter the nearer I get to Calais 34 today. I can't say anything about Thionville as my hotel was on the outskirts.
I left for my last Auberge which was about fifteen miles from the Eurotunnel. I deliberately set the sat nav to avoid toll roads because the heat was getting unbearable and going faster didn't help it was like riding with a hair dryer in your face it topped out at 40 so with plenty of stops I arrived some 256 miles later at my destination.Unfortunately no air con but I did manage to scrounge a fan and had a cold beer on check in.
I left around 9am and managed to get a half hour early crossing only to see everyone stacked up on the M20 this side so consider my self very lucky .Home for lunch 160 miles later.
To sum up yes this was a little out of my comfort zone I've only ever needed euros before. Never visited Czech Republic Poland or Slovakia before and I was travelling alone.
Saying that it was my best ever trip so many places I've wanted to visit and now had . One country is much like another they all have friendly helpful people and if they can help you with their little bit of English they will .
Ian Saunders East Anglian Section.

Thanks Ian for your kind words.

Please post away, its a source of great ideas for all Im sure.

Oh and congrats on breaking the Euro boundary, great feeling eh......

I shall plot your points later and see if I can wangle some in en route

Thanks again

M

Just re read that in slow time.

Fantastic


That deserves it's own thread and pics mate

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Yep, great write-up there Ian. Photos would be great!

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Yep agreed Ian. Sounds a great trip and experience. Well done you.....