This Year's Trip

[Robarano]

Well, after last year's trip down to The Algarve over a 3 week stint,

Trip to Portugal

I have started to think about this year's jaunt over the past month. I spoke to my mate who I usually go with and asked where he fancied. The only real stipulation I had was that, as I was abroad in January for a week and have another 2 weeks away in Turkey in September, whatever we choose, has to be done in my 2 week allocated summer shutdown due to have very little free vacation time left this year. I also fancied heading south as I'm sick of the weather in the UK right now.

He said...."I fancy doing this" - YouTube Oh, that's on the door step then !..................... OK, how to get to Grenoble and make it a bit interesting along the way.

So here is the route I've planned and booked the hotels for at the weekend.

I've also plotted smaller mileage days to get some time off the bikes and visit some places.

I have booked a brewery tour on the 2nd day in Belgium at the brewer of my favourite beer, Kasteel. Also booked the Porsche museum back up through Germany. I just need to do a bit more research on places to see along the route. The main purpose though is to get some great twisties in this year.

1st night in Europe is in Ypres again. I love that place. Then down through Belgium, briefly into France and staying in Baden-Baden, Germany. We should get the B500 in at some point here.

Then down to Innertkirchen in Switzerland where we stay for 2 days and can get all of the Swiss passes done.

Down to Grenoble to take in the D122A my mate wanted to do. Then over some more Alpine roads to Sanremo. Back up through Italy to Lake Como taking in the Stelvio. Then up through Austria and more passes, staying in Southern Germany. Back up to NW Germany taking in the Porsche museum and back up to Belgium for the last night where hopefully I can fill Helga's boxes with as much Belgian Beer as I can carry.

No camping this year, just hotels and some private holiday accomodation. It saves lugging the camping stuff about too.

Now I've planned it, I'm looking forward to it.

 

[Noobie]

Rob, Rob, where you been. Your like that dad who only see's his kids at Mcdonalds once in a blue moon

 

[SHarper]

Have you researched the ‘Balcony Roads’ while you’re in the Grenoble area?

A must do…

 

[The skitz]

Have you researched the ‘Balcony Roads’ while you’re in the Grenoble area?

View attachment 104773
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A must do…
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Stunning part of the world

 

[Fight the streets Fmd]

Stunning part of the world View attachment 104776View attachment 104777

 

[Robarano]

Have you researched the ‘Balcony Roads’ while you’re in the Grenoble area?

View attachment 104773
View attachment 104774
A must do…
View attachment 104775

Those are the roads he wants to do, hence heading to Grenoble. No research yet, but I will pull it all together.

Where Are the Best Balcony Roads in France?

In France there are a few balcony roads: hair-raising lanes cut i

www.dangerousroads.org

I was actually in Grenoble in 2014 with work. It was during the world cup and France played Germany one of the days I was there. They lost iirc, but the atmosphere was fantastic, with the locals all buzzing round in Renault Clio's, 5 to a car with big French Tricolore's being waved out of the windows, honking horns through the night.

Great place, one of the best I've been to in Europe.

 

[Dox]

Nice, enjoy.

What do you use for that route planning?

 

[Robarano]

Nice, enjoy.

What do you use for that route planning?

At the moment I've just plotted out a rough route on Google Maps. All I wanted to do right now was find reasonable distances each day and decent places to stay. I'll plot it out fully with TomTom MyDrive and upload to my Sat Nav over the coming weeks.

 

[The skitz]

At the moment I've just plotted out a rough route on Google Maps. All I wanted to do right now was find reasonable distances each day and decent places to stay. I'll plot it out fully with TomTom MyDrive and upload to my Sat Nav over the coming weeks.

I went away last year for the first time with no maps only a rough idea of where we wanted to end up ideally.. It was a revelation not to have to be at an end spot each day.. You find a gorgeous lake just book in to a nice hotel and let calimoto bring you through some deserted spot the next day very relaxing to not be chasing a fixed spot

 

[Robarano]

Well, we got back on Thursday after the best part of 12 days away.

I never posted while I was away, but here's a few snippets to follow.

Day 1
A slog down to the EuroTunnel on the motorway. A 5am start as we were booked on a 14.30 train and wanted to have some time up the cuff for any traffic issues. We got there with a couple of hours to spare, after stopping for a breakfast on the way and got the option of leaving on a train an hour early.

Belgium.
1st night stop over in Ypres. Copious amounts of Belgian beer, a Flemish beef stew and watching The Last Post at the Menin Gate was the order of the evening.

 

[Robarano]

Day2

A trip from Ypres to La Roche en Ardenne. A pretty non descript day really. Some half decent roads, but it was about getting a halfway stopping point before Switzerland.

Just to humour @Noobie I found a good parking spot for Helga.

 

[Robarano]

Day 3 & 4

Into Switzerland for 2 days.

Some great scenery and roads. Just be aware of the speed limits and stick to them. In the beginning, they are a little frustrating, but you get used to them and they are proportionate. At least they do have broken white lines in the centre of the road, allowing overttaking quite frequently, unlike France and Italy, which have solid white lines and lower speed limts for km after km. Give me Switzerland any day.

 

[Robarano]

Day 5

The run down from Switzerland to Grenoble. Not many pictures taken today due to the heat and not wanting to pull over for too long. Some nice runs up the mountains and got to do the Grimsel Pass again when leaving Switzerland. The road through Brig was a surprise and really good.

 

[Robarano]

Day 6

Grenoble (Fr) to Ventimiglia (It). Got to the balcony roads (sort of). One thing that happens quite a bit in France and Germany, is that they will close a whole road without warning and a detour is really difficult to follow. In the UK, we tand to partially close a road normally, as you know. There was a road closure at the start of the day (where the balcony roads started) and I think we missed a bit of them due to having to join the road about 20km downstream. We still got to see a bit though, they are a sight to see.

The hotel in Ventimiglia had their restaurant on the beach front over looking the Med, a few km along from Monaco. We passed Monaco on the way in and the place looks amazing from the mountain road we were on, looking down on it. We never got a chance to visit unfotrunately.

 

[Dox]

Looks a great trip- thanks for the write up Rob

 

[Robarano]

Day 7

Ventimiglia to Como. Given the congestion on the south coast the day before, I changed the plans to initially travel along the coast today, to heading straight north, which took us back into France for a bit. The sat nav took us onto some of the best roads of the trip. There was a road closure we were unaware of, where it was open for 15 mins every 2 hours. Luckily, we arrived 7 mins before it opened. The road (goat track) was little more than a gravel path over the top of a mountain with a load of traffic lined up to go over the top. My mate came over the intercom to tell me he was off into a ditch and couldn't get out, I parked up to run back, only for a Swiss bloke on a bike to push him out before I got there. I was laughing so much, I promptly rode into a ditch 2 corners later I managed to power out of it, but it was close.

 

[Robarano]

Day 8

Como (I) to Garmisch-Partenkirchen (D). Another hot day, so not much stopping and taking pics, but quite a nice run up through Switzerland & Austria. I got pulled by the border guards when leaving Italy and going back into Switzerland. They told me off for going too fast, which I though was strange as I was being quite sensible and waiting for my mate to catch me up as he was having issues getting past traffic. We think it was him they meant to pull as he was pushing on just before the border when he got past it, but I wasn't about to argue. They wanted to see passports and asked if we had any money. I thought I was being fleeced, but it's because they want to make sure you can support yourself apparently. 5 mins and we were on our way, but it does sober you up for a bit.

Found a bit of @Noobie porn in a shop window in Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Then the best oriental buffet I've ever been to in the town.

 

[Robarano]

Day 9

Garmisch-Partenkirchen (D) to Weisbaden (D) inc the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. Lots of miles today and a 2 hour stop over at the museum, so a real motorway push. The Autobahn is interesting, and the 1st time I've driven on one with no speed limits in areas. The outside lane is the habitat of Audi A8's, BMW 7 series and Mercedes E-Class saloons, bombing along. They are no better than a lot of our road network, but they do drive much better and use the lanes properly. Nobody sits in the middle lane for miles on miles. Also, when they pull onto the road, they boot it to get to speed straight away. The most difficult thing is the difference between a lorry doing 80kph and a car in the outside lane doing 150kph, and timing your overtaking of the truck with the outside lane traffic.

Porsche Museum
Well worth seeing and if you stopped and read every bit of information on each exihibit, you could be there all day. I was on the clock and just mainly looked at the cars. If I was in the area again, I'd stay for the day and do the Porsche and Mercedes museums.

 

[Robarano]

Porsche Museum Cont.....

 

[Robarano]

Porsche Museum Cont....

Weisbaden was quite a nice place when we got there btw.

 

[Robarano]

Day 10

Weisbaden to Bruges. Again a lot of miles today to get to our overnight stop in Bruges. The 1st mechanical of the trip when my mates bike wouldn't start after pulling over for 5 mins under a bridge to put waterproofs on as it was starting to spit with rain. He turned his bike off but left the ignition on, 5 mins later and the battery was flat as a pancake. The same thing happened last year when he got off the ferry from Santander and was coming through customs. He bought a new battery after this, but it's happened again. We both had booster packs, but his had developed a fault and mine didn't have enough charge. BMW assist were worse than useless as we were on a motorway, they were telling him they would give him the details of the local services and for him to call. Anyway, I use my phone to find car accessory shops nearby and find one a mile away. I ride off to get some jump leads, which they thankfully have. These get his bike started and we are on our way (now with the weather bone dry !), with my mate fuming with his bike, BMW as he's had it in for this problem and bought a new battery, BMW assist for leaving him to get on with it.

Bruges is quite a nice place and stayed on a barge on the canal. (behind the red boat). Another Flemish beef stew for tea and I took the opportunity to pick up a few bottles of Belgian beer (as many as I could fit in my boxes)

 

[Robarano]

Final Day

Get up early and head for the EuroTunnel, an hour away. It has to be said, after travelling through Europe, it's awful to drive in the UK. Not unusual to have 20+ miles of average speed cameras and a load of cones with nothing going on. On the run home, I would estimate that 1/4 of it was under average speed cameras. There must be huge contracts and kick backs going on to people for all of this. Who is getting paid for all this plant by the side of the road and thousands upon thousand of cones. A 50mph speed limit for no valid reason for these long durations. In Germany, whatever is going on is being done at the time and for a few hundred meters, then back to normal speed limits with as little inconvenieve as possible to motorists, here, the aim seem to be maximum inconvenience. They can't seem to get anybody out to do any work, but they make sure they get those speed cameras up quick sharp. The M20 is a joke with one side closed off as a lorry park. Why haven't they built one by now instead of closing the road.

Sitting waiting to get on the train in Calais, I felt the depression of what was to come, creeping in.

 

[Char]

fab stuff!

 

[Dox]

Did you manage to get any photos when you were at the Porsche Museum?