Discussion
Wish i knew that before i left, i purposefully avoided the motorways in Switzerland, but bought a Vignette anyway. Bonus is, i stuck it on with tape, so can re-sell it on Ebay, quality.
Onto the Stelvio....i was there 10 days ago, it was still open, and not alot of traffic, although there were road works, but only for 500 metres or so towards the top. The road itself is a pain in the arse to drive up with less than 200bhp, we drove up the north side, then turned around and came back down, the drive down was awesome, barely any traffic.
Was pretty cloudy the day we were there, but views were still pretty awesome, and its cool when you reach the snow line.
Got to say you have to do it, but if its a possible alternative i would take the Furka and Grimsel Passes, they are longer, more scenic, easier to drive, less traffic, and more stop off points.
If Stelvio is on your route, take it, you will not be disappointed.
Onto the Stelvio....i was there 10 days ago, it was still open, and not alot of traffic, although there were road works, but only for 500 metres or so towards the top. The road itself is a pain in the arse to drive up with less than 200bhp, we drove up the north side, then turned around and came back down, the drive down was awesome, barely any traffic.
Was pretty cloudy the day we were there, but views were still pretty awesome, and its cool when you reach the snow line.
Got to say you have to do it, but if its a possible alternative i would take the Furka and Grimsel Passes, they are longer, more scenic, easier to drive, less traffic, and more stop off points.
If Stelvio is on your route, take it, you will not be disappointed.
Wow, what a week! You can keep your Snake Pass etc, we done the Stelvio Pass, Umbrail Pass, the road from Stelvio to Davos, ST Bernard Pass & the road to Val d'lsere then into Turin, oh & the Rally Legends was good as well http://www.lawrencecliftphotography.co.uk/30360/in... After a trouble free run of 2,863 miles (averaging 23 MPG) we arrived back home yesterday. We visited the Ferrari museum @ Maranello, plus a glimpse of the Ferrari test track from the road. Maranello Rosso/Abarth collection in San Marino http://www.maranellorosso.com/file/inglese/colle.h... . The rally was the main reason for the trip & we weren't disappointed. The sight, sound & smell of the cars was amazing. Best sounding were the 037's, S4's, 6R4, & the Stratos' & Porsche's with their straight through exhausts! The "mainland" Europeans know how to spectate with their air horns, bottles of wine & flags/banners, VERY excited when a driver gets the car sideways! We recced 3 stages including the stage around the industrial estate & got a little bit carried away, much to the satisfaction of the spectators that had already bagged their spot to the extent that we had another go ;-). The only slight downside was the cancellation of the 2nd run through the industrial estate on the Saturday due to the large crowd numbers, but apart from that we had an enjoyable rally, especially after signing on, I met with Miki Biasion who accompanied me to my car for a photo plus he also autograped the roof. Before the rally had started, we met up with Howard & Dan who'd also "done" a few pass' in Switzerland, and on the way back home on Sunday we had lunch beside Lake Garda & came across a 1.3s Fulvia & Fiat 500 in the car park, but prior to lunch we had a bash at a little tunnel blasting ;-). After lunch, we followed the Fulvia & 500 through some more tunnels & I must have scared the little 500 with more blasting! Time was pressing on & we tackled Stelvio at around 18.00 arriving @ 18.20, now that's a prioper climb. We passed 2 motor homes coming down & their brakes absoloutely stank! You couldn't really get any proper speed up, I managed to grab 3rd max, but it wasn't about the speed just the thought of tackling one of the most famous roads there is. The summit is 9,045 feet & we thought that we were unfit, then realised how high we were. Monday we left for the 600 mile/12 hour trip back to Calais but what goes up must go down, so we went down the other side of the mountain & done the Umbrail Pass. We were told that it wasn't really a nice road, but have learned that if anyone tells you that, it'll probably be a good one as there was a good gravel section! As we dropped down into Tschierv, we were greeted with a Swiss picture postcard view of green pastureland, pine trees & snow capped mountains, just fantastic. Thanks to Paul & Michael you accomponied us down to Turin in the Clio V6, Mick, Chris, Kev & Phil in the rear engined Beta & Passat chase car, but above all Howard & Dan, Simon & Jordan, we'll cherish those memories for ever ;-). Here's to next year.
Well here's what we got up to on the way back from Rally Legends in San Marino. The drive down the other side of Stelvio, the Umbrail Pass, certainly concentrated the mind with the "safety" poles!!!
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ap6nfc_nS4M
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ap6nfc_nS4M
Big vote for the Grimsel, Furka, St. Gotthard and Susten passes. Good road surfaces, hairpins that are negotiable in something as lowriding and wide turning as a Lambo, not very much traffic, overtaking ooportunities when you do get some, and great views.
Couple of photos in another thread I posted a while ago.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Couple of photos in another thread I posted a while ago.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Definitely from the NE. As you turn off the main road, there's a nice long straight for a mile or so and you'll be able to see the mountain up ahead. Then it starts to get twisty amongst the trees and eventually you'll come out from the tree line & you'll see the rest of the climb/hairpins. We're going back next year & will approach via the Umbrail Pass. We didn't realise that theres a selection of hotels at the summit, which was very handy. It's quite amazing at how quickly you get to the summit due to the steep climb between hairpins. I didn't really notice at how high we'd climbed until reaching the top due to concentrating on the driving bit. Go over & enjoy it.
Cheers = from the NE fits in better with my plans.
Umbrail pass is off the schedule due to gravel section being unsuitable for bikes. Being slightly perverse I would probably really enjoy it but the "are we nearly there?" crew I'm dragging along would have a serious go at me! They're not getting away with the cobblestomes on the old San Gottard pass though, not that they know it yet!
Umbrail pass is off the schedule due to gravel section being unsuitable for bikes. Being slightly perverse I would probably really enjoy it but the "are we nearly there?" crew I'm dragging along would have a serious go at me! They're not getting away with the cobblestomes on the old San Gottard pass though, not that they know it yet!
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