Alps Trip - Old Gits do 24 passes in a week
Discussion
MrsMiggins said:
I put off doing a Europe trip this year just because of the potential hassle involved in getting in/out of each country and the return to the UK but it seems like that hasn't put you off at all!
If you're able to can you share some of the preparation you've done to manage the Covid situation and what forms/tests etc are/were necessary? Appreciate that's more of an "after trip" type of post.
Will do when I get a chance.If you're able to can you share some of the preparation you've done to manage the Covid situation and what forms/tests etc are/were necessary? Appreciate that's more of an "after trip" type of post.
Stelvio
Mark
James
Roger
Steve
Me
Edited by black-k1 on Thursday 16th September 21:39
Another wonderful day. Great weather, great roads and great company. We really couldn't ask for more.
New high scores on the lean-o-meter.
Now in Switzerland organising dinner.
Route for today:
https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/social/route/5105137...
Passes for the day:
Tonale Pass
Gavia Pass
Stelvio Pass
Fuorn Pass
Julier Pass
Slight recalculation of route due to closed roads but nothing serious.
New high scores on the lean-o-meter.
Now in Switzerland organising dinner.
Route for today:
https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/social/route/5105137...
Passes for the day:
Tonale Pass
Gavia Pass
Stelvio Pass
Fuorn Pass
Julier Pass
Slight recalculation of route due to closed roads but nothing serious.
Edited by black-k1 on Monday 13th September 20:04
the cueball said:
Just putting this in to see if a) it’s the same and b) if I’ve missed anything! Lol
I’m off to Italy next week, Covid ‘extras’ I’ve done are:
Transit declaration for Netherlands.
Locator form for Italy.
Covid test in Italy to get into MOTOGP circuit.
Covid test in Netherlands to get home.
U.K. passenger form (nearer the time).
2 day test purchased and waiting at home.
So basically a few forms done online and a a few tests.
We had to do a form for France and I'd recommend downloading the French COVID app as it's accepted in Germany and Italy. We did a German form and the Italy form was for less than 36 hour transit through the country. We needed two Italian forms as we enter Italy twice. I’m off to Italy next week, Covid ‘extras’ I’ve done are:
Transit declaration for Netherlands.
Locator form for Italy.
Covid test in Italy to get into MOTOGP circuit.
Covid test in Netherlands to get home.
U.K. passenger form (nearer the time).
2 day test purchased and waiting at home.
So basically a few forms done online and a a few tests.
Other than that I agree.
So, despite loads of planning and preparation, sharing check lists and double checking pretty much everything, Mark still managed to not look at his rear tyre until we were into Switzerland!
So, while the other 3 went around the 3 of the passes Mark and I got a new rear tyre fitted to his bike!
At CHF340 for a tyre an fitment, Mark had provided his own lubricant, but his tyre needed replacing so he just had to take it.
The highlight of the day was Mark, forgetting the PackTalk intercom meant we could all hear what he was saying, going into a service station to ask for a Swiss motorway "vinaigrette"!
That aside, the passes were brilliant again. The Italian side of the Grand St Bernard was superb.
Today's route: https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/social/route/5105137...
So, while the other 3 went around the 3 of the passes Mark and I got a new rear tyre fitted to his bike!
At CHF340 for a tyre an fitment, Mark had provided his own lubricant, but his tyre needed replacing so he just had to take it.
The highlight of the day was Mark, forgetting the PackTalk intercom meant we could all hear what he was saying, going into a service station to ask for a Swiss motorway "vinaigrette"!
That aside, the passes were brilliant again. The Italian side of the Grand St Bernard was superb.
Today's route: https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/social/route/5105137...
Edited by black-k1 on Tuesday 14th September 20:37
Well, it had to happen! This morning we awoke to rain, and that was it for most of the day! So, after a great meal in Aosta, and a great nights sleep, we were breakfasting at 07:30 but the planned 09:00 deprturewas actually pessed 09:30 due to the rain.
When we arrived in France, thd weather improved slightly in that the rain became showers, wifh an occasional bit of sunshine.
The Col de l'lseran was closed due to an accident so we ended up routing around and missing it.
The rest of the passes were great but the damp or wet roads did reduce the levels of fun.
Finally, a spirited run up the Col d'Izoard, following a Lotus Exige Sport 380 (he had a slight advantage on the damp corners but the bikes had the edge on the short straights) was followed by run to the hotel.
The rain reduced the opportunities for pictures, and for high scores on the lean-o-meter but didn't stop the fun.
Route for the day: https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/social/route/5105432...
When we arrived in France, thd weather improved slightly in that the rain became showers, wifh an occasional bit of sunshine.
The Col de l'lseran was closed due to an accident so we ended up routing around and missing it.
The rest of the passes were great but the damp or wet roads did reduce the levels of fun.
Finally, a spirited run up the Col d'Izoard, following a Lotus Exige Sport 380 (he had a slight advantage on the damp corners but the bikes had the edge on the short straights) was followed by run to the hotel.
The rain reduced the opportunities for pictures, and for high scores on the lean-o-meter but didn't stop the fun.
Route for the day: https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/social/route/5105432...
Edited by black-k1 on Monday 20th September 11:34
StreetDragster said:
I'd just like to say that i'm following this thread with interest and thanks for posting up the daily routes, i'm organising a trip into the Alps next year and this information is very helpful
Thanks
I'm pleased you're finding it interesting. I'll post the entire route as a single "map" at the end. I'm also happy to comment on the hotels. So far, only the Swiss hotel has not been "up to scratch".Thanks
Another wet start to the day but other a brilliant day. The highlight was Col de Bonette
the on to the Med coast.
So that's 22 of the 24 passes done by three of us and 21 done by the other two. What a great trip! Brilliant roads, nice hotels (mostly!) and superb company. What more could we ask for? Mark has had a wonderful time and is questioning why he is going back, so I think that's a totally successful trip!
Tomorrow is the Route Napoleon from the bottom to the top, and the weather is looking good!
Route for the day: https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/social/route/5105330...
the on to the Med coast.
So that's 22 of the 24 passes done by three of us and 21 done by the other two. What a great trip! Brilliant roads, nice hotels (mostly!) and superb company. What more could we ask for? Mark has had a wonderful time and is questioning why he is going back, so I think that's a totally successful trip!
Tomorrow is the Route Napoleon from the bottom to the top, and the weather is looking good!
Route for the day: https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/social/route/5105330...
Another superb day. It was warm, dry and sunny. We did the whole of the Route Napoleon with a couple of minor cols added in for good measure.
The long, fast, sweeping bends of the N85 are wonderful with the opportunity to set some decent daily high scores.
Most importantly, Mark is having a wonderful time.
We stopped in Gap for lunch. It's a location that has been the destination for a couple of Old Gits trips and somewhere we all like.
Some of the roads and the views have been stunning.
Route for the day: https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/social/route/5105385...
The long, fast, sweeping bends of the N85 are wonderful with the opportunity to set some decent daily high scores.
Most importantly, Mark is having a wonderful time.
We stopped in Gap for lunch. It's a location that has been the destination for a couple of Old Gits trips and somewhere we all like.
Some of the roads and the views have been stunning.
Route for the day: https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/social/route/5105385...
Edited by black-k1 on Friday 17th September 20:34
No pictures today. It's been a long, but great, day
We left the hotel at around 09:00 and followed a great cross country route until early afternoon. 2 or three minor passes with great surfaces and fun. Only the lycra clad Tour de France wannabes to contend with.
A stop for a pizza lunch then had us doing almost 250 miles of AutoRoute to get to tonight's hotel. I managed to lose my AutoRoute ticket so had to jump the barrier at the end with one of the others so I'll have to wait and see if there are any consequences.
This evening has been the fun of COVID testing and completing UK passenger locator forms before an all you can eat Chinese meal.
Route for the day: https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/social/route/4184208...
Tomorrow we leave early and dash for the ferry. The trip over.
We left the hotel at around 09:00 and followed a great cross country route until early afternoon. 2 or three minor passes with great surfaces and fun. Only the lycra clad Tour de France wannabes to contend with.
A stop for a pizza lunch then had us doing almost 250 miles of AutoRoute to get to tonight's hotel. I managed to lose my AutoRoute ticket so had to jump the barrier at the end with one of the others so I'll have to wait and see if there are any consequences.
This evening has been the fun of COVID testing and completing UK passenger locator forms before an all you can eat Chinese meal.
Route for the day: https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/social/route/4184208...
Tomorrow we leave early and dash for the ferry. The trip over.
Edited by black-k1 on Monday 20th September 10:27
Up early ready to do the dash for the ferry. We'll have brunch on the ferry then head our separate ways from Dover.
As requested earlier, here is the link to the full route: https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/social/route/5105018...
As requested earlier, here is the link to the full route: https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/social/route/5105018...
Well, COVID bureaucracy finally caught us up. Despite arriving at Calais almost an hour before the latest check in time for the ferry, the single French passport check point followed by the single UK passport check point followed by the really slow check in to validate all COVID forms pushed us back onto the later ferry.
TR4man said:
As someone who has never even sat on a motorbike, let alone ridden one, I have really enjoyed following your updates. What a great inspirational trip and thank you for posting your experiences.
Thanks for saying that. It's nice to know that the posts are of interest. MrsMiggins said:
I put off doing a Europe trip this year just because of the potential hassle involved in getting in/out of each country and the return to the UK but it seems like that hasn't put you off at all!
If you're able to can you share some of the preparation you've done to manage the Covid situation and what forms/tests etc are/were necessary? Appreciate that's more of an "after trip" type of post.
The COVID planning was much worse than the "COVID reality". This is the planning spreadsheet we had before the trip:If you're able to can you share some of the preparation you've done to manage the Covid situation and what forms/tests etc are/were necessary? Appreciate that's more of an "after trip" type of post.
First things first, only consider such a trip if you're double vaccinated. The effort required if you're not would be too much, if even possible.
Most of the details started from the government FCO web site which gave links to the other country government sites. We discovered that you had to think around the process for a number of the various requirements. France insists you fill out a form promising not to bring COVID into the country (I hope you were a boy scout so you can make such a promise!) No one looked at the form but they also had a COVID app that we all loaded up with the details and that was checked at a number of restaurants, including in Italy!
The German site tells you you have to quarantine the whole way through the process until the very end, where you load up your vaccination proof at which point you're OK. That had a couple of Old Gits in panic mode before they got to the end of the process and already discussing routes that avoided Germany.
Italy was a no - except there was a form you could complete if simply transiting through the country and were going to be in Italy for less than 36 hours. We had to complete 2 of those as we went into Italy twice with more than 36 hours between the first entry into Italy and the last exit from Italy but the total time actually in Italy still less than 36 hours. No one looked at the forms.
With all of the European border crossings we were not stopped. In fact, there were a couple of occasions where we we were unsure what country we were in and were judging that by the road numbering. Only Switzerland actually had officials at the border and they just waved us straight through.
The only place where "officialdom" came in was at the ferry port on the way back. We had to show a valid 2 day antigen test (which is EXACTLY the same as the free NHS Lateral Flow tests but cost £29! - Rip Off!). We also had to show that we'd completed our passenger locator form which, in turn, required that we had pre-booked our day 2 return PCR test (another £45)
With the changes announced a couple of days ago I expect many of these requirements will disappear. But, even if they don't, do not let COVID officialdom put you off doing such a trip.
StreetDragster said:
Great thread, thanks for updating and the routes. If you could share the good/bad hotels that would be good also.
I'm now even more interested in our trip!
These are the hotels we stayed in and are on the route plans.I'm now even more interested in our trip!
Town | Country | Hotel | Comments | Would we book again? |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bethune | France | Hotel Eden | Nice hotel, friendly staff. Recommended. | Yes |
Bad Saulgau | Germany | Hotel Ochsen | Decent hotel, friendly staff. Recommended. | Yes |
Madonna di Campiglio | Italy | Style Grifone | Nice hotel, friendly staff. Parking difficult. | Probably |
Laax | Switzerland | Hotel-Gasthof Seehof Laax | OK hotel. Quite run down. Expensive. | No |
Aosta | Italy | HB Aosta Hotel & Balcony SPA | Very nice hotel but expensive. | Yes |
Baratier | France | Hotel-Restaurant Spa Les Peupliers | Nice hotel, friendly staff. Recommended. | Yes |
Cagnes-sur-Mer | France | La Villa des Oliviers HOTEL DE CHARME | Nice hotel but expensive. | Possibly |
La Léchère | France | Hotel Radiana | OK hotel but a little run down and expensive. | Possibly |
Châlons-en-Champagne | France | B&B Hôtel Châlons-en-Champagne | Clean, comfortable and very good value. | Yes |
As you would expect, there were good and bad. Our main criteria were:
Clean, comfortable bed, good shower.
Everything beyond that was a bonus. Only the Swiss hotel failed as 4 out of 5 of us found the beds uncomfortable, and a couple of the pillows gave a faint whiff of stale cigarette smoke as you moved your head around.
Petrol everywhere was more expensive than the UK with Italy and Switzerland "winning" the award for the most expensive at around €1.84 for basic E10. The French AutoRoute ran a close second but we all expected to be ripped off for fuel on the motorways.
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