Euro Trip Advice

[ButchGTI]

I need some help for a trip round Europe I'm doing at the start of July. We have a very rough route planned (see below) but need to know what decent roads, routes and passes to take. Also any other sights worth seeing on the way would be good. Any suggestions from the Pistonheads faithful would be great!

The Route - From Calais, we want to go down the west coast of France. Then cut across to see the Millau Bridge before heading down to Monaco. We'll then head back up through the Alps and into Germany. After a trip to the Nurburgring we'll head into Holland then back to Calais.

We've got two weeks so this distance should be do-able. Along with the two CBR's going we should also have another mate in a car tagging along (will be handy to carry the luggage ).

Thanks, James

[black-k1]

A number of suggestions of places worth a visit:

Oradour-sur-Glane http://www.oradour.info/

Grand Canyon de Verdun (Ensure you ride the D955 which runs north/south from the eastern end of the Canyon. – See the video on my profile.)

Any of the Maginot line forts such as Hackenberg Fort http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/1491/finding...

There are loads more places, but that’s just a couple from our recent trips that I thought were worth looking at.

As regards routes. For the last couple of years we’ve taken a GPS and simply asked it to navigate from current location to destination using the shortest (not fastest!) route. (Occasionally we may have gone via one or two other locations, again via shortest route). This has given us some really interesting roads, generally with very little traffic and is a technique I would recommend.

Have a great trip and let us know how you get on.

[Smiler.]

I don't know much about northern France, it's usually just a means to an end (getting from the ferry/rail terminal down to the Pyrenees/Alps). I've never done both in one trip, it's simply too far & 200 miles of twisty roads sprinkled with villages can be very tiring (or am I just getting old).

Have you considered how many miles you want to average & your start/stop times per day? I generally start with these & also consider fuel stops.

FWIW, I've just finished planning a weeks trip (Sat to Sat) for August out from/back to Calais (EuroTunnel) & that is an estimated 2100 miles. Basically, we have a slog on the motorway to Reims, then take the slower roads into the Alps into Germany, Austria, Italy & back into France. The route chosen targets specific places include the Glossglockner Pass & Val-d'Isere amongst others.

Good luck with your trip & take pleanty of photo's

[Ballon]

Good advice so far.

Couple of tips, pre programme your sat nav with your routes before you leave if it has the facility to do so. Use the Michellin maps to work out you routes as they have the best detail on them. Also from bitter experience, take the maps with you, sat navs do go wrong and its a real pi**er when they do and you are totally reliant on them.

Also we have found that on most French D roads it is hard to average much above 40 mph even when really cracking on, so plan your mileages accordingly. Stick to the speed limits through villages and towns, French plod can be spiteful.

Have a great trip, very envious.

[ButchGTI]

I've been told to get the long slog out of the way first. So we're planning to get down to the South of France as quickly as possible, probably on alot of Autoroutes. Really put the miles in everyday.

Google calculates Calais - Bordeaux - Monaco as about 1200 miles. If we break that down into 300 miles a day for 4 days it sounds do-able? (my arse is sore just thinking about it!) See a few sites on route then make our way back up north. I imagine riding this many miles is harder than typing them!

Thanks for the advice so far.

[Fats25]

ButchGTI said:

I've been told to get the long slog out of the way first. So we're planning to get down to the South of France as quickly as possible, probably on alot of Autoroutes. Really put the miles in everyday.

Google calculates Calais - Bordeaux - Monaco as about 1200 miles. If we break that down into 300 miles a day for 4 days it sounds do-able? (my arse is sore just thinking about it!) See a few sites on route then make our way back up north. I imagine riding this many miles is harder than typing them!

Thanks for the advice so far.

300 miles in a day - no problem. Due to unforseen circumstances we ended up doing 700 miles back from just North of Biarritz in a day to make crossing from my trip to Gibraltar from East Sussex (Calais Crossing) - not comfortable but do-able.

I would always plan on 300 to 350 miles a day for pleasant riding abroad. Halve that for pillion aboard!

Read this link for some good advice:- http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0...

One thing missing from Link that I remembered before i recently went to France is the dealer handbook that you get with your bike (at least with Suzuki's) as when my bike broke down in France with a knackered chain - i wasted 6 hours to get picked up and trailered to repair shop.

When I got home I checked the dealer handbook - and the place I was towed to was listed in there, and could have fitted a new chain. It was 15 miles from where i stopped and I could have made it! You always pay for parts and labour abroad anyway - so would have saved me lots of time - and I ended up paying the same money for the repairs.

Edited by Fats25 on Tuesday 12th June 18:38

[MTBR]

Your planned mileage should be quite comfortable, however it would still be a good idea to get some practice in. In previous years I have done some silly miles on my Ducati, today I rode to Daventry and back from South Essex. Hardly intrepid, yet this evening I am knackered! I have not ridden for about 9 months and now my legs ache like hell.

I agree whole heartedly about taking paper maps, sat navs can and do fail. Michelin also publish a small autoroute guide (yellow and half the width of a michelin map) which is useful, as it has all the petrol stations marked with the kms between. It helps avoid the "pottering along in top gear, getting re-past by all the cars, while wondering if you will be pushing it soon" experience. (which is crap)

Personally I would plan a couple of days with no riding at all. After the first week you will be ready for a break, however much you love riding.

Finally try to use hotels where you can lock the bikes away from prying eyes, you will sleep more easily.

Mark

[Istvan24]

Driving through Switzerland is dull dull dull, you're limited (on the route to the Nurb anyhow) to 100kmh pretty much the whole way if you take the direct route. If however you stay on the south side of Lake Geneva (also known as Lac Leman) all the way up to Montreux there are some lovely roads over through to Gstaad and Gruyere and around Interlaaken.

From Bern bite the bullet and hit the motorway up to the border with Germany, then you're on freibahn all the way to the Nurb!

As you have a backup vehicule, let the car do the motorway slog and you can go take some nice detours!!!