Any 2023 Euro trips planned ?

[Saloonatic67]

Anyone heading to Europe this coming season ?

I'm in the early stages of planning a 10/11 day trip beginning with a ferry trip from North Shields to Ijmuiden, through Holland, Germany then into Austria before heading back to the ferry via a mostly different route.

We're thinking about going towards the end of August so as to catch the wine festival in Winningen over the weekend of 31/8 to 3/9 

We did this on a previous trip (2016) and it was very enjoyable, although things did get a tad messy on our first night. No trouble, only too much alcohol consumed .... no bike ride the following day 

We took in a visit to Dachau concentration camp - a very sombre day tbh , the Grossglockner Pass - a stunning ribbon of tarmac, the Nurburgring - no laps done as the rain was of Biblical proportions and Hitler's former mountaintop base The Eagles Nest along he way.

[Gazk]

Sounds like an intresting trip you have planned, I've not done the Northen bit down.


We just in the early planning for a trip to Épinal France as it's an easy days ride with stops for coffee and lunch from EuroTunnel, we're looking at the end of April for 5\6 days with a few mates.

Plan will be stop in Ashford Kent then hop the early chunnel and get to Epinal tea time for beers!

There are some cracking roads round the Vosges and the town's nice as well.

[Saloonatic67]

Originally Posted by Gazk

Sounds like an intresting trip you have planned, I've not done the Northen bit down.


We just in the early planning for a trip to Épinal France as it's an easy days ride with stops for coffee and lunch from EuroTunnel, we're looking at the end of April for 5\6 days with a few mates.

Plan will be stop in Ashford Kent then hop the early chunnel and get to Epinal tea time for beers!

There are some cracking roads round the Vosges and the town's nice as well.

It's an easier run via the North Shields ferry for us as we're based in Central Scotland, but I do plan on doing a trip to France at some point in the next few years. It would probably be a June/July trip. I'd need to decide if it's better for me to use the same ferry crossing or take the long haul to the south coast.

A friend is taking an organised trip to about 10/11 countries on his Goldwing this July going via Folkstone.
He did a slightly shorter run last year, and did say his bike wasn't really at it's best in the twisties. It's obviously better suited to cruising the open road.

Here's a link to our planned route - https://goo.gl/maps/Cxms3djfisLb86Ej6

[af1-windy]

Just put the finishing touches to a 6 day trip in France. Me, Antares and my Brother Steve. 

In short, Folkstone to Calais for about lunch time, quick dash to Troyes. Day 2, Grenoble, Day 3 Castallane, via Sisteron and the Verdon Gorge. Day 4, Casterllane to Le Freney-dʼOisans, lots of twisties on this day. Day 5, more twisties, Annecy via some Cols, Col du Galibier, Val-d'Isère, Col du Aravis, and the one between La Clusaz and Flumet. and lots more twisties if we have the time.

Day 5 fist day heading home, Châlons-en-Champagne. Day 6 Calais.

If anyone wants anymore detail just ask..

  windy

[wessie]

April/May - UKRM pissup last Fri/Sat in some location TBC between Belgium & Normandie. Small group progress to Vianden in Luxembourg for a few days exploring Ardennes & Eifel a bit more.

Sept/Oct - ferry to/from Santander with a meander around places yet to be decided. Apart from the last night in Santander before the ferry home, I may not book anything, just follow the weather as I got a bit damp last September, and had to abandon a couple of planned routes due to low cloud making them unsafe. Should have stayed on the French side of the Pyrenees as it was pissing down in San Sebastian and the Picos at times, yet nice in the Languedoc.   

[Col_C]

3 weeks end of June 1st of July (probably - nothing booked yet). Plymouth-Santander there, Roscoff-Plymouth back. Pyrenees, Carcassonne, Verdon, Route Napoleon, Val-d'Isere, Swiss Alps, Dolomites, Italian Lakes, Annecy and the run back for homeward ferry.



No spring chicken anymore (retired) so keeping the daily mileage down, done 20+ years of touring in the past but been about 6 years since our last Euro trip due to unsuitable bike and then Covid/Brexit. Will be doing a few UK trips prior to get "bike fit". 

[bobdave]

2 weeks at end of May/early June a mate on his RT1200 and me on my XR with our wives on the back heading down to Lake Como, Italy. We plan to go across the tunnel and head to Charleroi for a night, on to Baden-Baden for a night then down to Sonthofen (in Bavaria) for 3 nights. Next drop over to Lake Como for 3 nights. Return trip via Meiringen for 2 nights, onto Dijon for a night, up to Reims for a night then to Boulongue-sur-Mer for a night before returning on the tunnel to the UK and home.

Then in June I am off to the LeMans classic for 4 nights with my son who rides a Triumph 1050 Speed Triple.

woo-hoo, can't wait.

[wessie]

Originally Posted by Col_C

3 weeks end of June 1st of July (probably - nothing booked yet). Plymouth-Santander there, Roscoff-Plymouth back. Pyrenees, Carcassonne, Verdon, Route Napoleon, Val-d'Isere, Swiss Alps, Dolomites, Italian Lakes, Annecy and the run back for homeward ferry.

nice trip but do look at booking the crossings now to avoid disappointment as the prices rise as the boats fill...

[Col_C]

Originally Posted by wessie

nice trip but do look at booking the crossings now to avoid disappointment as the prices rise as the boats fill...

Fair point 

[Jonmark]

Got a tour to Austria booked for last week of June with two mates one S1000xr & 1260 Multistrada. Here is an outline of riding to the Grossglockner (Only motorway riding would be 1st day around 90 miles) from the South East of England

Day 1  -  Calais to Germany 340 miles 7 hours riding - taking twisties through Luxembourg, Trier (oldest city in Germany) and the fast sweeping B268 from Trier heading south with some unrestricted autobahn 'open the tap'
Day 2 --  Germany to Austria (St Anton) 330 miles 7 hours riding to inc. the awesome B48 & B500
Day 3  -  St Anton to Heiligenblut (GG pass-stay in hotel on pass) 200 miles, 5 hours riding, via the Grimsel Pass
Day 4  -  Heiligenblut to Stelvio 190 miles 5 hours riding (stay in hotel on Stelvio pass) to include the Dolomites via Cortina D'Ampezzo
Day 5  -  Stelvio to Landeck, Austria via Umbrail Pass (Switzerland), loop back into Italy, then over Timmelsjoch in to Austria 6 hours riding 200 miles
Day 6  -  Landeck to Freiburg (Black Forest) via Lech and the Flexen Pass, 200 miles 5 hours riding
Day 7  -  Freiburg to Chalon (France) via Comar and the Vosges
Day 8  -  Chalon to Dieppe no autoroutes, best back roads, ferry to Newhaven 18.00 200 miles 5 hours riding