Featured Touring 1st european trip..part 1

Just got back yesterday from my trip to the Harz Mountains in Germany and the GP at Sachsenring.
bike converted into a “tourer” 180 mile from Blairgowrie to catch the 5pm ferry to Amsterdam from Newcastle



Monday, all set for the 300 mile trip to my hotel in the Harz mountains,Traffic was busy coming out of Amsterdam but after 30 miles or so it was plain sailing stopped of a couple of times to refuel and I seemed to be at the Hotel in no time.My bike looks tiny parked up next to a Trophy



after I got to my hotel the rain started pelting down and didn’t stop until the early morning,I was thinking this is going to be a nightmare but by 10am the roads were bone dry and the sun was out, I did almost 900 miles over 3 days in the Harz mountains, the roads were in great condition and it was non stop curves, a lot of them tree lined so i didn’t get distracted by the scenery, which was probably a good thing as I could concentrate on the bends, hundreds of miles of roads like this




I found my thrills....

A Thruxton on tour, stayed at our hotel for a night


some nice views,you have to get of the bike to see them though


there was a zip wire that took 2 people from one side right across at an angle to the other side,it looked great, but i didn't bring any nappies with me Littleade would have been up for it though


Zoomed in photo of them flying down

 

part 2
Typical old German village


Pullman city a little bit of Disney America in Germany





I was meeting my mates in Chemnitz about 6pm (they were flying over for the gp weekend) so I thought I would visit Colditz castle as it was just 150 miles away and only 30 miles from Chemnitz,




We had a great weekend in Chemnitz for the GP weather was great there were several of the moto3 teams and riders staying at the same hotel so had a chat with some of them "The Wee Mcphee" was still in the bar at midnight the night before the race.. didn't seem to do him any harm! .. race day it pissed down for the moto 2 moto3 and half of the moto GP..it didn't make the racing any less exciting though

When we got back to the hotel after the races I was thinking about the 470 mile trip I had to do tomorrow morning to check in for the ferry at Amsterdam at 3.30pm so I decided I would leave tonight and go a couple of hours up the road and stop off somewhere for the night,that way It would make Mondays journey a doddle,I did about 180 miles (leaving less than 300 miles to do on Monday) and stayed at a hotel just off the motorway beside a petrol station

As it happens I could have done the 470 miles no problem and still got the the ferry early... i was first in the queue.




Sadly it was all over far to quickly

 

Sounds great and some superb pictures too.

 

Great write up and some lovely pics - I am a big fan of Germany and try and get over there at least once a year (off again in August). There are hundreds of old towns and villages like the one in the photo - either genuine or rebuilt like for like after we "altered" them a bit during the war! (why didn't we do that instead of building "modern" shite, which itself has since been demolished?)

 

Because we're stupid and don't make sufficient efforts to protect our heritage and culture. As a result we are blown from pillar to post.

 

Yeah Colditz was really interesting, i thought the tv series must have been filmed there as i seemed to recognize various places but seemingly it was filmed at Ealing studios and they used parts of Stirling castle as it has a similar look to it, i wish i had went on the officail tour but it didn't start for an hour and lasted 2 hrs and i would have been pushed for time to meet my mates..as it turned out they got lost due to roadworks and were late so i could have gone on the tour,It was just some of the moto 3 teams that were staying at the hotel and i only saw them at breakfast,John Mcphee was with his old man and to be fair he looked to be nursing his pint , he was saying how impressed he was with the new gearbox and he did seem to be doing a lot better with the bike,heres hoping it continues,i'm pretty sure like you say the majority of the racers will be tucked up in bed by 9. the fireblade i think was a german plate on it, lovely looking bike. i didn't see the owner of the Blade or the thruxton as they were there just staying for the one night

 

Yes there was a lot of lovely little villages although a few of the buildings do look as if they are in urgent need of restoration,i imagine money could be the issue,it kind of adds to the look of the place though.Germany is not a place i would have thought of going to,it was just the fact the Sachsenring was one GP i'd never been to and i thought it would be the ideal opportunaty to take my bike as it wasn't too far for a first trip and the Harz Mountains seemed to be a good base before i went to the GP. i would like to do the black forest and do the Nurburgring sometime, although i've heard the roads are busier with caravans etc.

 

Glad you enjoyed your first trip across the water to mainland Europe, have you got the taste for it now?

Teejay

 

Thanks Tim,yeah i think it's safe to say i have caught the bug!

 

That was a great write up Dougie and nice photos too. Sounds like all went well on your maiden Euro trip.... bet you're itching for more now.

The Black Forest is a very nice part of Germany to explore too.... the roads either side of the B500 especially so, don't worry about caravans & campers, they don't hold bikes up much.

 

Great write up, Dougie .

So want to do this trip after reading tour spiel and seeing pictures.

Next year ?????

 

Is it normal to be on a downer when you get home !? can't wait to do another European tour, maybe try and manage a fortnight the next time

 

I'm the same when i read about tours folk do... i want to do that one.and that one..and that one !
I knew the germans didn't like filtering between cars but one day in the Harz mountains i had to stop at some traffic lights and there were 4 cars waiting in front of me so i did what i normally do and sneak up to the front of the queue, i didn't think it would be a problem,,next thing BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP ..shit... change to green, come on quick change to green c'mon hurry the fck up!, i was expecting someone to get out their car and give me a bollocking,,or worse,as soon as it turned green i was off ...lesson learned

 

They weren't that keen on me filtering in rural Ireland! Got beeped a couple of times.
Not bothered in Galway, was like a man possessed getting out of city at rush hour.

 

Perfectly normal Dougie but that's what December and January's for...... planning your next trip

When the wife and daughters are thinking about what to buy Aunt Aggie for Xmas i'm thinking what series of Col's to take to arrive in the South of France

Two week bike trips allow you to do almost anything you want.

 

Looks like you had fun and amazing roads

I usually start planning about October and book over crimbo as Reggie says as get cheap deals or loads more choice. I'm not sure what tours I'm sorting next year and still have another Alps to do in September on the rocket

I tend to do 10 days and an average day is 230 miles I reckon but over Alps that can be a full day

 

@Dougie D, what sort of money was it to cross from Newcastle rtn out of interest?

 

Ah yes - filtering or sneaking up to the front is illegal in Germany, but they won't beat you up for it, just politely point out that you shouldn't do it!

 

Bloody expensive! £460 but i guess thats the price for travelling solo,(Breakfast was extra!) the couple who had the Trophy in one of my pics were £550 although they had upgraded to a cabin with a porthole,i had got numerous emails a few weeks before i left for the ferry saying i could upgrade for about £10-£15 but i didn't want to spend any more.The cabins were pretty small even for 1 person, it had 4 beds (2 you pull down from the wall) so it would have been cramped if 4 were sharing.If the roads in Britain were like the autobahn i woudn't think twice about travelling down south for the ferry so i'm not sure what i'd do the next time

 

Dougie it looks like someone somewhere has made a mistake with the price you paid.... or (hopefully not) you've been shafted on purpose !!

I have looked back at the prices I usually pay for EXACTLY what you done..... solo occupancy, 4 bed outside cabin with porthole and I also book breakfast out & back (adds £20 in total) and it comes in comfortably under £300, last one was actually £279.18. So don't let the ferry cost put you off taking it again as you will know it knocks approx 700 miles off your journey, not to mention squared tyres