Old
Gits Take on the Italian Dolomites: A 2,000-Mile Motorcycle Adventure
This
year’s much-anticipated tour saw the Old Gits embark on an exhilarating journey
with a primary focus on the breath-taking Italian Dolomites. However, with work
commitments making it difficult for some members to take the full two weeks
off, a compromise was struck—part of the group would ride for a week, before
rendezvousing with their fellow riders in Germany’s iconic Black Forest for a
final stretch together.
Spanning
approximately 2,000 miles, the route promised a diverse mix of landscapes,
winding through France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, and Germany. For
many in the group, this would be their first time navigating the dramatic peaks
and hairpin bends of the Dolomites. The plan included three days dedicated to
exploring its legendary mountain passes, with the world-famous Stelvio Pass—one
of the highest and most challenging roads in Europe—standing out as a
highlight.
Following
their time in Italy, the riders would push northward to the Black Forest, where
they would reunite with Simon, Chris, Marshall, Lee, and Debbie for a couple of
days of camaraderie and scenic touring. From there, the final leg of the
journey would begin, marking the conclusion of another unforgettable adventure
on two wheels.
The Riders (full tour)
The Riders (Black Forest section)
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Simon
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Chris
aka
Cookie
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Lee
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Debbie
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Marshal
aka Mike
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Daily Reports
Day 0
With the
Eurotunnel train booked for Friday at 10:50 a.m., an early start was essential
for Alex and Eamonn to ensure a timely arrival in Folkestone. Aware of the
notorious congestion on the M25, they opted for a smarter approach—traveling to
Ashford the night before and staying at a Premier Inn. This strategic move
meant just a short 20-minute ride to the terminal, allowing for a relaxed start
to this grand tour.
The M25 lived
up to its frustrating reputation, with heavy traffic significantly extending
the journey time. With panniers loaded, filtering through the gridlock wasn’t a
viable option, leading to an unscheduled stop at Clacket Lane Services to
stretch their legs. Finally arriving at our hotel just after 7 p.m., we
freshened up and enjoyed a hearty meal, accompanied by a few well-earned pints.
Tomorrow, Mike
would join us for an early breakfast, and the adventure would truly begin.
Day 1
Today was an easy start for Alex
and Eamonn, Mike left home (north Kent) early in order to meet up at the hotel
for breakfast before heading to the tunnel.
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Early start for Mike
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Eamonn & Alex
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Eamonn & Mike
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Friday morning
started with a solid breakfast as Mike joined Alex and Eamonn for the ride to
the Eurotunnel. Everything was going smoothly—until we reached the booking
gates. A sea of vehicles 
stretched ahead, resulting in an agonizing hour-long wait
that saw us miss our scheduled departure. Fortunately, we were reallocated to
the 11:18 train, a minor setback in the grand scheme of things.
As we originally planned for 5 hours riding to the hotel, the
delays meant that we wouldn't arrive until early evening (taking into account
coffee stops etc.), so we elected to use the motorways for half the journey and
save an hour.
First coffee stop on the A26. Mike had a pasta - Alex and I were
just having coffee and feeling righteous!!
One further stop for a coffee at a
McDonalds (!) in Erquelinnes and finally arrived at the hotel Campanile in
Charleville-Mezieres at 7pm.
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Bikes parked up for the
night
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A welcome change of
clothes and drink before heading off for a meal
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 First world problems of keeping everything charged!
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The hotel didn’t have a restaurant open in the evening, so
we were advised by the receptionist that the best place to go to was a 5 minute
walk around the corner. After a pint (or two) we headed off to find the
restaurant – as it was such a warm evening we sat at one of the outside tables
along with many other customers.
The warm evening air made outdoor
seating ideal, and the discovery of white sangria by the jug led to an
impromptu indulgence. One jug became two, then three… and a very restful sleep
followed.
Day 2
We left our hotel early (well early for us at 9:15!) in order
get to Mulhouse before 6pm when thunderstorms are forecast. Temperature was
great at the start being about 22 deg C, but forecast shows it was 32 in
Mulhouse.
The initial leg of the ride was idyllic, weaving through rural
landscapes, a stark contrast to the previous day's motorways. Stopping in a
quaint village for coffee, we momentarily entertained the idea of lingering
longer but pressed on, determined to cover ground.
Dragging ourselves away from the
first coffee stop of the day, there was still many more miles to do before the
next hotel. No motorways, no dual carriageways, far more interesting rural
roads.
The rest of the journey was
punctuated by occasional stops for coffee and fuel, most stops involved
McDonalds…! No
cafes were open on our route - mainly because we chose a country route through
the forests. So we're at "..yet another M..." in St.Etienne with 1.5
hours to go.
It was noticeable how few coffee
stops there were in the smaller villages of France compared to our previous
journeys. Our guess was that after the pandemic of 2020/2021 many of the
once-charming village cafés had not reopened, leading to yet another McDonald’s
stop for coffee. At least with a McDonalds, you’re assured of a hot drink and
toilets with plenty of parking spaces.
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At St. Etienne, something
very strange was happening… A group of girls were running around the place,
cars hooting horns, shouting, all in good humour. After the group came into
the McDonalds it was clearly a “hen-do” with inflatable flamingos, party hats
and feathers! Alex found himself the target of an enthusiastic attack,
language barriers proving no obstacle to their merriment.
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As we
neared our hotel in Mulhouse, a light drizzle turned the warm day (32 deg.C) into
a welcome cool-down. The only negative was the bikes were covered in chalky
white stuff thrown up from the road.
We arrived at the overnight hotel
about 6:30pm only to find (yet again) that their restaurant was closed for the
evening!
The advice for a restaurant this
time was a little further walk but only 10 to 15 minutes – it turned out to be
one of the large restaurants where you help yourself to whatever you want for a
fixed price. Drinks were paid for separately, but it was a superb selection of
choices from different cultures. We didn’t sample the snails nor the frog’s
legs…!
As we left the restaurant, the
thunderstorms that we forecast arrived and we were treated to a spectacular
show of lightning, but strangely very little thunder and no rain. Presumably
the lightning was so far away the sound didn’t travel.
Day 3
After
last night's spectacular lightning storms (not much rain and no thunder to be
heard!?!), we had another early start to head towards Annecy. Five hours
riding, plus coffee stops, plus lunch, could be a long day!!
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At
the beginning it was overcast, threatening rain and breezy... We hoped the waterproof
gear would not be required, but suspected we were going to be wrong...!
We
were wrong, and stopped for a coffee in Pierrefontaine-les-Varans after
riding for just over an hour in the rain. Time for a quick coffee and change
into waterproofs.
As
it was a Sunday, the only place we found open was a small shop that had a
self-service coffee machine. After some discussions (in various languages) we
worked it out and purchased our drinks. During this, a lady who had emigrated
from the UK to France had a quick talk with us.
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After
leaving our coffee stop, the rain continued so the riding was curtailed and
less enjoyable. However much of the landscape was flat and the roads straight
so it wasn’t too much of an issue.
We
stopped at a bar that looked open hoping for something to eat – there were a
range of bikes parked out front so we thought we would be in good company. As
it turned out, the bar wasn’t serving any food, but they were serving hot
drinks and chocolate bars – so that was lunch..!!!
We had
an afternoon stop in Saint-Claude for a drink after riding a superb twisting
road, but at low speeds due to rain, fog and debris on the road.
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The
final coffee stop of the day was at (surprise) a McDonalds in Valserhone, the
weather had cleared and it was only a short distance to complete to get to
Annecy.
Although
overcast it was at least now dry for the last hour to the hotel.
Alex
and Eamonn set out to explore Annecy’s famous waterways, while Mike, feeling
under the weather, opted for rest. The town’s picturesque charm provided a
perfect end to a challenging day.
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Annecy
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Day 4
Today
the journey continues into Switzerland, to Unterbach. We left Annecy via a
number of incorrect roads (Eamonn’s fault!), which included a bit of peage
motorway (costing 30 cents..!), and some very nice mountain roads.
We rode
alongside a lake and onto a superbly twisty road through Flumet. Our first
coffee stop was La Bergerie in Praz-sur-Arly for coffees. The "coffee
stop" turned into a lunch stop, partly as it was easy (and it's not a
McDonalds!) and partly as it started to rain.... heavily....
The news
headlines for the southern part of Switzerland showed severe flooding and it was
along the roads we were about to travel. Google maps indicated we could still
get through.... only time would tell..!!
Our
route took us over some mountain roads to Martigny - far more interesting than
the normal dual carriageways. However..... We started this lengthy track up the
side of a mountain, after 2 or 3 miles we came across a sign indicating the
road was closed. Recognising that turning around and going back down the
mountain was not an option, we continued. One side of the road was closed off,
but otherwise open so that bikes could get through easily. But then around a
corner, we found a massive digger working away at tearing up the road..!!!
The
guys helping the digger indicated that we could still get through - with
Adventure bikes, we took on the challenge!! Eamonn’s previous off-road course
came in useful!! Basically we came off the tarmac, onto gravel for 50 yards and
a jump up a 15 cms ridge and onto the tarmac again. Hopefully this is captured
on our dash cams for later posting.
Following
this mini-adventure off-road, we resumed the mountain road without further
issues.
The
final coffee stop of the day was at Hotel du Col de la Forclaz just inside the
Swiss border. It was still raining heavily and showed no signs of getting much
better. The road down the mountain side into Martigny was tricky mainly due to
the rain but also the traffic became more intense as we approached more
populated areas. As we came into Martigny, the weather improved and we had the
opportunity to take off the waterproofs and enjoy the roads and scenery.
The
last few miles before our overnight stop were twisty and uphill – perfect for a
spirited finish to the day!
We arrived at the hotel in
Unterbach, with the last hour in bright sunshine. It was a family run hotel,
only the chef speaking English!
On the
side of a hill (mountain?) with a ski lift next to us, the hotel had some
spectacular views whichever way you looked.
Day 5
After the excitement of yesterday's mountain excursions and
dealing with the occasional rain storm, the morning is bright and sunny in
Unterbach.
However, all is not as planned....
Checking our route last night, Google maps indicated an 11 hour
ride! We expected 5 hours.... Our route was over the Simplon Pass and on to
Sondrio in Italy for the next hotel, but on checking we found the pass was
blocked due to the recent floods causing damages and blockages on the mountain
pass.
Our only viable option was to use the Simplon tunnel, this uses
trains to transport you from Brig in Switzerland to Iselle in Italy (much like
the Eurotunnel). But you cannot reserve tickets for motorcycles, you have to
turn up and hope there is sufficient space.
So we had an early breakfast and planned on getting to Brig by
9:30 in readiness for the 10a.m. train.
We
found the train to Italy! CHF 15 each single journey, 20 mins and we’ll be
there.
Only
problem is that you ride onto the train and into a special bike compartment, this
compartment has what appeared to be a normal width door as the entrance. We
were a little concerned whether our bikes would fit with the panniers on – we
may have to remove them and load separately. Eamonn rode through the doorway
with a bit to spare on each side, Mike was next and made it through, finally
Alex. Taking it carefully he also managed to get on-board without having any
issues.
Along
the sides of the carriage there were a number of small rope ties, clearly you
were expected to tie your bike up yourself to stop it from moving around. So we
set up tying the bikes up.
Before
we could finish the job, the conductor came along and using German with a lot
of hand waving, indicated there was only one door for entering and exiting – so
we would have to turn the bikes around ourselves before exiting! Much
struggling and shifting around, and we managed it! Never done a 30 point turn
with a bike before…..
After disembarking the train, we
headed off now in Italy (with less strict speed limits than Switzerland!).
We stopped at Albergo Il Vapore in
Gonte on the shores of Lake Maggiore for lunch. It was a fixed menu of either
pasta or pork ribs, all seemed out of place in the 28 deg C sunshine. What a
contrast to the rain we had the previous day.
View from the lunch stop
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As we followed the
shoreline of Lake Maggiore, we crossed back into Switzerland again then
headed south towards Lake Lugano. We stopped for a short break and photos
beside the lake and whilst parked up we noticed that one of Mike’s spotlights
had come loose and was pointing straight down to the road. Out came the
spanners and sticky tape – it was quickly solved!
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Now at Porlezza on the Northern shore of Lake Lugano for Smoothies
and water.
Only 50 more miles to the hotel.
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We arrived at our hotel in
Sondrio and at reception we were directed into their special underground park
for the bikes. It was a steep ramp down, but very secure and the receptionist
had his Ducati already parked there!
Quick shower and change
then out into town for some beers and food (yet again no open restaurant in
the hotel!)
We found a piazza nearby
with a couple of restaurants and enjoyed a good evening meal.
Coincidentally in one of
the nearby shop windows the was an old Moto Guzzi on display
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View from the hotel room
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Day 6
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Today
our journey takes us from Sondrio to our Dolomites hotel near Canazei.
The
day started with getting the bikes out of the underground park. Easy for
some, then there was Alex, taking it very carefully…..
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A
happy breakfast time!
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The
route was a bit longer than planned as we took a few minutes off piste to try
to find a replacement charging cable for Mike's phone. His phone charger on the
bike had stopped working yesterday and it was found to be the socket on the
bike having failed. We tried to find a replacement socket, but ended up taking
a power connection from the top-box to the front of the bike. Once sorted, we
were soon back on track and heading for the famous Stelvio Pass.
The
pass did not disappoint!!! Absolutely incredible..!!! Up one side of the
mountain and down the other. Quite a few people on push bikes but not too many
cars. There was one bus though!!!
The photo
shows the view to go down, I lost count of the number of 180 degree turns we
did.....
Also
along the way were photographers on the corners taking photos of the passing
bikes, cars, etc. for sale later.
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Chilly
at the top of the Stelvio Pass
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Second
coffee stop of the day was at a small shop in Latsch – coffee and panini.
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Although
we were in Northern Italy, the waitress spoke German, the till receipt was in
German, the shelf edge labels were German, the road signs were German at the
top with Italian underneath. This area of the South Tyrol has been argued
over between Germany and Italy since the Napoleonic wars, only since after
the First World War has there been an agreement between the two countries to
allow both communities to co-exist.
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Our
final coffee stop of the day was in Ponte Nova. There was a man at the next
table with the traditional Tyrolean hat (including feather), but no
lederhosen...!!
It
was overcast and showers threatened within the next hour – we decided to not
spend too much time resting to try to avoid the showers.
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Arrived at the hotel, the last 40
minutes were wet but not too bad. Hotel looked excellent, with an underground
locked park for the bikes. It was full of approximately 20 bikes (plus our 3),
but they left the following day so all the more space for us!
Day 7
Today we started a three day stay in the Dolomite area of North Italy. We
had a number of optional rides to try out with lots of mountain passes to check
out. The underground garage that was packed out with bikes when we arrived, had
all left by the time we had breakfast. It appears they were mostly Americans on
a group trip, riding BMW's.
Hotel is working out exceptionally well, we had scrambled eggs
and bacon this morning! Anything not on the standard menu, they will cook it
for you!! Our Romanian waiter (Bogdan) was exceptionally helpful.
So after
a bit of re-packing as we didn’t need the panniers on the bikes for day trips, we
set off to explore the roads. The first trip was to head north from the hotel
to the Sella pass. The roads and the scenery didn’t disappoint – the roads were
twisty and very good condition with plenty of switchbacks to keep you alert. There
were quite a lot of cyclists about, but they didn’t cause too much of an issue
as long as they didn’t wobble around the hairpin bends!
Top of Sella pass
The
route we're taking is approximately two hours long and only 40 miles - a short
morning trip and a different two hour trip for the afternoon. Of course it’s
taking longer than two hours due to occasional traffic jams and coffee stops,
but that's no problem.
The first route for the morning was
to the north of the hotel covering the Sella Pass, Gardena Pass, Campolongo
Pass and Pordoi Pass.
Each
pass was just as exhilarating as each other and it’s difficult to choose a
preferred one.
Today was composed of two separate
tours - one to the north of the hotel and one to the south. Both were
spectacular in terms of views and roads, I just cannot find the words to
describe the feeling of riding through the passes, it's emotional and joyous -
like flying on two wheels. I will definitely visit this area again.
After the first mini-tour, we stopped for lunch at a hotel
in Canazei (Hotel Ei Ciasel).
Just a few snacks and drinks in
readiness for the afternoon ride.
The afternoon route was to the
south of our base hotel encompassing the San Pellegrino pass (point 7 on the
map) and Marmolada Pass (point 13). The Marmoldada pass was used in stage 20 of
the Giro D’Italia 2022.
The only afternoon stop was at the
Marmolada Pass for a coffee followed by a short ride back to our hotel.
Back
at the hotel having changed clothes and suitably cleaned up, we had a couple of
drinks before our evening meal. One feature of the hotel was that when you
ordered drinks, you also received either small chocolates or some battered
shrimps as an aperitif – no extra cost!
At
first we were concerned at the seemingly small portion sizes, but the flavours
and quality of the food was superb and perfectly proportioned.
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Aperitifs
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Starter
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Main
course of steak medallions
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Disassembled
crumble with ice cream
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Day 8
Today
we rode to the famous Tre Cimi di Lavaredo. It’s about two hours from our
hotel, lots of passes and curves interspersed with the usual groups of cyclists
going up and down the hills. Just like the UK the cyclists tend to ignore any
traffic lights, ride 2 or 3 abreast (sometimes into corners) - showing little
regard to other road users. Fortunately as we're on 2 wheels it’s not really a
problem, but for the other cars and buses they do have difficulties.
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We
stopped in Cortina d’Amprezzo for a short break and a coffee with another 30
mins to our destination. Another beautiful day riding through the Sella Pass
and Gardena Pass (again – it never gets boring!)
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Our lunch stop was at Misurana Lake
one of the best spots for viewing the Tre Cimi without paying extra toll fees
for the private road that goes close to the summit.
It has a very busy car park, but
enough space for bikes alongside the roads and outside the restaurants.
And finally at the Sella Pass on our return journey for the
hotel.
Some frustrations
due to cyclists and various lorries unloading equipment for an event in one of
the towns. We noted there were a lot of large lorries unloading railings and
other paraphernalia in readiness for an event the next day. We later found out
that there was to be a cycle race for teams to race up and down the passes –
this explained why there were so many cyclists yesterday and today, all
practicing for the weekend race.
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After
riding for an hour and a half, we had a short break at the top of the Gardena
Pass.
Just
a 20 minute break to stretch the legs!
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After
the Gardena Pass, we stopped at the top of the Sella Pass for coffees and
orange juices, to find the parking area had been marked out by manufacturer!
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Harley
Davidson
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Honda
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Triumph
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Only
another 30 minutes to the hotel, but plenty of twisties to enjoy!
Once back at the hotel, we decided
to try a different restaurant just 15 minutes walk away from the hotel that
specialised in pizzas. The restaurant was very busy, but as it was a warm
evening the staff were able to organise a table for us outside. An excellent
meal, followed by a short walk back to our hotel in order to finish the evening
with a few more beers!
Day 9
No lengthy rides today, the owner of the hotel recommend to try
going up the cable car at the Pordoi Pass. Apparently the views are spectacular
from the top and you can see for many miles around.
To get to the pass, we had to ride through the Sella Pass (yet
again! – it never disappoints…) and we parked up in front of the restaurant that
leads to the cable car for the top of the mountain.
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Sitting at the cafe at the bottom of the lift we could see a
lot of fog above us!! So we decided to have a coffee and wait to see if it
cleared up.
Although the clouds moved quite quickly, so we hoped there
would be a chance of getting a good view at the top between the clouds as
they passed by.
Time passed and we ended up remaining in the cafe waiting for
the clouds to pass!!
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Eventually we decided to risk the
trip and go up to the top. After all we could wait in the restaurant at the top
for the clouds to clear just as easily as waiting at the base station. So we left
the base station and boarded the cable car on our way to the top. Much of the
ride was in the mist and clouds, so there was a restricted view. However, it
did clear at times and a few reasonable photos were taken.
Once at the top, we had a quick
look around (obligatory selfie of course) and manage to grab a couple of other
photos when the mist dissipated a little. Unfortunately, it never cleared
properly so as predicted we moved to the restaurant to have an early lunch whilst
hoping the mist would clear....
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Attached
is a photo of the table mat, it shows the cafe where we were sitting and what
we should have been able to see...!!
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So
the visit to the top was a little disappointing due to the clouds moving in,
they never really cleared but the meal in the restaurant was good!
As we
couldn’t see the spectacular views, we joined the cable car down. During the
descent the clouds cleared and we had a better view of the pass and surrounding
roads.
From
the cable car, we noticed a road in the distance that looked like it could be an
interesting route alongside another mountain. So once down we could then
investigate this road to see where it goes.
With the cable car journey finished
and back on the bikes we moved off to investigate the road we spotted earlier.
It turned out to be a sandy track, only one vehicle wide that appeared to only
be used by mountain bikes. So we continued on past and rode through the passes
for another day.
This time our ride took us through
some forestry areas with yet more switchbacks, though in places the road
surface wasn’t as good as the main roads. Still very enjoyable from both riding
and scenery perspective.
We stopped for a coffee break at
Hotel La Montanina in Caprile on a route that takes us back to the hotel via
the Marmolada Pass.
Back at the hotel, we settled in
for a few beers and our final evening meal at Hotel Conturina.
Day 10
Today
was tinged with sadness as we had to leave our hotel in the Dolomites and head
back into Switzerland on our way to meet the other group of “Old Gits” in the
Black Forest.
The
hotel and its staff had been exceptional in both the facilities and their help
in making our stay comfortable. Leaving was made all the more difficult due to
the forecast of rain on the next part of our journey back to Bolzano and over
the Stelvio Pass. If it’s raining on the Stelvio, it isn’t much fun!!
We
packed up our luggage, paid the bill, and set out on the road to find coffee
stops...!!!!
It
turned out to be an eventful morning...!
Just
after filling up with fuel, we turned off the main road and onto the road
heading northwards only to find two Carabiniere (police) officers waving us in
to stop. They wanted to check our documentation for both the bikes (V5C) and our
licences. It didn't go unnoticed that both officers carried guns.... so we gave
them Simon's name when asked.....
Actually,
the officers were very polite and efficient wishing us well on the rest of our
holiday. Perhaps Alex’s bribes of peppermint sweets helped, though the lady
officer was a little put out at Alex’s bike not looking like a traditional
Harley Davidson! There was a little concern that all the speed cameras we had
passed were in fact working correctly and the cumulative of fines would have mean
an extended stay!!!
A
short stop before reaching the Stelvio for a pizza at Pizzeria Ennemoser in
Rabla, then with bodies refuelled we set off. At the bottom of the pass it
started to drizzle, so stopped again for jumpers and waterproofs.
There was no significant rain
although the roads were wet from previous showers. There was hardly any other
traffic! We only had to pass half dozen cars, one van and one small lorry. It
certainly looked as though most people decided not to come on the pass today....
Very different to when we arrived in the other direction.
At the top of the pass, quite a lot
of snow still on the ground and cold for riding. Coming down the Swiss side of
the pass we have the road to ourselves. Stopping occasionally to look at the
view, in one layby there was a waste bin with a label stating that all rubbish
should be put in the bin otherwise the bears will eat it...!!!!
With another 2 hours to go for our
hotel, we anticipated getting there about 18:30. We hoped there was a restaurant
open...
We
arrived at the hotel (La Tgoma in Lantsch), and what an unexpected gem!!!
Firstly the road recommend by Google for our journey was closed... We had
noticed that the check-in time was before 6pm and our ETA was 17:58 so any road
closures could cause problems.... A quick remapping of Google and we found
alternatives and managed to arrive on time.
Eamonn
went to check-in and the man behind the bar said they were full up, no space!! Our
first thought was where there hell are we going to find an alternative hotel on
a Sunday night in a very quiet area of Switzerland? The lady standing next to the
barman gave him a hard slap on the shoulder and told him to tell us the
truth... this was Swiss humour!
He laughed, we laughed, everyone
was happy! He showed us to the rooms, Eamonn had a single room - small and
perfectly formed. Alex and Mike had what could only be described as a suite!
Two single beds in one room, another room with two more beds, and a fully
equipped kitchen..!!!
So after
showers and change of clothes, it was time for beers and some traditional Swiss
grisons capuns.
No we
didn’t know what they were either! A quick search on Wikipedia revealed:
“Capuns is a traditional food from
the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland,
predominantly made in the eastern part. They are made from Spätzle dough
with pieces of dried meat, such as Bündnerfleisch and/or Salsiz,
and rolled in a chard leaf.
They are boiled in a gravy of bouillon,
milk and water and served covered with grated cheese.”
Interesting
food, definitely a first and probably a last time of eating them!
Day 11
After
our hotel breakfast, we took a few minutes to look around the local town square
to see a church that appeared to be old, but at the same time also looked so
modern and clean.
We left our hotel in the hills of
Switzerland early and headed north for Lichtenstein and then to the hotel in
the Black Forest.
The weather was perfect at 22 deg.C
and sunny, just right for enjoying the swirling roads and the spectacular
views. Just think of chocolate box covers over and over and over......
After just over 2 hours riding we stopped for lunch, a
sandwich and drink today - trying to cut down the food intake...! Obviously our
bodies are adapting to life on two wheels, last week the thought of riding
continuously for 2 hours would have caused laughter and a lot of swearing…
The
lunch stop was at Madlen’s Café in Wattwil, just a small bite to eat and top up
of liquids (no not beer!). An hour later and we were on our way again.
After
the lunch stop we had trouble finding a cafe that was open for afternoon refreshments.
We thought we saw a place but it turned out to be a mountain bike shop. We set
about trying to find a nearby café on Google, but before we could find
anything, the shop owner on seeing us outside, immediately came out and offered
us some beer, cola and snacks! So we had a chat with him and relaxed for a bit.
Turned out he designed and built racing bikes and mountain bikes in the
workshop attached to the shop – clearly another two wheeled enthusiast!
When
we left for the last hour of our journey, he didn't want to take any money for
the refreshments, but we gave him some anyway - a true gent in the middle of a
small village in Germany.
The
hotel in Mummelsee was the designated point to meet up with the other “Old
Gits”. Lee and Debbie had travelled to Holland on the ferry from Harwich, the
others had come across via the Eurotunnel to Calais and through France.
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Lee and Debbie leaving the UK
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The Mummelsee hotel
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 Chris, Marshal,
Simon, Lee and Debbie
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We
arrived at the hotel in Mummelsee and unloaded the bags as we were staying at
the hotel for a few days.
So
now to the usual ritual, shower, clean clothes, find the bar and in addition
we find our friends who arrived here earlier.
View
to the front of the hotel.
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Day 12
Having
met up with our friends last night, today we have split into two groups. Cookie
and Marshall have gone on a major outing of up to 10 hours, leaving Eamonn,
Alex, Mike I., Simon Lee and Debbie to take a shorter ride to Triberg.
Alex,
Eamonn and Lorna had visited here on our Europe 1 trip, but the weather was
much better this time!
We
took scenic countryside routes to get here, through small twisty roads and
compact villages.
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 We arrived in Triberg and parked
at the Schwarzwald Museum in the middle of town. First task was to order some
drinks and light lunches!
Fortunately
right next to the bike park, the museum has a small café – so we didn’t have
to go far at all.
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 Across the road from the café, there is a large
waterfall.
Although the tourist
information claims it to be the highest water fall in Germany, it isn’t! This
one is 163 metres tall with seven major steps – the tallest is The
Rothbachfall (470m) which ultimately flows into the Obersee lake in
south-east Germany.
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Entrance to the Triberg
waterfall
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After
our lunch, we had a wander around the town and various cuckoo clocks on display
and for sale. Prices ranged from £60 up to £25,000….! Triberg really
specialises in cuckoo clocks.
With
our fill of the average cuckoo clocks, we left town and rode just a couple of
miles down the road to the location of the biggest cuckoo clock in the world.
In reality, it looks as though someone has converted a house into a giant
cuckoo clock! It was an ideal opportunity to take a few pictures
More
information on this clock can be found at : https://youtu.be/868f_cZD1zw
The
return journey from Triberg to the hotel was adventurous!!! Mostly twisty
backroads, but Google maps recommended turning down this small lane.... It was
very small... Sometimes it felt like we were about to ride into a private
driveway!! It did however get us back to the hotel for drinks and evening meal.
After
the meal, Simon persuaded us to walk up to the restaurant at the top of the
hill. Alex reckons he died at least twice on the long uphill walk...!!!
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At
the top of the hill, beside a restaurant, there was a tower with this plaque
on the side. The Hornisgrinde Tower is at the top of the highest mountain in
the northern Black Forest. The tower gives many visitors the impression that
it is the legacy of an old castle. Only a few people know that its existence
goes back to the initiative of the Baden Black Forest Association under
factory director Nauwerk from Oberachern. On 15 June 1909, he received the
building permit from the Grand Ducal District Office of Achern. The copper
plaque (above) is at the entrance to the tower and commemorates the completion
in 1910, stating the architect.
The
Hornisgrinde summit with the observation tower and the
"Grindenhotel" was the most popular excursion destination in the
whole region until 1942 with the Mummelsee. With the confiscation by the
German Air Force and later by the French military, the observation tower
remained closed to the public for almost 60 years. With the repurchase of the
properties in 1999, the municipality of Seebach and the Seebach forest
cooperative are once again pursuing the goal of developing the Hornisgrinde
into its original splendour as a popular excursion destination.
https://www.schwarzwald-tourismus.info/attraktionen/seebach-hornisgrinde-hornisgrinde-aussichtsturm-8f09fd2d22
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Day 13
Today Lee and Debbie left us as
they continued their journey on to the Nurburgring, the rest of the group were
on a "Cookie" tour...! Cookie had organised a tour of two castles –
Hohenzollern Castle and Schloss Lichtenstein castle.
Lee and Debbie leaving Mummelsee
At the first castle, Hohenzollern,
it started to rain, so we opted for the free coach ride up the hill to the
castle gates. We entered the castle as quickly as possible (to avoid the rain)
and had a look around the various rooms and paraphernalia associated with
castles.
Due
to the rain outside, we decided to stay in the castle and have lunch in the
castle restaurant. The restaurant was very grand and we felt slightly out of
place!!
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Ornate fireplace in one of
the rooms
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Alex was trying to take a
“serious” picture of the church within the castle, but Mike “photo-bombed”
the image!
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After lunch, the rain had stopped
and the weather was improving, time for a few photos.
After a visit to the outside café
for an ice cream, we made our plans for the next castle. As it was 4pm, only
Chris and Eamonn went on, everyone else elected to return to the hotel for
relaxing drinks.
The visit to Schloss Lichtenstein was only 23 miles, but took
just over 40 minutes due to the twisty roads – an excellent ride!! The name of
the castle is a misnomer as the country of Liechtenstein is over 100 miles away
from the castle!
Cookie and Eamonn arrived at just after 4:30pm and the castle
entrance was closing at 5pm. The parking attendant was happy for us to not pay
any fees as we explained we only wanted a few pictures, but the lady at the
castle entrance wouldn’t let us in without paying the full entrance fee. So the
only pictures taken were of the outside of the castle – still looked impressive
though.
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This image of the castle
is used extensively in the publicity shots, it’s not one that we took as to
get this “special” view probably requires a lengthy walk from the parking
area!
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As we couldn’t view much of the
castle, we headed back to the hotel. The ride back was spirited (!) as there
were beers at the end of the journey. The route indicated by Google put us on
the famous B500 road, a road that Eamonn and Alex had taken a look at earlier
in the year but found large parts of it were closed off for repairs. So there
was some concern that once we arrived at the B500 we would then have to divert
elsewhere. We put our trust in Google maps!
As expected, Google connected us to
the B500 south of the hotel with approximately 10 miles still to go. As we
joined we could see that the repairs only affected one carriageway – the
southbound side. This meant that the road was effectively one way traffic
heading north, it was fresh tarmac, very few other vehicles (at 5:30pm many of
the Germans were at home), no clear speed limit signs and no evidence of any
police authorities to “advise” on the speed limit….. Normally much of the B500
is limited to 40 mph, this makes the flowing corners quite boring on a
motorcycle; a greater speed is required to truly enjoy the experience. It’s
fair to say that Cookie and Eamonn enjoyed that section of the B500 more so
than any other section!
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At the back of the hotel, the
basement had been adapted to provide a souvenir shop and café facilities for
the non-residents.
Many of the items we had
seen in Triberg were also available in the Mummelsee hotel shop, but with a
higher price of course!
Simon and Alex found some very
different headgear in the shop that they kindly modelled in the picture here!
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Once Cookie and Eamonn were back at
the hotel, we slipped into the usual sequence of shower, beer, evening meal and
beer. The main addition to this evening was sitting in the bar watching the semi-final
football match between Netherlands and England in the Euro 2024 competition.
England won the match 2 – 1, but unfortunately lost against Spain in the final
held on the 14th.
Day 14
Today
we leave our Black Forest Hotel.
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Mike’s photo of the group preparing to
leave the hotel in Mummelsee
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Cookie ready to go…
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Simon leaving
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Marshall leaving
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The
full tour group of Alex, Eamonn and Mike headed back into France, the
Blackforest group of Simon, Cookie and Marshal went further into Germany to
the Nurburgring as they were returning to the UK later than the others.
The
next section for the full tour group was 220 miles and would be about 6 hours
riding. If it became too much, we could use some motorways to cut the time down
but the non-motorway route is far more interesting riding.
As we
left, the weather was rubbish, light rain that was forecast to stop within the following
hour. After that it was to be sunshine all the way!
On our earlier journey through
France on the way to Switzerland, we noted that there were very few cafes open,
hence the number of McDonalds visits! On this return journey, we found the same
situation - on
the country routes all the cafes and restaurants were closed...!!! So guess
what..... it was McDonalds again....
Our
first coffee/lunch stop was at Phalsbourg with another 4 hours to go until we
arrived at the next hotel in Sedan. There were a few drops of rain, but
otherwise all OK.
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The afternoon stop was in
Pont-a-Mousson where we found a real French cafe that was open!!! Whilst
having coffee and refreshing drinks, we noticed one of the locals who
appeared to be still living in the 70’s… The make-up, clothing style and
general demeanour was not unlike a character in “Allo, Allo”. Note the killer
orange finger nails…
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After
leaving the café, the last hour of the journey was fairly uneventful apart from
a couple of road closures we had to navigate through. Some very empty swooping French
country roads, occasionally rough surfaces but mostly the roads made for an
enjoyable "spirited" ride.
After
a couple of beers and a meal, it was time to sleep in readiness for our final
full day in France on this trip.
Meanwhile,
the other group had reached their hotel and were already enjoying the
hospitality.
Day 15
This
was our last full day in France for a 160 mile ride to Saint-Omer. Rain had
just stopped so we hoped for a dry ride for this section of the holiday. Time
to pack up and plan the next coffee stop.
The
Ardennes forest area should have been nice, but the dead straight roads between
Cambrai and Arras were a bit boring! As before, we were travelling through
France and looking for a nice French restaurant for lunch..... Yes, it's
McDonalds again!!!!
After
riding for 2 and half hours non-stop, any break is welcome. At one point, we
pulled over into a layby to use Google to find a nearby restaurant and we were
joined by another British biker on a Laverda just checking if we were OK. We
had a quick chat before leaving on to the next McDonalds.
Once
there, we saw the Laverda was also parked up, so we had chance to talk further
with the Rider. He was another Mike who was riding back from Italy, he was
catching a train that evening whereas we were staying in St. Omer before our
train tomorrow.
So
after refreshments, it was just another 2 and half hours to go.... and it was
still showing showers of rain...
We
arrived at Saint-Omer hotel just after 5pm. It had been a momentous day for the
"Old Gits" - we had covered the full journey of 5 hours with just one
stop....!! Yes, that’s right – two and a half hours in the saddle for each
section…
The last half hour was
uncomfortable, but if required could have done another 30 mins. Our personal
saddles must have become hardened and matched with the bike saddles!
It
was then time for beer followed by an evening meal at one of the many
restaurants in the town.
St. Omer central square – busy as usual!
Day 16
After the morning’s breakfast it was a comparatively short ride
of an hour to the Eurotunnel and return to the UK.
This was one of the longest trips for both duration and mileage,
but it had also been one of wonderful new views, experiences and adventures. There
are definitely places that we have been to on this trip that will be returned
to in later years, there's so much more to experience.
We were discussing highlights of the trip last night and found
it difficult to isolate a single event or place that could be nominated as
“number 1”. Both the mountains and views of Switzerland and the mountain passes
of the Dolomites feature highly in our thoughts, but above all it’s the
camaraderie of riding to places with your mates that tops everything else.
We arrived in Calais Eurotunnel departure on time and were
allocated space on a train nearly an hour earlier than expected!
When checking in we had the option of a train 30 mins earlier,
but then there were so few people queuing we were allowed on an even earlier
train....
Once back in the UK, we planned on a final coffee stop on the
M20 services before we split to go our separate ways. Mike went north to his
house, Eamonn continued on the M25 north to avoid the southern section
closures, and Alex tried to find a southern route to avoid the M25 closures that
weekend.
Total mileage covered was just under 2,800 miles.
Final Thoughts
From the
Dolomites to the Black Forest, from rain-soaked passes to sun-drenched lakes,
the 2024 Old Gits Tour was one for the books. Whether it was carving through
Alpine roads, savouring local delicacies, or simply sharing laughs over beers,
this trip was a testament to the unbreakable bond of riders and the
irresistible call of the road.
--- End of Report ---
