Dolomites Motorbike Trip - June 2024

Day 11 - Trois Ponts (Ardennes) - (B) to Swindon (UK) Monday 24/06/2023 ----------------------------------- Back Home Didn't have the best night of sleep, my airbed has a hole so I slept on a cold and wet floor which was very uneven. I was awoken at 2am by the sound of crashing tin cans and someone shouting. Can only assume that it was a pest in trash occurrence. Struggled to get to sleep after that as I was cold so had to throw my bike jacket over myself to keep warm..... We set out at 9.30 and due to Leon's chain looking a bit ropey we stuck to the main roads rather than strain the machines anymore on the twisting roads. After a while we stopped for petrol and I adjusted both Leon and Konrad's chains as they were both lose, especially Leon's one which was very lose. We treated ourselves to a KFC in the sun as we had made good time so were in no hurry. The final push to Calais was hot and boring and it was a struggle to stay focused and alert. The boat was on time and ...

Day 10 - Lieschbach - Etang de Hanau (F) to Trois-Ponts (Ardennes) - (B) Sunday 23/06/2023 ----------------------------------- Long Ride back into the Ardennes Didn't sleep well as I managed to puncture my revolutionary new compact sleeping mat. I knew it wouldn't last...... That said it was a mild night and the partying around the lake didn't go on much beyond midnight (although Leon and I chatted until 1am)... There were lots of fireflies lighting up the area where we were sat, not something I have seen for over 30 years. After a relaxed start we hit the road again and crossed back into Germany and got to Schmelz. Nice countryside and riding from the outset, but we did have to do a stint on an express road.  We stopped in Trier to see the Roman built gateway to Germania - impressive and a nice stop. From there we quickly headed for Berdorf and crossed into Luxembourg in no time where we tanked-up and then found a small roadside restaurant to take a break and have some lun...

  Day 9 - Bregenz (Lake Constance) - (A) to Baden-Baden (D) to Lieschbach - Etang de Hanau (F) Saturday 22/06/2023 ----------------------------------- Black Forest and Vosges Natural Park After 12 hours of solid and heavy rain, thunder and lightning, it finally stopped raining and we were greeting to morning sunshine. Despite the early night, we all felt tired and getting up was a struggle. Our tents did a good job in keeping the rain out but some of things were still wet which was to be expected. We paid for the camping and set on out of the area which was rammed with traffic along the Lake Constance road. Eventually we got through the traffic and into Germany where Konrad's great route changes paid dividends. The sun was out, we had empty fast flowing roads and ended-up in a lovely gorge region near Sigmaringen which was quiet but a lovely road passing through idyllic villages, castles, rock faces (which were being climbed) and great little tunnels carved out of the rock. All the...

Day 8 - Santa Maria Val Mustair (CH) to Landeck (A) to Bregenz (Lake Constance) - (A) Friday 21/06/2023 --------------------------------- High Passes and Hidden Valleys We were woken by heavy rain and a spectacular thunder and lightning show. We waited for this to pass which delayed our departure but we didn't really have a choice. After the morning rain, the weather improved as we headed to Zernez, Susch and beyond. The Swiss side was calm and we did a couple of pretty passes before crossing into Austria where we fuelled-up, went to a café for lunch and bought some provisions for the evening.  We then headed for the Silvreta Strasse High Alpine road for which we again had to pay €17 each. Lovely road and views but we again hit a massive thunder storm just before so we had to seek shelter and put our waterproofs on. By the time we hit the top of the pass (lovely lake / dam and views) it stopped raining and the sun came out so we got warm riding slowly down the pass which was full o...

  Day 7 - Canazei (I) to Stelvio (I) to Santa Maria Val Mustair (CH) Thursday 20/06/2023 --------------------------------------- Stelvio and Umbrail Passes into Switzerland Today we planned to ride the famous Stelvio pass in Italy and then the Umbrail pass on into Switzerland. According to all the information we could find (Google and signs on the road), it unfortunately indicated that the Stelvio was closed. We nevertheless chose to ride on and make a decision just before we had to. We left Canazei just after 9am and rode through the Karer pass to Bolzano where we stopped for supplies and an early lunch. My cold isn't getting any better and today's wild temperature swings aren't helping. We rode on to Meran which was super hot and humid. 34C was a killer on slow roads. Because the Stelvio was closed from the South Tyrol side we chose to ride straight into Switzerland via Glorenza which is a lovely walled medieval village - well worth a visit. Once in Switzerland the weathe...