Triumphrat

TigerLilly

The summer plans are underway and it would be great to borrow from anyones experience.

We are leaving via Newcastle to loop through

Holland - Amsterdam, Arnhem,
Germany - Rhein Gorge, Black forest,
Switzerland - Grindelwald, Davos.
Italy - Stelvio pass, Genoa, Savona
Corsica - Bastia, Corte, Propriano, Bonifacio, Porto, Calvi
France - Antibes, Cannyon, de Verdun,

Any suggestions as to campsites, must see, must do and especially roads.

Also I have read that campsites in Corsica should be booked in advance. Does anyone have any experience, also what about campsites and availabaility in Switzerland

Thanks

Lil

graeme

As per "The Long Way Down" you're going to need a "fixer".

I'll do it I'll use my bike, you pay for the petrol and my hotels, food, concubines, etc, etc.

Oh and my fee of course - £5,000



On a more serious note - I'm very jealous and I hope you have a good time.

Europe is well geared up for camping as I'm sure you know.

The driving varies from Country to Country and most are very civilised - then there's ITALY ! The driving is absolutely crap, they are nose to tail at high speed with poor skills to boot.

A personal favoutite of mine in Switzerland are:

The roads up to Zermatt, then a cable car up to the top of the mountain to look at the Matterhorn.

The Grand Dixence Dam http://encarta.msn.com/media_701610671_761571795_-1_1/grand_dixence_dam.html

All the usual Mountain passes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mountain_passes_in_Switzerland


I'm off there in June, hopefully.

Good luck with the trip.

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Safe riding.

Regards,
Graeme.

clive955

As mentioned above, Euroupe is great for Camping, Iv never booked a campsite on any of my trips over there. It means you can go and do what you want without thinking about time.

Campsites in France are by the bucket load and within half an hour of looking for one you you,ll find one, Don't discount the municipal sites in small villages. These all have showers and hot water and are normally cheapest. To be honest Iv never been to a bad site yet. Just lucky !!!!! Maybe but there are very few people I have spoken too who have bad stories to tell.

Switzerland is the same. There is a fantastic site at the bottom of the Furka and Grimmsel pass in a town called Reckingen. Great beer and Resturant, owners speak about 6 languages including english and love bikers. Would highly recommend it as I have been about 3 times and each morning is really hard to see which pass to try first.

Have fun and don't get too caught up on trying to plan everything.

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Green is Mean

BoneyMalloney

Savona! Nightmare road along the coast into France, loads of scooters buzzing around, heavy traffic etc. You really have to have your wits about you, throw in the heat and i wouldn't bank on doing a lot of miles that day...

On a brighter note, the SS45 into Genoa from Piacenza is simply a gorgeous road for motorbikes!

http://www.boneymalloney.piczo.com/?cr=3

May i suggest the Italian Lakes for a rest! Beautiful, although Lake Garda is a little 'tacky' in places (with tourism).

Good Luck,

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Chris.

blacktiger

Avoid like the plague in August. Very popular, very busy and you'll get nowhere fast.

I would recommend the area covering NE France, NW Italy and the adjoining part of Switzerland. Some really fantastic passes and scenery and it's not too busy because it's away from the coast.
And, when you're coming home through France, go through the area within the triangle between Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand and Auxerre. All the Michellin yellow roads are great biking roads and not too much traffic.

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H
'02 Tiger955i in black.

BigStripey

100% agree with Blacktiger. Lake Garda, Lake Como etc, forget it in August it will be packed with caravanners and tourists. It will just frustrate the hell out of you.

The triangle mentioned above is superb for twisty's especially between Clermont Ferrand and Roanne. The Puy de Dome, Col de Mary etc....brilliant.

Further north the ride up from Luxembourg city up the Mosel Valley is great. As is the roads around Colmar / Mulhouse / Tittissee in the Alsace on the Rhine border. Some of the best roads for biking if you like playing in the twistys. As a bonus, the Nurburgring is just at the head of the Mosel near Koblenz.

Just my thoughts............

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Big Stripey

I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw

MrGromit

Yep I'd second the suicidel Italian drivers comment.They definitley like to get close at high speed.The bikers like to live dangerously too.

Jacko34

Hi

If you can fit it in I would go to the Milau Viaduct, see it from the town down below first then get back on the autoroute and cross it before stopping on the northern side viewing point, it truly is a fantastic piece of engineering.

My buddies and I are going to Barcelona via Bordeaux then back across France to Grenoble, Lake Annecy and Geneva before cutting back across France to Auxerre and St Malo.

7 days on the old green one, oh yes!!!!

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If it's not green, it ain't mean!

fatal

My wife and I rode over to Grindelwald on our GS1150 two years ago. We stayed at the Hotel Kirchbuhl for 5 nights, I reccommend this place. The restaurant has a sun terrace overlooking the valley and the mountains,(Eiger jungfraujoch etc.)

There are helicopter rides over the mountains available in the next valley at Lauterbrunnen, expensive but well worth it.