It started like so many of these things start. Graham and Lynn had been to a bikers’ B&B in Ruppertshofen in Germany for Lynn’s first biking holiday. She said she would like to return with some friends next time...

It’s traditional to get away on the first bank holiday of the year. The ferries are packed with bikers crossing the water to visit far off destinations, even if it’s only for a few days.

Our trip was organised by Graham and Lynn.

I believe there were 12 of us including Graham’s brother Tom, and his wife Debbie, the rest
of the folk were from my local RAT Pack. We travelled to Dover on the Thursday and took the Norfolk Lines ferry to Dunkirk, off the ferry for a short ride to Oostende and an overnight stop. Down to the waterfront for a meal and back to our hotel ready for an early start in the morning.
We set of at a reasonable time aiming to be at Spa, Francorchamps for lunch and maybe a nose around the circuit. Then off again on the E42 east, aiming for our B&B in Germany. The group had got split up at this point. No problem though we all had the address and the route. We hooked up again just before we crossed the Mosel then the Rhine at Boppard.

It was then just a short 10 minute ride to our digs. Our B&B was run by Andre and Maria and consisted of a large three storey 350-year-old traditional farmhouse with mostly en-suite accommodation. It also had a barn for the bikes and another with workshop and lift. The third barn was converted into a playroom and dining area. The only downside was that there was only one pub within walking distance of the B&B. We ate our meals together around the large table in the barn, a very sociable evening (have a look at www.german-rhineland.com)

If you haven’t visited Germany remember it’s a fairly new country, previously it was lots of little kingdoms all with their own territories and castles which makes it a beautiful country to visit. The first day we visited Marksburg Castle which is the only castle along the Rhine never to have been destroyed, it’s been lived in for over 700 years! Following that we took a ride through the Wispertal Valley (a German version of the Isle of Man) and a stop for lunch and ice creams! The second day was typically a bit wet. The weather this time of year in the mountains can change quite quickly. We cut our ride short and went to a half-timbered town called Bernkastel on the banks of the Moselle (a bit like Chester only prettier and 700 years old). All too soon the trip was over and you could feel the mood change at dinner. People were preparing themselves and their kit for the long ride back to Dunkirk and it looked like it was going to be a wet one.

Fortunately for me, my wife Tracy and I had decided on making this trip our main holiday for the year and would be staying another day before packing the bike up and moving on. We visited a small village called Rudesheim with its quaint shops and cuckoo clocks. That night we went to the pub with Andre and Maria, the owners of the B&B and had a great meal as the licensee was also a butcher – so we had great steaks!

We set off the next day in drizzle with all our stuff fastened onto the bike. We were aiming to go south-east and just get into the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) via the motorway as it was wet and also have a ride past the racing circuit at Hockenheim. We stayed at the Lake Titisee Hotel on the edge of the Lake. There weren’t many hotels in town and this one had a few flash BMWs and Mercedes parked outside.

A bit daunting but they welcomed us in, two British bikers that looked like drowned rats. We even parked the bike under the covered walkway in full view of reception for security. The receptionist told us to hurry as the spa would be shutting in an hour. We dropped our gear in the room, had a quick shower then put on the slippers and gown provided and went to the spa which overlooked the lake, fantastic. That evening we had a lovely walk around the town and a meal, complete with a last drink in the bar.

Before our trip I spoke to a few people and did some research on the internet. Tracy doesn’t like our trips to be too regimented or pre-planned. My argument is that you need to know what’s nearby or you could miss it. Anyway with that in mind I discovered that the German tourist board produce maps for the popular biking routes. The roads are even marked with bike symbols at the side of the roads. You can get these maps from the BMF website, (thanks for that Terri). They also have long distance routes, the fairy tale rd, the castle rd, the romantic road etc. Another friend Sally, had told me that she had done a similar trip with her partner Steve the year before.

My dad suggested as we were going through Switzerland to visit the ‘Falls’ on the Rhine at Schaffhausen. Then ride down the Swiss side of Lake Konstanz to stay for two nights in Landau. We found a nice little Pension called the ‘Seerose’ the owner almost dragged us in there! A ferry runs across the lake to various points which means you get a nice rest off the bike. We used the water taxi to go to Friedrichshafen and did some shopping, had lunch and visited the excellent Zeppelin museum.

After the short break we set off for Ludwig’s famous fairy tale castle near Fussen, not far from the annual BMW meet at Garmisch Partenkirchen. There are actually two castles there and unfortunately a lot of people lost their lives trying to build them.

Our final destination would be Lake Schliersee, about one hour south of Munich. We have time share points and decided to use them for a stay in the town. This is a lovely place on the lake with all year appeal and for us it was a good base for a week. There’s lots of choice for eating out and within walking distance, so ample opportunity to try out the local beers and wines.

From Schliersee we rode up to the mountain of Wendelstein, then took a cable car as far as we could to the top station, had a coffee and walked the trail a bit. We didn’t quite make it to the top at 1888 metres in our Daytona biking boots! Another day we took a walk around the town and lake, in fact we did that most evenings or used the pool.

There is also a rail line that serves the area called BOB or Bavarian Oberland Banhof. We discovered we could get a train into Munich then hop on an open top bus for a tour of the city. It was fantastic, with lots of sights to see. The Olympic Stadia, BMW museum and the surfers on the river! Two palaces, winter and summer, the breweries and lots more.

We used the bike to ride to the Austrian border, in that part of the world you are crossing borders all the time. The scenery is stunning and we actually ran out of time. There is so much to see and do in the area. The lakes are a strikingly surreal aqua blue.

All too soon it was time to think about leaving. We had planned to travel to Strasbourg and then on to Rheims where I had a room in a Holiday Inn Express with parking for the bike. It would be a reasonable two days. However as whenever we had big distances to cover it tended to rain. We decided if the weather was in our favour to ride directly back to Rheims and stay two nights and at least have a full day there, that’s about 800km or 500 miles two up with luggage. That’s enough for me. So that’s what we did.

We had a lovely two nights and day in Rheims followed by a short ride (160km) to the Chunnel, great I would recommend it anytime. We covered about 2500 miles in two weeks but if you don’t want to ride there and back you could always fly and hire a bike?

Make sure your bike and you are fit enough for any trip like this before you go and that your kit is up to it. If you start doing big miles small problems show up fast. Happy travelling.

* Trumpet is the co-editor of ‘Progress’ the club magazine for London Advanced Motorcyclists Check out the website: www.L-A-M.org

End of article, now go back to the index

[ Buy this issue of UBG online ]