My first piece of advice - relax; "you've nothing to fear but fear itself". It's so easy to let the worries overwhelm you and what should be a relaxing ride through a great part of the world becomes a flight from danger where the only place you feel safe is on the bike at 60mph.

Assuming you've got a reliable bike, riding down through France (probably the best route if you're heading for the west side of Italy) on a sunny day is one of life's great pleasures. I head down that way often (we have a rental flat in the French Alps about an hour from the Italian border) and over the years I've used a whole load of routes. They've all got good bits and bad bits but in general the southern half of France is more interesting than the northern half (in my opinion) - but of course you've got to get there first!

If you're going to be a bit apprehensive when you first get off the boat / tunnel it might be a good idea to do a few miles on the autoroute first. The A26 will get you to Reims in about 3hrs and by then you'll probably have got the hang of riding / overtaking etc on the right and how French service stations work. You'll have to pay for it (take a ticket at the "peage" about 20 miles out from Calais and pay when you come off). After that I'd suggest sticking to the regular (= free) roads.

From Reims I head for Epernay, Sezanne and down to Troyes. From there there's a great 100 mile ride via Chatillon sur Seine to Dijon. After Dijon you've got a choice of routes but the Route des Grands Crus (the wine route) along the valley of the Saone river is an easy cruise if you're not in a hurry. It's hard to get lost as you have the river and the autoroute over on your left.

Lyon is a city best avoided. It's got a great centre but it's easy to get lost on the outskirts so from Macon I head for Bourg en Bresse and then via the D1075 to Grenoble. As you approach Grenoble you'll see the mountains rearing up in front of you and Grenoble sits in a valley overlooked by the huge presence of the Vercors national park.

You can go right through Grenoble on a short section of (free) urban motorway and then take the N85 (junction 8!) towards Briancon. That's a great ride through the mountains in the summer months with no heart stopping edges to worry about - although if that's your forte there's a turn off to the Col de Galibiar (misspelt but I get an auto icon if I do it correctly) about half way along. At Briancon you're on top of the Italian border and about an hour from Turin.

Meeting people, especially when you don't speak the language, can be difficult. Make the effort though. Riding along just using automated fuel pumps, buying food from self checkouts in supermarkets and staying in credit card hotels (like Ibis Budget) is no way to see the country. Relax, accept you'll make a fool of yourself now and again and remember - ride on the right!

Temporaryescapee : thanks for your offer, I live in Blackpool actually, I'd be happy to chat any time, it's all a learning curve, and the advice really helps

Backofbeyond : those routes sound great, I've made a note of the route you suggest through the mountains, I feel sure that's the way I'll head, thanks so much for the route guidance

Paul

Hello when do you plan to ride to Italy, Paul 2129? What bike do you have for your trip?
I am in the northwest of England also.
I would like to go at the beginning of June and am finding this thread very useful.

What a beautiful summer shot, Backofbeyond

Hi folks, thanks for all of your replies. Well, the time I had booked off work was in one weeks time, unfortunately, pressures at work, and a few personal ones have left me in a dilemma. The fact that I feel I have little time to plan a carefully constructed route, and little time to pack and organise myself for the trip. Question is, do I shove things in my pannnier boxes, grab the map and sat nav, sit and make a few notes, download some info regarding hotels and campsites, write down a few towns I'd like to visit..... And hit the road ?

Fact is, I do love Italy, but that doesn't make me knowledgeable about it, and the excitement of the trip was Bourne out of the fact that I really don't know what I should expect will happen.

If I do the trip, I'll certainly post my experience of the forum here, I can guarantee it'll be an interesting read

Paul


P.S. To the gentleman who was asking about June, touring, keep in Touch, I can get plenty long weekends off work

Only you know where the balance lies and if there are pressures (of any sort) on you not to go you'll have to decide what takes priority. If you're going on your own though you should be certain you're happy with your own company, particularly if there are things left unresolved back in the UK.

If all of that isn't really an issue I wouldn't worry too much about planning. The difference between planning everything to the last detail and not planning anything at all is more one of philosophy and personality than anything. For the sort of trip you're looking at I'd consider the basics (will the bike break down, do I have a back up plan if I can't find a hotel (camping is easiest), do I have somewhere to aim for, a destination, in mind and, most importantly, what's the weather forecast for the journey out. May in France could go either way and it's not my favourite month in the mountains - still cold and snowy with most of the high passes still closed.

Serendipity counts for a lot and tends (for me anyway) to take over from planning once I get going. Take L.P. or similar with you, use it to get you started and then just do whatever turns up. You don't have to see everything at once and it's not so far you couldn't go back in the future.

If you do need to have a plan make sure it's your servant not your master. I've called off trips at literally an hours notice because one of the important elements changed and I've got others I want to do but haven't because I can't make the whole thing gell in my mind.

Amen.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - it comes to mind once again.

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Dave

Absolutely. One of my early trips was wing and a prayer style on a Honda CB72. Good karma (and Japanese engineering) got me there and back.

I really think you're over-thinking this...as long as your bike is ready and you have some kind of luggage set up, you're all set.

You're not going to Siberia, if you need something along the way, you can pick it up enroute, and you're not likely to get irretrievably lost in a place like France. Personally I prefer riding with a SatNav, but it is certainly not necessary, and the only other thing I'd really recommend is some kind of paper atlas or map that will allow you to choose routes which look interesting, and where to end up the next night. And there is no reason to do this in advance, I usually make my plan for the next day over at dinner, or sometimes over breakfast before I head out. I have ridden some awesome roads, and some horrible roads, and stayed in some amazing places I've never heard of, and some real dumps that others raved about. It's all part of the fun.

You generally won't have any problem finding places to stay without any reservations, but if you're really worried you can find something on TripAdvisor for the next night. If you're travelling at peak times or through really popular areas, try to stop fairly early, by 3-4 if you're worried about finding a room, because rooms fill up the later you go. Generally I don't reserve in advance because I never quite know when I'll want to stop. Sometimes I'm feeling great and could ride for hours, other times I'm exhausted and find a nice spot so I'd like to stop. For me little ruins a trip more than the feeling that I "have to be somewhere" by the evening, or the next day.

As an example, last summer I rode about 8000 kilometers from Moscow to Murmansk to Norkapp, down through Norway, to Sweden, caught a ferry across the Baltic to Lithuania, rode through the Baltics and then back to Moscow. The grand total of research/planning done before the trip:
1) I checked that there were places to stay at/near Nordkapp; and
2) I checked that there was a ferry from somewhere in Sweden to Lithuania.

Just get out there, you'll have fun!

Hi Paul,
Just reading your post, though I'm answering a little late, I'm exactly in the same predicament as yourself nervous about a trip on my own, let me just say if you need company to do a trip to Italy,I would love to join you if you ever decide to make that trip.
I'm originally from Blackpool myself, bispham to be exact now live in Nantwich. so let me know regards Nick.

Hi taking that route to Briancon end of September , have you any accommodation recommendations
Thanks Jez

Isn`t there a train from Holland to Italy that you can take the bike on ?


Seem to recall being told this at some time.

Hi backofbeyond, I have ridden to Tuscany (just outside of Pisa) a few years back but took quickest route by following my satnav. Planning another visit for 2019 and interested in using the more scenic toll free roads after Reims. Would appreciate any road numbers as the trip you describe looks pretty good. I intend to buy myself a map this weekend however; any road numbers would help. Thinking of camping along the way and would assume that there will be plenty sites throughout France?

Fill your boots with camp sites.
Very few municipal camp sites in France are poor quality.

List of Municipal Campsites in France

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Dave

2019 - You're planning ahead!

As Walkabout says France is stuffed full of municipal (= run by the town as opposed to private companies) campsites. I've stayed in a few of them over the years on the route down to the Alps that I outlined.

Starting in Reims, go over the Montagne de Reims (a slightly hilly area) on the D951. Campsite 1 is the municipal site at Epernay - on the banks of the Marne river. Stick with the 951 south to Sézanne and then the D373 towards Troyes.
I've never camped in Troyes (only used hotels) but about 10 miles east is a lake /park area, Foret d'Orient. There's a lot of campsites there but they're mainly commercial sites (= quite expensive) as the whole area is a kind of family holiday zone. I've stayed in 2 sites (can't remember the names) there over the years and regretted it each time.

From Troyes head south on the D671 towards Chatillon sur Seine and about 10 miles later turn right onto the D971 towards Dijon. There's municipal sites at Chatillon (not stayed there) and, further south, at St Seine l'Abbaye (v quiet small village). There's a municipal site in Dijon close to the lake and near the centre of the city that's one of my favourites but it's v popular and fills up early each day.

From Dijon you can either head south on the D974 (through the wine growing area) to Chalon sur Saone (a busy road and not that much fun) or, from Dijon, go slightly south east on the D996 towards Seurre and via a bit of twisting and turning to Louhans. There's a nice municipal site there behind the sports stadium and backing onto the river. It cost me €4 last time I was there. No food though and Louhans closes early.

From Louhans take the 996 towards Bourg en Bresse (through chicken land) and out south on the D1075. That'll take you all the way to Grenoble along (for part of the way) the valley of the Rhone river. There's quite a few sites along the river section from small municipal ones to huge Butlins type places (Vallée Bleue) but they're all too close to home for me.

Take the A48 (urban motorway) for a few miles through Grenoble (it's a nightmare otherwise) and leave at junction 8, the N85 to Vizille. Then take the D1091 along the Romanche valley to Briancon. There are a cluster of campsites near Bourg de Oisans (3 posh ones at the base of the hill to Alpe D'Huez). There was a landslide at the Lac du Chambon a few years ago that blocked the road and still (as of Jan when I was last down there) wasn't completely fixed but EU money should have done it by next year. Briancon is on the Italian border if that's where you're headed. Reims to Briancon is about 500 miles.

Oh, and ps. There are an increasing no of speed cameras on the route I outlined. If you see a sign that looks like a speed camera there will be one in the next mile or two. They're grey boxes at ground level as opposed to our yellow boxes on a pole.

To add:

I have camped at the municipal site that is owned by the city of Troyes.
It has a small cafe there which cooks reasonably priced, simple evening meals.
It is located adjacent to a canal and to the east of the city, from memory, and is easy enough to find - especially with a smart phone navigation database!
That was about 3 years ago - I don't imagine that it has changed much.

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Dave