Hi everyone! This is my first post here I found this site after reading 'Uneasy Rider'

So my friend his father and I had it all booked up to ride to the Nurbergring area for a week but now they've both pulled out at the last minute with various excuses.

I've only been riding for just under 2 years, I have a CB1000R which I've brought a little screen and luggage for and I'm buggered if I'm gonna chicken out of this even if I've never been abroad on a bike before!
Was thinking of getting to Calais and rather than do the same as planned maybe riding south down the coast but I'm not sure yet. Anyone got any ideas or fancy meeting up or traveling around?
I've got all the stickers and Hi Vis ect so all ok with that but any other advice or ideas would be very welcome.
Regards George.

Good on you George, go with it, you'll have a great time and nothing to worry about.

From Calais there's loads of amazing stuff if you head down the east side of France. Look up Route de Cretes and the Vosges mountains (stunning riding area). Personally I'd forget the coast and get into the Alps (look up Routes des Grandes Alps). You'll be laughing out loud in your helmet they the roads are so good.

Also look up www.bestbikingroads.com - good for link up roads when putting a route together.

If you want more specifics let us know how long you have (happy to share google maps you can look ar or download to your satnav/phone).

Cheers
Andy

Hi George, unfortunately your a few weeks ahead of me. I'm planning on doing the Black Forest once the weather improves & we could have joined up.
Done the Nurburgring a few times, great fun, addictive & expensive :-) l think it was €24 a lap last time I went a couple of years ago.
I'm very flexible on my time but I'm waiting till the weather shows some sign of being settled which probably means waiting till the end of the month/June.
Personally I wouldn't go on a wet Nurburgring (& watch out for those bloody cars;-) but the surrounding area is also excellent for riding.
Hope the weather improves for you if you head off on the 16th.

Cheers for the replies, I'm going on the Monday and the ferry back leaves Friday morning so I'm wondering how far to comfortably go. I'd love to get across to the French Alps but don't want to overstretch my self. The most I've done in a day so far is only about 250 miles. I'm happy to push on but still want time to just poddle about and explore.

Don't hesitate George. I rode from Calais all through Southern France going solo on my 955i Tiger, spent 4 days riding the Pyrenees (fantastic little roads!), continued South into Spain. Southern France and Pyrenees was my favorite bit.
If you get off the motorways and onto back roads ... simply amazing.


Lots to see & do if you do a bit of research. Perfect time weather wise and still too early for tourist season ... GO NOW ... very few tourists this year in France.

If you need riding gear, buy it in Andorra. Dozens of shops, great prices and selection. Tires there too and some good shops too.

Fantastic roads everywhere ... and I only saw central and southern France.
Did about 3 weeks there, another 3 in Spain/Portugal.

Good on you for carrying on. There is a lot less out there to be concerned about than your imagination will make you think there is. Bikes are far easier than cars in getting used to being on the wrong side.

Unfortunately I'm away while you're in the area or I'd offer to show you some of the Black Forest. It's well worth a visit, as are the Vosges mountains.

You are probably a bit too early for it to be worth slogging it into Switzerland and the high alps, so enjoy France and Germany, you'll have a great time.

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[ Tim | History - NW Italy/French Rivera, Swiss Alps, Morocco | 2016 - Greece > Albania > Macedonia > Kosovo > Montenegro > Bosnia > Slovenia > Austria ]

George


Take it from me, a 9 years lurker on this site. Go for it, head East to the Vosges and the Ardennes if you don't have much time. Don't let the lack of travelling companions hold you back. It is easier to think of reasons not to go than to go. Enjoy.

Great book that George I read it twice, both times decided to pack my bike and head off ! It has that effect on people you know.

Friends let you down............no surely not ? Trust me mate it aint the first time that's happened. I always offer out trips to mates to give them the option, 20 years on they're still finding excuses I either go alone or the wife comes, both are fab. France is a great place to cut your teeth on a motorcycle trip. Very bike aware and bike friendly. My advice, follow the weather forecast Follow the sun and take the small roads. Don't rush things and just enjoy. Motorways are great for getting some distance, but boring as hell and can be expensive with all tolls. I rarely ride at night, just nicer that way.
For Info:
RE: ferry if you don't know the drill for bikes. You will check in, be given a lane most often with any other bikes. You will all be loaded together to a designated bike area. Pull up where instructed between the two tie down points so your seat is in line with them, one either side. Leave it in gear, put side stand down. You will be given a ratchet strap ( or look for one hanging on the wall ) chuck the strap over your seat arranging the pad over your seat. Put hooks to both tie downs with the ratchet on the stand side and do it up tight enough to stop bike falling sideways. Ask if in doubt. If you have a motion type alarm turning it off is best. It might look slippery but isn't usually, just take care when boarding and disembarking in case of oil etc. Easy really just help to know in advance what happens.

If I wasn't so busy with work I would follow you across for a few days, need a fix as it will be a while before I can get away on the bike for any length of time.

You should have a great time I'm excited for you George, nothing more exciting than the first trip abroad on a bike. That was a while ago now for me but still get the blood flowing just thinking about it.

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Regards Tim

Learning my craft for the big stuff, it won't be long now and it's not that far anyway

Take a look at day 2 on this route.
https://goo.gl/maps/cBYetKZEJdN2

That's the Route des Cretes (ignore the road to the Esso meet and the bit after the Grand Balloon). A stunning day and the whole area round there is a biking paradise.

Stop in at Lille (first/last night, great city), have a night or day in Strasbourg (beautiful and interesting) and build your route around that using best biking roads.

If you have more time spend it south of there - lots of good roads, or dip into the Black Forest.

Easy for a Mon to Fri trip.

Maybe stretch, but if you have the legs to get that far, day 3 was my best ever biking day (i've done lots of trips and its a high bar).

Great replies here, really encouraging and greatly appreciated!
I already had Lille booked for the Monday and Thursday night so have kept those bookings. ☺
Both Colmar and Strasbourg look nice and looking at street view on Google maps the roads look fantastic around there to! All day to ride 370 ish miles from Lille to Colmar shouldn't be to bad should it?
Google maps is giving me two routes, either staying in France or into Belgium, Luxembourg then back into France.

The northern part of France is generally less interesting roads wise so, given your time budget, i'd be minded to knock off some of your 370 miles on the motorway. Not like UK motorways - higher speed limit and empty, you still get a sense of the scenery around (and can look around 'cause its less busy). On your 370 mile day, get up early knock off 250 in the morning using fast roads and then you can make your pm leisurely on roads you are enjoying. Very doable in a day.

I tend to plan days on time - every day has 4 shifts of 90 mins each, making a 6 hour riding day easy, or allowing me to decide i will ride some shifts and sight see or whatever on others. Leaves plenty if time for coffee, leisurely lunch etc. If up against it you can squeeze in a fifth shift making 7.5 hours of riding possible but that makes for a long day so that is never my norm.

I've used both the routes down and back (france and belgium), maybe do one down and the other back? If you do belgium an option would be to swap one of your nights from lille to ghent. Another absolutely lovely city.

We need a ride report when you get back!

So the big day is nearly here! Off to a bike shop in Norwich over the weekend to buy a puncture repair kit, nonslip mat for my givi luggage and a USB adaptor to charge my phone (any excuse to go shopping for bike bits
Pretty much decided to stay first and last night in Lille as already had hotels booked. Then as suggested start early Tuesday morning to reach Colmar which looks beautiful.
Wednesday will be my motorbike exploration day!
Then Thursday a different route back through France to Lille for the ferry home Friday morning.
Getting excited now, also slightly shitting myself lol but I'm thinking maybe Norway next...........

Thanks George.

The Col du Chat, sweet little run into Colmar, loads of great roads in the area, you will love it.
Welcome to France, by the way its an addiction, once you start you can't stop.

You haven't been let down, they have let themselves down.

Yep, head to the Vosges, via the Ardennes if you like; check out Monschau on the way.
You can cross Belgium comfortably in about 4 hours of riding, even though the Belge don't maintain their motorways to the same standard as the French.

Just about anywhere on the national borders tends to be interesting IMO.

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Dave

Ok so first off I'd like to thank all of you for your encouragement and advice!
What a fantastic trip! First day over on the ferry then to Lille where I stayed the night. Second day I rode through Belgium Luxembourg then down through Strasbourg to Colmar where I ended up staying in a hotel with a bunch of UK bikers! God there everywhere aren't they
I did stop a few times and what with accidents, road closures and sat nav mishaps I did nearly 400 miles which is my new personal best!
I've heard that the best way to become at one with your bike is to go for a long ride. Well when I got to the hotel I'm sure I had a Honda emblem inprinted in my backside!
Wednesday was a beautiful day riding in the mountains! Absolutely beautiful and the first time I've ever ridden my bike and suffered vertigo at the same time!
So many bikers around and all really friendly.
Thursday was the long ride back to Lille this time through northern france which was really nice to. For the first time there was rain but I kept on going through and was rewarded with sunshine the other side. As someone mentioned the roads are really good, and even my seat felt a little better now as well!
Got back to a hotel in Lille really hungry and tired so had a lovely meal and a couple of well deserved drinks, again meeting new people all the time. It seems that traveling on your own it's easier to meet people?
The friday was a short ride back to Calais to get the ferry home. With the nerve racking moment of. Shit I've got no petrol please let there be a filling station! And the grin inducing moment when you see the service station sign and know that all is well.
Met even more people on the ferry home, one of which I met again on a service station on the A11 on the way home!
A Brilliant time and I'm so very glad I went. So thanks again for all your encouragement!
Next time Noway I think......