Bear with me !

Spud

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Heading off to visit a friend in Barga Italy on the old 1150 ....
Decided to go down towards Metz, across to Black Forest, Into Switzerland to do the Furka, Grimsel etc passes. Not really thought about it too much, onward from there.
I only intend to stay a couple of days or so around Barga, so......

Is it within reasonable travelling time/distance to fit in the Grossglockner and Stelvio within the same trip ?
I have 18 actual riding days between the ferry bookings ....
Any thoughts ?
 
Frankly, if I had a bear with me I'd just do whatever he wanted. The last thing you need on those twisties is a pissed off pillion, and that's never more true than when you have a bear with you!
 
Frankly, if I had a bear with me I'd just do whatever he wanted. The last thing you need on those twisties is a pissed off pillion, and that's never more true than when you have a bear with you!

Hadn't noticed that! Damn autocorrect ��
 
If it's the Sheffieldshiresville bear going keep him well fed or he gets very grumpy :D
 
Don't forget to have a look at the RiDE guide to Italy, which may well give you some excellent ideas. Whilst you are in their webpages, have a look at anything you can see that has to do with the Alps and / or anything that looks like it might help you. There's not a bad (but as yet small) Italian section here in UKGSer, too.
 
I have 18 actual riding days between the ferry bookings ....

Assuming you are getting a ferry to Europe then yes, plenty of time.

Get "Motorcycle Journeys through the Alps and Beyond", check out all the Ride Routes, or look up all of my Alps trip reviews.

The book has lots of good advice and routes, although written in an odd style, and the route directions are a bit naff and the maps even worse, but it certainly gives a lot of ideas broken down by region.

18 days - say 4 for the less interesting bits to and from the ports leaves 14 days of riding, so after going over Grimsel and Furka you could go down the Julier (or Albula) / Bernina and then back up Gavia to Bormio in a day. Then over the Stelvio and onto the Dolomites and spend a day there, then onto Austria and a day to check out the Grossglochner then come back across the Dolomites to get to Como - that is about 7 of your 14 days.

Probably got enough time to get down to the South of France and come back up along Route des Grand Alpes and / or get over to the Mont Blanc area and ride the 7 pass loop around Mont Blanc.

Personally I would pick a few places to stop for 2-3 nights and have some easy days out looping around passes rather than pack up and move on 13 or 14 times, but depends on your preference, I know some folk who rather just keep moving, and this would allow you to cover a huge amount of ground, but if I was me I would probably stop at these spots to cover the passes you list (plus many more)

Andermatt for the figure 8 loop

Livigno for Stelvio / Albula / Gavia / Fluella / Splugen

Arabba for the twenty or so Dolomite passes you can easily reach from the one spot

Zell Am See - For Grossglockner

The book has ride outs for all of these areas, plus you can work bits of other routes into your "transit days"
 
Assuming you are getting a ferry to Europe then yes, plenty of time.

Get "Motorcycle Journeys through the Alps and Beyond", check out all the Ride Routes, or look up all of my Alps trip reviews.

The book has lots of good advice and routes, although written in an odd style, and the route directions are a bit naff and the maps even worse, but it certainly gives a lot of ideas broken down by region.

18 days - say 4 for the less interesting bits to and from the ports leaves 14 days of riding, so after going over Grimsel and Furka you could go down the Julier (or Albula) / Bernina and then back up Gavia to Bormio in a day. Then over the Stelvio and onto the Dolomites and spend a day there, then onto Austria and a day to check out the Grossglochner then come back across the Dolomites to get to Como - that is about 7 of your 14 days.

Probably got enough time to get down to the South of France and come back up along Route des Grand Alpes and / or get over to the Mont Blanc area and ride the 7 pass loop around Mont Blanc.

Personally I would pick a few places to stop for 2-3 nights and have some easy days out looping around passes rather than pack up and move on 13 or 14 times, but depends on your preference, I know some folk who rather just keep moving, and this would allow you to cover a huge amount of ground, but if I was me I would probably stop at these spots to cover the passes you list (plus many more)

Andermatt for the figure 8 loop

Livigno for Stelvio / Albula / Gavia / Fluella / Splugen

Arabba for the twenty or so Dolomite passes you can easily reach from the one spot

Zell Am See - For Grossglockner

The book has ride outs for all of these areas, plus you can work bits of other routes into your "transit days"

Great information, Thanks for that. I did Route des Grande Alps last year, but hadn't thought of coming back that way !! :thumb2
 
I would also suggest you either find accommodation on the move or book as you go by using booking.com (other booking sites are available - but I find this one good for Europe)

If I have a long day ahead I will book somewhere to save time searching for a Hotel (I start looking quite early - 4:00pm ish for a nice gaff with a "Zimmer Frei" sign) it is easy to book the next days Hotel from the one you are currently in.

Booking as you go / searching for accommodation as you travel gives a lot more flexibility, for example if you rock up to the Grossglockner and the weather is crap that day, but forecast great for the following day you can just hand on an extra night without having to alter the next 15 days bookings.

Best to make a plan - but be prepared to deviate from it, harder to do on a weeks trip, but your epic adventure gives you the flexibility to make it up as you go along.
 
I would also suggest you either find accommodation on the move or book as you go by using booking.com (other booking sites are available - but I find this one good for Europe)

If I have a long day ahead I will book somewhere to save time searching for a Hotel (I start looking quite early - 4:00pm ish for a nice gaff with a "Zimmer Frei" sign) it is easy to book the next days Hotel from the one you are currently in.

Booking as you go / searching for accommodation as you travel gives a lot more flexibility, for example if you rock up to the Grossglockner and the weather is crap that day, but forecast great for the following day you can just hand on an extra night without having to alter the next 15 days bookings.

Best to make a plan - but be prepared to deviate from it, harder to do on a weeks trip, but your epic adventure gives you the flexibility to make it up as you go along.

Thank you. I'm taking a tent, but no averse to an odd night of luxury along the way....
My plans have changed a little in the last hour or so, with no need to go to Barga, so totally flexible now within the 18 days ! :rolleyes:
 
My plans have changed a little in the last hour or so, with no need to go to Barga, so totally flexible now within the 18 days ! :rolleyes:

I'd suggest that that is not a 'Little change' but rather a significant one.

You have removed your end target destination. In doing so, you have significantly altered your entire plans and possible alternative possibilities. I'd start a new thread if I were you....

:beerjug:
 
I'd suggest that that is not a 'Little change' but rather a significant one.

You have removed your end target destination. In doing so, you have significantly altered your entire plans and possible alternative possibilities. I'd start a new thread if I were you....

:beerjug:

+1 :thumb2

There are so many options here, you can easily spend 18 days riding purely in the Alps barely touching any busy roads and tick well over 50 passes off your bagging list....

....but it is also long enough to do so many other things such as include the Ardennes, Luxembourg, Black Forest, Vercors, Vosges, Pyrenees into the trip, maybe the new thread should be "what would you do with 18 days to ride?"
 
+1 :thumb2

There are so many options here, you can easily spend 18 days riding purely in the Alps barely touching any busy roads and tick well over 50 passes off your bagging list....

....but it is also long enough to do so many other things such as include the Ardennes, Luxembourg, Black Forest, Vercors, Vosges, Pyrenees into the trip, maybe the new thread should be "what would you do with 18 days to ride?"

I'm not sure I'd dare !!! :D

Did Combe Laval last year on the way back up Route Napolean, amazing area.
I'm picking my way through "The Alps and Beyond" again :augie
 


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