1st Eurotrip - any tips? Dunkirk to Swiss Alps and back - 7 days

In two:thumb2

The simple pleasures in life; bread, cheese, fruit and a marvellous view :)

For some reason, whenever I manage the above it makes me think of this old song......

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Andres

Every time you stop? God, that must be soooooo fukkin annoying, that's really the last thing you want in ya heed when you've stopped at a nice peaceful beauty spot and opened your Marmite sarnies isn't it.
 
Nobody got routes for the bod?

Well, all my routes are on the RiDE website. But...

...especially when just going and drifting and stopping where you like, they should definitely be treated as suggestions rather than "thou shalt be here by then" commandments (even more than when putting a trip together using them to get from one pre-booked hotel to another).

The second-best bit of advice I would offer is: have a rough plan and then spend most of each day ignoring it. If you know where you want to end up, have a clear idea of the towns along the way and then follow a route (any route) as long as you're enjoying it; if you stop enjoying it, take a detour. As long as you keep in mind where you have to end up and those towns along the way, so you can more-or-less make up an alternative route there, and as long as you're having fun, that's all that matters. The whole point of having a flexible approach is to be able to be flexible. So don't worry about sticking rigidly to any route. Just ride and enjoy it.

But the best bit of advice is: have a very clear idea of how long it's going to take to get back for the return crossing to the UK (probably the time it's taken to get away from the port, minus about six hours because most people end up putting more motorway into the return journey, to get home fast). The only thing that constitutes a mistake when touring in Europe is turning around the night before you're due on the boat and discovering that you're still 1100 miles from Dunkirk with 22 hours to make the ferry. That is a mistake. Anything else is an adventure.

Okay, crashing, getting arrested, losing your passenger in a card game, etc. These might also be mistakes.

But in terms of navigation, neglecting to account/leave sufficient time for the return journey when heading off into the heartland of Europe is the only thing that's a mistake. And that's just common sense. If you have seven days, ride for three days and either then do a loop around your base on day four, then set off back for the port next morning, or ride for three and a half days, then turn to the north at some point after lunch on day four. Or possibly extend that by one day if you accept that you'll spend half the return journey on the motorway.
 
A day's thrash down the peage from Calais can get you to, or near Annecy. Loads of good roads round there without going into Switzerland, plenty of campsites, but they will be getting much busier now. You can ride the Route Napoleon from there, too. The day on the peage maximises the time in the fun bit and is worth the slog if you are time-limited.

Alternatively, head north to Scotland where they speak a form of English and wild camping is legal. The scenery is as good, as are the roads. It might make your first camping trip easier and give you time to plan a europe trip for next time.
 
I often make Annecy my first nights stop ..... :thumb2
 
I have a good practical tip ... :)

Take a cheap pocket knife like an opinel. Go and buy some sort of an easy to carry coffee brew kit. (that'll be a thread in itself!).


In the morning, when you get gas at the local supermarche, buy yourself a packed lunch. Fresh bread, sausage, cheese, choccy bar, water to boil for coffee etc etc.

One of the great joys of travelling as you are (no plan ... just drift ... ), is seeing the perfect lunch spot at the side of the road and just doing it. No parking in the centre ville, worrying about the security of your kit, coming off route for an hour trying to find lunch etc etc.

Lunch time pic-nic with fresh bread, and fresh coffee. Perfect. :beerjug:







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Was the second photo the place where Rosy got covered in dog shit ?
 



I think she's actually sitting in it in this one but hasn't realised yet ..... :D :D
 
D roads in France are good, but this month France is bringing in a blanket 80KPH limits on roads apart from motorways and some other( duals?) larger roads. Maximum of around 250 miles a day on D roads for me, I like to set up camp at around 4, then find out somewhere to eat.

Many tiny French villages towns have municipal campsites, can be very basic, but will have showers and loos, dirt cheap located on/ near local amenity space. Down load an app called Archie’s, look for campsites in your area and look for the word municipal.

Don’t try and race the locals through the passes, if you are tacking a “big name” pass, remember they get very crowded with all sorts of traffic, especially at weekends, so better tackled early in the day


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1st Eurotrip - any tips?

Good advice from Simon W.

You have a week, Dunkirk > Swiss Alps > Dunkirk. you want to camp and you want cool roads.

I pumped Dunkirk to Andermatt (I had to chose somewhere) into Kurviger’s excellent route creator. I set the preferences to avoiding tolls, motorways and narrow / unmade roads. The route offered up is pretty good but it’s 600 miles. That will take you, I’d guess, a day and a half to two days, not least as you are new to this touring malarkey. The same back. That’s three or four days gone out of your seven; not a disaster by any means.

I suggest you do the same, as it will give you a pretty good start at imagining the distances from A to B. Not least it’ll show you the direction of travel you’ll need to take.

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Even ‘experienced’ Alpinist riders like Rasher, suggest taking a day and a half to the Swiss Alps and he makes use of the motorway.

Would I bother camping overnight on the way down and up again? No. Conserve your time and energy, find a cheap hotel.

Look at the Swiss Tourist Office thread, it brings together just about all there is.

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showth...ce-Michelin-Louis-KurvenKoenig-etc-GPX-routes

Do some research. It’s fun, it’s free and they can’t touch you for it.
 
Never quite understood the obsession with dashing to the Alps. Riding past other regions with as good, and uncrowned, unpoliced, roads seems daft.

My main tip would be familiarise yourself with priorite a droite and keep it in mind all the time
 
I often make Annecy my first nights stop ..... :thumb2
Annecy or Albertville is usually my second night stop, but I do live c.650 miles further north than you.


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Annecy or Albertville is usually my second night stop, but I do live c.650 miles further north than you.


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Ha ha .... On a good day I can do the tunnel in 15 mins .... :D
 
edit ....

Which is why I always go south. I have done Scotland once, and it was beautiful. I should go again - never been to Ireland either !

But in the time it takes me to get to the Scottish border I can be in Annecy ... :thumb2
 
Thanks a lot for all the really useful tips so far everyone! I'm really looking forward to this trip and I'm sure I'll have some more questions to fire at you before the trip starts! ;) ;)

Maybe I'll even bump into (not literally mind) some of you on my travels :)

Rob

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