Hi all
I'm in planning mode for my annual Euro trip and looking for some ideas - so if you have any expereinces, suggestions or 'must see/do's' please feel free to let us know. Here is an outline plan:

Barcelona - Pyreneese (HUBB Mountain Madness and a !) - Marseille - Nice - Monaco - Genova - Milan - Lake Como (M.Guzzi) - Zurich - Germany (heading north to Hamburg) - Copenhagen - Esbjerg (ferry) - Harwich - Cambridge - Northhampton - Cardiff - Aberystwyth - Angelsey - Dublin - Kildare - Cork (ferry) - Roscoff - Brest - Nantes (then south) - Bayonne - Pamplona - Jaca - Barcelona


I'm particularly intersted in suggestions for routes up through Germany (generally avoiding motorways) as I've only been once before, so still have lots to see. And for my route back down through France, which I've now done loads of times, so interested in any ideas of things I might have missed.

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Pat
www.patonabike.blogspot.com

I can only advise on the ireland stretch of the journey,but dublin-kildare-cork
will be a waste of a trip,nothing much to see.I'd suggest dublin-galway-clare-kerry-cork(following the coast as much as possible) if time is not an issue.
Enjoy.

I'll contribute a suggested route from Cambridge area to Anglesey. It avoids motorways at all costs and takes you across the Cotswolds, the Black Mountains then up through the centre of Wales - some great riding and wonderful roads.

It's on a Google Map here... UK Itinerary Ideas - Google Maps Don't forget there is Streetmap for 99.9% of the UK now, so you'll be able to take sneak peeks along the route.

Drop me a line if you'd like it as a Garmin GPX file.

In Germany around Lake Konstance to Lindua head east route 308 to Fussen (fairy tale castle in the clouds konnigschloss ) , and north east through Bavaria east of Munchen, and look up the Romantic road route heading North this gives lots of nice places all along the route (route 85 from schonberg up past Weiden is nice and then the over to the Hartz mountains area is excellent - or go east to Dresden the jewel in Germanys crown - (Potsdam south west of Berlin is also a nice place for a stop off depending on what you like) keep heading north to the sea and the islands of Rugen (ferry to Sweden available) and the isle of Hiddensee are pretty places from there your not so far of Rostock where you could also jump a ferry to take you to the base of Sweden this route avoids the main industrial areas in Central belt of Germany, If you feel like staying West it is more busy but you have the Rhineland areas and Mosel all very stunning but from there on up its pretty much built up with industrial areas till you get up towards Northern Germany. Dont plan too much just go with what feels right I am sure it always works out better that way. Have a nice one. Copenhagen is very nice also. The venice of the north !. I have found some of the old eastern block towns and cities of the former DDR can be really nice as they have been retained as they were in history and were not so affected by allied bombing in the war (Dresden did but has been rebuilt well) they are not so much visited as western Germany - I have found the people very friendly there and never suffered any problems or crime - as some will state its full of crime and problems. I found excellent roads lower prices wonderful brewery pubs and charming villages.

How much time do you have Pat?

Cheers all - some really useful info - and please keep it coming. I'll probably be taking a long week (eg Friday to following Sunday) to do the route up to the UK. Then I'll be stopping off for a spot of work (shame!). Then back via Ireland / France in a 'short' week (around 4/5 days). Though I am open to influence!

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Pat
www.patonabike.blogspot.com

Pat seems to me your time and distance /destination targets are maybe a bit more than can be managed in the week or two you have put aside unless you want to ride all day everyday and stick to some motorways which means your journey has no point. I would Lower your sights a bit and take on a much smaller route and enjoy it by stopping off here and there using back roads and seeing the countries your passing through. Germany alone is a minimum of a weeks riding if you want to see any of it rather than just pass through it. Whatever you choose try to enjoy it not make it an endurance test.

Agreed on both posts jake,

Dont rush around europe, a few easy days, just relax and sightsee. Constant day in, day out riding can lead to complacency and then mileometer watching to the next destination.

Germany is a great place to sightsee, the old main roads and the routes jake suggested are really rewarding, but hard work to rush.

have fun whatever you do.

PS, hope the back is getting better Jake

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Harley Davidsons,
The most effective way of turning petrol into noise without the side-effect of horsepower

Not sure on the type of route you wish to take from Harwich to Cambridge, but if u want to miss the A14 & take a senic route have a look at some of the routies i have put up on BestBikingRoads Motorcycle Touring Motorcycle Routes Motorcycle & you can d/l routes to twat nav
or PM me I live near Harwich might me able to help u out when u get here as u have not said when

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We are the Pilgrims, Master, we shall go Always a little further: it may be beyond that last blue mountain barred with snow, Across that angry or that glimmering sea.

Not touting for business, but if you take a look at our website Mosel Valley Bike Tours it'll give you an idea of riding and sightseeeing in the Mosel Valley in Germany. Having ridden the roads from here on the Mosel to Sweden on numerous occassions, I'd have to agree with the point about maybe thinking about lower mileage. The route from here to Hamburg then on to Denmark is a LONG way, even by boring autobahn. If you decide to go that far north by smaller, more interesting roads, it's a LONG, LONG way!!

My advice would be to linger round the fantastic roads of the Rhein and Mosel, then ride the Eifel area and the Ardennes close to the borders with France and Belgium, then take a ferry to the UK from somewhere up the west coast (lots of choice). Frankly, the route to Northern Germany and through Denmark is, IMHO, boring, whichever way you go. far better I'd say, to ride the fantastic roads between the Mosel and the areas I've suggested. There's loads to do and see - river boat trips, ww2 stuff, castles, Neurburgring, and all that German and Belgian !

If you want specific suggestions or need a place to stay, drop me a p.m.

Yes, I agree at at 100%.

Rode the area last year and it was awesome!

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Nick and his 2010 Yamaha XT1200Z Super Ténéré

Thanks again for the info - this site is soooo cool!

You may have guessed that I'm kind of stuck between trying to enjoy a great trip, and other committments. I have to fly quite a bit around Europe, so a couple or three times a year I treat myself by doing it by bike. But that does mean I am more limited by time and destinations etc. I know that does mean racking up the kms, which is not ideal (eg. I've had to do north of Spain to north of France in a day before now - though wouldn't recommend it), but that's the price I happily pay for taking the bike.

Adventure950, JoeC90 and Owld Grey seem to agree that there are two main options north through Germany - west side, a great ride following Rhine etc (then a more boring bit to the north towards Denmark). And east side, which should give me interest along the whole route. That's really useful, as it gives me two options which I can use depending on whether I end up with a meeting in Mannheim or Munchen. I can then keep the other route in mind for next time (as I'm sure there will be!).

Thanks also to RobRoy and Selous for the info crossing England - I'll have a close look at that before heading off.

Fledermaus - grateful for your views about central Ireland. I've done the east and west (and south) coasts - but was concerned that I was missing something. I'd love to see Galway again (first and last time was for the races, so didn't get to see much of the town, well not that I can remember anyway!). That will probably mean from there to Cork in a day - but hey ho!

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Pat
www.patonabike.blogspot.com