After following Dave on his desmo on gravel roads and hairpins and eventually at best a byway, I can confirm he had a sense of humour lol
This was the plan I proposed in 2014: Friday 22 August - tunnel 10am, ride (free) motorways via Dunkerque - Lille - Tournai - Mons - Charleroi - Namur - Huy. From Huy on local road 66 to Stavelot, then Malmedy - Stadtkyll - Kelberg - Cochem. Stay in hotel in Cochem 3 nights (Hotel Karl Noss). Saturday 23 August - tour the Hunsruck, ferry boat across the Rhine, around the Taunus, Nassau, motorway A48 from Koblenz back to Cochem. Sunday 24 August - up to the Nurburgring, laps of the Nordschleife if desired, tour the Eifel. Monday 25 August - Cochem local roads to Daun - Gerolstein - Prum - Clervaux - Bastogne - Marche-en-Famenne - Namur. Then motorway via Lille - Dunkerque - Calais and tunnel home. It worked out quite well, apart from the odd wrong turning (my fault) and a spell of heavy rain (not my fault). How about attempting a reprise in April 2019?
I did Cochem last year with my wife in a car as part of a bigger trip , its a great place with just enough for a few different meals and drinks each evening. Local roads are marvellous too. Its a fair old one day journey with trip this side too, but I am up for that plan . Selfishly I am only 90 mins from Tunnel.
I’ve done Cochem and the Ring twice since our last trip @Pete1950 so I don’t think it would be my first choice but I’ll hapily go with the majority choice once we have all options on the table. I’ll create a poll on the options so we can hopefully get down to a shortlist in the next couple of days. In the meantime any additional thoughts on options already tabled, or others, are welcomed
I don’t do ferries, but...how about Pompey to or harve or whichever is the more south port? Play around southern France then home?
If you want the south west of France, then Portsmouth to Caen is best. One ride gets me to the Dordogne.
Yeo that’s it. Done the route a few times for camping hols years ago. Closer than Chunnel for me and Dave
Bout the same distance to either for me... so not fused if that's the shout ... or keen on a UK gig... be nice to nail something down sooner rather than later though as I need to budget/let work know
If you end up South East, I'd be happy to meet up and could even plan a couple of routes local to here. (Cote d'azur/Aix/Verdon) Bloody good roads!
Quick comparison: Ferry Dieppe, Cherbourg, Le Harve all about £130 plus return 4-9hrs crossings (Poole, Portsmouth) Chunnel £88 return (but another tank of fuel for me lol)
There is a fast ferry from Portsmouth to Cherbourg, but then you have the boring drive down to Caen before you head into France.
Personally I do not know if I can do this as yet but my take on it is 4-5 days is not long, as bradders mentioned very busy travel period possibly, I’ll also throw in the weather that can stuff boats up and cause disruption, indeed even the tunnel can go pear shaped, I just think mid April stay close to home hopefully dry roads plenty pubs plenty to see even if you live relatively close, can I also throw in the 29th of March? Nobody knows what is going to happen, stay local, down south, job done....only my opinion but simple can be very enjoyable.
