My plan is a 12-day trip, setting off from London on Friday 15 June, tunnel, get to about Dijon (day 1). Day 2 'Route Napoleon' Grenoble-Cannes. Day 3 relaxing in Cannes. Mon - Tue - Wed (day 4-5-6) touring Tuscany (Lucca, Pisa, Siena etc). Thurs to Sun (day 7 - 10) staying at hotel in San Marino & going to WDW stuff in Cattolica, Misano, Riccione, Rimini. Monday to the Alps, Tuesday 26 June to Calais and home. Does any of this coincide with plans of other WDW-goers, by chance?
Not quite, my route is Stanstead to Rimini 19th to 26th staying in Rimini, would much rather do your route though but the 748 only has a mono seat. The wife wants to go as well. Steve
My plan is more of a back to front version of yours - shorter journey down, longer journey (involving Route Napoleon) on the way back.
Here's I Famosi Quattros... basic itinerary.... Day 1 Various parts of UK to Calais via Chunnel.... Day 2 Calais to Vosge Mountains / Alsace Day 3 Swiss Alpine Playtime to St Morritz and down to Piacenza Day 4 Bologna / Imola / Mugello via Futa Pass Day 5 Scarapia Pass and National Forest to San Marino 4 Days at WDW 2 Days Home via Val D'Aosta, Chamonix, Dijon, Calais, UK
Route des Grand Alpes (Menton to Lake Geneva) is much better than Route Napoleon.....:wink: and Menton is much closer to Italy.
Heading off tomorrow morning (Friday). Looks as if it will be bucketing down and blowing a gale. New Michelin PR3 tyres fitted today; let's see if they are as good as people say. Handy East London bike tyre specialists are Essential Rubber of Bow, London E3 (Blackwall Tunnel Northern approach road): http://www.essentialrubbertyres.co.uk/ I have found them very helpful, obliging and professional.
Am writing this from Cannes, so I got here. After torrential rain all night, it stopped just before I set off, so I have not ridden in any rain at all. So no trying out the PR3s in the wet yet. The Tunnel terminal was in chaos, lots of trains cancelled, long delays. Eventually got to Calais 1.5 hours later than intended. Wished I'd taken the ferry, as I usually do. I like to get all the flat boring bits of France out of the way on day 1, so I got to Poligny (near Dijon) which is the last "flat" town before the Jura Mts start. Hotel de Paris is a simple, slightly old-fashioned family run hotel; proprietor is a biker himself and very friendly & obliging, so I usually stay there. Day 2 (Saturday) was taken up with (a) run of about 200 miles through the Jura Mountains to Grenoble, lots of fabulous twisty roads many with very little traffic, good surfaces, superb scenery. Followed by (b) another 200 miles or so from Grenoble to Cannes along the Route Napoleon (the old N85), likewise lots of twisty sections, high-speed bits, etc. and even more spectacular scenery. I am pretty tired and need a day off to recover!
Hi Pete, Glad to hear your trip is so far so good. I'm all packed and ready to go. You mention Chunnel trouble and wish you'd gone by ferry. I'm booked on the ferry - if it's any consolation, I received an e-mail from P&O yesterday "On Monday 18 June sea-mine clearance operations by French Bomb Disposal teams require that the shipping area near Calais port is clear of vessels between the hours of 10:00 and 11:40 (French time). As a result of this your crossing with P&O Ferries may be delayed"!
After Sunday resting in Cannes and meeting up with relatives, rode to Lucca on Monday. Took the fabulous corniche road via Antibes, Nice (not very nice, really), Monaco, Genoa. Tuesday spent a day sightseeing in Lucca and Pisa, then Wednesday riding about 200 miles of twisties via San Gimignano and the "Chianti-shire" area. Very picturesque, not much traffic, very hot (35 deg in the shade). Have now got as far as San Marino (10 miles or so from Misano). Glad of air-conditoned hotel room and chilled drinks. WDW starts tomorrow.
Have a good time you lucky lot! If it's any help, I spend a lot of time at the tunnel and delays are pretty rare. I know the other friday they had some illegal immigrants in the tunnel and had to stop the trains for a while causing delays.
There will be lots of reports about WDW elsewhere, so just to say briefly it's massive. Very hot & sunny. Loads & loads of Ducs everywhere, and from everywhere. Checa has been testing next year's WSB Panigale on the track - a lot of work to get done by next March, apparently. I happened to run into Paul Smart today and we had a long illuminating chat, one to one. Great guy, really sharp. I felt privileged. I've never really been one for collecting autographs, and I only had two - Barry Sheene and Mike Hailwood. Now I have three and don't need any more.
Ha-ha. Yes sure Stoner can be a possible GOAT - after he has won 6 more world championships, retired for 10 years then come back to win again. By the way, tomorrow (24/06) I plan to ride from San Marino to Milan or maybe Chiasso/Lugano. Monday I shall tour Switzerland ending up maybe Bern or Lausanne - not decided route yet. Tuesday into France and through the north Jura and Vosges hopefully to Metz. Wednesday plain sailing to Calais and London. I shall then need a holiday to recover from the holiday.
They are both great, and enjoying their Mediterranean cruise (except for a touch of nonovirus, which soon passed). On a cruise ship apparently there's lots of food and relaxation, but not much excitement.
Great to see you, Glidd, and so good of you to invite me over to visit you. It was a pleasure to see your beautiful traditional Swiss home, your extensive garden, your 999, and your lovely wife. The experience of visiting a foreign country is always much enhanced if the natives (or adopted residents) invite one into their homes. Thanks again for the dinner.
