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Food for thought... a week in Germany. 6/9/15 - 12/9/15


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The Eifel region/Luxembourg and more likely than not - the Nurburgring.


Ive done this twice now.. in 2012 and 2013. this year we went to the Black Forest for a change.. but the consensus was that for many reasons the Eifel was better. Not least because its a fair bit closer. and a LOT cheaper.


So.. the plan.


Saturday 5th assemble at Ashford. staying that night at the Travelodge.

Sunday 6th - take a fairly early crossing using the Tunnel arriving in France at around 10:30

Ride across to the base.. in the small town of Neuerburg, close to the Luxembourg border. which is handy for cheap petrol.

Monday - Friday. either join me on my daily rides or do your own thing. On at least one day we'll finish up at the 'Ring and any who fancy can try a lap. Then make a bee line back to the hotel.

Saturday 12th - after breakfast ride back to calais and through the tunnel and home.


The ride across is very relaxed.. as you can imagine, at the weekend traffic is fairly light. rest stops are dictated by the person with the smallest fuel range.. so if you have a bike that does 100 to the tank, don't worry. we can stop every 40 miles if necessary.. theres no rush. we have virtually all day. if you're not used to distance riding then frequent stops will probably suit you.. Im not going to worry about that. stops can be 10-20 minutes. lunch.. at about 1:30. for an hour.

From Calais its 190 miles of motorway.. then the last leg across country.


The Eifel is a low mountain range.. cut by rivers. The Moselle being the main one.. in the east its bordered by the Rhine. For an idea of the terrain think Mid Wales but on a much larger scale. The roads are generally excellent as you would expect in Germany, They're just as good in Luxembourg.. A bit more hit and miss in Belgium... but still worth an explore.


because of the dates.. this is a normal working week with the kids back at school. so very few tourists.. in fact the whole region will be very quiet during the day. No caravan wagon trains.. or mass groups of cyclists. or 'walkers' jumping out from behind hedges to spoil the fun. A very low police presence.. no speed traps to worry about or anything of the problems we have to deal with here in the UK. The standard of driving over there is much higher than here. drivers tend to be courteous and will mostly move out of the way.. or allow bikers to pass before turning onto the same road.


The hotel I stay at is excellent. we stay in a separate guest house.. large airy rooms with balcony and en suite. behind the main hotel on a very quiet side street. about a half mile from the centre of the town. (actually more of a large village)


half board.. so no worry about finding evening meals. the only added expense is lunch.. morning and afternoon coffee breaks. and drinks in the evening. the hotel has a bar.. theres also a nice very friendly bar in the village proper.. about a 10 minute walk away. The breakfast is more than ample.. typically german.


so.. how much does it all cost?


to make life simple I'll do it in english pounds.


Travelodge. £40. rooms can be shared.. ideally between 2.

Tunnel. £60.

Hotel £150 - half board and including single supplement.


so.. thats £250 so far.


Add on lunch.. and 'snacks' - say £15 per day.


Plus any bar bill.. or drinks in the bar in the village.


And finally.. petrol. As you can imagine this is the largest single expense of all. From Ashford to the Hotel is 270 miles. so.. thats a 540 mile round trip. My daily rides tend to be fairly relaxed.. I'm not one for 'endurance' riding when on a holiday like this.. a maximum would be 200 miles. maybe a bit more.. if any hardy souls want to see more. but 200 miles is about right.

I prefer to fill up with fuel in luxembourg as much as possible.. its like 20p a litre cheaper there. Petrol in Germany is about the same price as here.. give or take a penny. but.. its no huge sacrifice popping into luxembourg on the way back from the daily rides to fill up. or indeed heading that way first thing. Though obviously there will be times when this isn't appropriate.


lastly.. this is self organised. I don't want a penny from anyone. its up to YOU to book the room a the travelodge. same goes for the Chunnel. The hotel in germany doesn't ask for any deposit.. they're very laid back. at this time of year they tend to be under occupied, so no deposit.


Im most keen on encouraging new riders in particular.. those of you who have never ridden abroad before - but fancy it. Also those of you who in normal day to day life have no biker friends to ride with.. I know there are always people in that boat on forums like this. Its a fairly gentle and unstressed week away.. in quite stunning countryside with roads we can only dream of here in the UK. I don't go there to speed at every opportunity, I go to have a good time.. doing what I can't do here.. ride for pleasure every day for a week.


So.. just putting this out there. Its a long way off... but i know some people need this kind of lead time with work. other details and so on can easily be added as time passes. 'bookings' and so on don't need to be done any time soon.. I tend to book the Tunnel and Travelodge in the new year. then fire off an email to the hotel in germany to secure my room. then its just a matter of saving up the cash for the week itself.


I think 5 bikes from this forum is about right.. there will most likely be another 4 bikes and me. so 10 of us altogether. but thats not 'set in stone' amy experienced riders are more than welcome.. come with us and do your own thing. join in as little or as much as you want. As for me.. i'll mostly be in 'bimble' mode.. there to 'ooh and aah' and generally have an enjoyable and relaxed week away from our crammed little island.


so.. have a think about it. you have plenty of time.


Tony.


A few photos taken on the last two trips.


http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w40/motobiker/P1000183.jpg~original


http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w40/motobiker/P1000181.jpg~original


http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w40/motobiker/IMG_1438_zps6d1b4c0b.jpg~original


http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w40/motobiker/IMG_1414_zpsbb4d5d42.jpg~original

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Dover to Ostend on the boat, ( come to think about it is there any other way to make that crossing. :D )


With a cheap over night in Dover. Early start. Will get you a good way in to your journey. I don't like the tunnel. But a lot of people do. I'll keep my eye on this. If I do go, I will be looking for a share room.

John933

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Dover to Ostend on the boat, ( come to think about it is there any other way to make that crossing. :D )


With a cheap over night in Dover. Early start. Will get you a good way in to your journey. I don't like the tunnel. But a lot of people do. I'll keep my eye on this. If I do go, I will be looking for a share room.

John933

 

I don't think you can go from Dover to Ostend. certainly a quick scan turns up nothing. but even if it were possible.. the ferry, any ferry is out of the question. there are reasons for this... all good ones.


1. its FAST. 35 minutes.

2. its convenient.

3. its highly unlikely to be cancelled.

4. if we miss our designated crossing.. then they just put us on the next one.

5. no running the gauntlet of the masses of 'illegals' that hang out on the approach roads to calais. They are nowhere to be seen anywhere near the tunnel.

6. Its by far the least intimidating way to get to france for any biker worried about riding on the right.. its impossible to go wrong.

7. you're outvoted. The ferry has been mooted in the past and nobody wants to use it.

8. Going from Ostend (even if possible) only saves 54 miles.. and probably adds a couple of hours to the overall journey.


however.. its not 'all about me' if anyone wants to cross by ferry then thats easily sorted.. meeting up en route is fairly simple.

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this actually looks like a bloody decent trip... will get the better half to take a look :)....but if we're both in that's 2 of your 5 bikes lol :P

 

I've said 10.. because thats a manageable number.. for ME. and the daily rides I do. but.. if you or anyone else wanted to tag along.. have someone 'get you there' as it were.. then every day or some days.. go off and do your own thing then thats absolutely fine.


With more than 10 my biggest worry is things like lunch.. its easy to find somewhere that can seat 10. (or less). higher numbers and it 'might' be problematic. The whole thing aside from the organising - the there and back. plus the hotel. The rest of it.. is pretty much made up as we go along. there are loads of routes to ride.. really a LOT. given the position of our base.. it puts not only the Eifel. but bits of Northern France. Luxembourg and Belgium all within easy reach.


heres one of my favourite 'biker' route maps. with Neuerburg marked. this shows the best of the best.


http://i.imgur.com/CupM1WL.png


There are two 'Biker friendly' hotels in Neueburg.. so if one is filled up. then its no problem at all getting rooms in the other.. though that one might want a deposit. It does do 'special offers' for Bikers though.. and is about a mile away.

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Me and Tango might be up for this. We've already spoken about the idea of Europe next year and this looks really good. The Bonnie has a tank range of about 120-130miles. 2 more bikes but only one room needed though.

I speak a bit of (poor) German too

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Looks a great trip!

My partner is from Luxembourg so i've driven there a few times in the car to stay with her family. its a fantastic place, and the scenery is stunning, and the local wine is fantastic :cheers:


I've also driven a few laps of the Nurburgring in my car (its not the scary!), but always wanted to do it on a bike...


September next year seems ages away, but i'm sure it will come round quickly... If you dont mind a sports bike tagging along, i'll see if i can persuade 'er in doors' to let me go... ;)

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Looks a great trip!

September next year seems ages away, but i'm sure it will come round quickly... If you dont mind a sports bike tagging along, i'll see if i can persuade 'er in doors' to let me go... ;)

 

One of my mates rides a Fireblade. so no problem with sports bikes. I'm sure he will appreciate a kindred spirit for some more 'spirited' riding.


if next year is anything like previous years.. the 'Ring is open for tourist rides - usually 4 weekdays out of 5. and more often than not from 5:30. so.. a day out will end up there.. time for a lap or two. then hightail it back to the hotel.. at that time of year its getting dark at about 8pm. so.. plenty of time to ride the 50 or so miles back.

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I appreciate the interest.


Just a few things to add.. because this is basically self organised. It has zero impact on what I'm paying.. I don't do these things to make my own holiday any cheaper... I pay exactly the same as everyone else.


The Hotel.


Its called 'SchlossHotel' Neuerburg. (CastleHotel - New Castle)


As you can imagine from the price - its not 'Luxury' but it is very comfortable. The food is more than adequate. The evening meal is 'you get what you're given'. On the past two trips this came to a 3 course meal. as an example. Soup. followed by pork steak. chips. Veg and a side salad. with a simple pud - ice-cream or similar. The restaurant is normally closed on mondays.. so what we did last time was go into the village and ate at a kebab/pizzeria. bit of an odd place.. but the food was fine. theres also a chinese restaurant in the village.. and other eateries. But.. we all enjoyed the kebab place.


If you don't like the idea of 'get what you're given' then you can always book B&B and order from the menu... thats up to you. but as I say we have been very happy with the food we got. in fact the overriding opinion was the place was a real 'find' and an absolute bargain.


The breakfast was huge.. coffee or tea (as much as you can drink) boiled egg. bread rolls. various cold meats and cheese. Yoghurts. jams. a typical german breakfast in fact.


you can look at the hotel website here: http://www.schlosshotel-neuerburg.de just click on the union jack at the top of the page for auto translate.


The guest house.. where we all stay is as I mentioned at the rear of the hotel proper.


http://i.imgur.com/ToDV54Al.png


Like Ive already said.. nothing needs to be done yet. Im keeping an eye on the Tunnel website.. as soon as they start selling the crossing - I'll update this thread with the actual price. plus the time of the crossing. (probably around 9am).


I'll also fire off an email to the Schloss to confirm they have rooms... then it'll be a case of first come first served. book your room at the Schloss which costs nothing more than an email. and book the tunnel crossing and travelodge. if you live too far away to get to Ashford for 9am.


All this will probably be soon after christmas. so another few months - probably.

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I'm watching this with great interest.

I mentioned it to the other half last night. Her thoughts were that if i was biking over to Lux, she could drive the car over and stay with her family who live there.


She drives slowly so i wouldnt be waiting for her, but it means she could have quality time with her family, and i could have quality time with my bike!


Also mean's we'll have the possibility of a support vehicle to carry any bulky luggage/tools etc 8-)

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Well... I'm pretty much good to go :)


I have my comfy airhawk, luggage (tail bag) will be here... testing it all out for Ireland in June and I want to do a couple of trips next year - it was a toss us between me organizing highlands or doing something in Europe... so Europe won ;)


Will you be informing us of where to book etc?

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Well... I'm pretty much good to go :)


Will you be informing us of where to book etc?

 

yes.


As you're in london you probably won't need a room at the travelodge - assuming you can get to Ashford by 08:00?


We'll be leaving just after then... a quick stop-off at the Tesco to brim our tanks before heading for the Tunnel itself.


Im just waiting now for the Tunnel to make our tickets available to buy.. this will probably be within the next month.


as soon as that happens.. I will be emailing the Schloss. to let them know that we're coming. It will also be useful to know exactly how many rooms they have available in the Guest house.


so.. watch this thread for updates.

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One of my mates rides a Fireblade. so no problem with sports bikes. I'm sure he will appreciate a kindred spirit for some more 'spirited' riding.

 

That'll be me :mrgreen: I can confirm that whoever comes on this trip won't regret it, it's awesome. I used to worry about doing a euro trip but after going there with Tony in 2012 realised that it's easy-peasy. So much so that I have toured Germany twice on my own since then. The Eifel is a fantastic motorcycling area and is a cheap trip away. The hotel in Neuerburg is amazing value and apart from spending money on petrol, I've never spent more than 10 euros a day and that is usually for lunch. Also, the Nurburgring is there!

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Not just the Nurburgring.. we passed another race track that year as I recall - SPA. On a rideout that took us to the Dutch border.. for no other reason than a photo op. and so they could tell the world that they had ridden to the Netherlands.. even if only to stand under the border sign and grin at the camera.


that day was EPIC.


sadly.. although SPA does offer tourist days.. they're very few and far between. maybe we'll be lucky. but somehow i doubt it. but.. we'll just have to see, once they release the calendar for next year.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I received a message today asking if this was still going ahead - due to the lack of activity in this thread.


So.. just to reassure everyone: YES of course it is.


This thread was started so early just to plant the idea... well in advance so those of you who are interested can start planning for it. make sure you have the time off work and so on.


The dates are written in stone. So you can book that week off with total confidence.


Right now the Hotel in Neuerburg is closed and not set to reopen until after Christmas. Also.. The Channel Tunnel are yet to release tickets for our crossing dates. So.. as of now, nothing more can be done, on that side.


I don't think its such a good idea to buy the crossing until your room at the Hotel is booked, So my plan is to wait until the hotel reopens and then fire off an email to the owner Herr Kruft. Warn him that we're coming back.. and find out exactly how many rooms he has available in the guest house. As soon as I get a reply then I'll post on here... but don't expect this to happen until after Christmas. Then it will be a case of first come first served.


On the cash side. The crossing will cost about £60 for the return.. this is per bike, so if there are two of you on one bike its the same amount. If you're travelling from North of London.. then its probably best if you book a room at the travelodge. This will be around £40.. again, for the room. Most of which have a double bed and a single - so can easily be shared. To take advantage of that - book a 'family room'. but again... this doesn't need to be done until the new year.


So.. about another 6 weeks, minimum. until all that happens. :mrgreen:

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By our standards.. those of the UK. the B50 is a stunning road.. however the Germans themselves don't agree. as Rob says there are plenty others.. more than can be touched on in 5 days - by far.


The ADAC map.. routes put together by the biker section, hardly touches the B50, and then only as part of a greater route running north and south because to them - its pretty ordinary!! "ordinary" for them.. quite extraordinarily good to us.


Its certainly the type of road that demands being ridden fast.


http://i.imgur.com/nLIYCd7.png

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Tony has highlighted a good point there. Us Brits see some of the more 'ordinary' roads in Germany as amazing as our roads fail miserably to deliver the same amount of excitement. The good roads are at times jaw-dropping. However, I'd like to make another point. That clip was filmed at a time in the morning which would have been densely-packed rush hour traffic where I live. For those going on the trip next year, we won't see the amount of traffic we are used to in the UK and frankly it's a breath of fresh air. I adore it.

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  • 1 month later...

Just received a private message about this. "Is it still happening?"


so. to answer that member and anyone else.. YES. Definitely. I'll be starting a new thread with everything laid out at the end of this Month. by then.. i'll know how many of my usual co-travellers are coming.. and so will have a clearer idea of the lay of the land.


I'm far less worried now about total numbers, because its arranged as a free-for-all. I don't necessarily expect everyone who goes to ride with me every day. after all.. this is your holiday as much as mine and what you want from it might be completely different to me. maybe you just want some kindred spirits to travel with and then do your own thing once we arrive. spend every available day at the Nurburgring. for instance. or have a day seeing the sights in Old Luxembourg Town. anything you like.


so.. for now, please be patient and look out for a thread at the turn of the month.


cheers.

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