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Eifel Mountains 2018


Bungleaio
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This is "Matt's Road", near Cochem. Worth going all that way for this road alone.

Bloody racetrack!

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:mrgreen:


If I can squeeze in the 250ml of oil that I have left then the TRX will have drank 3L in 2000 miles.. Also, for reasons that may or may not be related, the panniers absolutely stink :scratch:


Oh and keep the pics coming, it takes away the pain of spannering brakes on a 2 year old bike because they've seized up after sitting still for a week..

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Bloody racetrack!

JSi8285.jpg

:D

Good to see that the visor has nauralised :thumb:

Oh and keep the pics coming, it takes away the pain of spannering brakes on a 2 year old bike because they've seized up after sitting still for a week..

Oh noooooo. Kwaks.....!

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I have a tendency to waffle on so if this is too much just let me know and I'll put the rest of the week in a shorter format.


As noted earlier in the thread my preparation involved riding my bike as much as possible. When I first said yes to the trip I had 6000 miles until the service, I thought that was plenty but it turned out that I was riding that much I got to 6k the week before the trip so it was booked in for the service a few days before the off. At least someone who knows what they are doing had looked over it before I embarked on a very long trip.


Saturday


My actual preparation involved stuffing my bags with clothes about 2 hours before I left the house. I have a Kriega US30 and two US10s. I didn't need the second US10 but I took it along with me just in case I needed more space on the way back.


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I set off to the meeting point to finally put some faces to these virtual names, I was given a warm welcome by Gerontious and Snod Blatter. I was given another warm welcome by Igloo, Bonio and Smallfrowne at the hotel in Ashford. A few beers were consumed along with food followed by one of the earliest nights of the week.


Sunday


A 7am meetup at McDonalds kicked the day off, I don't think any of us could say that we were anything but bleary-eyed. Not to worry a round of coffee's and grease soon sorted that out.


About 20 minutes on the bike down the M20 and we checked in to the Eurotunnel, having to deal with the passport and bank card and then boarding card causes a bit of faffing about when you haven't got a tank bag. We parked up at what seemed like a Mclaren drivers club convention whilst we waited for the train but were soon on the way to the tunnel.


I was a bit dubious about the whole just leave your bike on the side stand whilst on the train idea but it's so smooth the bikes didn't move at all.


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Once off in calais it was very simple, I just needed to remember which side of the road we need to be and which way we go around roundabouts. Despite my 20+ years of driving I've never actually brought any of my own vehicles to the continent but I have driven others for a few days so it's not completely alien to me.


We had a bit of a break after 40 miles or so


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And then we had couple more stops every 50/60 miles or so. Two things I noted were French motorways are very boring but their service stations have an amazing food selection. Once off the motorway though things were very different, the roads very anything but boring. We stopped at https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.1835746,5.5735502,3a,75y,80.99h,78.05t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1slcj8UK0W6woEMcRYhjeg4A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 for a look at the view and a few minutes break. I was impressed with the view, little would I know that this was nothing compared to what I would see later in the week.


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Back on the bike for more interesting roads, into Luxembourg where the quality of the roads was markedly better than those of Belgium. The fuel was also a lot better priced, being on a par with what we pay at home.


Another hour or so and we arrived at the hotel. I don't think the other hotel guests expected anyone from England to appear let alone six of us on bikes


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The evening involved an amazing Kebab type thing along with a few more beers. I was pretty shattered so retired early at about 10. There ends the early nights.


Monday


Little did I know it but Monday would be an education.


The day started with breakfast, fantastic breads, boiled eggs and cooked meats. There was also a bit of a stir from the others about a new entrance and doors but as I was new to it all it largely passed me by.


We set out with Gerontious leading the way on what has to be the most amazing roads I'd ever seen. They were everything that you could want, smooth, no potholes, sweepers, hair pins, rises and falls and on the rare occasion that we saw a local they actually knew how to drive.


After an hour or so we had a bit of a break and some Cadburys eclairs courtesy of Bonio.


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Many flies sacrificed themselves on this journey even though quite a few had been brought over from the UK. This visior was only cleaned once during the trip and that was done by Gerontious when Snod Blatter was in the toilet. If it hadn't been done then I don't think it would have been done at all.


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Back on the bike for a couple of hours then a lunch stop. We stumbled across https://www.alteburg-longuich.de/ so stopped there.


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There was great excitement when a bottle of wine was found.


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However, it was returned to where it was found, by the bin.


The food was simple in this place but it smiled at me before I ate it.


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This holiday was the first real experience of riding in a group apart from my training and one 45 minutes ride out with the boss' of my company. Not that there was any realy doubt but one thing that is for certain is these guys know how to ride, they may say they want to improve but they are already at a high standard. I was riding faster with them than I'd ever done before, following their lines and seeing how they did it really helped me be on the edge of my comfort zone. I was loving it but at about 4pm my brain was struggling to process what was going on and I had to back off.


Rather than just leaving me behind Igloo slowed down too which was appreciated as I didn't really know where I was, apart from at one point he overtook me and I was shown what a GSA looks like when it's leant over so much the engine bars touch the ground. Great to see and as I said Monday was an education.


Unfortunately, there was another casualty apart from my brain. After about 20 minutes or so we caught up Smallfrowne, he was going slowly but waved me on. We were only about half an hour from the hotel so carried on. Little did we know it then but that was the start of the does a clutch pack for an 80's Japanese bike exist in Germany saga.


We got back to the hotel and this was what my clocks said


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The hotel restaurant was still shut so we went back to the Kebab shop and we were joined by a little friend. Bonio realeased him back to the wild in someones front garden on the other side of the road.


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The food was so nice, I wish UK kebab shops were like this.


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Even though the kebab shop sold beer 4 of us fancied a few more so we went off to the only pub that was open. When we got there the Landlady told said something to us, not having Bonio with us we took this as we are shutting in 10 minutes but I'll serve you one. A round of Bitburgers (I think it was that anyway) was promptly ordered.


After we had drunk these she came round to collect the glasses and we presumed to bring the bill, but no she asked us if we wanted another round! Jackpot and 4 more were ordered. Thinking we had done very well by getting a bonus round it was a great surprise when the landlord said he would do another round! Double bonus. Feeling very proud of ourselves we paid the bill and left.


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A great nights sleep then ensued.


I will carry on tomorrow with a write up of a few more days adventures.

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This visior was only cleaned once during the trip and that was done by Gerontious when Snod Blatter was in the toilet. If it hadn't been done then I don't think it would have been done at all.

Frankly I just don't believe in it :up:

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The food (it was in Belgium) at the motorway service is great and very affordable. proper food, often cooked while you wait. and if thats the case its delivered to your table. It has absolutely nothing in common with British motorway services which seem to be all about extracting as much money as possible as the price of a loo stop. There is a charge to use the Loo in Belgium... but the price is then discounted from anything you buy. food or anything from the shop. I bought a 1.5 lite bottle of Fanta at the shop.. with the loo ticket it cost me €1. Its my strategy to stop every 40 miles or so.. the longest leg on the motorway is 65 miles. This is because i find it hugely boring.. but also these frequent stops help those with smaller tank ranges do the distance without stressing about running short. it works well. A long day just a little less tiring. So when we get off the motorway and head across country on proper roads we're not already worn out. The entire ride from the Tunnel is about 265 miles.. with the last 80 being just great.

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Glad the foods good, it’s always a delight when abroad to discover even the most average looking place does good food because here you just can’t tell what you’re going to get!


Agree motorways are a very boring necessary evil!


[mention]Bungleaio[/mention] next bit, next bit, next bit! Just quit your job and responsibilities and give us the write up :mrgreen:

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@Bungleaio next bit, next bit, next bit! Just quit your job and responsibilities and give us the write up :mrgreen:

Hahahaha. Sound advice there!

As for the food, the motorway services at Spy were really the highlight. It no accident that "German cuisine" is a phrase you don't often hear. But what was lacking in finesse and delicacy was more than amply made up for in calorific density and sheer bulk.

On Tuesday we stopped for lunch at a Biker Caff, where the portions were large even by local standards, and a linguistic solecism resulted in me ordering three lunches instead of just the one. Back at hotel, this coincided unhappily with "Schnitzel Day". This is normally one of the week's culinary highlights, and involves eating unseemly amounts of fried schnitzel and chips. Plus beers. I have a dim memory of some kind of vegetable making a brief appearance. There was soup to start, and dessert to round it all off. If "dietary assault" was ever a crime, then we were truly victims.

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The look on his face was a picture.


because the breakfast at our hotel is huge.. lunch is usually a fairly small affair. However on that day.. circumstances conspired against us. Lunch is nearly always a spur of the moment thing. More often than not an appropriate place appeasr as if by magic within minutes of deciding its 'lunch time'. But.. not on that day. It was getting later and later and we saw nothing until about 2pm when we stopped off for fuel and spotted this Cafe next door.. cafe/bistro. So.. I had a quick look and it was a "Biker Cafe'.. a first for us thats not a roadside cabin. This was a proper brick building..

 

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Pic courtesy of google.


with a fair number of bikes parked at the side and a load of bikers tucking in.

The menu was fairly ordinary by local standards.. ballast rather than haute cuisine. but good enough and not expensive.


Bonio ordered soup and tuna toasties.. and what arrived was a feed the 5,000 feast. just one of the toasties would have been enough, let alone 4. plus a gallon of soup and enough bread to feed a starving village. This at well past 2pm when the evening meal was going to be served up just a very short 4/5 hours later. And of the group.. Bonio is the lightest eater. (and drinker).


The place seemed to think that 'getting your moneys worth' was the number one consideration and of the highest importance. And of course that day was Schnitzel day at the hotel.. the high point of the week. (sigh)


But.. for me, its these randomly daft to the point of hysterically funny events that make these trips worthwhile.

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I’ve not been in the German mountains but been to the Austrian alps many times and I can’t recall ever seeing a vegetable. Meat, potatoes and dairy in abundance and like you say all proportioned to feed someone who does manual labour all day. I always get back home busting for some clean tasting food but I enjoy it while I’m there and there’s never any need to stop for a snacks, just a need to loosen the trousers! I did google looking for an Austrian cook book, they don’t exist either!


3 lunches and a round of schnitzels n beer, nice work, bet the legs were like lead then!

It’s often the fails that give the biggest laughs. I came back from one trip realising I’d eaten omelette and sausages for lunch everyday so of course whenever we went out for months after some kind friend would ask if there was omlette on the menu!


[mention]bonio[/mention] Tuna Toastie anyone :lol:

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Sorry for the lack of updates today but I've just got home from work, this week is long days trying to recover from last week's lack of work.


There will be an update from me tomorrow.


I sadly or happily missed the feast of a thousand toasties so I made the most of schnitzel night.

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Bonio ordered soup and tuna toasties.. and what arrived was a feed the 5,000 feast. just one of the toasties would have been enough, let alone 4. plus a gallon of soup and enough bread to feed a starving village. This at well past 2pm when the evening meal was going to be served up just a very short 4/5 hours later. And of the group.. Bonio is the lightest eater. (and drinker).


The place seemed to think that 'getting your moneys worth' was the number one consideration and of the highest importance. And of course that day was Schnitzel day at the hotel.. the high point of the week. (sigh)

Are we pretending we didn't stop for masses of cake and ice cream sundaes at about 4:30, then? Just to be clear on the matter.


No regrets :mrgreen:

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Bonio ordered soup and tuna toasties.. and what arrived was a feed the 5,000 feast. just one of the toasties would have been enough, let alone 4. plus a gallon of soup and enough bread to feed a starving village. This at well past 2pm when the evening meal was going to be served up just a very short 4/5 hours later. And of the group.. Bonio is the lightest eater. (and drinker).


The place seemed to think that 'getting your moneys worth' was the number one consideration and of the highest importance. And of course that day was Schnitzel day at the hotel.. the high point of the week. (sigh)

Are we pretending we didn't stop for masses of cake and ice cream sundaes at about 4:30, then? Just to be clear on the matter.


No regrets :mrgreen:

 

I have no idea what you are talking about.. you are obviously confused after too much faffing about with modern rear disc brakes. (it happens)


Try faffing less.

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I have no idea what you are talking about.. you are obviously confused after too much faffing about with modern rear disc brakes. (it happens)

I think you'll find I've been faffing with a front disc brake so.. Think on. Look sharp.


The rear disc is today and tomorrow :roll:


Happily the weather looks awful on Sunday so I might be trapped inside long enough to go through all this footage!

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Episode 2!


Tuesday


After a hearty breakfast of bread, cold meats, a froop and plenty of coffee it was time to start riding. I had decided to do my own thing that day as I was feeling pretty tired from the journey to get to Germany, Mondays ride as well as working hard the week before. I'd also managed to get some offline maps for google maps so I was pretty confident in being able to get back to the hotel.


Rather than being completely alone I went with Smallfrowne to take his bike to a garage where it would hopefully be sorted with a new clutch. It was about an hour's ride to the garage so we took it steady. There was great elation from Smallfrowne when he realised the garage was a Honda main dealer shortly followed by great despair at what the cost may be.


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After some broken German he was ushered into a side room, where what looked like the manager struggled to find the parts for a near 30 year old Japanese bike.


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Whilst this was happening I avoided looking around the display of various models of Jazz and instead looked at the bikes. The Fireblade was nice but this was far more interesting.


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After half an hour or so the promise was made that a call would be made with an update on the clutch. As a new rider I've never had a pillion on the back, I also don't have pillion insurance and I've taken the rear pegs off my bike so I did what anyone else would do. I left him.


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I did feel a little bit guilty but there was a train station about 10 minutes away and the dealer had nice coffee so I knew he would be fine.


As I was having a day off from riding I thought I'd put the nearest brewery into the sat nav and go and have a look at it. This didn't quite go to plan though as the roads opened up, the sun was out and I was on holiday so I kept on riding. It really is stunning in this area. As I was on my own I could stop and faff about to my hearts content. My first stop was https://www.google.co.uk/maps/search/50.02917,+6.75389?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiRuJr94szdAhWlAsAKHUplBdUQ8gEwAHoECAEQAQ Bare in mind I'd started in Trier and was supposed to be going to Bitburg so I was way off course.


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From there I went to https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/50%C2%B001'05.0%22N+6%C2%B048'35.0%22E/@50.0180124,6.8093749,19.25z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d50.018056!4d6.809722


I parked up and was enjoying the view when a bloke turns up in his car, he said something to me but I said I don't understand he immediately asked in English if I was ok. It's really nice when people do this and something that never happens in a car. I said I was just enjoying the view and taking photos, he complimented me on my bike then roared off showering me and the bike in gravel :lol:


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I wasn't really going anywhere in particular and by this point I'd decided not to bother with the brewery but I still needed a bit of a desitnation to head for. I really like a particular curry sauce which is only available in Belgium so I thought I'd find the nearest Carrefour and go there. 5 minutes of googling later the destination was set.


I stopped off for another couple of photo opportunities on the way


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At one point I stopped a couple of times within 10 minutes just to take in the view. I was getting a bit peckish though so stopped for a sandwich (not the feast of toasties that the others were having) as well as some cake.


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I had already taken longer than the satnav had initially said to get there and I had a fair way still to go so I decided to stop faffing and get to belgium. I enjoyed some great roads (up until the border) and got myself to Carrefour. I didn't even know if they would have the sauce in stock as it was only a small store but luckily I was greeted with.


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Success, plenty of jars of D&L curry sauce for me but I only took the two.


Feeling pleased with my mission to another country I decided to get back to the hotel and have a beer. No more stops and the direct route was selected. When I got back to the hotel the scores on the bike were


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That's 145 miles, not bad for a day off the bike.


The sun was still out so a quick change of clothes later and it was time for


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It was hard work to get that beer though, I walked in and asked for a beer, no problem the lady poured some beer in the glass, put it down and had a drag on her cigarette, back to the beer and put some more in. Back to the ciggy, then a little chat with the other punters. Back to the beer and a little top up. Back to the ciggy, then a little clean of the sink. At this point I was wondering WTF is going on so I'll try and remind her about my thirst so I paid, then it was back to the fag! Finally, she topped the beer off and handed it to me. She would not do well in a Wetherspoons.


I was soon joined by Smallfrowne, thankfully he got the next beer but as he's known in this pub he got a text to ask if we were ready for the third round!


We saw the other guys ride past us towards the hotel so we headed back and met them in the hotel bar. The only one missing was Igloo, he's headed off on a mission to buy some mesh gear as it had been particularly warm and was only forecast to get warmer.


We sat down for dinner and the others recounted tales of toasties and cakes, little did they know it would be schnitzel night, the food highlight of the week and they could barely eat. Smallfrowne and I had no issue though and tucked straight in. Igloo joined us very soon after wearing his new much cooler clothing, he had tested it's ability to let the wind through at speeds of up to 148mph.


The schnitzels were fantastic, it was more luck than judgement that I wasn't full beforehand though


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Following this we retired to the bar for several more beers along with some sort of schnapps which was basically pure alcohol, nice but lethal!

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It wasnt schnapps.. it was genuine bonafide moonshine from Romania.. not the sort of thing one normally gets offered in the Uk by a hotelier.. but at this place all bets are off.


On the tuesday the rest of us had a spiffing jaunt through the VulkanEifel.. up to the Ahr Valley. via the nurgle.. for a requested photo opportunity. a dietary assault of epic proportions which was followed by another.. (just for good measure) at an english owned cafe.. who did proper british cream teas.. the owner did a lot of complaining about he can no longer get PG Tips.. from his local supplier. which the germans thought was wonderfully rustic. and now sadly missed. but hey ho. the cake was extremely pleasant and its really a remarkable feat that room in stomachs was found for it. but hey ho.. Igloo went in search of cool gear... It had been a very hot day and the rest of us then wended our way via many twisty bits to the hotel hoping for something light and easily avoided for dinner... I had already said NO to sauerkraut. so.. avoiding that was already dealt with. And it was of course Schnitzel night.. something we have subjected ourselves to 5 times now.. schnitzel chips and salad... with a lot of sighing and all schnitzel demolished... as well as most of the chips and salad. it was a struggle.


one of the many reasons for returning to this particular hotel year after year is its schnitzel.. amongst others. (free moonshine)


The lovely Frau kruft.. the hoteliers wife, who learnt everything to know about the english language from watching subtitled soaps in her native Romanian.. plied us with hooch. and a chat. apparently we are the only english people they ever see.. aside from waifs and strays that have gone with us and returned solo.. and a couple of Americans last year.. the place has been devoid of brits. Apparently we were much missed last year.. when we had a break from the eifel and went to the south of france. But.. they were happy to see us again giving the place a smidge of international flair.. and increased beer sales. (they do very nice beer)


we was all right wobbly that night. aside from goody two shoes bonio. obviously. (but his time was coming)

Edited by Gerontious
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Nice write up, damn it I miss the Schnitzel from there. Actually most of the food is pretty good as I recall, kind of get what you're given fare but it works :cheers:

Looks like you had ace weather?


[mention]smallfrowne[/mention] That bike is simply class and I want one so bad :)

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One thing that all the regulars noticed... The food has definitely gone up a notch or two. It was already good, this year it was better. Improved in admittedly fairly minor ways... But as a package entire? It was already excellent value for money, this year it was exceptional. Which made up, somewhat, for the dire value of the £.

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@smallfrowne That bike is simply class and I want one so bad :)

It's a great bike. I wanted one too until I went and sat on one and found out that my body doesn't fold up in the right way... if that bike was ever one for me, that day has long gone. :(

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