Germany Trip September 2015
Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 1:42 pm
Finally!
Middle of August and Ramo points out he has a few days off at the end of the month so what we gonna do?
I’ve been promising to go back to Germany with no success the last 2 years and so it was suggested we try it.
A quick “plan” was put together, some of it around my own small experience from the past and some of it from info gleaned off the GS Forum, including accomodation and even discounted Ferry prices from an ex Police Rider who has a business account with P&O Ferries.
....and so it was, on Monday afternoon, September 31st,
.......
DAY 1.
I set off on the Bird to meet Ramo and his Bird at the Services on the M180 on the way to Hull. A 5 minute torrential thunderstorm just east of the A1 ensured that my waterproofs which were packed in my panniers, stayed nice and dry.
Onwards to Hull, where we filled up to the brim before boarding. Not for price reasons, just so we can get the hell as far away from Zeebrugge in the morning, before needing fuel again.
An "exciting" hour spent queuing!
A pleasant evening was spent on board
including “setting” up my Sena “proper”. All working perfect now. Bike to bike, phone, music, sat nav, oh yes, nothing can go wrong now!
Our plan was to ride to, and spend the first night at Cochem or thereabouts, next day ride down to B500 staying near the southern end in a village called Seebach, returning on the 3rd day to Adenau, to the ‘Ring, before heading to the ferry on Friday. Accomodation booked no problem heh heh and cheap compared to “home”. About 250 miles a day it was going to work out at.
Woke to a dullish morning and was soon on the motorway east across Belgium. Sena saved my bacon exiting the ferry port when I battled with the wrong way round on a roundabout or two and then we were away. Up into top gear and a steady 3 figure speed across country. That is until the drizzle started, fine at first and then slightly heavier.
Our speed decreased steadily as the spray got worse and strangely the speed of the BMW Estates was inversely proportional to ours!
Well, we finally got off the motorway, at a place called Eupen, where we stopped for fuel and a coffee. By now it was pissing down and once parked outside Maccy D’s we thought that now was a good time to put our waterproofs on ! My one and only attempt at French resulted in being served a coffee and a tea rather than the small fekkin coffee I asked for.
Once south out of Eupen we were in “proper” foreign lands climbing up into forest towards Monschau. Stopped for a coffee but fook all open!.
Here we got on the 258 road. This is an cracking road that takes us all the way to the Nurburgring. The rain was easing up all the time and by the time we stopped at our first proper cafe in Blankenheim
.... things had dried out nicely . Just fantastic empty riding roads all the way.
We arrived at the Nurburgring at about 4 in the afternoon, just in time to watch some of the Racing School “learner drivers” go about their business LOL,
The cloud was still too low for us to see the Nurburg Castle up on high.
before dropping down into Adenau for a coffee.
Time to “crack on” from here, the last leg of the day to Cochem and Klotten down on the Moselle river. I’ve ridden this rode several times and know what to expect..but it still amazed me as we let the Birds stretch their wings. Oh what a lovely sweeping fast road, and that last drop down into Cochem again had me giggling out loud and “ooooh, fekkin ‘ell” out loud.
At the bottom, we immediately did an “aj”, turning round and honing it back up, stopping for a look and then hooning it back down. A beautiful late Summer’s evening saw us pootling up through Cochem ( I didn’t realise how beautiful a place it is until now as we'd never ridden up through the town in the past) to Klotten , just 2 kms up the road.
Over the railway crossing and the hotel is bang next to it!
We’d heard the hotel was biker friendly , and so it was. The lady booking us in refused to show us to our room....”not until you have sat down and drunk your complimentary beer that we always give our biker guests” ! The bikes were parked in what looks like an old dance hall annexed to the side of the Hotel. The double doors were opened and in we rode to be met with about 20 other parked up bikes.
This “garage” had a drying room, full tool set, cleaning equipment, karcher, you name it they had it. What a set up.
Three beers later and it was up to our room where we quickly freshened up. Myself and Ramo had a very romantic evening, walking the village, having a few beers and a meal at a quiet bar, before retiring for the night games.
.. All through the night the sound of the freight trains and occasional passenger trains that passed underneath our open window muffled Ramos moans and occasional scream of pleasure, bloody fantastic! What a beautiful area this is. Can't wait for tomoz. About 240 miles today.
Middle of August and Ramo points out he has a few days off at the end of the month so what we gonna do?
I’ve been promising to go back to Germany with no success the last 2 years and so it was suggested we try it.
A quick “plan” was put together, some of it around my own small experience from the past and some of it from info gleaned off the GS Forum, including accomodation and even discounted Ferry prices from an ex Police Rider who has a business account with P&O Ferries.
....and so it was, on Monday afternoon, September 31st,
.......
DAY 1.
I set off on the Bird to meet Ramo and his Bird at the Services on the M180 on the way to Hull. A 5 minute torrential thunderstorm just east of the A1 ensured that my waterproofs which were packed in my panniers, stayed nice and dry.
Onwards to Hull, where we filled up to the brim before boarding. Not for price reasons, just so we can get the hell as far away from Zeebrugge in the morning, before needing fuel again.
An "exciting" hour spent queuing!
A pleasant evening was spent on board
including “setting” up my Sena “proper”. All working perfect now. Bike to bike, phone, music, sat nav, oh yes, nothing can go wrong now!
Our plan was to ride to, and spend the first night at Cochem or thereabouts, next day ride down to B500 staying near the southern end in a village called Seebach, returning on the 3rd day to Adenau, to the ‘Ring, before heading to the ferry on Friday. Accomodation booked no problem heh heh and cheap compared to “home”. About 250 miles a day it was going to work out at.
Woke to a dullish morning and was soon on the motorway east across Belgium. Sena saved my bacon exiting the ferry port when I battled with the wrong way round on a roundabout or two and then we were away. Up into top gear and a steady 3 figure speed across country. That is until the drizzle started, fine at first and then slightly heavier.
Our speed decreased steadily as the spray got worse and strangely the speed of the BMW Estates was inversely proportional to ours!
Well, we finally got off the motorway, at a place called Eupen, where we stopped for fuel and a coffee. By now it was pissing down and once parked outside Maccy D’s we thought that now was a good time to put our waterproofs on ! My one and only attempt at French resulted in being served a coffee and a tea rather than the small fekkin coffee I asked for.
Once south out of Eupen we were in “proper” foreign lands climbing up into forest towards Monschau. Stopped for a coffee but fook all open!.
Here we got on the 258 road. This is an cracking road that takes us all the way to the Nurburgring. The rain was easing up all the time and by the time we stopped at our first proper cafe in Blankenheim
.... things had dried out nicely . Just fantastic empty riding roads all the way.
We arrived at the Nurburgring at about 4 in the afternoon, just in time to watch some of the Racing School “learner drivers” go about their business LOL,
The cloud was still too low for us to see the Nurburg Castle up on high.
before dropping down into Adenau for a coffee.
Time to “crack on” from here, the last leg of the day to Cochem and Klotten down on the Moselle river. I’ve ridden this rode several times and know what to expect..but it still amazed me as we let the Birds stretch their wings. Oh what a lovely sweeping fast road, and that last drop down into Cochem again had me giggling out loud and “ooooh, fekkin ‘ell” out loud.
At the bottom, we immediately did an “aj”, turning round and honing it back up, stopping for a look and then hooning it back down. A beautiful late Summer’s evening saw us pootling up through Cochem ( I didn’t realise how beautiful a place it is until now as we'd never ridden up through the town in the past) to Klotten , just 2 kms up the road.
Over the railway crossing and the hotel is bang next to it!
We’d heard the hotel was biker friendly , and so it was. The lady booking us in refused to show us to our room....”not until you have sat down and drunk your complimentary beer that we always give our biker guests” ! The bikes were parked in what looks like an old dance hall annexed to the side of the Hotel. The double doors were opened and in we rode to be met with about 20 other parked up bikes.
This “garage” had a drying room, full tool set, cleaning equipment, karcher, you name it they had it. What a set up.
Three beers later and it was up to our room where we quickly freshened up. Myself and Ramo had a very romantic evening, walking the village, having a few beers and a meal at a quiet bar, before retiring for the night games.
.. All through the night the sound of the freight trains and occasional passenger trains that passed underneath our open window muffled Ramos moans and occasional scream of pleasure, bloody fantastic! What a beautiful area this is. Can't wait for tomoz. About 240 miles today.