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The last two years, at the beginning of April, I've headed off to the Spanish Pyrenees to play with gliders in the mountains. It's an organised event, but folks make their own way to the site (most fly or drive, I'm the only one to ride down).

This year there is no trip organised, but I'm already feeling the need for a big journey to look forward to in early spring. But I need a purpose, a destination, a must see or do. The journey on the bike is what it's all about, but just randomly riding around for ten days won't do it for me.

If you were to plan a trip somewhere, say three or four days ride each way, and a few days exploring or doing some activity at the destination, what would your ideal trip be?

Grip Fast wrote:If you were to plan a trip somewhere, say three or four days ride each way, and a few days exploring or doing some activity at the destination, what would your ideal trip be?

Austria for me.
About 1000 miles from Calais, so doable in a few days.
I've travelled by bike all over Europe, and nothing has ever beaten it.
One strange thing about it was that eating out was very expensive, but the price of accommodation was very cheap.
As far as activities go, all I did was ride and sight see, but I never got bored.
The owner of the hotel gave me a route each morning, which I followed and each day was just breath taking.

Austria. That's a thought. I've not been there on vacation, (couple of business trips only).

Grip Fast wrote:Austria. That's a thought. I've not been there on vacation, (couple of business trips only).

If you want to make a trip of it, you can pick up the rive Rhine.
We stayed in a place called Koblenz on the way, in a hotel perched high on a hill that used to be a German military HQ during the war.
It's actually a youth hostel but they do have family rooms for us old gits.
Well worth it.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... ein_45.jpg

For me it's a case of where to this lifetime! Funnily enough I've spent Crimbo mulling some road trips to use my new-found freedom to visit friends I haven't seen for ages and explore some old haunts. As it's got to be cheap and relatively quick I have Road Trip South which is basically rural Wiltshire across to Cornwall where I grew up and home via Exmoor; RT North which looks like being over every moor I can find between here and Poolewe and back, RT West is Wales and the only dodgy one is RT East where I'm really struggling to avoid motorways, particulalry the M25.

Anyway, RTs South and North offer the opportunity to cover off Lands End & John O'Groats, never having been to either (climbing at Sennen and the lighthouse at Cape Wrath is the nearest) as well as some suitably scenic biking. So with any luck I'll be able to crack at least those two this year, once the weather warms up and the days get longer (end March, not long ).

Hi James, if you are passing through Exeter on your way to Cornwall and fancy a coffee stop by the sea let me know.

Al.

There are a lot of great places to go without leaving these shores. I do have a tour in mind to explore some of the roads I know, and some I don't, around Dumfries & Galloway, this year. I think I can do that with a long weekend pass from the missus.

I've been to the Highlands in mid June for a week for the past two years now, and I doubt that could be beaten, but just for a change for this year I'm looking at Wales.
But for a southerner I'm pretty sure that I'd be quite happy to go to the biking nivana that is Scotland for a week every year and I'd never tire of it.
I love doing quite high mileages when I'm set free on my boxer ( whichever it happens to be ? ), and Scotland is a big playground and getting there and back ( from Suffolk ) makes it feel a little bit epic !!
Planning and anticipation is half the fun, so I'm not going to say "roll on June", time passes too quickly these days anyway

May 2017 will see me and a couple of pals hit the Vosges in eastern france, went a coupe of years ago and had a cracking time, some elevation and trixy bends. A day and half to get there staging first night in a biker hotel (two wheels mooring) then into the central voges, day and half riding the local raods, and then back to uk via a night in central reims. Great times early start each day, pleanty of coffee and cake during the day topped off by some local grub and beer, godd company good times

2018 is already being discussed and looking like the black forest, cant wait

Stokesy wrote:May 2017 will see me and a couple of pals hit the Vosges in eastern france, went a coupe of years ago and had a cracking time, some elevation and trixy bends. A day and half to get there staging first night in a biker hotel (two wheels mooring) then into the central voges, day and half riding the local raods, and then back to uk via a night in central reims. Great times early start each day, pleanty of coffee and cake during the day topped off by some local grub and beer, godd company good times

2018 is already being discussed and looking like the black forest, cant wait

I went to Vosges for our annual trip in 2014. Some great roads. Unfortunately the trip was a bit of a disaster with one of our party having a severe accident on the way. He ended up spending a month in hospital in Nancy, so much of our trip was tied up with hospital visits, once we finally found out where he had been taken.

I alternate UK trips with continental trips. Scotland for 2017, 2016 was Harz region in Germany which I would thoroughly recommend. The roads were fantastic, mostly empty and lightly policed. I do enjoy our UK trips, but its the continental ones I look forward to, mostly because the weather is that bit more reliable.

We stayed in Penderyn, Wales in 2015 and as fantastic as the roads are, It did not stop raining, day or night for 7 days. Tried Bala in Wales for 2013, roads around Machynlleth are amazing, but again, it did not stop raining, day or night for 7 days.
It gets depressing after a while.

Back to the OP, 10 days is a lot. I would go big and see if I could get to Romania, perhaps Castle Bran (one of the inspirations for Dracula), plotting a route through Germany and Austria. Big miles the first day to get through France and Belgium. Then see if I could pick up some of the famous biking roads in Germany, then through Austria, picking up some of the famous passes, Gerlos and Grossglockner. Cuppa in Dracula castle and then do it all again on the way back.