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Europe 2023 Daily Itinerary

Not to be adhered to rigorously, but useful to have a plan to keep the momentum going in the right direction and to give options while on the road.

The first few night's accommodation will be pre-booked as it gets busy around Spa and The Nurburgring; after that, accommodation suggestions are given and we can decide to either book closer to the day or take our chances.

01. Sunday 2-July: London - The Ardenne. 565km/9hrs

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England - France - Belgium.

One of the biggest days of the trip, need to start very early as we lose an hour crossing into France and we have a reservation in the Ardenne for the night.

  1. 4:40 Leave David's , ride direct to Folkestone for the Eurotunnel, Terminal, 8XX, Ashford Rd, Folkestone. 128km/1.3hrs, need to get our boogies on as time is tight for checkin ("Maverick is supersonic, he'll be there in 30 seconds").

  2. 5:50 Checkin for Channel; both bikes, Mark and David are booked, £66 each one way, need to use credit card used for making booking which was David's for both tickets.

  3. 6:50 Cross over to Calais, Channel Tunnel, 62231 Coquelles, arriving 7:55 (lose an hour).

  4. 8:25 Ride to La Coupule, Rue André Clabaux, 62570 Wizernes, arriving for opening time of 9am 50km/1hr.

  5. 9:30 Visit La Coupule.

  6. 12:30 Ride to L'Auberge de Mussent  and have lunch. 10min.

  7. 13:30 Ride direct to Chimay, check out the grandstand, then head to Le Grand Café in Chimay for our Belgium welcome beer. 200km, 2.3hrs.

  8. 16:30 Ride to accommodation at les Refuges du Chalet, Balmoral 35, 4845 Jalhay, Belgium, getting supplies for a BBQ along the way. 160km/2.3hrs.

  9. BBQ at the les Refuges du Chalet.

Considerations​

  • For a BBQ we will need to pick up supplies on the way.  Many supermarkets in France and Belgium close at midday on a Sunday, perhaps get supplies at Chimay.  There is a Shop & Go (closes at 10pm) and an Intermarché (closes at 6pm) in Spa, on route, 5 minutes from les Refuges du Chalet.

02. Monday 3-July: Ardenne - Nurburgring. 187km/3.5hr

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Belgium - Holland - Germany.

Visit the race car museum in Spa in the morning, then head to Holland for lunch before cutting across country to the Nurburgring, where, if you are feeling brave/stupid, do a few laps of the Green Hell.

  1. Leave les Refuges du Chalet for Spa and have breakfast while we wait for the museum to open.  20km/0.5hr.

  2. Visit Spa-Francorchamps Racetrack Museum, Cour de l'Abbaye, 4970 Stavelot, opens at 10:00am.

  3. Ride to Holland, head for The Three Country Point NL / B / D where Holland, Belgium and Germany all meet. 56km/1hr.

  4. Check out The Three Country Point NL / B / D, have lunch, tick off another country.

  5. Ride to Nurburgring, Germany via the Eifel National Park. 110km/2hr.

  6. Accommodation at Hotel an der Nordschleife, Trierer Str. 15, 53518 Adenau. Twin room booked for €100, breakfast included.

  7. Dinner options suggested by Ohans (Hotel an der Nordscheife) are:

    • across the Hotel at Cockpit.

    • across the street the Italian restaurant called Ventisette.

    • If you want to have the best experience you should try Pinocchios which is about 2 miles away.

Considerations:

03. Tuesday 4-July: Nurburgring - Kellerwald-Edersee Park. 337km/6hr.

Germany.

Next two days are all about the Dambusters Raid of WWII; visiting each of the dams that were attacked and a dedicated museum.

  1. Ride from Nurburgring to Sorpe Dam. 195km/3hr.

  2. Ride from Sorpe Dam to Mohne Dam. 26km/0.5hr.

  3. Mohne Dam to Kellerwald-Edersee National Park. 116km/2hr.

  4. Stay at Holiday Centre Albert Schweitzer, Albert Schweitzer-Lager 2, 34516 Vöhl, twin cabin booked with evening BBQ and breakfast included - 27€ per person, booked. Need to bring our own linen and pillow.

​

Considerations:

  • Ask if we can ride through Fahrentriesch Bärenbachtal Arensberg Bloßenberg Nature Reserve instead of riding around the lake to the north.

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04. Wednesday 5-July: Kellerwald-Edersee Park - Harz Forest. 245km/4hr.

Germany.

Visit the final dam and museum of the Dambusters Raid, then head to Hartz National Park for some off-road riding. 

  1. Ride from Kellerwald-Edersee National Park to Sperrmauer Edersee Museum, Forsthausstraße 2, 34549 Edertal, 30km/1hr. Opens 11am.

  2. Visit Sperrmauer Edersee Museum.

  3. Ride to Stiege in Harz National Park, 215km/4hr.

  4. Stay at Gasthaus Burgstieg, Marktstraße 3, 38899 Stiege,   reservation made for twin room - 93.79€ (breakfast not included), booking amended to also include Richard for €20.

  5. Dump the panniers and find some off-road trails.

  6. Time for schnitzels and steins at  Gasthaus Burgstieg..  Kitchen closes at 8:30pm, restaurant at 10pm.

​

Considerations:

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05. Thursday 6-July: Harz Forest - Czech Republic. 359km/5hr.

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Germany, Czech Republic.

Visit Colditz and enter Czech Republic.

  1. Ride to Biker Oase Cafe 36, for breakfast. Forsthaus Rothenburg 2, 06537 Kelbra (Kyffhäuser), 40km/1hr.

  2. There is a very windy road just south of the cafe worth riding, famous in this area with bikers.

  3. Take the autobahn to Colditz Castle, Schloßgasse 1, 04680 Colditz. 161km/2hr.

  4. Visit Colditz Castle.

  5. Ride to and enter Czech Republic, to our BnB with restaurant and brewey:  Pivovar Falkenštejn. 137km/2hr.

Considerations:

  • I’ve booked the last two single rooms for £47 each at Pivovar Falkenštejn, can cancel for free up to 26 June. Booking.com now say a minimum of 2 night stay required for further bookings, so if there ends up being more than 2 of us we will need to contact them to try something on or cancel reservation and book elsewhere.

  • Messaged them and agreed Rich can have a double room for one night for about £100.

  • Parking: Pivovar Falkenštejn says "Our guest house does not have its own private parking lot. You can park in the square in front of our brewery."

  • Camping option could be Kemp Tall Linden in a cabin for £10 - £30 per person. 

06. Friday 7-July: Czech Republic - Krakow, Poland. 573km/8hr.

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Czech Republic, Poland.

Ride through the regions of Bohemian Switzerland and the Lusatian Mountains as we cut across the north of the Czech Republic.

  1. Ride across the Lusatian Mountains to the Polish boarder at Mostowice. 253km/4hr.

  2. Take the motorway to Krakow. 319km/4hr.

  3. Night out as a day off the bikes next day.

Considerations:​

  • Perhaps stay at Elegant Apartments.

  • Getting to Krakow is a long way, an alternative might be to nip over the boarder to "get the sticker" then head to Prague instead.

  • If Krakow is the target, its a big day, need to get away as early as possible.

07. Saturday 8-July: Krakow 0km/0hr.

Poland.

Day off riding to explore Krakow and visit Auschwitz Museum.

08. Sunday 9-July: Krakow - Slovakia. 256km/4hr.

Start heading south, visiting the salt mines, cross over into Slovakia and visit some caves in the Tatra mountains.

  1. Ride to Wieliczka Salt Mines, Daniłowicza 10, 32-020 Wieliczka, 15km/0.5hr.

  2. Visit Wieliczka Salt Mines.

  3. Cross the boarder into Slovakia are ride to Belianska Jaskyňa Caves, Belianska jaskyňa, 059 54 Vysoké Tatry-Tatranská Kotlina. 145km/3hr.

  4. Visit Belianska Jaskyňa Caves.

  5. Ride to Betliar, staying at Penzión pri kaštieli Betliar, Kaštieľná 16, 049 21 Betliar, 97km/2hr.

Considerations

  • The pension has facilities to do our own BBQ.

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09. Monday 10-July: Slovakia - Hungary. 319km/7hr.

Ride through the Bukk National Park on the best biking road in Hungary; get as close to the Romanian boarder as poissble.

  1. Ride to Lillafüred, 117km/3hr.

  2. Check out Lillafüred and grab some lunch.

  3. Ride road 2505 to Felsőtárkány, 38km/2hr.

  4. Ride to Mezőpeterd, 164/3hr.

Considerations

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10. Tuesday 11-July: Hungary - Romania. 180km/4hr.

Ride to the Apuseni Natural Park and play on the dirt roads.​

Considerations:

  • Plenty of Cabanas for accommodation in the park.

  • Lots of dirt roads in Apuseni Natural Park, shows Google maps but not on Calimoto, head east after Beius towards Padis, then head south.

  • Rich could take the car around the sealed route and meet the bikes at the southern end to avoid the dirt roads.

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11. Wednesday 12-July: Apuseni National Park - Sibiu. 200km/3hr

A days riding with Transylvania Trails​

  1. Stay at Transylvania Trails.

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12. Thursday 13-July: Sibiu - Brasov. 144km/2.5hr

Pick up the Hooley contingent from Sibiu.

Accommodation for Mark, David and Richard has been booked via AirBnB:

Name: Be Room

Address: Strada Mureșenilor 1 15, Brașov, Județul Brașov 500026, Romania

Contact: Laurentiu-Alin, cotact via AirBnB.

​

Considerations:

  • Trail riding in the morning?

  • Ride the Transfăgărășan on the way?

  • ​

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13. Friday 14-July: Brasov

Day off in Brasov.

Considerations:

14. Saturday 15-July: Brasov

Day off in Brasov.

Considerations:

15. Sunday 16-July: Brasov - Obârşia Lotrului. 341km/8hr

Hooley contingent head back to the UK.

Time to Go West, taking in the Top Gear made famous Transfăgărășan.

  1. Ride from Brasov to the start of the Transfăgărășan at Cârțișoara. 120km, 2.5hr.

  2. Ride the Transfăgărășan from Cârțișoara to Arefu, 96km, 2hr. 

  3. Ride off-road from Arefu - Obârşia Lotrului

Considerations:

  • Google maps can't route this during winter, so map is incorrect.

  • Calimoto can't navigate off-road, so use google maps after the Transfăgărășan.

  • After getting to accommodation, dump the panniers and ride the Transalpina.

16. Monday 17-July: Obârşia Lotrului-Veliko Gradiste. 341km/8hr.

Romaina, Serbia

A real mixture today with mountains, dirt roads and finishing with a ride along the Danube river.

  1. Ride from Obârşia Lotrului to the start of the Parcul National Park. 81km, 2hr.

  2. Ride through the Parcul National Park on route DN66A, 70km, 2.5hr. 

  3. Ride to the boarder with Serbia, 38km, 1hr.

  4. Cross boarder into Serbia.

  5. Ride along the Danube as it cuts its way through a 135km long gorge referred to as The Iron Gates. 127km, 2hr.

Considerations:

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17. Tuesday 18-July: Veliko Gradiste - Zenica. 474km/8hr.

Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Keep heading west with another boarder crossing into Bosnia....not scared at all.

  1. Ride from Veliko to Barajevo, avoiding Belgrade. 109km, 2hr.

  2. Ride from Barajevo to Rumska, 90km, 2hr. 

  3. Ride Rumska to Šepak Donji, the boarder with Bosnia and Herzegovina, 34km, 1hr.

  4. Cross the  boarder into Bosnia and Herzegovina.

  5. Ride to Zenica. 178km, 3hr.

Considerations:

  • Zenica is just a target on the route west towards Croatia and the Adriatic Sea.

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18. Wednesday 19-July: Zenica - Rovanjska. 400km/6hr.

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Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia

Another day, another country.

  1. Ride from Zenica to the start of the off-road sections, R408 and R409 where beers are common. 170km, 3hr.

  2. Ridethe R408 and R409 where beers are common, don't run out of gas here! 58km, 1.5hr. 

  3. Ride to the boarder of Croatia, 20km, 0.5hr.

  4. Cross the  boarder into Croatia at Strmica.

  5. Ride to Rovanjska. 110km, 1.5hr.

Considerations:

  • Rovanjska is just a target non the Adriatic Sea.

  • Possibly stay at Rooms Florida.

19. Thursday 20-July: Rovanjska - Ljubljana. 320km/6hr.

Croatia, Slovenia

Ride up the coast of the Adriatic Sea, then through the Slovenian forests on dirt roads.

  1. Ride the Adriatic Coastal Road. 167km, 3hr.

  2. Ride through the Risnjak National Park, 50km, 1hr. 

  3. Ride to the boarder of Slovenia. 25km, 0.5hr.

  4. Cross the  boarder into Slovenia at Nekdanji mejni prehod Babno polje; looks to be a boarder control here.

  5. Ride to Ljubljana via the forest backroads, some dirt. 81km, 2hr.

  6. Night out in Ljubljana as it has such a silly name.

Considerations

  • After the Risnak National Park, but before the boarder with Slovenia, there is a forest area called Razloge with a winding road detour that looks great.

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20. Friday 20-July: Ljubljana - Dolomites 355km/8hr.

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Slovenia, Italy

Time to head for the hills.

  1. Ride to Lake Bled. 55km, 1hr. 

  2. Ride to the Dolomites. 300km, 7hr.

Considerations:

​

21. Friday 21-July: Dolomites - Kappl, Austria 383km/6hr.

Italy, Austria

"The hills are alive with the sound of adventure bikes."

  1. Ride from Streda in the Dolomites to Kappl in Austria. 281km, 4.5hr.

Considerations:

  • Google maps not correct as pass to be used currently closed for winter.

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22. Saturday 22-July: Kappl - Black Forest, Germany. 418km/7hr.

Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Germany

"Four countries in one day."

  1. Ride from Kappl over the Silvretta High Alpine Road. 43km, 1hr.

  2. Ride to Luxemburg. 66km, 1.5hr.

  3. Ride through Switzerland and into the Black Forest, aiming for SeeBach. 310km 5hr.

Considerations:

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23. Sunday 23-July: Black Forest - Luxembourg. 418km/7hr.

Germany, Luxembourg

Bit more of the Black Forest.

  1. Ride from SeeBack to Esch-sur-Sûre in LuxLuxembourg. 351km, 6hr.

Considerations:

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24. Monday 24-July: Luxembourg - London. 669km/8.5hr.

Luxembourg, Belgum, France, England

The final push home.

  1. Ride from Esch-sur-Sûre to the Lochnagar Crater. 306km, 4.5hr.

  2. Ride to Carriere Wellington Tunnels, Rue Arthur Deletoille, 62000 Arras,  opens 13:30. 36km, 0.6hr.

  3. Ride to Calais, Channel Tunnel, 62231 Coquelles. 113km, 1hr.

  4. Cross the channel on the Eurotunnel, gain an hour, 1 hr.

  5. Stagger home. 128km/1.3hr.

Considerations:

  • We could save some time if we skipped the Lochnagar Crater.

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