Germany 2012

[Boris]

I’m just back from a fantastic 10 days in Europe with Outrunner, Ben and Viki

Day one was the first travel day and saw Myself, Ben and Viki head from Edinburgh on a cold and blustery day to Newcastle in order to catch the ferry to Ijmuidenn and then on to the Rhine area of germany. We met Andy (Outrunner) en route and the gang was complete and the holiday officially started.

Stopping for petrol and brimming the tanks at Newcastle brought us close to the first disaster of the holiday in so much as Ben removed his new tank bag to fill up and promptly left it on the pump. It was only when he arrived at the adjoining supermarket carpark to buy supplies that we noticed it was gone. A quick dash back to the petrol station and the bag was recovered safe and sound where he left it. This was just as well as it contained amongst other things Ben and Viki’s passports.

Just as we arrived at the ferry the rain started in earnest so finding shelter took priority over the usual walking up and down the lines of bikes and chatting to owners. One thing that was obvious was there was some sort of scooter rally in Belgium and there was loads of the little fellas waiting on the quayside. Not the sort of bike I’d want to cover much distance on I’d say.


The ferry itself was relatively uneventful with the exception of the new TKC80 front I just fitted seeming to have a life of it’s own on the ridged ramps. It seemed much worse than I remembered it and it felt really odd. It reminded me of riding in sand and it was a case of just keeping the power on and letting it move around. I mention this now as things were to get more interesting later on.

Once on the car deck the job of tying down began and as a rough crossing was forecast some bikes were festooned with straps. I settled for two, one from each side of the frame, first gear selected and a bit of velcro on the front brake. Then it was off to our stateroom. I had brought an especially small cat to swing in the cabin but it was still no good. These cabins are tiny and with four of us in them it was more akin to playing a game of human tetris then anything else.

Beer (well lager) was about 5 euro a bottle so we made do with a just a few each and a wee dram from the contraband bottle of scotch that I smuggled aboard and and then it was bed time and off to sleep to the thrum of the engines and rocking off the boat.

Due to the bad weather we were delayed and our original arrival time of 0900 was now 1200 so a coffee and pastry was precured onboard (another fiver) and the decision was made to get some miles under our belts rather than heading for breakfast in Amsterdam. The weather was foul with 60mph gusting winds and rain never far away. We were all glad to be off the ship as those pesky scooters had all started their engines as soon as the door opened and the stink of two stroke oil was overpowering.

The ride to Germany was no fun at all. Gusty winds and rain meant total concentration but at least we could manage a decent speed unlike the scooters we passed that seemed to be going backwards in the winds. With the winds came the potpourri of smells that the Netherlands seems to conjure up and each one was worst that the last. Eventually hunger took over and we stopped at a McDonalds for a well earned rest and some warm food.



Feeling refreshed we continued on and when we reckoned Andy’s bike, having the smallest tank, would soon be needing fuel we stopped again. Interestingly my GSA and Ben’s Varadero both used fuel at a rate that was always within half a liter or so of each other while Andy’s F650 (800cc twin) used about 25% less. Bit thumbs up to the fuel economy of the 800cc BMW engine.

Eventually about 3 hours later than planned (remember the ferry delay) we descended down some fantastic roads into the Rhine Valley and Bacharach and the campsite we would be spending our first three nights.



Tents pitched in the same spot as last time in record time and it was off to the cafe for some beer and food.





We had arrived unscathed and now the holiday could really begin.

Shame it started raining again.

Part two to follow.

[Mabels Old Man]

Looks good, camp site sirred a few memories

[Tony Varadero]

jelous......

[Boris]

Rudesheim
So with two days travel under our belt it seemed prudent to have a day off the bikes and the decision was made to take a ferry up to Rüdesheim am Rhein some twenty or so kilometers upstream. Here there was an annual harley convention as well as the The Niederwald monument which would be worth a visit.

Tickets for the boat were purchased and the old feller in the kiosk clearly remembered Andy from their time spent in opposing trenches and recommended Andy buy a “Senior” ticket and and so Senior Andy came to be christened.



It seemed like we were the only ones on board After a couple of hours battling the currents, watching out for bull**** sharks and crocodiles and drinking most excellent coffee we arrived in Rudesheim to find more harleys and tassels than you could shake a leather cap at.

I didn’t take any photos of the harleys as I didn’t want anybody to think I was interested. Suffice it to say it looked a bit like this.



and



But without the swastikas.

Last time we drove the bikes up to the memorial so this time the cable car was our chosen method of transport. No discount for Senior Andy this time as the whole place was full of soup spillers and the place would go bust overnight if discounts were offered. The views from the top of the hill were magnificent but the memorial itself was a bit of a disappointment as it was covered in scaffold. Andy did buy a sticker so he could imagine what it would look like once the scaffold was removed.





On to a paddle steamer for the return leg and travelling with the river flow this time we were back in record time. I fancied a bit of a run on the bike to explore so I headed off alone into the hails and found some lovely wee roads that hairpinned their way up the hillside and through some villages.

Once again not many photos but I did stop at the local fire station to check out the latest in appliances.



Then it started to rain again.....

[Kjell Lindberg]

Great pictures! Got some more?

[Boris]

With the rain still falling we awoke to a breakfast of eggs and bacon and this being our last full day in Bacharach meant time for some bike based sightseeing and the obligatory run up the Whisper Valley was on the cards.

The Whisper Valley being on the opposite side of the Rhine necessitated us taking one of the many ferries that operate. These ferries exist due to the lack of bridges that that are left in the area as they were all rather spectacularly removed during some un talked about period in the 1940’s



€2.80 lighter for a bike and rider and the assault on the Whisper Valley could begin

Now call me a heathen but I can’t really see what all the fuss is about. Yes its a nice road but the surface is truly awful by German standards and more akin to UK roads with overbanding and patches all over the place.

That notwithstanding we did our best to make progress up the valley and stopped for the obligatory coffee at the top just as the rain came on. Sunshades served as makeshift umbrellas and all was good.



No trip to the cafe at the top of the Whisper Valley would be complete without a visit to the loos to examine the artwork and once again it didn’t disappoint.


An old R80GS was there that made me jealous but there was no time for that an in light rain we headed down the eastern side of the valley bypassing the sniggerable Dicksheid and on to the rather unremarkable Bad Schwalbach. Due to the rain and the unremarkable nature of Bad Schwalbach we didn’t even bother stopping and it was back towards the Rhine and a viewpoint Vader found late time we were there that overlooked the Loreley




Senior Andy tries to call home on his mobile phone.






Then it was up to the famous Benno’s truck stop for the biggest helping of meatballs imaginable (which we all finished) and back down the Rhine again where Andy and I walked down to a statue of some naked bird. Ben and Viki guarded the jackets and soaked up the sun which on reflection was the wiser choice as the naked bird was somewhat underwhelming.




Another fab BBQ for tea... A few beers and bed... Then it rained again.

[Boris]

Great pictures! Got some more?

Oh wait till you see the old R80 or the Guzzi single... You will wee yourself...

[Boris]

Travel to Heidelberg
Our three nights in Bacharach was up and time to head another 100 miles south this time to Heidelberg. The mileage not being too great we decided to stay off the motorways and wind our way down with a couple of leisurely stops. The boys took down and packed away the tents and tarp while Viki kept an eye out for sharks and crocodiles and and we saddled up and left Bacharach for this year. The plan was to stop in Mainz for ice cream but as we got near the rain started again. We still went, parked up and had a walk but unsurprisingly no one fancied an ice cream.

The next stop was a place called Zwingenberg and it was like one of these movies where everyone just disappears. All the cafes had tables and chairs laid out but there was no one to be seen. In the twenty or so minutes we were there we only saw one couple and they were probably tourists like ourselves.







It was on leaving Zwingenberg that the heavens really opened and the rain was torrential all the way to Heidelberg.

It was coming off the motorways that my front tyre was giving me heart failure and on these really tight slip roads it was just sliding and gripping and gripping then sliding. It was terrifying and I was convinced we were heading for a head tarmac moment. Tyre pressures looked ok as, as per book, I had bumped them up a bit for the luggage but nothing drastic. I thought it just might have been a specific lean angle that was causing the trouble but it was unnerving nevertheless.

Fortunately the rain went off long enough to get the tents and tarp up and I have to admit by now I was getting a bit pissed off with the rain. Thankfully the tarp provided a place of shelter for us all and became our kitchen and livingroom. Furniture was taken care of by the alloy boxes, a bench and table form the campsite and an abandoned chair Ben had found at the campsite in Bacharach.





We took a walk along to Aldi or Lidl which necessitated crossing the river and this was done at some locks one of which was under repair. These locks are used to regulate the flow and depth of the river and they are only inches wider than some of the bigger barges. Andy and I stayed and watched for a while while Ben and Viki started browsing the supermarket shelves.


Food precured we walked back to the campsite in the rain and had a fantastic meal knocked up with our purchases along with some leftovers.

Then it rained some more....

[Boris]

Heidelberg
As with Bacharach our first full day was tabled as a day off the bikes to do some local sightseeing and we all took a bus into Heidelberg. A bus day ticket for unlimited use for all four of us cost around 10 euro. UK take note.

First stop was the old bridge where young lovers carve their names on padlocks and lock them to the bridge before tossing the key into the river thus securing their friendship. Andy reckoned if the bridge was in Selkirk he could do a roaring trade selling fishing rods and magnets



A wander into the old town and another excellent coffee led us to an art gallery which had an exhibition of photography and Viki being into that sort of arty stuff wanted to go in. Senior Andy and I reckoned there wouldn't be that many photos of nudie birds so we went for a wander to investigate the rest of the town. An hour or so later we met up and had a fab kebab (hey that rhymes) and took the funicular railway to the summit of the hill which dominates Heidelberg. According to the blurb the funicular, which is built in two sections, is both the oldest and the newest in Germany.




At the top we had some staggering views of the area which was admired by everyone except for a young couple that were so busy trying to eat each other a bomb could have gone off and they wouldn't noticed.

Back to the campsite where I departed for another wee run on my bike as Ben and Viki wanted to go shopping for sweatshirts and Andy went to chat up the old dearie in the cafe.

While out on my own I discovered some dirt roads that had a picture of a motorbike and some funny words below it. I could have been double dutch as far as I was concerned but I think in essence it meant you were allowed to ride them so I did!



One of them took me up to this tower which was pretty impressive.



A couple of other landmarks in the bag, including a viewpoint with no view because of trees, and it was back to the campsite to cook tea,





I can’t remember if it rained that night. It probably did.

[Boris]

Day three at Heidelberg was slated as the big sightseeing tour but the forecast was dire. Not only that it was dire for the following day so there was nothing left but to saddle up and head into the hills to see what we could find before we headed to our next destination. The roads were fantastic (listen up Whisper Valley) but the rain just got worse and worse and after a couple of hours we stopped at a cafe in the middle of nowhere to warm up and dry out a bit.





We eventually admitted defeat and took the motorway back to Heidelberg. The rain was awful and the spray and standing water made for interesting riding especially as the car drivers just seemed to plough through it undaunted.

It rained for the rest of the day and night and we drank beer and put off going to bed as that meant going to clean teeth and have a pee which meant a walk over the camsite and a good soaking.



This really was the low point of the holiday as everyone had wet gear and no real prospect of getting it dry. At least the forecast for the following day had changed and it was looking better all the time.

Still bloody rained overnight though.