Our 2024 motorcycling trip to Germany and Austria
Will they ever grow up?
There wasn't much of a true vintage theme to this saga, except perhaps some of the wine we drank - and of course, a few of the participants! It turned out that there were five of us keen on this adventure - two couples and me on my own. Leslie and Karina would use their Yamaha FJ1300, Colin and Liz would be on their Harley 'Fat Boy' and having recently ended our 35 year relationship with Honda GoldWings, I would be completely outclassed with my Honda Forza 350 Maxi Scooter......... or would I?
We were likely to be away from Orkney for the best part of a month, so luggage space might be an issue but I'm sure I would have enough space in the Forza if I took the larger top box instead of the smaller original, plus the cavern under the dual seat. Navigation would probably be easier than on the many trips that Christine and I have done in the past, now that we all have mobile phones, satnav and 'what 3 words' to ensure that we all got to our destinations without too much drama. Having travelled to the proposed areas quite a few times before, there were places I hoped they would all be pleased with; it was to be their holiday too, so I hoped they would be happy to provide some input and not just put up with my entire route.
We felt that we ought to book all accommodation in advance which takes off some pressure but can be restrictive if an extra day is needed to see something special. There had been a suggestion of leaving a gap of 2 or 3 days near the middle and just see if there were as many 'Zimmer Frei' signs as there used to be prior to Covid - it could still mean splitting up for smaller places or just biting the bullet and using a large Hotel, although in the end we did decide to book everywhere in advance, which I happily sorted for us all.
The Hull to Rotterdam (Europoort) crossing was eventually decided on and the return trip booked. This meant I could leave earlier and visit my Sister in Aberdeenshire on her birthday before travelling down to stay with friends for a few days, near Hull. The others could also visit relatives on their way south for our meeting before the final push to the Ferry. There are some serious roadworks going on, to the west of the City so I suggested meeting up with the others at a pub/restaurant in Routh on the Beverley to Hornsea road to the north of Hull to avoid those and then it would be just 15 miles or so to the ferry. This proved to be a great place to meet with good food in a pleasant setting - a place I used to visit 'when I were a yoof', being only a few miles from home although it was just a small roadside country pub back then.
Up bright and early from our evening's entertainment and overnight cruise, ready for the steady but very busy ride (where are all these trucks going?) through the Netherlands around Dordrecht, Breda, Tilburg and Eindhoven to pick up the Autobahn on our way to Cochem in the Mosel valley, where Christine and I have stayed many times before. There is a good service area - the Aachener Land Rastst�tte on the A4 autobahn where fuel and food is readily available and rather than queue at the restaurant we have nearly always used the area next to the petrol station where coffee and snacks plus toilets are available. Arriving in the Mosel Valley in heavy rain it soon became apparent that things were far from normal; there had been extensive flooding with the road still covered in slimy mud. Our hotel for the next 3 nights had had a metre of water in the cellars a few days before but thankfully the river level was slowly falling, albeit temporarily. It was bright, sunny and quite warm after our lovely tasty breakfast the following morning and great for me to see Frau Lehmann and the family again, so a nice stroll up the hill to Burg Cochem seemed a great idea. This was followed in the afternoon (after sustenance of course) with a trip to the Pinnekreuz by cable car and a short walk for some excellent panoramic views of the surrounding areas. Our proposed trip to the charming little village of Beilstein by boat was not possible due to the inoperable locks on the river after the floods but we did manage a shorter trip on the same boat - the 'Wappen Von Cochem'- let's let someone else do the work while we have a glass of wine!
We left Cochem in very poor rainy conditions and just pressed on without much sightseeing to our next stop in the quaint town of Dinkelsb�hl and missed out on our planned visits to Heidelberg and Eberbach in the Neckar valley but the weather improved considerably as we made our way onto the 'Romantische Stra�e' which runs between W�rzburg and F�ssen (Bavaria) We had a very enjoyable couple of days here and just did a bit of sightseeing away from the bikes, including a very peaceful walk by the perimeter wall of this once walled and gated town with its multi-coloured 'fachwerkh�user' or half timbered houses which are a regular feature in many parts of Germany.
Leaving Dinkelsb�hl using a mixture of Landstra�en and Autobahns, we entered Austria and headed for our base in Fuschl in the Salzkammergut for a 3 night stay at the Haslgut. This is a lovely traditional farm house (still with animals) where Christine and I have stayed many times providing lovely views of the surrounding mountains (and fantastic breakfasts!) The next day we had an enjoyable walk over the 'Mozartblick' to St Gilgen, then took the boat across the Wolfgangsee to St Wolfgang - of 'White Horse Inn' fame, followed by the Schafbergbahn cogged railway up the mountain for the unbelievable views from the mile high summit (and did I say food?) Eventually it was time to catch the last boat back to St Gilgen and then the bus back to Fuschl - I managed to find the correct bus number but the first one was going the wrong way! For our last full day in Fuschl, despite the drizzle, we elected to have a walk around the lake which takes about 3 hours and naturally visited the 'Jausenstation' where food and drink were on offer.
We moved on to W�rgl next in the Inn valley - this a relatively large place now but with the advantage of having a railway station, making it very easy to travel by train to Salzburg so that we could walk about the city without worrying about traffic or parking. An unexpected treat for the boys was a rally with lots of Classic cars assembled in one of the many squares. A bike trip to the Gro�glockner high Alpine pass was something Leslie had wanted to do, so we intended setting off early the next day to have a grand day out, knowing we would have somewhere to stay without any mystery. Unfortunately the weather gods had decided otherwise with low mist and very heavy showers, so this was abandoned - you'll just have to come back another time Leslie!
To break up the return journey, we travelled out of the Arlberg region of Austria to Bregenz by the pass, as the tunnel is closed (where we encountered deep snow at the road sides and more heavy rain) We later followed the entire north coast of the Bodensee (Lake Constance) as far as Stockach for a two night stay. In days gone by the road ran right along the shore of the lake, through many towns and villages but a new by-pass has been built to take the through traffic away to the north east. The area along the lake was the only one where I had difficulty securing accommodation and I must have contacted a dozen or more places without success, hence the move slightly farther north. Using our guest cards on the Sunday we were able to travel by train for free via Radolfzell and on to Sipplingen for a pleasant walk and the inevitable visit to a lakeside restaurant.
We then made our way to Bockenheim on the 'Deutsche Weinstra�e' in the Pfalz wine growing area, to stay with the Kohl family and sample some of their excellent wines. This turned out to be Karina and Leslie's wedding anniversary, so we did have a small glass of wine, or was it two? Christine and I have been visiting the Kohl family for over 30 years - now the third generation but Oma (grandma) nearing 90, still does the excellent spread for breakfast and nibbles for the wine tasting. We still have wine shipped to Orkney from them - it's like a postcard from Germany when we open a bottle!
We could have travelled back to the ferry in one hop from here but we had left time for another stop over just for one night at the Hotel Seem�we in Einruhr bei Simmerath - a lakeside place we had never visited before but it certainly didn't disappoint and will be on the list for our next visit. It was an easy final day, distance-wise for the horrendously busy ride back to Europoort for our final overnight cruise back to Hull. I stayed on a few days with friends and then made my way back home after a very eventful few weeks.
Number of sightings on our trip:
Helen Mirren - just 1 - She was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar, that much is true.
Jim Foubister - also just 1 - it may have been a tribute act by a very attentive waiter in the 'Neuh�usl' restaurant in Bockenheim.
Lord Lucan - at least 5 - but that must be treated with some suspicion as none of us knew what he would look like now anyway!
Number of contributions to the Austrian Police Christmas party fund - 4.
After complying with seemingly hundreds of changing speed limits we all fell foul of an unnoticed reduction from 80kph to 50 kph as we emerged into bright sunshine from a long tunnel which had the higher limit! 35 Euros each to help with their wine bill. Only 20 mins later we were all pulled over to check all documents (again!) having been safely travelling at much less than the posted limit. Checked to see we all had first aid kits - me, yes OK, Leslie, yes OK, Colin had many more plasters, bandages and ointments than we did but in separate places - 20 Euros more into their coffers! He bought one later at Lidl which contained 4/5 of bugger all when compared with what he had already. What happened to common sense and a simple warning to get a recognised pack at the next opportunity? Our genuine ones could have been full of sweeties for all they knew - they never even looked inside.
All in all it was a very enjoyable trip and if I have infected the others with some of my enthusiasm for Continental touring over the last 40 years, then I'm a happy man. As they are all a piece younger than me, surely there's plenty of opportunity? With the benefit of hindsight, I'm not sure I would want to use the Hull to Rotterdam crossing again, even though I have friends and a few relatives in Hull; the heavy goods traffic has increased by an order of magnitude since our earlier trips and although the ride down to the ferry has the benefit of anticipation of what's to come, the same can't be said for the return to Orkney, when all you want is to eat beans on toast at home and sleep in your own bed! In the past we always tried to book outward and return ferries at the weekends when all but essential HGVs are not allowed on the Autobahns from Saturday lunchtime to Sunday teatime. I think we will use the Newcastle to Ijmuiden crossing next time and head North into Germany to avoid the hassle around the big Dutch cities.