Adrian wrote:
I'm now thinking about France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany etc.
RIDE magazine website have some interesting routes down to Lux via "Parc naturel régional des Ardennes" I love the idea of visiting several countries in a short space of time. I have a bit of a theme going on in my head now which has given me some direction. I'd like to visit the war museum at Bastogne (big fan of Band of Brothers series, watched it many many times). Also Dunkirk. I'm still only going to have about six days so need to be conscious of the mileage. I'm undecided whether to camp or find cheap lodgings. I like the idea of travelling light. My bike can be a real bugger to push around when it's fully loaded!!!
I also need to shop for travel insurance so any recommendations are gratefully received.
Travel Insurance - I usually use 'Insureandgo' they will cover on a day by day basis, e.g. just the days you are abroad. This gets added to a regular travel insurance policy e.g. for Motorcycles over 125cc.
Grab a copy of Motorcycle Journeys through Western Europe by Toby Ballentine. He takes you along the 'actual' Band of Brothers route - into the Ardennes and around Bastogne - right the way up to the Eagles Nest if you are going as far as Berchtesgaden - a bit of a push in 6 days though - I spent best part of a day there, so you would need a bit more time though.
I would recommend Normandy Beaches - Omaha beach, and Arromanche, I would also recommend riding through around Esch-sur-Sûre in Luxembourg. Great river valley and village to visit - usually full of bikers on a Sunday. Picardie, is a good route through Northern (French Ardennes) and return via Southern Ardennes e.g. Bastogne etc.
Your problem is going to be how much time off the bike visiting museums etc vs riding distance. I did the Normandy beaches on a separate trip to the 5 day trip Ardennes/Lux etc. Personally, I would skip Dunkirk and Normandy beaches and focus on 101st Airborne down thru' Battle of Bulge. If you play your cards right you could get down to the Mosel valley too. Another great town to stay is Vianden (1 hour from Bastogne) - I also liked Dinant on the River Meuse too (great dish of Mussels by the river) - try staying at the Ibis (it has a good car park area) if you can get a good price.
Camping costs time unless you set up a base somewhere say 3 nights - off-load and work circular routes. Obviously you could do this with hotels - but higher price and more comfort. Remember, it does rain in Belgium/Lux - quite heavily even in summer months.
If you do go hotel, always check out the parking facilities in advance, many 3 star hotels have secure parking at little extra cost. You don't want to be parking the bike over the road (IMO :whistle: )
All the best (thumbs)
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