The Bikes were my Suzuki GSXS1000F, a BMW R1250GS Adventure, and a Ducati Multistrada V4S. The route we took was as follows:
Day 1 – Aylesbury to Folkestone (120 miles, 3 hours). Starting in Aylesbury, about 40 miles outside central London.
At the Eurotunnel
The bikes at a French service station
Day 2 – Calais to Metz (275 miles, 7 hours). Leaving Calais at 9am, the first 90 miles on motorways to Cambrai, followed by 185 miles on fast, scenic D roads through rural north-eastern France and the outskirts of the southern Ardennes. I liked this area.
The Rad Guard
My Suzuki was running hot, so I snipped the rad guard off the bike when we stopped for a coffee. It was a 'press on' type of guard, sitting flush on the radiator. The bike went back to its normal temperature afterwards.
Day 3 – Metz to Guebwiller (185 miles, 6 hours). Today’s route took us up into the Vosges Mountains. We rode the famous Route des Crêtes and the Route du Grand Ballon, amongst many others. The Vosges was just as good as I expected it to be and very scenic as well.
On the Route de Cretes in the Vosges
The Vosges
On the Route de Grand Ballon in the Vosges
Day 4 – Guebwiller to Freiburg (145 miles, 6 hours). This leg of the trip took us back through the Vosges and across the Grand Ballon again before crossing the large flat Rhine valley separating the French Vosges from the Black Forest in Germany. I liked this area as well.
The Vosges
The Grand Ballon itself
Freiburg Cathedral
Day 5 – Freiburg to Freiburg through the Black Forest (175 miles, 6 hours). The roads in the Black Forest were like a giant Scalextric track, with smooth surfaces and endless corners. The famous B500 stretch lived up to its reputation, though many of the other roads were just as impressive. The Black Forest was better than I expected it to be.
A Black Forest Cafe
High in the Black Forest, the Vosges are on the horizon.
Messershmitts, maybe?
A pretty town in the Black Forest
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Day 6 – Freiburg to Metz (198 miles, 7 hours). A bit more of the Black Forest, revisiting some of the routes from the day before. We had a brief ride on an unrestricted section of an autobahn. At least I hope it was unrestricted
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A German village in the Black Forest
Day 7 – Metz to Aylesbury (398 miles, 11 hours). The final day was a mammoth 11-hour ride home combining the routes from days 1 and 2.
