2017 Mosel trip

[mikeyw64]

Mine is a 390LM and although I think I have been through all of the menus I don't have anything like that.

It does have two routing options:
Car - boring motorways
Motorcycle - small single track Croatian roads with blind bends that you can't go above 30 on / Czech forestry trails / footpaths through German national parks.

It also once seemed to want me to pick up the bike and carry it onto a foot-passenger ferry across a lake, but I reckon that even with the missus helping we would not have managed it.

According to the owners manual for the 390LM thats where it should be


http://static.garmin.com/pumac/zumo_3x0_OM_WEB_EN.pdf

[Rynglieder]

Day 5 Hunsrück, Nahe Valley and the Middle Rhein (165 miles)

Before we had pressed the button to raise the electric shutter between the bedroom and balcony we knew it was going to be another hot day. Carole suggested that we should do the third of the three routes I had pre-planned; not so much to "get it out of the way", but to be sure that I had done the things I most wanted in case the weather turned against us. So, the day was going to take us across the Hunsrük hills, east of the Mosel with a few planned stops before following the Rhein north and then finishing the "triangle" with a run down the Mosel.

As I was up early again I dealt with the replacement bolt and after our usual riverside breakfast we left the valley through the tunnel that leads under Berg Landshut, the castle that sits above our adopted home town. Emerging from the tunnel we climbed the hillside in a series of challenging curves and hairpins which I took at a bit of a pedestrian pace, the GTR feels a bit heavy for me on this sort of road.

Up on top of the Hunsrük plateau we covered some miles at a reasonable pace eventually reaching Idar-Oberstien. I considered stopping there but we had visited it on the last trip and I wanted to break some new ground so we passed by and took a break in a lay-by a few miles further on. This seemed to upset the Zumo which demanded that I should go back the way I had come for twelve miles and then make a U-turn. The Germans had helpfully provided road signs though and I decided to follow these and my own instincts rather than the satnav.

Eventually we found ourselves in the Nahe valley. I can't recall what had prompted me to pick this out as a destination, it was probably someone else's photos on Flickr, but we were not disappointed. The road ran along the valley with tall rocky outcrops at either side until we reached Bad Münster where we made our way through the town and down to the riverside. We tucked the bike away in a corner and piled our gear into the cases so that we could explore for a while.

It really was a beautiful place. On the opposite bank of the river was one of the towering crags with some sort of fort or castle perched on it. We could just make out the figures of other people standing on a viewing point on one of the other peaks, it was obviously a popular destination for hikers approaching from the forest behind. On our side of the river was a large black and white half-timbered building now in use as a café with a matching pumping tower and a water wheel. We took a walk along the river and back through the public gardens and up to a huge timber construction about two storeys high and over 30 metres long which in our ignorance we took to be some sort of water feature, as water was cascading down the face of some sort of vegetation into a trough below. After a leisurely coffee under one of the parasols at the café we took our leave of the town.

It was on the way out of town that we saw more of these large timber cascades and realised that they were not just ornamental but must be performing some sort of function – growing something perhaps? I made my mind up to look into it when we got home.

(In fact I mentioned this to a colleague when we were looking through my photos back home, he did a quick search on the net and found they were a sort of air purifying system. Salt water is run down the black spikes and as the brine evaporates it gives off purified air in the surrounding park. "Ah," I said, "so two English bikers covered in dead flies should probably not have been having a fag in front of it?")

From Bad Münster we rode the short distance to Bad Kreuznach to track down some lunch and take a look at the historic bridge in the old town. I chilled at the side of the river after we had eaten whilst Carole made a few calls home to check that the kids were still alive (although I reckon she just wanted to make sure they were watering the garden).

Leaving the Nahe valley we travelled eastwards on major roads to reach the Rhein near Bingen. As usual the day was running away from us so we carried on northwards up the Rhein, not stopping as often I would have liked. Although we had travelled up here in the past it was the first time we had done so in full sun and it did look pretty spectacular, I was regretting giving up on fitting my video camera to the bike for this trip.

Just after passing the Lorelei an opportunity came to pull the bike up at the side of the river at Sankt Gorhausen. The camera finally came out to take a couple of pictures and after grabbing a drink at the kiosk next to where we had pulled up we continued along the river. The middle Rhein is a nice enough journey to take on a bike; perhaps more castles per mile than the Mosel but somewhat spoiled by heavily used railway lines running along both banks. The GTR just ate it up and we reached Boppard where there was another falling out with the Zumo (I knew very well I had to climb the hill at the back of the town, not go back the way I had come).

Crossing the narrow triangle of land just before the Mosel and Rhein meet bought us along the L207 with its tight curves as you climb out of Boppard and further curves and hairpins as you eventually descend on the Mosel above Löf. One such hairpin provided a bit of a view point where we had a further break and pulled out the camera again. Finishing the downhill run bought us back onto the main road at the side of the river and I had the genuine pleasure of a repeat of the run we had done on Monday night back down to Bernkastel.

The three planned trips had been "used up" but there were plenty of other opportunities for tomorrow.

[ray1151]

Very interesting, thanks for posting.

[shaggs147]

Excellent stuff. You should be a travel writer!

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[O.C.]

great write up and lovely pictures~ thanks for sharing      

[Rusty]

Well done indeed Mr Ryng .. that is some write up .. and your photos are not bad either ! As with my recent Picos trip I just find it a decent thing to do and share it with everyone .. sometimes gives one the "Oomph" you need to get off your arse and go and start planning !

[Rynglieder]

Day 6 Koblenz - there and back (170 miles)

With no particular plan before we left the apartment, we made the decision over our usual breakfast in Bernkastel to simply ride down the river to Koblenz and take a few stops at some of the villages that we had just flown through on our runs down the Mosel on the previous nights.

The heat and sunshine had still not let up. This time we were able to take the western bank northwards from "home" as the road at re-opened under the new autobahn bridge, albeit with some speed restrictions.

We spent some time in Alf as it is an old favourite and the bakery that we recalled from the past was still there to provide us with another coffee and a bun. Next up was to be Cochem but the place that we used to park was now barriered off against bikes so we left it for the return trip. Navigation today was simple, just follow the river....

A couple of hours leisurely riding eventually bought us to the city of Koblenz at the confluence of the Rhein and Mosel. As usual we parked up at the Deutsches Eck where the promenade almost looks like the bow of a ship as it juts between the two rivers. As in other instances we decided to give the old town of Koblenz a miss as although it is worth a visit we had done it before. We chose instead to buy a couple of tickets for the cable-car that crosses the Rhein and takes you to the Ehrenbreitstein fortress on the opposite bank which we had never really had a good look round. We spent much longer than we had thought wandering around the museum's exhibition halls, took a little more time with a drink in the courtyard and taking in the views down to the city and two rivers below us. Our visit the fort was finished with an AV display down in one of the tunnels although it has to be said we may just have been enjoying the coolness down there rather than the show. Returning to the old town by the cable car we found that the promenade was becoming crowded with dozens of beer stalls and trailers; there was obviously going to be some sort of festival tonight –a shame we couldn't stop but we did find something to eat before we walked the short distance to the bike. "What time do you think it is?" asked my good lady. "About four?" I guessed. "Just gone six" came the answer. I still have no idea where the time went.

And so for the third time this week I had the GTR under me and the trip along the Mosel in the lengthening shadows to look forward to. You may think I would be bored of it by now, but it seemed to get better every time, pinching a few more MPH here and there.  On the way back down we did find the relocated bike park in Cochem so had a bit of a break there sat alongside the riverbank.

We were late-ish getting back to the apartment but there was still time to pull a beer from the fridge and unwind for half an hour or so on the balcony and start to think about what to do with tomorrow; our last full day in the valley.
 

[moayling]

Great. Was there a couple of years ago. Based in Klotten


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[Rynglieder]

Day 7 – A little idling

For that last week I had got used to going downstairs and seeing the TV weather girl pointing at the map and saying the local equivalent of "Scorchio!" Today was looking a bit different though and some thundery rain was in prospect for the afternoon. We therefore decided not to go too far on our last day and stick close to Bernkastel. We had had three good runs up the valley north of our base so we made the usual breakfast stop and headed for Piesport, a village I had seen on the map but couldn't recall having stopped at although I must have ridden past it a dozen times in the past.

In the end I still never got there; we crossed the river at Minheim as a "panoramastraße" sign caught my eye and we followed that instead, climbing through the vineyards on one of those fingers of land that the Mosel loops around. A layby at the top offered good views of the valley Piesport below and as we stood taking in the views we were joined by half a dozen bikers from a Pforzheim patch club. We obliged them by taking a couple of group photos for them with their camera and exchanged a few words – their English being rather better than my German.

We then rode westwards into the Eifel with no real purpose, choosing a direction at random at each junction that we came to. It was a nice relaxing morning just loosing ourselves in the landscape; one of those days where you have to look at the receipts in your wallet to work out where you have actually been. Eventually we decided to head back and dropped back into the valley just north of Trier. Our last ride along the Mosel took us from there northwards along the river with a short stop at Neumagen-Dhron before returning to the apartment for the last time.

Back at Bernkastel the big idea was to do a bit of initial packing and cleaning in preparation for our departure the following day but like the couple of old folk we are becoming we both manged to nod off for an hour or so – I blame the heat.

The GTR was given the rest of the day off and we walked down through Kues to the riverside. Although there was a sign clearly saying it was verboten we decided to fütteren das wasservögel a bit as no one was looking. After walking over the bridge we settled into a riverside bar terrace and ordered a beer. We hadn't eaten much, it was still hot and the beer had a pretty immediate and impressive impact. Mindful of the big hill that I would have to walk back up to return to our accommodation I vowed that I would only have the one, but when the young lady with the big jugs (on a tray) came past the table and asked if I wanted another I have to confess I folded like a cheap tent.

The promised thunderstorm never came so we walked back up to the apartment in the dry, the time had come to face the oven and a lasagne that had been languishing in the fridge for most of the week. An apartment with a kitchen is a bit wasted on us really although we had taken the trouble to find somewhere we could cook for ourselves it had been used very little. Never mind, less cleaning to do tomorrow.

[Rynglieder]

Day 8 Bernkastel – Gembloux (170 miles)

A quick tidy up of the apartment and the keys were handed back to our hosts. We took the opportunity of a last Breakfast down by the river which gave me time to think about our route for the day. I usually simply do a reverse of our journey down but there was still the treat of some rain although you would not have guessed it from the sunshine and rising temperatures we were still in.

In the end we took a slightly more direct route back, through Wittlich on some rather uninteresting trunk roads until we reached Bitburg. From there we were in for some better biking roads across to the border with Luxembourg. We crossed the border at Vianden, a small town that we had spent a night at a year ago on our trip home from Croatia. That time it had been a bit overcast and I fancied the idea of stopping off again to take some photos with a bit of sun on the town. We had a break at a biker friendly riverside café terrace before continuing on to Diekirch.

Now we were back on my usual route so I had the pleasure of the N15 back up toward the Belgian border at Bastogne including the customary stop at the hypermarket for a couple of sleeves of cigarettes and another drink. From Bastogne we took the N4 in the direction of Namur as before. I have some regrets over this journey back. I would usually have broken away from the rather dull dual carriageway for Dinant and then followed the Meuse river valley up to Namur and I can't think why I didn't, it would have been a much more enjoyable ride and have paced the day better.

As it was we were closing in rapidly on our last overnight destination and it was still early in the afternoon. When we arrived in Namur I decided to kill a bit of time at the citadel which sits high above the town at the confluence of the Meuse and Sambre rivers. The cobbled road that winds up the hill in a series of hairpins gave the bike a good shaking but we were soon parked up at the summit. It was a bit dull and muggy up there but we walked a short way into the citadel complex (admission is free) Our problem on that day was that we were back in the full bike gear as there was no room now on the bike to stow anything away. I was still hot so we did not fancy walking round for too long. It seemed the only thing to do was to finish off our journey and hope that Gembloux would have something to offer us for the rest of the day.

It didn't. My last visit to this town was probably about 25 years ago, I had ridden out on my Z1300 to help my father for a week he was wiring up an industrial oven on the outskirts of the town. At the time and we stayed at the Hotel Trois Cles when working over there. He died a couple of years after this and I suspect it may have been a bit of nostalgia that bought me back here when our usual hotel in Namur was booked up for this trip. My recollection had been of a rather run down town bisected by a railway line and I wondered what the passing years would have done to it. We checked in at the Trois Cles and again took a shower and got into some fresh clothes as quickly as possible. It was time for something to eat but the hotel restaurant looked a bit too up-market for our tastes so we headed into town in the hope of finding something simple and perhaps a friendly bar where we could pass an hour. Although Gembloux now has a shiny new railway station at its heart, the town felt dead. Nothing seemed to be open except a big cash and carry warehouse and the main street looked like a series of locked doors and shuttered or boarded up properties. Having done a circuit of the town we walked back to the hotel and then realised that there was a large fast food place behind it that we had not spotted when walking out. The purchase of some chicken pieces was negotiated despite the language barrier by pointing at the pictures on the menu board and when finishing off the evening with a couple of beers at the hotel terrace things felt a little better.

I'd had regrets about the day though; I should have stuck with my usual route and I would find somewhere other than Gembloux for my last night in future.

Day 9 Gembloux – Home (395 miles)

We got a decent breakfast at the hotel and packed the bike up again. I never much look forward to the final day on my trips, usually double the mileage, all motorway and that feeling that it is all over.

The run to the Eurotunnel terminal at Calais was broken with a couple of stops, one of these being after Lille but still some way from the coast. As we approached the service area we saw signs saying it was closed to HGVs and it didn't take long to work out why. The illegal immigrants down in the ditch between where we had parked the bike and the fields beyond were only half-heartedly try to conceal themselves. Personally if I was trying to sneak around I would have chosen something other than a bright yellow hoody. Whilst I doubted that they would have done anything to the bike I took the precaution of leaving Carole there to fight them if necessary whilst I went to fetch the drinks. As I finished my coffee and cigarette I watched another van load turn up further down the car park and its passengers pour out and head for the hedge line. I have some sympathies; after all we all want a better life for ourselves don't we, but this is not the way to do it.

We arrived at the terminal with plenty of time to spare but as usual it took forever to clear the British border control queue and we got through just five minutes before we got the call to our train. Our exit at Dover was easy enough though and we were straight in to 200 miles of British motorway riding with a sprinkling of congestion (I'm not comfortable filtering with the GTR yet) and of course back to a bit of rain.

Our first trip on the GTR had been a pretty positive experience. I was covered in much less bug splat than on previous tours, but the fairing was going to need a damned good clean. I was not going to have to spend time adjusting a chain next weekend though....

As I have said, I have done this trip before and a looking forward to doing it again in the future. The big tours are great but if you just want a week away on the bike where you can wake each morning and do as little or much riding as you want (or the weather allows) I would recommend the Mosel for a week or even just a long weekend.

If you are planning something similar and want an idea of cost:

The channel crossing was £86.00 but being mid-day on a Saturday of a bank holiday weekend I think that was just about as expensive as it could get.

The overnight stop at the Cobut cost £74.00 for the outward overnight stay including breakfast, it was perfectly OK for the purpose but I would still stay in Namur or Dinant if rooms were available.

Our six nights in Bernkastel-Kues ran in at about £360.00 including linen; a budget hotel may have been a bit cheaper but it is nice to have the independence of your own exclusive base for the week and it suits me better.

We probably got though a tank full of Aral Ultimate (or whatever the local brew was on the day) with an extra fill on the outward and return trips at about £20.00 a time.

The return overnight stop at Gembloux was just under £90.00. The hotel its self was fine, it just needs urgently relocating to another town.

On top of all of this we probably averaged about £20-25 per day in food, drink and the odd entrance fee etc.

If you have read to the bottom of this, well done and thank you.

Enjoy your own trips and let us know how you get on.

[shaggs147]

It was a great read from start to finish, many thanks for taking the time to post it. Great pics too, always good to see new places.

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[pross]

An excellent write up with accompanying pictures 
Looks a superb trip and as you say with a nice base to go off from exploring and site seeing 

[O.C.]

Great write up to accompany a great trip, superb photos BTW

thanks for sharing with us     

[davetherave]

Great write up to accompany a great trip, superb photos BTW

thanks for sharing with us     

+1 on that  superb effort

[davetherave]

Koblenz, twinned with my home city of Norwich 

A brilliant read even on the second time around, thanks so much for taking the time and the massive effort to put this together.