2023 European trip France / Belgium / Luxembourg / Germany

[Rynglieder]

Your reports are so enjoyable...well done and thank you      

Sorry for the break in communication. I can account for one week when I was away, but I'm damned if I know where my time goes now I'm retired. Now I'm back to reviewing the video from the trip and banging at the keyboard again, a further chunk should follow soon. 

[O.C.]

Sorry for the break in communication. I can account for one week when I was away, but I'm damned if I know where my time goes now I'm retired. Now I'm back to reviewing the video from the trip and banging at the keyboard again, a further chunk should follow soon. 

    

[Rynglieder]

Day 5 – The Northern Black Forrest (c. 100 miles)

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The day started by wrapping myself around a very decent breakfast, made all the better that I had been able to dig out my stash of PG Tips for a decent cup of tea. The young lady organising the dining room spotted the actions of the stereotypical Brit and swiftly came up with a proper sized mug as well, as those little continental coffee cups just aren't up to the job. A bonus of being based here for four nights was that I could ditch a lot of the baggage that I had brought this far, so the bike was feeling about 20kg lighter when I finally pulled away. I really do take too much stuff with me; the problem is that if you have the space you tend to fill it. The forecast for the day was for unhindered sunshine and a bit more heat than I wanted. At least now I could pull on the Kevlar jeans and ditch the touring trousers.

At one time the road that pulled all of the bikers into the Black Forrest was the B500 Schwarzwaldhochstraße, or Black Forest High road which follows the ridge north-south through the mountains. It was famed for the scenery, the well-kept surface and flowing curves. Sadly, it seems that it has been abused over time and in recent years a 70kph speed limit has been slapped on a lot of it. I'd therefore sorted out a couple of routes in my planning that would take me on less enforced roads but dipping into the B500 for certain sections so as to take it in a bit at a time.

The journey from the Zur Linde took me north, back in the direction I had arrived by the previous evening so I once again had the pleasure of cresting the hill and dropping into the next valley on that winding road, but this time not feeling so tired and with a much more agile steed. I continued to retrace the previous days ride until I reached the small town of Oppenau where I turned north, along the high street and the out on an unclassified but very rideable road into the forest.

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There seemed to be a constant stream of motorcycles coming toward me throughout the ride, a sure sign I'd picked a decent road. Just a short while out of Oppenau I reached my first destination of the day, a car park at the start of the path to the Allerheiligen waterfalls. I took the opportunity to have a ramble along the path following the river through its gorge until I reached the foot of one of the larger falls where I lingered a while to take a few snaps. If I had been minded to, I could have followed this path all of the way to the village of Allerheiligen, but where's the fun in that on a hot day if you have fourteen hundred cubic centimetres of engine to do the work for you?

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The bike was duly ridden down the hill and eventually came to anchor in the village where another short walk took me to the abbey ruins. I managed to get a bit of a view of them but it looked like a young bride and groom were taking advantage of the backdrop for their wedding photos so pushing off seemed the right thing to do.
The road continued to roll nicely around the hillsides until it eventually reached the fabled B500 at Ruhestein. My next port of call was to be Mummelsee, a lakeside resort in the mountains. I confess its sudden manifestation took me my surprise, traditionally I have found rivers and lakes at the bottom of hills, so I wasn't quite ready when it sprang out at me after a long uphill climb and I overshot the car park entrance necessitating a rather inelegant U-Turn. At the second time of asking I did manage to catch the car park entrance and just abut found a place big enough to leave the bike.

Mummelsee is an attractive enough place and as I walked in front of the lakeside hotel, I found myself envious of those sat at tables with a nice cool beer. A bit of queuing at the Imbiss window led to a brief negotiation and me coming away with an alcohol-free beer in exchange for a few euros. I sat in the sun for a short while with my beer and a smoke until I was ready to move on again.

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[Rynglieder]

The next target I had locked onto was the small city of Baden-Baden, somewhere I had briefly passed through before and felt was worthy of another look. There was a relaxing 70kph bimble along the speed-camera infested B500, no one seems to misbehave or overtake, so you get used to looking at the blunt end of the same car or van for long periods, you need to accept this if you are going to get any enjoyment out of the run. Eventually I edged into the suburbs and due to a lapse of concentration found myself in a road tunnel going right underneath the city centre. Another 180-degree manoeuvre brought me back into the city centre and as luck would have it an empty motorcycle bay swam into view. I wasn't sure where I was in relation to the beating heart of the metropolis but a quick consultation with Google maps suggested that I was in fact only a few minutes' walk from the centre.

Whereas Luxembourg was exactly as I remembered it from a visit back in the days when I had more hair, Baden-Baden did not seem at all familiar even though I had passed through before. My walk from the bike took me alongside the river at the edge of the Kurpark, across the front of the Trinkhall and then deeper into the Kurpark. Baden-Baden is an old spa resort and in the early 20th century was the place to be for the gentry in a similar way to the French Rivera. It hasn't really shaken this off, the tourists I was rubbing shoulders with all seemed very affluent and the shopping streets were lined with the stores of the usual designer brands. I stopped to get a coffee in one of the quieter streets and watched the Bright Young Things go by for a while, but it was not really my thing so I found my way back to the bike ready to search out some landscape or history.

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Like some sort of overweight mole, the GTR tunnelled its way back out of the city centre. This time I left on a more minor road which wound up into the hills alternating between sunlight vistas and shady forests until I emerged in Forsbach. From there it was back onto the wider faster flowing roads for a southward ride in the direction of Freudenstadt. The B462 also has several sections limited to 70kph, but there was the odd stretch where you could get a bit of a squirt of the throttle for an overtake and look at the back of something else for a change.

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There was a very pleasant ride down to Freudenstadt followed by a pedestrian-paced penetration of the city centre under its 30kph limits and then out on the B28 at a much more agreeable velocity for another stint on proper biker's roads. A fuel stop was required at Knibes, I found myself surprised at how few times I'd had to fill up on this trip, I suppose the low speed limits I'd been encountering will have been a factor but the GTR seemed to be very frugal.

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There was a burning need to pull up soon after to take in the cold drink I'd bought from the petrol station and have a cigarette break. (They still don't like you doing that on the fuel station forecourt you know). I found a layby alongside a woodland hiking trail which did very nicely for the stop.

Onto the final leg of my return loop, I continued with the B28, B500 and L92 now travelling west and the route becoming curvier and more entertaining as I took the rollercoaster ride around the hillsides and back down into Oppenau where I had passed through on my way out that morning.

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Before long I was doing my new favourite commute over the hills and down to my hotel where I arrived in plenty of time to get freshened up before heading up to the restaurant where I had a table booked and a steak demanding my attentions. Having seen that off I finished with a couple of Alpirsbacher Klosterbrau beers and then ambled back across the road for an early night.

There had not been much riding today, at about 100 miles it was probably not much more than an afternoon out back at home, but I'd caught a lot of sights and there's nothing better than a motorcycle to link them together.

[O.C.]

     I love it "overweight mole"....brilliant,  and thank you      

[Rynglieder]

Day 6 – The Southern Black Forrest (c.135 miles)

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I was welcomed into the breakfast room and directed to a table with my own Special Needs mug and my own flask of boiling water – they were getting to know me... back in my room I inserted the aging bod into the Kevlar jeans and boots again as yet another hot day with unbroken sunshine was forecast.

The plan for today was to loop around the southern part of the Black Forest and take in a few places I hadn't visited before. It started very slowly; leaving the hotel in this direction took me through a string of villages mostly under the thumb of the annoyingly restrictive 30kph / 19mph limits. There followed an uninspiring run on a more major road along the valley floor, eventually on impulse I turned off into the small town of Wladkirch where the bike was abandoned by the railway station and I set off on foot into the town in search of a coffee. I found a quiet place to sit and take a leisurely slurp while looking back at the castle on the hill above the town.

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Having extricated myself from the embrace of sunny Waldkirch I pointed the bike at the signs for Freiburg and set about slaughtering more insects with the GTR's screen. It seemed a bit of a convoluted route that took me into Freiburg, I honestly can't recall if that was down to a diversion or the Zumo playing tricks on me again, but I seemed to hop from one speed restricted village to another along the valley floor. Needless to say, Freiburg city centre was even worse with tram lines thrown in to make sure that you are concentrating on where to place the front tyre.

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A road closure in the city centre on the road I wanted to leave by threw me of course and into a world of congestion, but flicking though various back streets I eventually found myself going out on the road to Schauinsland which was my next intended destination. Even as I broke free of the suburbs the tram tracks persisted along the road but eventually I was in the countryside once more and feeling that I was starting to make progress.

As I started to climb from the valley floor toward the mountain resort of Schauinsland I found myself confronted with a "no motorcycles" road sign. I pulled over so that I could carefully read the smaller sign below it as my German is not that quick. I knew enough to learn that motorcycles were prohibited from the mountain road on weekends and bank holidays during the summer months so I was forced into a U-Turn. Back-tacking a short distance, I took a turning for Horben that I had passed moments before and decided to go exploring. I reached Horben and passed straight through - sleepy village did not begin to cover it - it looked like it was in a coma.  More frustration followed as when passing the village's outer limits, I found that the road ahead was prohibited to all vehicles. Returning to the small car park in the village I dragged out the map and quickly realised my journey was at a dead end, there was no alternative but to go back into Freiburg and crawl round in the congestion again.

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Perhaps it didn't seem so bad the second time around as I could at least avoid the old town as I picked out the road for Titisee. It hadn't been in the plan for today, but I'd been there before and in the absence of any other idea it would do. A couple of tunnels brough me out onto the B31 where I let off steam by using every one of the 130kph allowed on the dual carriageway, it was good to get moving again after spending the last hour crawling round on the road to nowhere. After a while the road began to rise into the mountains again with a series of hairpins and crawler lanes and my ride started to feel a lot better.

[Rynglieder]

Arriving in Titisee I soon picked up the signs for the motorcycle park that I remembered from my last visit. The barrier arms to the public car park are left purposely short so that bikes can squeeze through and there is a dedicated parking area complete with lockers and changing rooms to stow your gear. At least I was starting to feel the love again. There was ample room on the GTR to tuck away my own gear today so I did so and set about the walk down to the lakeside.

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I promenaded myself along the lakeside amongst the hordes of weekend tourists for a short while, but being clad in jeans and bike boots I felt as appropriately dressed as I would be in a Santa suit given the weather. I took time to get hold of a chicken burger and a cold drink and find a shady spot to reflect on what had been a disappointing and frustrating day thus far.

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No queueing up to pay at the exit barrier for me, I was through the gap like a rat up a drainpipe and back on the road again, hoping for a better afternoon's riding. Initially I rode toward Tittisee-Neustadt, but before getting involved in another town took the road along the bottom of the Jostal which did indeed prove to be a fast and free-flowing ride, eventually joining the fabled B500 where I turned toward Furtwangen.

Despite what I had read this section of the road was not entirely restricted to 70kph, only the more hazardous sections seem to be controlled and as I had hoped my enjoyment continued, with a steady stream of other bikes passing me in the opposite direction. Furtwangen was passed through with nothing more than a cursory glance as I pushed on toward Triberg.

I was still sticking with the B500 until a road closure pushed me up toward the village of Schonach but it was a short and quite agreeable detour into Triberg where I was set upon by a flock of motorcycle parking signs. Taking P2, at random I found myself entering a rooftop car park where the sole bike was just leaving so I had the place to myself. I think I found three dedicated motorcycle parks that I could have chosen from, but where the GTR had been berthed was fine for a walk alongside the river that flowed through this attractive town with its half-timbered buildings. There was no doubt that I was in Cuckoo-Clock country, they seemed to little else to buy on the main street.

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After a quick slug from the bottle in my top-case I rode out on the final leg of the day's ride. There was the odd slow bit but in the main it was a good if not spectacular ride along the B33 to Hausach before swinging onto the B294 as far as the turn off for the Hammersbach Valley. As it was that morning, this was a slow final run back to my quarters at Oberhammersbach but it had been a long day and I was happy to "cruise" for a bit.

After washing away the day's excesses in the shower there was time for a couple of beers on the terrace before a relatively early night in the company of my book and a bit of music stored on the phone. It hadn't been a great morning but the afternoon had compensated a bit.

[Boomer]

Unless it is a prominent "NO MOTORCYCLES" sign, I ignore it and play the dumb tourist if pulled over. I can understand locals not wanting noisy motorcycles but if the bike is road legal then that kind of restriction is discriminatory. Perhaps I should get my mate with his V8 trike to go there? The Police never know how to deal with that. 🤣🤣

[Rynglieder]

Unless it is a prominent "NO MOTORCYCLES" sign, I ignore it and play the dumb tourist if pulled over. I can understand locals not wanting noisy motorcycles but if the bike is road legal then that kind of restriction is discriminatory. Perhaps I should get my mate with his V8 trike to go there? The Police never know how to deal with that. 🤣🤣

I confess that I have been prepared to play my Stupid Foreigner card if necessary on occasions. I don't know if you have clicked on the thumbnail image for a larger picture, but the "motorcycles prohibited" sign was pretty clear and they'd taken the trouble to put one on both sides of the road to reinforce the point, so I don't think I'd get away with it.

Your point about the hypothetical noisy trike is a fair one, but of course noise may not be the issue. Playing devil's advocate, I think it's more likely that on weekends and Bank Holidays the area is probably infested with families including kids on bicycles who may get swatted by Rossi wannabes throwing their sports bikes round the twisties at 100kph.

There were lots of motorcycles around the region despite some restrictions and relatively low speed limits so it may also be that the sheer volume of bikers on summer weekends is too much for the cafes, car parks and toilets in the area. Maybe on a future visit I'll get up there and find out...

Pete.

[Boomer]

The way to deal with such problems is lower speed limits and rigid enforcement rather than discrimination. If it was no motor-vehicles then fair enough.
I do understand the locals feelings and having hordes descend every sunny weekend is irritating and potentially dangerous, but overt discrimination just breeds more discrimination.
Overt discrimination against motorcycles and motorcyclists is on the rise across the EU and UK.
In Austria some mountain passes have banned motorcycles for some pretty spurious reasons and green lanes across EU/UK are being closed to motorcycles and 4x4s.
Yes, there are always bad apples who ruin it for the rest of us, but why punish everyone for the actions of a few?

[Rynglieder]

Day 7 Another Black Forest Loop (c.165 miles)

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As I was finishing off another fine breakfast my host approached me and asked if I could pay today, presumably she was in charge of the exchequer and wasn't going to be around tomorrow. There then followed some confusion when I was presented with a bill of around €100 less than I had reserved the room at through Booking.com. She was quite adamant that this lower amount was perfectly correct and as you can imagine I was more than happy. I had intended to leave a bit of a tip as I'd been well looked after, but under the circumstances while reaching into my wallet for some folding stuff I decided to double what I had originally considered.

My route for the day started in a southerly direction, so frequently and carefully checking my mirrors to ensure I was not being tail-gated by cyclists, people in mobility scooters or sprightly pedestrians I made my way through Oberharmesrbach again. At least I did not have to follow the slow valley route this morning, I took a left turn in the town and straight up into the hills.

This still was not the fastest of rides being on an unclassified road with lots of blind bends as it wound through the forested hillsides but at least I could concentrate on the road and the views rather than my speedo. I paused briefly at the turning for the Brandenkopf which I vaguely recalled was a summit with an observation tower but as I'd only been on the road for a short while I didn't feel ready for a stop and the thought of a long uphill walk in the heat didn't excite me either.

Instead, I continued along this mountain road which seemed quite rough and narrow in parts until I descended through woods and sunlight meadows into Walke and there joined a quicker, more open road. This lead me at an enjoyable pace in a southerly direction, briefly dropping speed as I passed through Oberwolfach and then getting back on the throttle again when joining the B294 eastwards following the valley with the river Kinzing at my side until I came to Schilitach.

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This little town hadn't really been in my considerations but I was about ready for a stop by now. I found a place to park and zeroed in on a coffee which I took to a riverside bench. Deep blue sky, dark green forested hills, red roofs on black and white buildings gave a colourful surround to fifteen minutes off the bike – all seemed well with the world.

Moving on from Schilitach I stayed with the B294, now heading north on a perfect fast flowing motorcycling road for around 15-20 minutes until I reached my first scheduled destination, Alpirsbach. The bike was docked on a carpark near the station and I set about a bit of a walk, firstly to a bank to top up the cash reserves and then up toward the old abbey, Kloster Alpirshach. Brewing and monasteries have existed hand in hand for over a thousand years - I suppose the brethren need a pint as much as anyone else and it gave them something to do in between the routine monking. Here there is a large commercial brewery including a museum in the shadow of the abbey, this came as no surprise as I'd consumed four bottles of the stuff already whilst staying in the area and it was pretty certain that another four bottles of their output would pass through me before I left. I moved on though the abbey gardens to take a few pictures before returning to the bike.

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Onward and Northward, still taking my pleasure from the B294 I reached Loßburg where fate and "Umleitung", the Goddess of Road Closures intervened in my destiny. Now I seemed to be going unexpectedly westward but at least I was going quickly on a beautiful road, banking left and right as I flowed through the curves. I eventually pitched up on a junction with the L405 and was able to resume my journey north toward Freudensdadt. Despite being nagged by the Zumo the whole way it had been quite an enjoyable detour.

Once I'd passed through Freudensdadt I was able to link with the B294 again, once more having fun with the open road. In truth this ride along the bottom of a valley was a bit less challenging being straighter, flatter and perhaps a little busier, although that did encourage a couple of overtakes in an attempt to keep the pace up.
I rode into Calmbach and then attempted to point the bike to the west to start the top section of my loop. It wasn't that successful, I ran straight into another road closure but at least the place that I stopped to turn the bike around was outside a "bakeri", so it was coffee time again.

Back on the 294 and going a little further north than I had intended, I reached the junction with the L340 where I could finally climb back into the hills. The pleasure factor was beginning to increase again, although I noted this road also prohibits motorcycles between 22:00 and 06:00.  I passed though Bad Herenalb and had a de ja vue moment. Many years ago I had stopped here and taken a picture of a building, but when I returned from the trip I couldn't remember the location – it had bugged me for years, finally I had chanced upon it again. It was a good ride onward but again the heat was making it a bit less comfortable than I would have liked, a tree shaded layby beckoned for another chance to dismount and have a quick smoke before continuing.

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[Rynglieder]

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Another very satisfactory stretch of tarmac led me to Gernsbach for another scheduled stop. This was somewhere else I had visited before, in fact an overnight stop on a previous trip to southern Europe. Last time round we had arrived late and the weather was a bit murky so I wanted this revisit to appreciate it with a bit of sun and hopefully get some better photos.

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The job was done as quickly as possible, with one thing an another I was conscious that I was way behind schedule and I felt a need to press on. Bühlertal was next on the route and once more I was on a quieter rollercoaster road which I'm sure I would have enjoyed more if I was not starting to tire. Bühlertal came and went sedately by and after around 10 minutes on a very agreeable bendy road I found myself crossing the B500 as I continued east on the L83. A stretch of water came into view which I found to be the Schwarzenbachtalsperre, a good-sized reservoir with laybys scattered around the edges so this was accepted as another opportunity to get off the bike and fetch the camera out again.

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Back in the saddle I continued my ride along the valley sometimes in the shade of trees and at other times in the sunlight with more open vistas until I reached the junction with the 462 where I turned south, back in the general direction of my lodgings. It was a nicely paced road in the main with a couple of restrictions as I passed through villages and before long I was picking my next parking space in Kloster Reichenbach. I took the opportunity to raid the top case for a bit more fluid and walked down to the eponymous abbey - this turned out to be a slight disappointment, having the appearance merely of an overstuffed parish church and not being particularly photogenic.

Continuing to trust in the Zumo (which seemed to be having one of its better days), I continued southwards where the day's journey was scheduled to end in around 30 miles. It wasn't to be – upon reaching Baiersbronn I found my road barred and the diversion route seemed to be throwing me back the way I had come. There then followed a lengthy run back northwards by the road I had just come down. After 20-30 minutes of riding the official diversion, I decided to pull over and throw the hotel address back into the Zumo. Whilst the diversion was clearly signposted and not unpleasant to ride it seemed sensible to assume that the local authority had probably not set up the diversion specifically for my bedroom. So, having ridden this far from Baiersbronn I thought the Zumo should have another crack at it. Needless to say, after another five minutes of mountain curves I found myself back in Klosterreichenbach. Exactly 47 minutes after I had left my previous parking spot I was back in the same place. I then did what I should have done when I first encountered the road closure and pulled out the Michelin map of the area and gave it some serious contemplation in the company of a cigarette. I reckoned that if I continued on to Baiersbronn I could strike out east to Ruhestein, I could then return south via Allerheiligen which I had visited on my first day in the forest, so I keyed in the waypoint for the waterfalls and gave the Zumo a threatening look.

It was one of those rides I would really have enjoyed if not for the frustration of going a long way out of my way and the low sun was now becoming a bit of a nuisance, but before long I reached the B500 again and more or less crossed it as I took the "slower" road south. It all worked out well enough, there was the eventual slow crawl though Oppenau followed by the now familiar ascent and decent in the dusk for my last night at the Gasthaus Zur Linde. 

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I was almost devastated to find the bar closed that evening so it was a case of sitting in the garden shelter with my cigarettes and evaluating my time in the region. It had been a bit of a disappointment in some ways; road closures with long detours, restrictive speed limits in places, not being able to reach one place by motorcycle etc. That said, it was by no means dreadful and I've learned a lot from it – knowing what I now know I could easily pick out the bits of road that would allow 3-4 days of very good riding including ascending mountains on a weekday and steering as far clear as possible of Freiburg. Despite being denied access to one road, it is overall biker-friendly as evidenced by the sheer number relishing the roads on two wheels. I certainly had not fallen out of love with Germany; I still love the people, culture and varied landscapes and it will be figuring in my plans for next year's trip.

[O.C.]

Reading your reports and enjoying the wonderful accompanying pictures is almost as good as actually being there.... brilliant....thank you       

[Rynglieder]

Day 8 Oberhammersbach [D] > Kopstal [L] (c.195 miles)

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My last breakfast at the Gasthaus Zur Linde (whilst as good as ever) was a bit of a sorrowful affair, after four days I was just starting to get to know my fellow inmates in the dining room and what had started on the first day as a simple "Guten Morgen" had by this time almost developed into conversations and it seemed a little sad to be leaving.

Having swilled down the last cup of tea I had to start repacking. The forecast remained for relentless sunshine so I opted to remain with the Kevlar jeans and bungee my touring trousers onto the little rack on top of the bikes rear case as they were too bulky to get inside. Despite having sluiced out a couple of tee shirs in the shower I was running low on clean ones, the four long sleeved roll necks that I favour as a base layer remained untouched. It all got crammed back on the bike again somehow and I set off for the return leg home.

It had taken three nights to reach the Black Forest but my plan for the return was just two overnight stops so the expectation was for a bit less sight-seeing and a bit more milage on motorways. There was one last ride up and over the hill between Oberhammersbach and Löcherberg, one last crawl through Oppenau and then I was back on the route that had taken me inbound. Once again having ridden through the German side of the flat Rhein plain I crossed the river into France near Gambesheim and stopped once more at the visitor car park serving the canal locks and Hydro Electric station. This time round I went and bothered the café owner for a coffee before getting stuck into France. I was out of Germany for now, but I wasn't completely done with it for this trip...

As before the run up through Hagenau was mostly flat, straight and unremarkable with a steady stream of traffic islands and the odd peasant in a tractor to steer round. At least after Hagenau the frequency of traffic islands dropped off a bit and things became a bit more rural allowing for a nice cruise in the sunshine. As I approached Woerth a roadside sign informed me that I should be carrying snow chains in winter, so it looked as if the topography was going to become more stimulating.

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Sure enough, the bends and hills we back as I clipped the top right-hand corner of the North Vosges Regional Natural Reserve and there was some very appealing riding to the outskirts of Lembach where a dappled layby suggested and opportunity to replenish the nicotine in my system and check the opening times of the first attraction on the day's schedule, which I reckoned was not too far away.

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[Rynglieder]

After 5-10 minutes through the forest, I was turning onto the lane leading to Fleckenstein Castle. Unfortunately, I got a bit greedy on the car park and grabbed the first spot that came into view – I hadn't realised that the car park was terraced and wound its way up the hill, if I had stuck with it a bit longer I could have parked much closer to the entrance and saved myself a bit of an uphill walk. Although there was no longer the room to stow the bike jacket away. I had at least got my cable lock with me, so I ran it though the jacket sleeve so the trek could be undertaken in short sleeves.

The trail up the hill was flanked with information boards and sculptures celebrating the area's history as a centre for charcoal burning. Unfortunately, there was so much information I passed the point of knowing everything I would ever need to, to the point of my brain overfilling and not retaining a single scrap of it. I parted with a few Euros at the ticket office and set about another five-minute walk to the castle ruins. Built on a massive rock outcrop this proved to be an unusual fortress in as much as the lower floors were tunnelled into or carved out of the rock itself leaving just the plateau of the crag with the ruins of masonry structures. There was a fair bit available to explore but as usual I rushed it as there was still a good journey ahead of me. I loitered at the summit for a while absorbing the views from the summit from where I could see the spikes of rock that struck upward from the wooded hills, one of the distinctive features of this region that I had come across before, although on the German side of the nearby border when camping near Dahn with the kids many years ago. I took the opportunity to buy a cold drink from the visitor centre and sit down for a few minutes on the way back to the bike.

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A matter of minutes after leaving the castle I was riding though the German border once more at Hirschtal and once through the village was able to let the bike loose a little more with the slightly less constricting speed limits. The L487 proved a perfect motorcycling road through valley and forest and was one of the riding highlights of the trip. All good things come to an end though and near Hinterweidenthal I joined a major feeder road which eventually merged with the A8 Autobahn which would allow me to dodge the industrial and urban areas of Saarland.

After a while of this mundane ploughing along I pulled up at a layby for a break and a drink from a bottle I was carrying. It was as I dismounted and made for the top-case I realised that although my rack still had the bungee cords attached, my trousers were very much conspicuous by their absence. It dawned on me that at autobahn speeds the bike's screen was probably deflecting more air over the back than usual and presumably the wind had unpicked my gear. It was no loss in a monetary sense, I was due some new stuff and this was to e the last trip for those trousers, but I as now very much at the mercy of the weather – It had hardly rained at all in a week, I was now hoping my luck would hold out as the jeans were in no way waterproof.

I probably only had another half hour of the A8 until I exited near Maybach. There was then a short ride mostly though small towns until I rolled up at Illingen and once again located a parking spot out of the sun. I walked across a small park in the centre of town to the remains of Burg Illingen. From photographs this had looked an attractive place to stop off when I was planning the trip, but like a picture of a pretty girl in a blonde wig and padded bra, once you started to investigate it became a bit of a disappointment. There was really very little to see, a couple of pictures were taken but I had walked the perimeter in two minutes. Still, it had been as good a place as any to break the journey.

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There was a bit of mixed bag of riding to follow, mostly small town and villages with a suburban feel until I reached Lebach where a handy McDonalds stood. I knew there was no restaurant at this night's hotel so it seemed sensible to do a bit of a top-up. From there it was roads of the same vein until I rejoined the A8 just north of Saarlouis. The autobahn riding was safe and steady, I kept it to around 80mph and apart from a quick fuel stop near the Luxembourg border at Schengen (who knew that was a motorway service area as well as an international treaty?) it was all motorway, around the southern edge of Luxembourg until I reached my exit for Kopstal, a small suburb to the north of the city.

My hotel was easy enough to find, being set on the crossroads in the centre of the small town. After parking the bike up, I re-read the information that the hotel had provided at the time of my booking; I had been advised that the hotel was unstaffed on the night of my stay, but an access code for the rear door had been provided and my room key was ready in a pigeonhole just inside. The room was very good although slightly noisy being set on the front above the road junction. As ever I was grateful to be showered and out of the bike clothing and I then set off on foot to find an evening drink. I was to be disappointed, there was absolutely nothing on offer within the town, just a Thai restaurant opposite the hotel at which every table on the terrace was occupied and a five-minute walk in all four directions failed to turn up a cold beer. On any other evening I'm sure I would have settled contentedly in the hotel bar, but as that was not an option tonight I had to settle for a couple of glasses of orange juice that was provided free to guests from a refrigerator on the landing. And so another alcohol-free evening lead onto a further early night, drifting off to sleep to the sound of wheelspins at the town's traffic lights.