Isle of Man Classic TT – Transeuropean motorcycle tour

Description

Day 1: We ride to Bellinzona on the highway and then take the Lukmanier pass to Disentis.  We then ride to the top of the Oberalp pass. At the top of the pass we shall see a lighthouse. What’s a lighthouse doing at the top of a pass? Well, this is exactly where the Rhine river has its source. We shall encounter the original lighthouse in Rotterdam just before sailing to Britain as that’s where the Rhine river joins the ocean. From the Oberalp pass we join the Gotthard pass in Andermatt and follow it down to Brunnen for our first night stop.

Day 2: Another short stint on the Swiss highways (vignettes are included) to reach the border with Germany in Koblenz. From here we enjoy a magnificent ride north across the Black Forest passing by Titisee, stopping in Schiltach (for lunch) and mainly following the wonderful panoramic B500 Bundesstraße that reaches Baden Baden. Here we end our daily ride. Baden Baden was an ancient Roman settlement where Emperor Caracalla built the initial hot water baths in the 3rd century. What could be better than a hot thermal bath after a long ride?

Day 3: We leave Baden Baden and our route takes us across into France for a while to cross another outstanding Natural Park, the Regional Natural Park of the Vosges of the North. Along our route we shall encounter many WW2 defensive fortresses and casemates which composed the 1930 Maginot Line intended to defend France from Germany. As we exit the Vosges we take the highway for a short section heading for Trier. Here we intersect the B53 and follow it along the river Mosel. An amazing winding ride with the high the banks of the river completely cultivated with excellent vineyards of Riesling grapes. This is a very important wine production region for Germany and is picture postcard perfect. Once the B53 turns into the B49 we leave the river banks of the Mosel and head north into the ancient volcanic region of the Eifel and reach the legendary circuit of the Nurburgring. No chance to take a lap of the Nordschleife, I fear, but we will have time to visit the museum of this incredible motorsport landmark, before reaching our hotel nearby.

Day 4: We keep riding north along the sweeping roads which cross the Eifel National Park. We reach the city of Aachen for lunch and a visit to the UNESCO heritage cathedral 800 AD with Emperor Charlemagne´s own Palatine Chapel. We finally succumb to catching the Autobahn across the Netherlands and reach Rotterdam for our overnight ferry. But before we board we must pay a visit to the Low Light of the Hook of Holland, the old lighthouse, of which we saw a copy on top of the Oberalppass. This marks the end of our ride across Europe heading north.

Day 5:  We ride to York and visit the Gothic York Minster. After a stroll along the Shambles, we set off again and aim for the Yorkshire dales. We view the roofless Bolton Abbey and ride the Buttertubs pass. A must stop here is the Tan Hill Inn, the highest altitude pub in Great Britain at 1732ft. We then enter Cumbria to the west and reach the Lake District and stay overnight by lake Windermere. After a few Lake district passes in the morning, we shall reach the harbour of Heysham by noon on the following day to cross the Irish sea to the Isle of Man.

Day 6, 7, 8, & 9: On Day 6 after a short ride around the Lake District we shall catch the ferry and reach our hotel by 6pm. We will be based just outside Douglas in the heart of the action. Day 7 and 9 are Race Days and Day 8 is a rest, or contingency, day. You are free to do your own thing or follow Francesco to some of the best viewing spots. This is the link to the Race Week Schedule. During the course of our stay we shall get to ride a loop of the whole island.

Day 10: Time to leave the isle of Man and make our way back to Milano. But there’s no rush and plenty to see. We land around noon and as soon as we get off the ferry in Heysham, we cross the Forest of Bowland, skirt around the congested Greater Manchester area and reach the Peak District. Pay a visit to Holmfirth and Castle hill before spending the night at the foothill of the Snake pass in Hyde, just outside of Manchester.

Day 11: We leave Hyde and immediately ride the Snake pass entering the Peak District We follow it’s hills and rivers all the way to Burton on Trent and then reach the Triumph factory in Hinckley. A Landmark in any motorcyclist visit to the Uk. We spend a few hours admire the site of the triumph factory visitor experience and their collection of vintage bikes. After a couple of hours spent here our final destination for the day is Shakespeare’s hometown, Stratford upon Avon.

Day 12: We ride across the quaint landscape of the Cotswolds, visiting the nicest villages in the area, like Bibury, Bourton on the Water and Castle Combe before reaching the Salisbury Planes and visiting the prehistoric world famous Stonehenge. Once this visit is over we keep riding south to the New Forest and spend a few hours in what is the mecca of motorcycling in the UK, Sammy Miller’s museum with approximately 1400 running bikes. After our visit it over our next target is the harbour in Portsmouth to sail across the Channel to reach Normandy.

Day 13: We land near Caen and dedicate the morning to visiting the Normandy WW2 landings, in particular Omaha Beach, the Normandy American Cemetery, Pointe du Hoc. Once we have paid our respects to those who gave their lives for our freedom, we head south. In a few hours we shall be in Le Mans, famous of its legendary circuit where the 24 hour races take place. Another very interesting motorsport museum.

Day 14:  We leave Le Mans and head south to the Loire Valley and its magnificent chateaux. We ride to Amboise, view the royal chateau but visit a smaller one, Chateau Les Clos Lucé, the final home of Leonardo da Vinci. The Mona Lisa painting was always with him until he died and then became the French king’s property. We also ride by the chateaux of Chenonceau, Blois and Chambord before reaching our overnight stay in Aubigny sur Nere, a village with a Scottish heritage. A medieval Stuart castle built by a French nobleman of Scottish origin.

Day 15: Our ride continues across a terroir known as Bourgogne. Famous for its Burgundy, Pinot Noire, Chablis, and Beaujolais wines, it will offer a very graceful scenery with rolling hills and vineyards. No particular stop today as we need make a distance of 355km to reach the Jura mountains on the border with Switzerland.

Day 16:  Our final day and a very challenging too. After a morning along the roads of the Jura mountains, we enter Switzerland and skirt around the Lake Geneva and then cross the alps on the Simplon pass back into Milano for a total of 450km on this day and 4350km in all.