in planning » Longish Way Down

As of this morning my bike is confirmed on AirCanada's Fly Your Bike program, and my trip, which I've been thinking about for years but have been seriously planning since this past July, is on.

I'll be flying into Dublin on May 24th, getting as far north as the north coast of Ireland and 9 weeks later flying home from Rome, getting as far south as the south coast of Sicily. I've been to Europe numerous times, but have never ridden there so there's a bit of trepidation, mostly concerning riding on the left in Ireland and the UK, but I'm sure that will all slide away once I get on the road.

Though I realize the risks of preplanning when traveling on two wheels, it's what I always end up doing and I have reservations for every night except for one. I'm definitely a hotel guy, not a camper, and once I find a place I want to stay at a good price I just jump on it. Next thing you know it's fully booked. Although I'm hoping it's not necessary, most of my hotels can be cancelled or changed up until a few days prior.

Though I'm looking forward to every day of the trip, a couple of highlights are 5 days on the IOM for the TT, a day riding the Susten, Grimsel and Furka passes in Switzerland. A morning skiing on a glacier in Zermatt. The Guzzi museum on Lake Como, trying a Ferrari F1 simulator in Maranello, Ducati factory tour and museum, a medieval town converted to a boutique hotel in the vineyards of Tuscany and a visit to my late wife's ancestral village in Sicily, a trip we had planned on doing together that unfortunately never happened. In general, the route is straight across to the west coast of Ireland from Dublin. North from Galway to Donegal to Bushmills ending up in Belfast. From Belfast, ferry to IOM, ferry to Heysham to spend a few nights in Liverpool, straight down for a night in the Cotswalds, two nights in Cornwall, ferry to France, ride along the north coast of Normandy, eventually riding down to Burgundy and then Alsace. Making my way into Switzerland with one night in Liechtenstein, straight across Switzerland, down to Zermatt, down to Lake Como, over to Cinque Terre , then Parma, Modena, Bologna, Florence and Chianti. Over to the Adriatic coast getting as far south as Lecce, up to the ancient town of Matera, into Sicily, see a few Godfather sights, Taormina, Agrigento, a ferry from Palermo to Naples, a few days on the Amalfi Coast/Capri and then to Rome for the flight home.

Over the past couple of months I've briefly touched base with Wessie and Folagana, who've volunteered information in a few other threads I've posted, and who I hope to meet up with as I'll be passing through their areas. If anybody else lives near the route please feel free to reach out. A local perspective is always welcome.

Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #2

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Glad to be of help - you seem to have a very tight schedule.

Where in the Cotswolds are you staying? What date?

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Zitat von Holger im Beitrag #3

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That sounds very exciting - wish you a lot of fun and an accident-free ride
I'm not on your route, but if you get lost in Germany then just let me know

And of course I hope for a detailed report.

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Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #6

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oh, and I'll be in Alsace on 23 & 24 June, staying in Colmar with a group of friends on bikes

I've sent a Facebook request

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Zitat von ranette im Beitrag #1

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As of this morning my bike is confirmed on AirCanada's Fly Your Bike program, and my trip, which I've been thinking about for years but have been seriously planning since this past July, is on.

I'll be flying into Dublin on May 24th, getting as far north as the north coast of Ireland and 9 weeks later flying home from Rome, getting as far south as the south coast of Sicily. I've been to Europe numerous times, but have never ridden there so there's a bit of trepidation, mostly concerning riding on the left in Ireland and the UK, but I'm sure that will all slide away once I get on the road.

Though I realize the risks of preplanning when traveling on two wheels, it's what I always end up doing and I have reservations for every night except for one. I'm definitely a hotel guy, not a camper, and once I find a place I want to stay at a good price I just jump on it. Next thing you know it's fully booked. Although I'm hoping it's not necessary, most of my hotels can be cancelled or changed up until a few days prior.

Though I'm looking forward to every day of the trip, a couple of highlights are 5 days on the IOM for the TT, a day riding the Susten, Grimsel and Furka passes in Switzerland. A morning skiing on a glacier in Zermatt. The Guzzi museum on Lake Como, trying a Ferrari F1 simulator in Maranello, Ducati factory tour and museum, a medieval town converted to a boutique hotel in the vineyards of Tuscany and a visit to my late wife's ancestral village in Sicily, a trip we had planned on doing together that unfortunately never happened. In general, the route is straight across to the west coast of Ireland from Dublin. North from Galway to Donegal to Bushmills ending up in Belfast. From Belfast, ferry to IOM, ferry to Heysham to spend a few nights in Liverpool, straight down for a night in the Cotswalds, two nights in Cornwall, ferry to France, ride along the north coast of Normandy, eventually riding down to Burgundy and then Alsace. Making my way into Switzerland with one night in Liechtenstein, straight across Switzerland, down to Zermatt, down to Lake Como, over to Cinque Terre , then Parma, Modena, Bologna, Florence and Chianti. Over to the Adriatic coast getting as far south as Lecce, up to the ancient town of Matera, into Sicily, see a few Godfather sights, Taormina, Agrigento, a ferry from Palermo to Naples, a few days on the Amalfi Coast/Capri and then to Rome for the flight home.

Over the past couple of months I've briefly touched base with Wessie and Folagana, who've volunteered information in a few other threads I've posted, and who I hope to meet up with as I'll be passing through their areas. If anybody else lives near the route please feel free to reach out. A local perspective is always welcome.

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Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #9

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Zitat von ranette im Beitrag #7

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Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #6

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oh, and I'll be in Alsace on 23 & 24 June, staying in Colmar with a group of friends on bikes

I've sent a Facebook request

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I'll be there a few days before, on the 17th and 18th. I love Alsace. One of my favorite places in the world. I'll be staying in Kaysersberg, not that far from Colmar.

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I have probably visited Alsace more than any other area in France. Helped that a friend lived near Mulhouse for a while so had a base.

I have stayed in Kaysersberg a couple of times - once in the Logis du Chateau and then in Hotel Constantin.

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Zitat von Grumpy Goat im Beitrag #10

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Zitat von ranette im Beitrag #1

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As of this morning my bike is confirmed on AirCanada's Fly Your Bike program, ...

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Is this the only option to fly your bike over to Europe? Air Canada? I do recall Richy Vida / Wildbad Tours used Air Canada to come over to North America, so maybe that is the only carrier.

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Sounds like a brilliant trip! Especially being able to take your own bike. Take lots of pics, and we expect a full report upon return. :)