Euro Bimble 2018 - Greece

Thursday 26th July 2018 Yesterday’s experience on the Autobahnen of Germany were so horrible we decide to stay on the Bundesstraße and Landstraße today. Villages and towns may slow us down but at least we will not be contending with the roadworks and their subsequent queues. Coffee stop in Worms central square So after a decent breakfast at the Golden Tap we saddle up and head along the River Main to Miltenberg. From there we continue east to the Rhine and the city of Worms, famous for the Diet of Worms and hence the butt of many a schoolboy’s joke. The renovated cathedral in Worms There are posters showing that Worms is gearing up to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the famous Diet (forum) when the Holy Roman Empire excommunicated one Martin Luther back in 1521. What a lot of fuss that caused! It is so much better riding today away from the hustle of the motorways. It may take longer but it is a lot less stressful. Before we know it we have reached Trier...

Friday 27th July 2018 We wake up as the sun is rising over the hills that surround the camping field at the High Chapparal. No pressure today, just a gentle bimble on the lovely back roads and byways of the Duchy. Our first stop is in Esch-sur-Sure where we enjoy a breakfast of croissants and coffee at a cafe on the river bank.   Parking up in Esch-sur-Sûre The river is dammed just below Esch so the river here is broad and deep. The town is built on a promontory in a horseshoe loop of the river, with a tower and a ruined castle dominating the skyline. It's all very pretty. Breakfast in Esch-sur-Sûre On the way back to the campsite we make a detour to follow a sign pointing the way to a couple of memorials in honour of the American forces that liberated Luxembourg at the end of WWII. One of the many American war memorials in the area Then we head back to our tents and pack up our gear. We haven't far to go this time, just five miles up the road to the...

Saturday 28th July 2018 After an excellent Rudi breakfast we saddle up and head west. We are staying off the motorways again today. The main routes in Belgium are uniformly appalling, desperately in need of resurfacing and usually full of heavy traffic. It’s a lousy way to complete the penultimate leg of the tour. However the route we choose through the Ardennes forest is lovely. Little holiday villages and windy routes through the trees and up and over the hills. Leaving the Hotel Huberty (photo taken by our host Rudi) Our Ardennes route follows the Semois river valley to its confluence with the Meuse. We stop for lunch in the ancient walled town of Rocroi, where a famous battle of the 30 Years War in 1643 saw the French finally defeat the Spanish invading army. Parked up in the main square of Rocroi Lunch stop in Rocroi After lunch we ride across the vast landscape of northern France on arrow-straight A roads bypassing Cambrai and Arras and on into...

Sunday 29th July 2018 The final ride home is always a drag. It’s a long way from Dover to Doncaster, pretty much all motorway or dual carriageway and with the added bonus of the Queen Elizabeth Crossing to negotiate.  As we wait to board our ferry we get chatting with a Swiss biker on a 1600 BMW with chair. The chair actually contains another chair for he is disabled and can only get around in a wheelchair. But he can manipulate it on and off the bike on his own and so is entirely independent. He is on his way to visit Northern Ireland and will then continue on up the west coast of Scotland and the islands.  Fair play to you mate, ride free. Waiting to board at Calais We arrive early and have around an hour to wait on the quayside. Boarding is slick, with bikes on first. Since it is roll-on roll-off we will be first to disembark. A team of deckhands descend on the half dozen bikes to board and in no time have completed a very professional tie-down. We h...