Luxembourg - the star in a 5 country tour.

[wessie]

One of my idiotic friends suggested going for a bike tour at Easter - somewhere in continental Europe, not the UK.
 
Sensible people would have put the bikes on a trailer or in a van and driven to the Mediterranean but we are hardy folk (who have electrically heated clothing) so we decided to ride the the Ardennes & Eiffel regions which cross the borders of Luxembourg, Belgium & Germany. We all started from England and stopped for 1 night in France after travelling on Le Shuttle through the Channel Tunnel. 
 
I met the idiot and his partner in the Cotswolds and rode to meet @johan at his gaff in Kent, about 30 minutes from the Tunnel terminal. We ate a hearty lunch provided by @johan and all set off for the Tunnel. Security was not as tight as we expected it might be - the British border control people swabbed the bikes as of course, we looked like potential terrorists (I was the only one with a British passport!). 10 minutes later they declared the bikes safe for transit.
 
I used the Garmin Zumo Curvy roads feature to take us the short distance (30 minutes by autoroute) but we took an hour and a bit on some very nice roads to St Omer. Anyone that says the roads inland of Calais are boring is an idiot - the route had a nice mix of pretty villages, fast sweepers, long straights, tight hairpins and very little traffic. We walked from our budget hotel on the edge of town past the impressive cathedral to a restaurant recommended by a friend. We all commend his excellent taste in food & beer. @johan will add photos. 
 
On day 2 @johan and I set off earlier than the other two - a common theme for the rest of the trip. Again we used the curvy roads feature which did not work so well. this was not Garmin's fault, just that minor roads in Belgium get very little maintenance so we had lots of roads that would have been great if they had been well surfaced but you could not really commit to the corners as there was gravel, potholes and some of the worst drivers I have encountered in Europe. Belgium has a huge, industrialised dairy & beef industry. The cattle are kept indoors but their waste has to be dealt with and is spread across the fields used to grow silage & barley for the cattle feed. Belgium has a persistent aroma of cow shít.
 
By late afternoon we arrived in Clervaux in Luxembourg. This is a lovely town in the north of the country. The scenery is superb and the roads are well surfaced. @johan and I had a walk around the town whilst waiting for the others to arrive. The town appears very affluent but prices here are very cheap. Food, petrol and beer is cheaper than the other places we visited. We stayed here for 2 nights, taking a ride into Belgium & Germany the following day. We found a very odd market aimed at German tourists, selling an eclectic mix of bling & tat. They served a good goulash soup, a lunchtime staple on my trips across Europe. Back in Clervaux, we ate in the town on one night and our hotel on the 2nd night. By the end of the trip we all felt Luxembourg is the best of the 5 countries we travelled in. Good road surfaces, nice scenery and very pleasant people, plus very low taxes on everything. 
 
A view of Clervaux from google images:

 
On the following day we rode over some excellent roads in Luxembourg, stopping in what looked like a regular roadside cafe, that turned out to be the local Portuguese hub for the ex-pat community. We crossed into Germany and the roads became busier, less well maintained but much more controlled in terms of solid white lines, speed limits etc. I had plotted a 100 mile loop into the mountains but a combination of the Garmin (and its operator) playing up and my health becoming a problem we aborted that idea and headed the 50km along the Mosel to the hotel I had booked. 
 
We had a bit of lunch at the hotel on the outskirts of Trier. I didn't feel up for a ride so went for a walk to see some Roman remains not far from the hotel. @johan and the others went for a ride for a few hours. They found the minor roads in quite poor condition and progress was slow. The tourist map I had found marking scenic roads did that, scenic rather than touring roads.
 
Our 2nd day in Trier started very wet so we had a late start - being Easter Sunday breakfast was served until 11am, plus clocks went forward an hour. we then walked into the city centre, getting a bit damp, especially me as I had no hat. Some coffee and apple strudel warmed us up and we then took guided tour of the city. We left the tour on top of a hill above our hotel. The sun was shining when we got off the bus but just as the bus pulled away, a storm came over and we got wet again. We could see our hotel in the valley below but not the route to get to it so we guessed and eventually arrived at the hotel - now dried out by the warm sunshine. 
 
We ate in our Trier hotel for 2 nights as it was a 30 minute walk into town - first night in the main restaurant choosing one of the set menus. The food was good but too much. We sampled the local wine, but drank beer most of the time as the hotel makes it on site in their own craft brewery. On night 2 we ate in the brewery bistro. The food here was more rustic but none the worse for that. 
 
Our last night was to be in Bruges. We all set off together in some very wet weather. At the first coffee stop we split into 2 pairs again. The rain subsided but we were treated to some fierce cross winds as we passed through two weather fronts. @johan and I had a very pleasant walk around Bruges in the late afternoon sunshine. We sampled some bars and went back to the one we liked best for food once the other pair arrived. No mussels available so we settled on a local beef stew and plenty of Leffe Bruin.
 
The others were planning on some shopping in Bruges, famous for its chocolatiers. I had further to travel than anyone else so I left by myself to get a midday shuttle through the tunnel. I rode all of the way home wearing sunglasses and just got back as rain arrived. Traffic was quite heavy but otherwise an uneventful journey home.
 
Despite the damp conditions, having the right equipment meant it was a pleasant trip. Heated grips, insoles & waistcoat keep you warm and top quality Goretex clothing keeps you dry. 
 
I did a little under 1000 miles over the 7 days (6 days riding). I used some fuel and no oil.
 
I would use any of the hotels again. They were:
St Omer: http://www.ibis.com/gb/hotel-5919-ibis-budget-saint-omer-centre/index.shtml 
Clervaux: http://www.hoteldesnations.lu/ 
Trier: http://www.blesius-garten.de/ 
Bruges: http://www.martinshotels.com/en/hotel/martins-brugge 
 
St Omer and Clervaux are places we have identified as potential places to stop on the way to places further south for future trips. 
 
Photos to follow from my official photographer.
 
Roll on late June when we will all meet up with another 7 people for a trip to the Loire & Auvergne regions of France. 
 
 
 
 

[johan]

Nice write-up Wessie. I'll encourage any other UK members to do the same, organise an informal group, select the destinations and hotels and allow anyone the freedom to deviate. Make a real effort to get off the motorways and main routes, although we did use them to make up time in poor weather. On the day that Wessie felt poorly I managed to find an unrestricted Autobahn and we (a group of three that included my Tracer, Yamaha Fazer 8 and a KTM SuperDuke) used the opportunity to stretch the bikes' legs a bit. We covered about 20 - 30 miles in quick time, although the rider on the Fazer 8 did not want to travel at continues high speed. The Tracer was absolutely fine and stable.
 
It was a great trip, even the rain and wind did not dampen our spirits, perhaps because the excellent beer and even Mosel wine made it up for it.

[johan]

Clervaux
 

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[johan]

 
 

[johan]

Crossing the English Channel - on my way back on the Chunnel Train.
 
 

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[steve]

Great write up, thanks @wessie , always wondered about the cow poo I've stopped for fuel in Luxembourg that's about it, was lovely and cheap.

[peporter]

Crossing the English Channel - on my way back on the Chunnel Train. 
 

How much does it cost to go with bike? 

[wessie]

Crossing the English Channel - on my way back on the Chunnel Train. 
 

How much does it cost to go with bike?

Around £70 if going for a week or more and you choose friendly times.  
Go early in the AM or late PM and the price drops. Day return trips are very cheap and popular due to cheap tobacco in Belgium and cheap booze in France.
 
I paid for mine using Tesco Clubcard points - mostly accrued from using their online wine store. 
 
Ferries can be cheaper but are less flexible. My return journey today was nominally 09:50 but I checked in at 11:45 and was put on the 12.20 train for no extra charge. Miss your ferry and you may have to wait 3 or more hours for the next one.
 
 

[suncoaster]

Excellent trip report, thanks Wessie. And Johan.
Slightly jealous.

[martyl]

Cool report. I'm get inspired for my first road trip on my FJ09.

[zine]

Hey Wessie, got any space left on the 'Loire & Auvergne regions of France' tour? ... I'm keen on doing some European trips on the tracer!
 
I'm also keen to venture over to Luxembourg ... Will check out the hotels you recommended.
 

[wessie]

here's a link to Tripadvisor review for the St Omer restaurant
 
Drie Kalders - 3 cellars - interesting arrangement of lingerie hanging over your head - on the corner of the main square, very close to the red Ibis often used by UKGSers.
 
 
 

[steve]

How much does it cost to go with bike?

As @Wessie says it does depend on when you travel. Feb last year I took a 3 day return ticket it was £38, in July a one way ticket was £70 but as I needed to travel earlier than planned (more than 24 hours) I had to cough up another £55 - they saw me coming! A month later it was £90 return, but this time I used my Tesco Clubcard (supermarket loyalty), another one for saving on travelling by boozing
 
A bit pricey for a 40 minute train ride but so much more convenient and flexible than a ferry, made easier for those of us who are closest to the chunnel terminal.
 

[wessie]

Hey Wessie, got any space left on the 'Loire & Auvergne regions of France' tour? ... I'm keen on doing some European trips on the tracer!  
I'm also keen to venture over to Luxembourg ... Will check out the hotels you recommended.

possibly - depends on hotel availability - PM sent with dates

[wessie]

tracks from my Garmin Zumo 390 joined into a single route in a GPX file - download the zip file as it seems the GPX file won't save directly 
 
you should be able to open this in http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/ if you do not have a bespoke satnav program like Mapsource or Basecamp
 
route only shows the bit from the Channel Tunnel and return - I'm sure @johan does not want any Tom, %$@# or Harriet rocking up for lunch prior to trip across the Channel.
 
Spot where the Zumo did not know the new layout of the exit from the Eurotunnel to get onto the Guines road and where the rider wasn't paying attention at a few intersections.