leanneywanney Posted January 1 Posted January 1 Hiya, happy new year everyone. I’m relatively new to biking, and have just got a wee Enfield hunter 350. Great for the wee size of me, but I’m already dreaming of something a bit bigger. I’ve decided as I arrived late to the party I’m going to make the most of it. Has anyone done any solo overseas holidays? I’m looking at a solo holiday riding from Scotland down to hull, over on the ferry to Holland and then ride to the Black Forest, staying in campsites along the way. My limited experience has be worried that I’ll manage all of this on my own, any information or words of wisdom would be brilliant, thanks 2 Quote
Pie man Posted January 1 Posted January 1 Hello. There are a few of us on here that tour solo and I'm sure everyone has their own way of touring and set up. Someone will have some good advice and words of wisdom. Don't waste your time packing too many items of clothing, Do your research on the area you are travelling to. Make sure the bike is in good condition, tyres, service etc. Try not to worry and take your time. There will be plenty of bikers out there who would help another biker. I always say 'you're are never alone touring alone'. 3 Quote
Simon Davey Posted January 1 Posted January 1 @leanneywanney Welcome to the forum Leanne. I'm following out of interest. 1 Quote
husoi Posted January 2 Posted January 2 9 hours ago, leanneywanney said: Hiya, happy new year everyone. I’m relatively new to biking, and have just got a wee Enfield hunter 350. Great for the wee size of me, but I’m already dreaming of something a bit bigger. I’ve decided as I arrived late to the party I’m going to make the most of it. Has anyone done any solo overseas holidays? I’m looking at a solo holiday riding from Scotland down to hull, over on the ferry to Holland and then ride to the Black Forest, staying in campsites along the way. My limited experience has be worried that I’ll manage all of this on my own, any information or words of wisdom would be brilliant, thanks Hey welcome to the forum. I've done similar route a couple years ago although went down to Croatia. Don't fall in the trap of 1 night camping or you will be tired before you get back on the bike. For 1 or even 2 nights I strongly advice you to get an hotel. The hassle of setting up tent for one night is not worth it. Instead, I would set camp on a strategic place then do day rides wherever you fell like. 2 Quote
leanneywanney Posted January 2 Author Posted January 2 10 hours ago, Pie man said: Hello. There are a few of us on here that tour solo and I'm sure everyone has their own way of touring and set up. Someone will have some good advice and words of wisdom. Don't waste your time packing too many items of clothing, Do your research on the area you are travelling to. Make sure the bike is in good condition, tyres, service etc. Try not to worry and take your time. There will be plenty of bikers out there who would help another biker. I always say 'you're are never alone touring alone'. Good morning, thanks for replying, absolutely all of that is spot on, as yet I have no specific places to go, more to do with the logistics of getting around easily, and not spending lots of hours at a time on the bike. I'm not overly concerned about being in my own, as any time I've been out on my bike when I stop up I've always managed to chat to other bikers. I'm really looking forward to just getting out and about Quote
leanneywanney Posted January 2 Author Posted January 2 1 hour ago, husoi said: Hey welcome to the forum. I've done similar route a couple years ago although went down to Croatia. Don't fall in the trap of 1 night camping or you will be tired before you get back on the bike. For 1 or even 2 nights I strongly advice you to get an hotel. The hassle of setting up tent for one night is not worth it. Instead, I would set camp on a strategic place then do day rides wherever you fell like. This is brilliant advice, and not something I'd considered so thanks for the great shout, I'll definitely be doing that. As I'm leaving for Scotland I'm just looking for the easiest route with least amount of long rides at the 1 time. The bike is wee so I need to factor in fuel stops! So as yet I don't have a final destination, I'd love also to go to Croatia, I'm just excited to go anywhere on the bike. 1 Quote
husoi Posted January 2 Posted January 2 I've done the hull Rotterdam ferry and it's the best option. You travel overnight and you're fresh and ready to go in the morning. Don't try to do "just a bit more" whilst riding. Less is more, I always have a short break every 1.5 hour which is about 60 miles travel. Very easy to think you will be fine. After 10hrs riding you're likely to be tired and with low levels of concentration. Touring mindset is to enjoy the ride not thinking about where you're stopping 2 Quote
Grumpy Old Git Posted January 2 Posted January 2 As per @husoi + Keep within speed limits in Europe - Fines are harsh! Enjoy the experience. 1 Quote
leanneywanney Posted January 2 Author Posted January 2 1 hour ago, husoi said: I've done the hull Rotterdam ferry and it's the best option. You travel overnight and you're fresh and ready to go in the morning. Don't try to do "just a bit more" whilst riding. Less is more, I always have a short break every 1.5 hour which is about 60 miles travel. Very easy to think you will be fine. After 10hrs riding you're likely to be tired and with low levels of concentration. Touring mindset is to enjoy the ride not thinking about where you're stopping This is exactly my thought pattern, I definitely don't want to ride for long periods of time, part of my trip is stopping and enjoying the scenery! Thank you for saying about the Rotterdam ferry as this so far is my first choice. I'm planning on going in September, so starting to look at refining my itinerary then getting booked, woohoo! 2 Quote
bonio Posted January 2 Posted January 2 If you're riding in Germany, then it's worth being aware that they have a few roads that are closed to motorbikes at weekends. They also have special speed limits for motorbikes on some roads, notably the B500. In short, it's worth doing some research on the areas you plan to ride through. 2 1 Quote
leanneywanney Posted January 2 Author Posted January 2 1 hour ago, Grumpy Old Git said: As per @husoi + Keep within speed limits in Europe - Fines are harsh! Enjoy the experience. Absolutely, fortunately my bike is wee and going 70 miles an hour I feel like the wings are about to come out and I'm going to take off! 1 Quote
leanneywanney Posted January 2 Author Posted January 2 Just now, bonio said: If you're riding in Germany, then it's worth being aware that they have a few roads that are closed to motorbikes at weekends. They also have special speed limits for motorbikes on some roads, notably the B500. In short, it's worth doing some research on the areas you plan to ride through. Yes I read something about that, so I'll really need to look in to it, thanks 1 Quote
husoi Posted January 2 Posted January 2 When I was planning the Croatian tour I had a complicated spreadsheet that would tell me all stops, overnight stays, cost of fuel and near accurate timings. It's based on Google maps routes but perfect for planning as long you don't follow the plan 1 Quote
Steve_M Posted January 2 Posted January 2 9 hours ago, husoi said: I've done the hull Rotterdam ferry and it's the best option. You travel overnight and you're fresh and ready to go in the morning. Don't try to do "just a bit more" whilst riding. Less is more, I always have a short break every 1.5 hour which is about 60 miles travel. Very easy to think you will be fine. After 10hrs riding you're likely to be tired and with low levels of concentration. Touring mindset is to enjoy the ride not thinking about where you're stopping Agreed, though… I draw the line at seven hours riding time. I once rode to Frieburg im Breisgau from Rotterdam in one day’s ride, which included detours. That was eight hours, plus breaks, mostly at motorway speeds on a Yamaha FJR1300. Never to be repeated. Most days I plan for five hours of riding, plus breaks. This follows my first solo tour where I crashed at low speed near Aurillac after a long, cold and wet ride. I should have stopped sooner but I thought I’d be ok to press on to Aurillac and find a hotel there. Don’t let this happen to you… 1 3 Quote
Gerontious Posted January 2 Posted January 2 23 hours ago, leanneywanney said: Hiya, happy new year everyone. I’m relatively new to biking, and have just got a wee Enfield hunter 350. Great for the wee size of me, but I’m already dreaming of something a bit bigger. I’ve decided as I arrived late to the party I’m going to make the most of it. Has anyone done any solo overseas holidays? I’m looking at a solo holiday riding from Scotland down to hull, over on the ferry to Holland and then ride to the Black Forest, staying in campsites along the way. My limited experience has be worried that I’ll manage all of this on my own, any information or words of wisdom would be brilliant, thanks if you want an easy alternative ‘introduction’ then 8 of us, probably will be going to the German Eifel region in September. Not long after the August Bank holiday. We stay in a budget hotel reasonably close to the Luxembourg border. And while there have what is effectively a 5 day riding holiday. as you would be using the North Sea ferry, you would need to find your own way to our base. But obviously there are no constraints on what you do. You could arrive a few days earlier if you want and do your own thing. Or arrive the same day we do. And join in as little or as much as you like. At least you you won’t need to worry about camping and will have a friendly group to talk to. Obviously you can also travel light with just clothes for the time. view it as a trial run for something a bit more adventurous in 2026. plans for this year are well under way. But nothing is actually set in stone yet aside from the dates. 2 Quote
KiwiBob Posted January 2 Posted January 2 16 minutes ago, Gerontious said: if you want an easy alternative ‘introduction’ then 8 of us, probably will be going to the German Eifel region in September. Not long after the August Bank holiday. We stay in a budget hotel reasonably close to the Luxembourg border. And while there have what is effectively a 5 day riding holiday. as you would be using the North Sea ferry, you would need to find your own way to our base. But obviously there are no constraints on what you do. You could arrive a few days earlier if you want and do your own thing. Or arrive the same day we do. And join in as little or as much as you like. At least you you won’t need to worry about camping and will have a friendly group to talk to. Obviously you can also travel light with just clothes for the time. view it as a trial run for something a bit more adventurous in 2026. plans for this year are well under way. But nothing is actually set in stone yet aside from the dates. This was my introduction last year .. I loved every minute of it! .. Some days with the group, others on my own. Very much looking forward to going again this year. 1 Quote
leanneywanney Posted January 2 Author Posted January 2 49 minutes ago, Gerontious said: if you want an easy alternative ‘introduction’ then 8 of us, probably will be going to the German Eifel region in September. Not long after the August Bank holiday. We stay in a budget hotel reasonably close to the Luxembourg border. And while there have what is effectively a 5 day riding holiday. as you would be using the North Sea ferry, you would need to find your own way to our base. But obviously there are no constraints on what you do. You could arrive a few days earlier if you want and do your own thing. Or arrive the same day we do. And join in as little or as much as you like. At least you you won’t need to worry about camping and will have a friendly group to talk to. Obviously you can also travel light with just clothes for the time. view it as a trial run for something a bit more adventurous in 2026. plans for this year are well under way. But nothing is actually set in stone yet aside from the dates. That's fantastic thank you very much. I have set holidays from work, so that might be the only down side. I'm excited hearing your travel plans, and live the idea that this will be my trial run for bigger 2 Quote
Gerontious Posted January 2 Posted January 2 1 hour ago, leanneywanney said: That's fantastic thank you very much. I have set holidays from work, so that might be the only down side. I'm excited hearing your travel plans, and live the idea that this will be my trial run for bigger out dates are set in stone. So most of the group of 8 will be staying at a Premier Inn on Saturday 6th September and we will be crossing the Sunday morning. Arriving at our base Sunday afternoon. Our return is the following Saturday 13th. Because we all live in England and south of Leeds/Bradford we use the channel tunnel in both directions. Mostly due to habit, though in the early days of these trips it was to make things easier for people very nervous about riding on the right. Though some of the guys have already started to make bookings, there’s really no need to make any kind of commitment until the end of June. we go in September because the kids are back in school. The holiday season is effectively over and once the local excuse for a rush hour is done, the landscape is virtually empty of cars. Weather tends to be good and the days are still relatively long. We tend to be back from our days out at around 6pm in good time to sit for the evening meal at 6.30 1 Quote
Hairsy Posted January 3 Posted January 3 Have you seen Saffy Sprocket on YouTube? She did some ‘warts and all’ blogging of her early bike based adventures. I find her style a little grating but I admire what she does and she’s honest with the setbacks. Quote
leanneywanney Posted January 4 Author Posted January 4 12 hours ago, Hairsy said: Have you seen Saffy Sprocket on YouTube? She did some ‘warts and all’ blogging of her early bike based adventures. I find her style a little grating but I admire what she does and she’s honest with the setbacks. No I've not seen her, I'll watch that, thanks for letting me know about her, any info I can get is great Quote
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