Touring Tales

maloner

The idea is that your stories of touring trips you've done would go here to give others inspriation or advice on trips they may do.

Where you went, how you got there, where you got bikes, accommodation options, or just stories on cool routes to do on a bike.

I'll kick things off shortly describing a trip I just did on the Via Claudia Augusta from Munich to Lake Garda.

maloner

This is a roman road completed way back around 46AD (its improved I suspect since then). We used it to go from Munich to Lake Garda over a week in late May 2012. Its well sign posted all the way and theres a book we had that had good maps and would be enough. The first one on this page titled bikeline touring looks like the one. Its in German and borrowed from a work mate of a one of the guys who was with us, but there maybe english versions.

It crosses the Fern pass and the Reschenpass and is well sign posted and for the most part very well paved dedicated off road cycle paths.

We flew to Munich and brought our own road bikes with us and travelled light. Our companions live in Munich and had sorted out the route and accommodation all the way. They brought touring bikes and more stuff in panniers, and really had better bikes for the trip. While most of it was on quite well paved roads, there were sections, especially the first day, that were in forests on stoney unpaved tracks that were hard work on road bikes. It was great to have my road bike for the alps later on, but the off roading in the woods wasn't much fun. There was alway the option to follow the road though and avoid the signposted forest bits.

We stayed in B+B's all the way that were about €35-€40 per person per night. They all had washing facilities that they either let us use ourselves with our powder, or some even did our washing for us. I brought 1 set of clothes for the bike and one for the evenings carried in a small backback and some stuff in a small handlebar bag. We typically got to our destinations at about 7 in the evening which left lots of time for washing and food and some exploring. I used clipin shoes and carried crocs for the evenings. Didn't bring towels and the bag weighed less that 5kg.

Weather was good, only a little rain. A bit chilly at times but generally I was in bib shorts, underarmour (to start with each day) and a cycling top. I brought leg warmers and arm warmers that I never used, and had a gore jacket that I did use a few times.

The wind was usually in our face blowing from south to north and stronger in the afternoon, but was only really a pain in the last 2 days, and they were mostly downhill or flat.

Tegernsee

Our first night was here. Quite close to munich and a really nice lake overlooked by the alps. Good accommodation and we locked our bikes in their garage.

Accommodation
Strava


MIttenwald

Amazing scenery and really nice town near the austrian border. Stunning mountain overlooking the village and rooms had a view across the town to the mountain rising to 2300m. We locked our bikes outside the door of our accommodation which was down steps and away from the road which was itself a quiet road so no really worries there.
Decent eating options but we didn't get the best service or food. But lots of choice. Recommended spot.

Accommodation
Strava



Landeck

Not a great place really. Bit more built up and hustle and bustle but grand. Odd B+B that I liked but the others weren't too hot on. Owner was a bit odd by all accounts (I've no German and he'd no english so others were talking to him) but he had beer in the fridge that you helped yourself too and jotted down what you took, so good in my book. Town was fairly forgettable. Good bike shop near by where I was able to get some lube for my seat post that had been driving us all mad as it creaked all the time. They checked the seat post, cleaned it and greased it up and gave me air and reluctantly took a fiver off me. Nice folks.

Accommodation
Strava


Mals (or near mals...)

Decent climb up to the Norbertshohe and on to the Reschenpass and into Italy. Nice climb and great weather. We briefly went into Switzerland which was recommended by the route and various local signs and to stay in Austria meant some dicey tunnels and nastier roads and was certainly the right option. There was a boarder crossing (the only one on the trip) but we cycled through without showing anything. Still, bring your passport.
Mals was very nice. Small italian mountain town, little cobbled streets, and good accommodation again. Worth a visit.

Accommodation
Strava


Appiano

A few KM from where we stayed is Prato, which is at the start of one side of the epic Stelvio pass. I took a detour to climb this. I left early before the tourist offic was open (9am I think) but we rang them the day before and they took my bag for the morning so I got to climb without that which was great. I had it collected before 12.30 when they closed for lunch till 2. Lots of bikes shops in Prato as well. Things close a lot for siesta during the afternoon.... Long day as a result of that (155km or so) but the rest after stelvio was all down hill pretty much. Appiano was a nice spot and again decent accommodation. We were allowed lock our bikes in an used function room. Breakfast, as always, was cereal, fruit, cold meats, cheese, bread and coffee.

Accommodation
Strava part 1
Strava part 2


Garda

Long last day at 118km or so with a few sharp climbs at the end. The KM's, while slow and mellow, were beginning to show. Next time I'll bring a different saddle more suitable for this as my ass was starting to feel delicate...Stunning place and we spent a few days here. We did a boat trip and general tourist stuff when we got here and didn't get on the bike for a few days. We had planned to get a boat to the other end of the lake and cycle the 40km or so to Verona and get a train back to Munich, but we found a bike taxi. This guy (there seems to be loads of them) came to our hotel from somewhere near Munich and dropped us at our door in Munich. It was €500 between 4 of us and well worth it I think. The train and boat would have been almost as much. He had a big VW van with bike racks in the back. We took off the wheels and he secured them to the rack directly. Great service. I'll dig out a link when I find it.

Loads of bike shops and mountain biking in lake garda. We got our pedals removed in a shop before heading back to munich. Its a big tourist resort so there's loads and loads of accommodation to choose from and plenty of bike rental and servicing shops.

EDIT: The bike taxi guy.

Accommodation
Strava

Beasty

What goes on tour stays on tour;)

maloner

Beasty wrote: »

What goes on tour stays on tour;)

Should probably have kept my tube lubing to myself... But €5 for a lubed tube?! Bargain

colm_gti

That looks excellent maloner! Something I'd love to have a shot at! Do you know how much it cost you altogether?

maloner

colm_gti wrote: »

That looks excellent maloner! Something I'd love to have a shot at! Do you know how much it cost you altogether?

Overall I don't have a number, no. Accommodation was cheap enough, bikes cost €40 per flight per person to get over (packed in borrowed boxes by us). Meals I think worked out at 7-10 for a main (pizza/pasta) in general. Accommodation was about 40/person/night. The bike taxi back as I said was 500 split between 4 but would probably be cheaper with more people and you'd save a bit (30-40 quid?) by cycling to a mainline train station at verona or elsewhere.

The particular route we did also has a regular bike shuttle running back and forth that you can get to ferry you over big climbs. It runs twice a day i think from big towns on the route.

Tonyandthewhale

maloner wrote: »

I used clipin shoes and carried crocs for the evenings.

Get out.

maloner

Tonyandthewhale wrote: »

Get out.