Trip to ride the 5 peaks in Switzerland

[gsxbarmy]

Well it started ok - plenty of sun as we joined the motorway out of Calais on our way to our first overnight stop in Ardennes.  By lunchtime though the weather had turned and since then the rain has been absolutely torrential - and I mean torrential at times you really could not see the road ahead. Today not much better but it looking at the forecast it's supposed to die down tomorrow before turning nice again just in time to ride the peaks. First picture is at Ardennes, second picture below is at the Services this morning with 115Km still to go to get to Baden-Baden.

[seth]

Hope it drys up and you have a good safe trip .Looking good so far .

[Hooli]

Looks fun, I need to get back to the Alps.

[Sweaty]

Hope the weather improves & have a great time 

[gsxbarmy]

So finally made it back - apologies for lack of pictures as I went along but some pretty poor Wi-Fi made connectivity a bit difficult, plus driving those Alpine hairpins gets a bit tiring! - any a few more pictures.

We stopped in Baden-Baden at the end of Day 2 - what a lovely city, very nice place to visit to have a few beers and have an evening meal. Weather was still not good but improving but had been better during the day than forecast (apart from one 15 minute spell where you couldn't do more than about 10mph)

[gsxbarmy]

Day 3 saw us leave Baden-Baden and head across the top of the Black Forest on our way down to Innertkirchen in Switzerland. A nice dry morning (Hurrah) meant we could have a bit of fun on the back roads which were beautiful long sweeping roads, absolutely superb. Shame it had to rain again in the afternoon (Boo!)

[Latty66]

Looks nice dave
Good to hear you got back ok pity about the weather sounds like you got some good miles ,good roads and a bit of good company allways go's a long way  to improve bad weather 

[gsxbarmy]

Day 4 - Time to ride the peaks !!!! As forecast the weather was absolutely beautiful, cool, clear(ish) skies and sunny. Unfortunately we only got to ride 3 out the 5 - we knew that Susten was still closed (until Friday) before we left, but one of the others was closed as well. Still left us with Grimsel, Furka and Gotthard to play with. Grimsel was absolutely the best I have seen it, with winter being late, there was more snow than usual (it was so good we went and did again late in the afternoon).

[gsxbarmy]

Few more from the peaks

[gsxbarmy]

Day 5 - Time to start our trip back. We stopped for coffee by a beautiful lake at Brienz as we drove up through Switzerland on our way up into France

[gsxbarmy]

Day 6 - Up and over the Vosges mountains - some spectacular roads and views (although one has to say that we had 3 corners where they had put cobblestones down on the hairpins - EEEK - good job the Triumph has Brembo brakes and pulled up before I tried to lean over too far on them!_

[gsxbarmy]

Day 7 - Time to catch the Eurotunnel - We had stayed in Reims overnight and whilst googling found that the old Reims circuit was actually just a couple of kn's off our route - so decided it would be rude not to visit....

Then time time to pay respects - my great grandfather is one of those remembered at Thiepval so a quick stop at the Anglo-French War Memorial.

[gsxbarmy]

Finally a quick blast up to Dunkirk for lunch before heading over to Calais for the Eurotunnel home.

Total mileage for the week was 1,862 miles covered, and although the first 2 days were awful weather (I really do not like doing hairpins loaded up in a massive thunderstorm with a misted visor!!!) the weather and rides in the Alps, Black Forest and Vosges mountains made it all worthwhile.

All I have to do now is clean the Triumph....and probably fit new brake pads front and rear as they were getting a bit smelly on some of the slopes down (I think ABS only cut in 3 times where I "slightly" overcooked it)) 

All in all a cracking trip. Dolomites next year I think

[seth]

Looked a great trip buddy a few memoirs
My great uncle(dad's uncle) is remembered on the wall at pozières ww1 cemetery just a mile from the thiepval memorial.
They must have shared some of the same dirt before meeting the same fate .
I was there 2 years ago a very moving experience indeed.
My grandfather (mum's dad) was rescued from the beaches at Dunkirk I can say my visit there 5-6years left me disappointed to be honest .
The French seam to be much more interested in all the Dday stuff but with out Dunkirk we'd have never managed to go back and save them .

[gsxbarmy]

After we left Thiepval we went out past Posieres - as you say they could well have shared the same trench (my great grandfather was an ambulance driver who unfortunately took a direct hit from a shell on his ambulance whilst returning with casualties) - actually driving through that whole area around Cambrai, Arras, Thiepval, Posieres etc - very moving as you say. We were going to do Ypres but time was against us unfortunately. The things mankind does to itself. Terrible.