9 countries, 15 days and 3,625 miles
Discussion
Just over 3 years ago I was on gardening leave and went for a drive for 12 days: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
It gave me a sort of bug and I started plotting again. I thought I would go in 2020…but plans changed…and was all set to go in early summer of 2021 but border closures made it impossible.
A slight change in transport since the last trip as I bought a 982 GT4 in the autumn of 2020; I put my name down at the dealer when the 981 was still in production and got the call in August 2020 when no one wanted to spend money on a new car so, magically, the chap with no retail history came to the top of the list! Bought the car remotely and collected by click and collect (they were odd times) and I have been pottering about in it ever since.
The chaps in the Porsche forum will tut if they look at the spec which includes power comfort seats (none of that carbon bucket nonsense) and much of the optional leather. This is very much a road car as I’m 1.92m and 130-something kilos (so can’t fit in it wearing a helmet) and I wanted spoilers, focus, silliness and the most crass colour combination I could manage without a PTS slot.
After almost 22 months it had done 4,500 miles (live in London, DLR to work…and it’s one of 3 cars), the principal discoveries being:
- It’s still running in (it does get faster – who knows how the 5 owner 2,000 mile ones are)
- 12 month oil changes (Porsche intervals are 24 months) are almost good value at an OPC
- With the exception of hilatiously poor ramp angles (and no nose lift option) it’s a very nice set up for the road and
- It’s not a car to drive in the snow:
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I got caught when I was going to help my mother with a few things in February 2021. On the bright side,if one does get caught on a wet / filthy motorway it makes the most hilarious rooster tail with the aero…which is just as well as it’s not like it can be driven quickly on the (standard fit) Sport Max Race 2s. More on that later…
Anyway, the route…having planned this 3 times over long and boring lockdowns, it’s fair to say that I did a few too many miles / passes…but if you haven’t done them you’ll never know. The rough route I left with was:
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This comprised roads I had driven before and wanted to go back to, roads I have read good things about and wanted to drive, the most interesting filler I could find for the in between bits and was planned with a spreadsheet and Google’s finest time guesstimates. What could possibly go wrong…?
Day 1 – Saturday 27th August 890km
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An early-ish start from Greenwich and at 06:00 I was in the car and away. As opposed to playing with tunnel times (as I have done before) I decided to go FlexiPlus this time which is twice the money…and possibly worth it for the “drive up, get passports done, loo, coffee, food and go when you want.”
When travelling thus I think one has to take both of these photos as an almost legal requirement:
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I decided to go France-Belgium-Luxembourg as in 2019 and my summary of what followed on the last trip versus my 2022 comments is:
Top corner of France:
2019:
Dull – knew it would be…but not fascinating
2022:
This stands
Belgium
2019:
Motorways better than expected. Few bad patches but roads in this corner better than those over the border in France
2022:
This says a lot about how loud an old 911 is. Belgium’s roads were both noisy and a bit s
t. I found a very enthusiastic (and very yellow) Abarth 500 as a travel companion and made progress to the border in a very odd convoy (led by a Silver Touareg)
Luxembourg
2019:
Cheap petrol and traffic jams
2022:
Very smooth roads. Beautifully smooth roads. Petrol is no longer cheap..and it really felt like the country that colour forgot on a grey Saturday in August:
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Even the cars in the car park of the American Bistro (distinctive golden arches and the modern highwayman’s rest point) were a little less than colourful:
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From here to Germany…and the autobahn. It was a Saturday afternoon so managed some cruising at 200ks (mid 120s) and a burst up to 254k (159 imperial) a couple of times (you can’t make it up; this was really what I had space for 2 or 3 times) but too busy to go any faster.
As I went past Heilbronn the clouds were looming and then the heavens opened…so I found myself in the slow lane behind the caravans for a bit (very wet and I really didn’t have the tyres). I have had one moment with the Sport Max Race 2s in the time I have owned the car (no grip at 15mph on a loose surface) and I think these tyres dislike low temperatures more than water but it was torrential and standing water so I had a quiet potter as the slowest car on the road until things cleared up.
I did the N500 in 2019 (and rather enjoyed it) from Baden Baden and down but have read since that speed limits have been decreased and there are cameras…so time to see something new. I decided I’d have a look at the Porsche museum and chose a profoundly unglamorous and decent-ish hotel nearby. Location was the principal driver and there was a decent chance of being late after almost 900km.
As I parked the car I thought it might be the last time I ever saw it (not the most salubrious of car parks) but I was so tired I really didn’t care:
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Day 2 – Sunday 28th August 490km
After an assault on a hotel buffet that was both deeply shameful (think pack of greedy Labradors versus a Christmas table), an amount of food that would have sated a small family and 3 cups of coffee , I was ready to face the day.
On the way into Zuffenhausen the day before I had seen a lane for a photo and decided a photo was needed to start the day:
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(We’ll gloss over the detail that my car was actually made at the old Karmann factory in Osnabrück. That sort of detail matters not in the modern world…and some of them were made here…)
The Porsche museum is well worth a visit, highlights including:
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From here it was south down to Switzerland…which being on the road again at 11:30ish (after some lovely cheap £1.60 VPower) , meant the roadworks were joined with lots of camper vans and traffic. Still, a good run down the A81 with a couple of burts up to 256 (160), followed by brake tests to lose 80+ miles an hour when people pulled out, a few hundred metres in front.
The plan for the day was positioning for a Monday of passes (with one incidental pass) so I crossed the border in Thayngen and, travelling on my own, got pulled over and asked the destination of my trip. The worst possible answer to give at this point was the one that I gave, saying, “I’m off to Vaduz for the night,” which marked me as a criminal, money launder or mere lunatic and I hastily explained I was travelling on from there to drive some mountain passes. After some very odd looks I was on my way.
I stopped a few metres later to buy a vignette and saw this lovely pagoda:
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And set about my way to Altdorf to do the Klausen Pass over to Linthal. The lower west side of the pass is very pretty and postcard Alpine views. Some of the western side of the pass has been changed to a concrete bridge / overhanging pass to give additional width…and that’s fine but much of the pass is very, very narrow and not a whole lot of fun. It’s pretty:
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And has comedy cows with comedy cowbells on the eastern side:
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For added comedy, some of the cows were roaming over the road and seemed to take an interest in the little red car so I put the exhaust in quiet and scuttled away to safety. In summary, this is a “done and no need to revisit pass (at least for me).
On from here to Liechtenstein and there’s not a whole lot to say about Liechtenstein on a Sunday; not a whole lot to do…but it was convenient for the next day.
Day 3 – Monday 29th August 414km
A heavy dew to start the day:
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…but this isn’t Detailing World…
Monday rush hour in Vaduz:
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And over the boarder to Austria. First item of business was to feed the little red car’s 50 (litres) a day habit:
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(V Power £1.65 a litre in Austria versus £2.20+ a litre for generic super in Liechtenstein)
The first pass of the day was the Furkajoch which is tight at the (west) bottom but, on a Monday morning, had no traffic.
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It opened up on the way to the top and I was a little enthused in the moment (beautiful road and no one else there). When I got to the top:
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It seemed the local (retired) biker group had heard me for a mile or so on the way up and commented on the verve and gusto that I had brought to the road. This is a good road!
From here to the Hochtannburgpass which was a bit busier with a little more traffic:
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Just a nice, flowing road and good fun.
Next up was a random trip up the Lechtal Straße as I decided to pop to lech for a coffee:
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This is a dreadful photo…but I missed the spot I meant to take a photo and decided this woud do in the interests of time.
It’s a tight little road in from the north…but really well sighted and quite fun for a hustle
From here to the Hahntennjoch. I managed to miss the turning for this as the road along the Lech river (continuation of Lechtal Straße) was rather pleasant. Only overshot by a few KM (nearly went down the Berwang Namloser landesstraße instead) so made good and returned:
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This is another road where it was tight for bits at the bottom…but then opens up with something for everyone:
- Single lane from the north
- Opening up as get towards the summit
- Down the road has sweepers that are into the side of the hill…with plenty of space
Qualty of photos takes a dive at this point as the enormity of the day’s schedule was starting to dawn on me. See below an awful photo of the summit:
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The next stop was Lemoos for lunch and the route was the Fernpasse Straße. This is a heavily trafficked and very uneventful road; it’s a major transit connection so mosyt of the traffic seemed to be trucks and caravans.
The 187 / 23 to Garmish is deserving of mention as it’s not a pass…but a really lovely road. It’s quick, well sighted and a very fun drive (very similar to the road along the Lech river, earlier). “Why stop in Garmish,” literally no one is asking at this point? The answer is simple; I am a child:
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There followed a long and uneventful drive to the Gerlosstrasse. It’s worth noting that you can’t buy an Austrian E-Vignette less than 16 (I think) days before you travel due to comsumer cooling off periods so I bought one at a petrol station just before I got into Austria.
The Gerlosstrasse starts with slow Switchbacks from Zell am Ziller; when I was on the road there was lots of traffic. I had a moment of joy when the traffic pulled off around Haizenberg.
From here, very fast outside towns; great switchbacks, local commuters on bikes in a hurry and, unfortunately no photos as didn’t feel inclined to stop (the day was marchin on, the road was great and I was tired). From the toll booth (on the east of the road, a drop down to Krimml where I was stopping for the night:
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Day 4 – Tuesday 30th August 369 km
From Krimml:
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I drove to Uttendorf to do the Stubachstrasse (both ways). This is quite literally a Road to nowhere…but I was well rested so the notes are a lot better than the day before!
From a fairly unprepossessing start pretty valley with a lot of infrastructure (pylons and industry) in it and the road becomes narrower and more winding heading towards the tree line:
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Once in the tree line the road becomes quite interesting with a series of very tight hairpins with just enough space and sightlines it to be really enjoyable….so I turned around and came back down again:
The way down was a lot busier than the way up even at 9:30 in the morning goes north of traffic so I’d recommend doing this run earlier than later. It’s also worthy of note through an offer for the trucks are go up and down the road and being stuck behind one of these going up is going to spoil your enjoyment
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I took the Thurnstrasse to Kitzbuhel and whilst this is very much a functional pass (much like the Fernpasse Straße, much of this road is three lane (two up one down) which means that passing is no problem aside from a couple of small areas.
It’s a very pretty drop down to Kitzbuhel, too. Not a challenging pass in the conventional sense but a nice road to drive.
The drive from Kitzbuhel to Zell am See was also pretty (after a mildly industrial start) as rather than repeat the Thurnstrasse, took the northen loop via Saalfelden to Zell Am See, where I stopped for a
a wander and a spot of lunch
The next pass on the list was the Grossglockner High Alpine Road. Driving down the valley to the pass the scenery built and became quite other worldly the closer one got to the pass:
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There are a few sections with 3 lanes (allowing passing of slower traffic) but traffic flow is also limited by the toll / tool booth. Even when getting stuck behind traffic could pull in, wait (and look at the scenery) and wait for it to clear; would usually give a clean run. The same was true of the run to the glacier;’ whilst single tracked, there was plenty of room to overtake other cars. See below a photo taken waiting for traffic to clear and enjoying the moment:
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and another:
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This is one hell of a road. Wonderful to drive, wide, well sighted and no edge peril. My favourite road of the trip to date.
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After the 107 down from Rojach (another lovely road; nice flow and overtaking opportunities) it was time for the Iselsberg Pass. This wasn’t noticeable as a separate pass, per se. Nice road; not wildly memorable but had some nice sweeping hairpins; it might be different uphill.
After a McIceCream and a McPiss in Lienz I schlepped to the Italian border (my notes just say “wood trucks and ditherers to be overtaken”). Soon after this I got to the SS51 to Cortina which was wonderful. Very, very quick at the start…and rain stopped play (I didn’t have the tyres for rain…)
Ended up behind some cars making adequate progress and so windows down, smell of pine and a nice potter to Cortina.
Day 5 – Wednesday 31st August 367 km
Cortina is very civilised; I hadn’t been before but want to return. After an evening dodging thunder and lightning, the next day had some moving heavy cloud and the weather forecast promised rain:
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The SR48 runs from Cortina to Pian Falzarego and after rising above the clouds and I almost immediately ran into a traffic jam this was caused by a truck clipping the rock face on the inside of the road so meant there was quite a bit of traffic on the run up. This suited me quite well as it was cold and wet (played to my tyre limitations)
I pulled over to take a photo:
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Then had a pretty good run out about a third of the pass before catching up with other the traffic. This was no bad thing is the pass was rough and got rougher the closer to the summit one got. Initially I thought it wasn’t as rough as a French pass but with time it was much worse. The tarmac was poor and then someone laid a pipe, cables or stuff down the right hand side of the road.
From here to the SS244 which runs from Pian Falzarego back to the main road
Instantly a good start of this was much smoother in the previous road. That said it was also much cloudier as the cloud was clearly blowing in from the north:
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Above the tree line this road spectacular and has probably been resurfaced within the last couple of years. Below the tree line this road is much, much bumpier.
This was followed by some really very heavily congested roads through South Tyrol (it’s Italy but everything is in German) and 25 miles of autostrada. This was the first time I do use my télépéage and very glad that I had it (I really can’t reach the left window from the right). The bill, when it came, suggests that Italian toll roads are quite cheap (but this may be an anomaly).
The Jaufenpass was chosen as a link and it’s one hell of a road. Perhaps I was fortunate (as it was really quiet) but this was great fun. The eastern side is wooded, the top was lost in the cloud and it really opens up on the western side:
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The next pass up was the Timmelsjoch (also known as the Passo del Rombo). This really is one hell of a pass, building (from the east) as “nice wooded pass,” to a totally open (and very fast) set of switchbacks, joined by hairpins, before dropping down an alpine highland to the toll booths on the way to Hochgurgl. The chap on the toll gate told me it was one of their quietest days in ages, possibly as rain had been forecast (but only some cloud had arrived to that point); I suspect I had a fortunately clear run up the pass. He encouraged me to drive as fast as I could…
I had a potter down to Hochgurgl and onto Obergurgl (went skiing there ages ago and fancied a wander) before heading back to the Timmelsjoch. I had a nice chat with a chap with a German plated yellow 991.1 GT3 (who was kind enough not to comment how much slower than him I had been running on the Jaufenpass and the Timmesljoch) and then I was back on my way to Italy. I am afraid that this is the only photo from this pass; I rather enjoyed it and there were few times I felt like stopping to capture the view:
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What followed was a decidedly uneventful run to the Swiss border, the only items of note being:
- A surprising number of orchards
- Lots of cobbles in Glurns (enough to be a mild annoyance) and
- I was taking an odd-ish route as I didn’t really want to drive Stelvio mid-afternoon
With that, I was back in Switzerland (so watching the speedometer like a hawk again) and onto the Fuorn Pass. This was a pass; no more, no less. It was pretty and quiet but not a whole lot to report back on:
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The main purpose of this route was to go through the curiousity that is the Munt la Schera Tunnel. This is a single lane tunnel so, after a 5 minute wait, the light went green and we all pottered through, back to Italy, where one queues on the top of the arch dam (holding back the Lake of Livigno) before paying the toll.
I decided to stay in Livigno having stopped there (randomly) for lunch on the 2019 run. It’s a nice place to stay and has a nice vibe for a wander, beer and dinner.
Day 6 – Thursday 1st September 390 km
The day started with low cloud:
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So I decided not to rush my breakfast (this photo was taken from the dining room of the hotel, looking south.
Livigno has an odd duty arrangement with the rest of Italy and so petrol was pleasingly cheap at €1.60 a litre for 100 octane. I also saw a collective noun of Opel GTs (I have seen 1 or 2 before….not a dozen plus at the same time).
I headed south to the Foscagno Pass which was pretty but busy with rush hour traffic at the start. The clouds were starting to lift:
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A short drive on and I was in Tirano for the bottom of the Bernina Pass. I had driven the Bernina before (one can cut up from Livigno and join it at Lago Bianco) but I was curious to see what the bottom of the pass had to offer:
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There are some odd train lines in the road from Tirano before the pass proper and then some traffic, much of which turned off for Livigno (the Opel GTs came from Livigno and headed south). In short, one may as well just do Livigno and up…as I’m not sure one misses that much…but at least now I know.
On to the Albula Pass which starts like a pass through an alpine meadow on the way up…and then gets serious:
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The pass narrows as it goes out…but was pretty quiet and pretty good fun. It’s a pass that people drive as opposed to being a major traffic route like the Julier Pass…although I think, on balance, I prefer the Julier Pass.
On the way to the Julier Pass I stopped to take a mature photo:
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Which isn’t dissimilar to a mature photo I took in 2019:
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I’m a little disappointed they have added another word to the road sign (Surses being the wider area) but I’m not sure this counts as one of life’s problems!
The Julier pass is a major route for real traffic (trucks and caravans) but holdups can be solved by stopping and looking at the view…and making sure you’re on the road before the next batch of traffic. This is how this photo was taken:
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It is also how this photo was taken:
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Even with the traffic, this is a great pass. It was good from S-N in 2019…but I think N-S is even better.
After a quick stop for a bite to eat in St Moritz, it was on to the Maloja Pass. This has a really big drop down from the Silsersee and with lots of traffic and lots of hairpins, this was quite slow. There seemed to be some Austrian Layer Cake aficionados ahead of me:
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Whilst in concept a long 405 in yellow might sound amusing, the car in the flesh was, as Jeeves said, “a trifle sudden.”
Pottering on to Chiavenna:
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I got to the Splügenpass / Spluga Pass. My notes from this were, “how many fking hairpins,” as there were ~45 on the Italian side, all tight, some in tunnels. On the bight side, for smugglers into Switzerland, thete were no customs officers in the post so I can only assume this is this how one gets illicit goods into CH. More hairpions on the CH side:
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But these were open and better sighted.
I stayed the night in Lenzerheide (stayed there in 2019 and quite liked it) and there is a really nice road up from Albula.
Day 7 – Friday 2nd September 409km
The first pass of thje day was the Lukmanier Pass (x2). This is a bit of a meh pass, even without the massive roadworks that there were but it’s always good to explore and see what one does & doesn’t like:
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This was followed by the Oberalp Pass which was utterly wonderful; an absolute joy to drive! It also follows the rule that great passes get no photos so you’ll have to:
- Take my word for it and
- Drive it for yourself
The Susten, Grimsel, Furka traiangle was next; liked 2 of these in 2019 and my 2022 notes of these was:
Susten Pass: Awesome
Grimsel Pass: Awesome
Furka Pass: Clear
Susten:
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Grimsel:
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(view from a call to the office I ended up on for an hour)
Furka (and looking back to Grimsel):
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I love the Susten and the Grimsel; they bring out the best and worst in me and they’re a joy to drive. The Furka, whilst iconic, is driven for positioning. The west is okay but the east is tight and not much fun; I was happy that it was pretty clear as this made it vastly nicer than it could have been (it’s really no fun when campers are coming the other way!).
By now it was early afternoon and I needed to get my skates on as I was staying in Locarno that evening. I took the Gotthard Pass (Tremolo) which was virtually deserted (2 bikes, 2 cars) and took the motorway south. This is quite a pretty motorway and is nicely referenced in Harry Metcalfe’s second Evora video.
Most of the passes were now done so a it was time for a quiet evening:
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Day 8 – Saturday 3rd September A number of miles (I forgot to note)
My only objective on this day was to be at Geneva airport for ~17:00 to collect my wife…and I went a bit off piste at this point and decided to try the path less travelled for a bit, going south into Italy, as opposed to going west. I went down to Cannobio and up the smallest tightest and oddest road (SS631) which opened up and became quite good fun. I ended up in a village which was having a fete involving robes (all a bit odd but not my village) and on to the Simplon Pass which is…a functional pass. Nice to have driven it but won’t hurry back as it’s not the most fun of passes.
From Geneva, on to a week of quiet holiday in France:
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And then home.
I really enjoyed this trip and think based on this trip and the 2019 trip I went on a “best of both,” trip can be planned and I’m plotting this for 2023.
I might try to go a little earlier as late August is noticeably cooler than July and I think longer days and warmth are a good reason to go sooner!
Hopefully my rambles make sense and are of use in helping others to plan trips. I have been a bit busy at work since this trip which is why it has taken 3 months to write this up (I had one day at my desk when I got back and then was back on a plane again).
It gave me a sort of bug and I started plotting again. I thought I would go in 2020…but plans changed…and was all set to go in early summer of 2021 but border closures made it impossible.
A slight change in transport since the last trip as I bought a 982 GT4 in the autumn of 2020; I put my name down at the dealer when the 981 was still in production and got the call in August 2020 when no one wanted to spend money on a new car so, magically, the chap with no retail history came to the top of the list! Bought the car remotely and collected by click and collect (they were odd times) and I have been pottering about in it ever since.
The chaps in the Porsche forum will tut if they look at the spec which includes power comfort seats (none of that carbon bucket nonsense) and much of the optional leather. This is very much a road car as I’m 1.92m and 130-something kilos (so can’t fit in it wearing a helmet) and I wanted spoilers, focus, silliness and the most crass colour combination I could manage without a PTS slot.
After almost 22 months it had done 4,500 miles (live in London, DLR to work…and it’s one of 3 cars), the principal discoveries being:
- It’s still running in (it does get faster – who knows how the 5 owner 2,000 mile ones are)
- 12 month oil changes (Porsche intervals are 24 months) are almost good value at an OPC
- With the exception of hilatiously poor ramp angles (and no nose lift option) it’s a very nice set up for the road and
- It’s not a car to drive in the snow:
IMG_8107I got caught when I was going to help my mother with a few things in February 2021. On the bright side,if one does get caught on a wet / filthy motorway it makes the most hilarious rooster tail with the aero…which is just as well as it’s not like it can be driven quickly on the (standard fit) Sport Max Race 2s. More on that later…
Anyway, the route…having planned this 3 times over long and boring lockdowns, it’s fair to say that I did a few too many miles / passes…but if you haven’t done them you’ll never know. The rough route I left with was:
Screenshot 2022-09-27 at 21.04.19This comprised roads I had driven before and wanted to go back to, roads I have read good things about and wanted to drive, the most interesting filler I could find for the in between bits and was planned with a spreadsheet and Google’s finest time guesstimates. What could possibly go wrong…?
Day 1 – Saturday 27th August 890km
UntitledAn early-ish start from Greenwich and at 06:00 I was in the car and away. As opposed to playing with tunnel times (as I have done before) I decided to go FlexiPlus this time which is twice the money…and possibly worth it for the “drive up, get passports done, loo, coffee, food and go when you want.”
When travelling thus I think one has to take both of these photos as an almost legal requirement:
UntitledUntitledI decided to go France-Belgium-Luxembourg as in 2019 and my summary of what followed on the last trip versus my 2022 comments is:
Top corner of France:
2019:
Dull – knew it would be…but not fascinating
2022:
This stands
Belgium
2019:
Motorways better than expected. Few bad patches but roads in this corner better than those over the border in France
2022:
This says a lot about how loud an old 911 is. Belgium’s roads were both noisy and a bit s
t. I found a very enthusiastic (and very yellow) Abarth 500 as a travel companion and made progress to the border in a very odd convoy (led by a Silver Touareg)Luxembourg
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Cheap petrol and traffic jams
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Very smooth roads. Beautifully smooth roads. Petrol is no longer cheap..and it really felt like the country that colour forgot on a grey Saturday in August:
UntitledEven the cars in the car park of the American Bistro (distinctive golden arches and the modern highwayman’s rest point) were a little less than colourful:
UntitledFrom here to Germany…and the autobahn. It was a Saturday afternoon so managed some cruising at 200ks (mid 120s) and a burst up to 254k (159 imperial) a couple of times (you can’t make it up; this was really what I had space for 2 or 3 times) but too busy to go any faster.
As I went past Heilbronn the clouds were looming and then the heavens opened…so I found myself in the slow lane behind the caravans for a bit (very wet and I really didn’t have the tyres). I have had one moment with the Sport Max Race 2s in the time I have owned the car (no grip at 15mph on a loose surface) and I think these tyres dislike low temperatures more than water but it was torrential and standing water so I had a quiet potter as the slowest car on the road until things cleared up.
I did the N500 in 2019 (and rather enjoyed it) from Baden Baden and down but have read since that speed limits have been decreased and there are cameras…so time to see something new. I decided I’d have a look at the Porsche museum and chose a profoundly unglamorous and decent-ish hotel nearby. Location was the principal driver and there was a decent chance of being late after almost 900km.
As I parked the car I thought it might be the last time I ever saw it (not the most salubrious of car parks) but I was so tired I really didn’t care:
UntitledDay 2 – Sunday 28th August 490km
After an assault on a hotel buffet that was both deeply shameful (think pack of greedy Labradors versus a Christmas table), an amount of food that would have sated a small family and 3 cups of coffee , I was ready to face the day.
On the way into Zuffenhausen the day before I had seen a lane for a photo and decided a photo was needed to start the day:
Untitled(We’ll gloss over the detail that my car was actually made at the old Karmann factory in Osnabrück. That sort of detail matters not in the modern world…and some of them were made here…)
The Porsche museum is well worth a visit, highlights including:
UntitledUntitledUntitledUntitledUntitledUntitledFrom here it was south down to Switzerland…which being on the road again at 11:30ish (after some lovely cheap £1.60 VPower) , meant the roadworks were joined with lots of camper vans and traffic. Still, a good run down the A81 with a couple of burts up to 256 (160), followed by brake tests to lose 80+ miles an hour when people pulled out, a few hundred metres in front.
The plan for the day was positioning for a Monday of passes (with one incidental pass) so I crossed the border in Thayngen and, travelling on my own, got pulled over and asked the destination of my trip. The worst possible answer to give at this point was the one that I gave, saying, “I’m off to Vaduz for the night,” which marked me as a criminal, money launder or mere lunatic and I hastily explained I was travelling on from there to drive some mountain passes. After some very odd looks I was on my way.
I stopped a few metres later to buy a vignette and saw this lovely pagoda:
UntitledAnd set about my way to Altdorf to do the Klausen Pass over to Linthal. The lower west side of the pass is very pretty and postcard Alpine views. Some of the western side of the pass has been changed to a concrete bridge / overhanging pass to give additional width…and that’s fine but much of the pass is very, very narrow and not a whole lot of fun. It’s pretty:
UntitledAnd has comedy cows with comedy cowbells on the eastern side:
UntitledFor added comedy, some of the cows were roaming over the road and seemed to take an interest in the little red car so I put the exhaust in quiet and scuttled away to safety. In summary, this is a “done and no need to revisit pass (at least for me).
On from here to Liechtenstein and there’s not a whole lot to say about Liechtenstein on a Sunday; not a whole lot to do…but it was convenient for the next day.
Day 3 – Monday 29th August 414km
A heavy dew to start the day:
Untitled…but this isn’t Detailing World…
Monday rush hour in Vaduz:
UntitledUntitledAnd over the boarder to Austria. First item of business was to feed the little red car’s 50 (litres) a day habit:
Untitled(V Power £1.65 a litre in Austria versus £2.20+ a litre for generic super in Liechtenstein)
The first pass of the day was the Furkajoch which is tight at the (west) bottom but, on a Monday morning, had no traffic.
UntitledUntitledIt opened up on the way to the top and I was a little enthused in the moment (beautiful road and no one else there). When I got to the top:
UntitledIt seemed the local (retired) biker group had heard me for a mile or so on the way up and commented on the verve and gusto that I had brought to the road. This is a good road!
From here to the Hochtannburgpass which was a bit busier with a little more traffic:
UntitledJust a nice, flowing road and good fun.
Next up was a random trip up the Lechtal Straße as I decided to pop to lech for a coffee:
UntitledThis is a dreadful photo…but I missed the spot I meant to take a photo and decided this woud do in the interests of time.
It’s a tight little road in from the north…but really well sighted and quite fun for a hustle
From here to the Hahntennjoch. I managed to miss the turning for this as the road along the Lech river (continuation of Lechtal Straße) was rather pleasant. Only overshot by a few KM (nearly went down the Berwang Namloser landesstraße instead) so made good and returned:
Untitled by Kanye Nigel DeHerbert, on FlickrThis is another road where it was tight for bits at the bottom…but then opens up with something for everyone:
- Single lane from the north
- Opening up as get towards the summit
- Down the road has sweepers that are into the side of the hill…with plenty of space
Qualty of photos takes a dive at this point as the enormity of the day’s schedule was starting to dawn on me. See below an awful photo of the summit:
UntitledThe next stop was Lemoos for lunch and the route was the Fernpasse Straße. This is a heavily trafficked and very uneventful road; it’s a major transit connection so mosyt of the traffic seemed to be trucks and caravans.
The 187 / 23 to Garmish is deserving of mention as it’s not a pass…but a really lovely road. It’s quick, well sighted and a very fun drive (very similar to the road along the Lech river, earlier). “Why stop in Garmish,” literally no one is asking at this point? The answer is simple; I am a child:
UntitledUntitledUntitledThere followed a long and uneventful drive to the Gerlosstrasse. It’s worth noting that you can’t buy an Austrian E-Vignette less than 16 (I think) days before you travel due to comsumer cooling off periods so I bought one at a petrol station just before I got into Austria.
The Gerlosstrasse starts with slow Switchbacks from Zell am Ziller; when I was on the road there was lots of traffic. I had a moment of joy when the traffic pulled off around Haizenberg.
From here, very fast outside towns; great switchbacks, local commuters on bikes in a hurry and, unfortunately no photos as didn’t feel inclined to stop (the day was marchin on, the road was great and I was tired). From the toll booth (on the east of the road, a drop down to Krimml where I was stopping for the night:
UntitledUntitledDay 4 – Tuesday 30th August 369 km
From Krimml:
UntitledI drove to Uttendorf to do the Stubachstrasse (both ways). This is quite literally a Road to nowhere…but I was well rested so the notes are a lot better than the day before!
From a fairly unprepossessing start pretty valley with a lot of infrastructure (pylons and industry) in it and the road becomes narrower and more winding heading towards the tree line:
UntitledOnce in the tree line the road becomes quite interesting with a series of very tight hairpins with just enough space and sightlines it to be really enjoyable….so I turned around and came back down again:
The way down was a lot busier than the way up even at 9:30 in the morning goes north of traffic so I’d recommend doing this run earlier than later. It’s also worthy of note through an offer for the trucks are go up and down the road and being stuck behind one of these going up is going to spoil your enjoyment
UntitledUntitledI took the Thurnstrasse to Kitzbuhel and whilst this is very much a functional pass (much like the Fernpasse Straße, much of this road is three lane (two up one down) which means that passing is no problem aside from a couple of small areas.
It’s a very pretty drop down to Kitzbuhel, too. Not a challenging pass in the conventional sense but a nice road to drive.
The drive from Kitzbuhel to Zell am See was also pretty (after a mildly industrial start) as rather than repeat the Thurnstrasse, took the northen loop via Saalfelden to Zell Am See, where I stopped for a
a wander and a spot of lunch
The next pass on the list was the Grossglockner High Alpine Road. Driving down the valley to the pass the scenery built and became quite other worldly the closer one got to the pass:
UntitledUntitledThere are a few sections with 3 lanes (allowing passing of slower traffic) but traffic flow is also limited by the toll / tool booth. Even when getting stuck behind traffic could pull in, wait (and look at the scenery) and wait for it to clear; would usually give a clean run. The same was true of the run to the glacier;’ whilst single tracked, there was plenty of room to overtake other cars. See below a photo taken waiting for traffic to clear and enjoying the moment:
Untitledand another:
UntitledThis is one hell of a road. Wonderful to drive, wide, well sighted and no edge peril. My favourite road of the trip to date.
UntitledUntitledAfter the 107 down from Rojach (another lovely road; nice flow and overtaking opportunities) it was time for the Iselsberg Pass. This wasn’t noticeable as a separate pass, per se. Nice road; not wildly memorable but had some nice sweeping hairpins; it might be different uphill.
After a McIceCream and a McPiss in Lienz I schlepped to the Italian border (my notes just say “wood trucks and ditherers to be overtaken”). Soon after this I got to the SS51 to Cortina which was wonderful. Very, very quick at the start…and rain stopped play (I didn’t have the tyres for rain…)
Ended up behind some cars making adequate progress and so windows down, smell of pine and a nice potter to Cortina.
Day 5 – Wednesday 31st August 367 km
Cortina is very civilised; I hadn’t been before but want to return. After an evening dodging thunder and lightning, the next day had some moving heavy cloud and the weather forecast promised rain:
UntitledThe SR48 runs from Cortina to Pian Falzarego and after rising above the clouds and I almost immediately ran into a traffic jam this was caused by a truck clipping the rock face on the inside of the road so meant there was quite a bit of traffic on the run up. This suited me quite well as it was cold and wet (played to my tyre limitations)
I pulled over to take a photo:
UntitledThen had a pretty good run out about a third of the pass before catching up with other the traffic. This was no bad thing is the pass was rough and got rougher the closer to the summit one got. Initially I thought it wasn’t as rough as a French pass but with time it was much worse. The tarmac was poor and then someone laid a pipe, cables or stuff down the right hand side of the road.
From here to the SS244 which runs from Pian Falzarego back to the main road
Instantly a good start of this was much smoother in the previous road. That said it was also much cloudier as the cloud was clearly blowing in from the north:
UntitledAbove the tree line this road spectacular and has probably been resurfaced within the last couple of years. Below the tree line this road is much, much bumpier.
This was followed by some really very heavily congested roads through South Tyrol (it’s Italy but everything is in German) and 25 miles of autostrada. This was the first time I do use my télépéage and very glad that I had it (I really can’t reach the left window from the right). The bill, when it came, suggests that Italian toll roads are quite cheap (but this may be an anomaly).
The Jaufenpass was chosen as a link and it’s one hell of a road. Perhaps I was fortunate (as it was really quiet) but this was great fun. The eastern side is wooded, the top was lost in the cloud and it really opens up on the western side:
UntitledThe next pass up was the Timmelsjoch (also known as the Passo del Rombo). This really is one hell of a pass, building (from the east) as “nice wooded pass,” to a totally open (and very fast) set of switchbacks, joined by hairpins, before dropping down an alpine highland to the toll booths on the way to Hochgurgl. The chap on the toll gate told me it was one of their quietest days in ages, possibly as rain had been forecast (but only some cloud had arrived to that point); I suspect I had a fortunately clear run up the pass. He encouraged me to drive as fast as I could…
I had a potter down to Hochgurgl and onto Obergurgl (went skiing there ages ago and fancied a wander) before heading back to the Timmelsjoch. I had a nice chat with a chap with a German plated yellow 991.1 GT3 (who was kind enough not to comment how much slower than him I had been running on the Jaufenpass and the Timmesljoch) and then I was back on my way to Italy. I am afraid that this is the only photo from this pass; I rather enjoyed it and there were few times I felt like stopping to capture the view:
UntitledWhat followed was a decidedly uneventful run to the Swiss border, the only items of note being:
- A surprising number of orchards
- Lots of cobbles in Glurns (enough to be a mild annoyance) and
- I was taking an odd-ish route as I didn’t really want to drive Stelvio mid-afternoon
With that, I was back in Switzerland (so watching the speedometer like a hawk again) and onto the Fuorn Pass. This was a pass; no more, no less. It was pretty and quiet but not a whole lot to report back on:
UntitledThe main purpose of this route was to go through the curiousity that is the Munt la Schera Tunnel. This is a single lane tunnel so, after a 5 minute wait, the light went green and we all pottered through, back to Italy, where one queues on the top of the arch dam (holding back the Lake of Livigno) before paying the toll.
I decided to stay in Livigno having stopped there (randomly) for lunch on the 2019 run. It’s a nice place to stay and has a nice vibe for a wander, beer and dinner.
Day 6 – Thursday 1st September 390 km
The day started with low cloud:
UntitledSo I decided not to rush my breakfast (this photo was taken from the dining room of the hotel, looking south.
Livigno has an odd duty arrangement with the rest of Italy and so petrol was pleasingly cheap at €1.60 a litre for 100 octane. I also saw a collective noun of Opel GTs (I have seen 1 or 2 before….not a dozen plus at the same time).
I headed south to the Foscagno Pass which was pretty but busy with rush hour traffic at the start. The clouds were starting to lift:
UntitledA short drive on and I was in Tirano for the bottom of the Bernina Pass. I had driven the Bernina before (one can cut up from Livigno and join it at Lago Bianco) but I was curious to see what the bottom of the pass had to offer:
UntitledThere are some odd train lines in the road from Tirano before the pass proper and then some traffic, much of which turned off for Livigno (the Opel GTs came from Livigno and headed south). In short, one may as well just do Livigno and up…as I’m not sure one misses that much…but at least now I know.
On to the Albula Pass which starts like a pass through an alpine meadow on the way up…and then gets serious:
UntitledThe pass narrows as it goes out…but was pretty quiet and pretty good fun. It’s a pass that people drive as opposed to being a major traffic route like the Julier Pass…although I think, on balance, I prefer the Julier Pass.
On the way to the Julier Pass I stopped to take a mature photo:
UntitledWhich isn’t dissimilar to a mature photo I took in 2019:
IMG_5676I’m a little disappointed they have added another word to the road sign (Surses being the wider area) but I’m not sure this counts as one of life’s problems!
The Julier pass is a major route for real traffic (trucks and caravans) but holdups can be solved by stopping and looking at the view…and making sure you’re on the road before the next batch of traffic. This is how this photo was taken:
UntitledIt is also how this photo was taken:
UntitledEven with the traffic, this is a great pass. It was good from S-N in 2019…but I think N-S is even better.
After a quick stop for a bite to eat in St Moritz, it was on to the Maloja Pass. This has a really big drop down from the Silsersee and with lots of traffic and lots of hairpins, this was quite slow. There seemed to be some Austrian Layer Cake aficionados ahead of me:
UntitledWhilst in concept a long 405 in yellow might sound amusing, the car in the flesh was, as Jeeves said, “a trifle sudden.”
Pottering on to Chiavenna:
UntitledUntitledI got to the Splügenpass / Spluga Pass. My notes from this were, “how many f
king hairpins,” as there were ~45 on the Italian side, all tight, some in tunnels. On the bight side, for smugglers into Switzerland, thete were no customs officers in the post so I can only assume this is this how one gets illicit goods into CH. More hairpions on the CH side:UntitledBut these were open and better sighted.
I stayed the night in Lenzerheide (stayed there in 2019 and quite liked it) and there is a really nice road up from Albula.
Day 7 – Friday 2nd September 409km
The first pass of thje day was the Lukmanier Pass (x2). This is a bit of a meh pass, even without the massive roadworks that there were but it’s always good to explore and see what one does & doesn’t like:
UntitledThis was followed by the Oberalp Pass which was utterly wonderful; an absolute joy to drive! It also follows the rule that great passes get no photos so you’ll have to:
- Take my word for it and
- Drive it for yourself
The Susten, Grimsel, Furka traiangle was next; liked 2 of these in 2019 and my 2022 notes of these was:
Susten Pass: Awesome
Grimsel Pass: Awesome
Furka Pass: Clear
Susten:
UntitledGrimsel:
Untitled(view from a call to the office I ended up on for an hour)
Furka (and looking back to Grimsel):
UntitledUntitledI love the Susten and the Grimsel; they bring out the best and worst in me and they’re a joy to drive. The Furka, whilst iconic, is driven for positioning. The west is okay but the east is tight and not much fun; I was happy that it was pretty clear as this made it vastly nicer than it could have been (it’s really no fun when campers are coming the other way!).
By now it was early afternoon and I needed to get my skates on as I was staying in Locarno that evening. I took the Gotthard Pass (Tremolo) which was virtually deserted (2 bikes, 2 cars) and took the motorway south. This is quite a pretty motorway and is nicely referenced in Harry Metcalfe’s second Evora video.
Most of the passes were now done so a it was time for a quiet evening:
UntitledDay 8 – Saturday 3rd September A number of miles (I forgot to note)
My only objective on this day was to be at Geneva airport for ~17:00 to collect my wife…and I went a bit off piste at this point and decided to try the path less travelled for a bit, going south into Italy, as opposed to going west. I went down to Cannobio and up the smallest tightest and oddest road (SS631) which opened up and became quite good fun. I ended up in a village which was having a fete involving robes (all a bit odd but not my village) and on to the Simplon Pass which is…a functional pass. Nice to have driven it but won’t hurry back as it’s not the most fun of passes.
From Geneva, on to a week of quiet holiday in France:
UntitledUntitledUntitledUntitledUntitledUntitledAnd then home.
I really enjoyed this trip and think based on this trip and the 2019 trip I went on a “best of both,” trip can be planned and I’m plotting this for 2023.
I might try to go a little earlier as late August is noticeably cooler than July and I think longer days and warmth are a good reason to go sooner!
Hopefully my rambles make sense and are of use in helping others to plan trips. I have been a bit busy at work since this trip which is why it has taken 3 months to write this up (I had one day at my desk when I got back and then was back on a plane again).
Edited by EJH on Thursday 8th December 21:05
A great trip & write-up - love a road trip.
We had our Euro road trip late June/mid July (cancelled twice in 2020 & 2021 due to COVID) via Holland into Alsace followed by Switzerland for 3 nights then into Annecy before finishing off in Epernay & heading back to the ferry in Holland.
Whilst in Switzerland we did the Furka/Grimsel/Susten loop (we were staying in Andermatt). - plan was to drive to Livigno via Oberalpass but as we were heading out of the hotel underground car park the TPM flashed a pressure loss signal so that was our final day in Switzerland screwed as we were due in Annecy the next day.
Agree with you re Furka - not our favourite and we both agreed Susten was the best.
We had our Euro road trip late June/mid July (cancelled twice in 2020 & 2021 due to COVID) via Holland into Alsace followed by Switzerland for 3 nights then into Annecy before finishing off in Epernay & heading back to the ferry in Holland.
Whilst in Switzerland we did the Furka/Grimsel/Susten loop (we were staying in Andermatt). - plan was to drive to Livigno via Oberalpass but as we were heading out of the hotel underground car park the TPM flashed a pressure loss signal so that was our final day in Switzerland screwed as we were due in Annecy the next day.
Agree with you re Furka - not our favourite and we both agreed Susten was the best.
Great write up and photos. Done many of the roads (several times) you mention and booked Eurotunnel only yesterday for next July with some friends.
You didn't mention the Nufenen Pass (east to west is best) near Andermatt but highly recommend it as it's less well known and therefore much quieter than the loop passes.
You didn't mention the Nufenen Pass (east to west is best) near Andermatt but highly recommend it as it's less well known and therefore much quieter than the loop passes.
mr pg said:
You didn't mention the Nufenen Pass (east to west is best) near Andermatt but highly recommend it as it's less well known and therefore much quieter than the loop passes.
I drove the Nufenenstrasse in 2019...and it's recommended. Went further south this time as was curious to see the Swiss lakes like Disney Italy (perfect and almost hilariously expensive) but Nufenenestrasse is a much better drive over than the Simplon Pass.Bilkob said:
Ed! Chris here, CX turbo from Duke of London meets…….
What a FANTASTIC trip write up. Got me thinking I may need to point the old girl south east soon again
Winter trip to the Ardennes perhaps
Maybe I'm bearish but I have a "last days of Rome," sort of feeling about these trips. We have the technology to make them easier than ever before but I feel we're on borrowed time on being able to do them as we have...and so I'm going to try and do one a year until the wind changes!What a FANTASTIC trip write up. Got me thinking I may need to point the old girl south east soon again
Winter trip to the Ardennes perhaps
daqinggregg said:
I thought this was “Advise me on my road trip” thread, not it itself a bad thing. But no, a road trip, I love these.
What a great afternoon treat. Car looks the bees knees, nice pictures and an interesting write up. Thank you for taking the time.
I'm just trying to convince as many people as possible they might enjoy such trips, they're easy (and fun) to plot and that I think they're best done on your own or in a small (known) group. A group tour in the hills is my idea of living hell...but I accept this may be the preference of others!What a great afternoon treat. Car looks the bees knees, nice pictures and an interesting write up. Thank you for taking the time.
Still working on a "master," route to include all favourite passes. Will share when I get around to it (probably Germany - Austria and heading back west from there).
EJH said:
A group tour in the hills is my idea of living hell...but I accept this may be the preference of others!
.
This ^ - Nothing makes me go " WTJudduringF " like pic of an 18 car convoy driving down a narrow road. .
Also - excellent work on the road sign pics - thats exactly the kind of thing I do..
Edited by Nurburgsingh on Monday 12th December 12:09
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