Yet another lap of Europe, solo in an Evora
Discussion
I'm at the end of Day 1 of my once-in-a-lifetime tour of Europe. I wasn't going to blog about it as it's all been done before, but I'm enjoying it so much so far I've got all enthusiastic about sharing it 
So I'm at least adding something to this forum, here's the details of my trip including estimated costs and timings in case this helps anyone with their own planning. I'll let you know how accurate these estimates were as I go on!
So I'm at least adding something to this forum, here's the details of my trip including estimated costs and timings in case this helps anyone with their own planning. I'll let you know how accurate these estimates were as I go on!
| Day | Leg | Dep | Arr | Hrs | Distance | Petrol etc | Accomodation | Costs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday | 06-Sep | Hull-Zeebrugge ferry | 17:00 | 09:30 | £255.88 | Ferry | - | ||
| Saturday | 07-Sep | to Grenoble via Reims | 10:00 | 21:00 | 11:00 | 557 | £179.58 | Grenoble | £62.00 |
| Sunday | 08-Sep | to Nice via Route Napoleon | 09:30 | 16:30 | 07:00 | 212 | £100.00 | Menton | £130.00 |
| Monday | 09-Sep | to Andermatt via Monaco | 06:00 | 14:30 | 08:30 | 340 | £40.00 | Andermatt | £73.00 |
| Tuesday | 10-Sep | to Interlaken via Andermatt passes | 09:00 | 16:00 | 07:00 | 150 | £29.51 | Wilderswil | £95.50 |
| Wednesday | 11-Sep | Piz Gloria | 30 | £105.90 | Wilderswil | £95.50 | |||
| Thursday | 12-Sep | Eiger Trail, travel to Freiburg im Breisgau | 14:30 | 17:00 | 02:30 | 138 | £57.15 | Freiburg im Breisgau | £88.00 |
| Friday | 13-Sep | to Nurburgring via Autobahn | 06:00 | 10:30 | 04:30 | 250 | £49.18 | Nurburg | £93.00 |
| Saturday | 14-Sep | Apex McLaren Ring Taxi + Clio hire 2 laps | 08:00 | £560.00 | |||||
| to Rotterdam ferry | 13:00 | 18:00 | 05:00 | 220 | £43.28 | ||||
| Rotterdam-Hull ferry | 19:00 | 08:30 | £267.38 |
Well the ferry started well, it must be the time of year but there were loads of interesting cars and dozens of bikers. Cars included some kind of banger rally, a couple of 911 GT3's and an immaculate Austin Maestro 1.3!
Getting off this morning was a slow affair with queues for passport control. I was on the road by 10:15 which is a late start for a long day.
The first stint was 180 miles non-stop to the old granstands at Reims. Once out of Belgium the roads calmed down and cleared enough for uninterrupted use of cruise-control for long periods.
Getting off this morning was a slow affair with queues for passport control. I was on the road by 10:15 which is a late start for a long day.
The first stint was 180 miles non-stop to the old granstands at Reims. Once out of Belgium the roads calmed down and cleared enough for uninterrupted use of cruise-control for long periods.
Today was my first visit to the Reims grandstands. Visiting them is almost a cliche now, but they're really quite something, set on a straight section of road amongst empty fields.
There was a constant flow of nice cars, lots of them British owned. From a McLaren 570s and Aston V12 Vantage when I arrived, to a couple of guys off to the Alps in a Jag F-Type and M3 and finally a couple in an immaculate rally-prepped Lancia Beta Montecarlo which the owner was kind enough to show me round.
Spent a fantastic hour here exploring the stands and chatting to people before hitting the road again for the long slog south.
There was a constant flow of nice cars, lots of them British owned. From a McLaren 570s and Aston V12 Vantage when I arrived, to a couple of guys off to the Alps in a Jag F-Type and M3 and finally a couple in an immaculate rally-prepped Lancia Beta Montecarlo which the owner was kind enough to show me round.
Spent a fantastic hour here exploring the stands and chatting to people before hitting the road again for the long slog south.
Edited by giveitfish on Saturday 7th September 22:49
My estimates for today were pretty good, I arrived at Grenoble for 9pm after stops for food on the way.
My Evora is my daily driver and has done 15k miles so far in the 15 months I've owned it. I know the car well but it's still great to spend time in. Which is good as I'm doing 2,000 miles this week.
It's a fantastic GT car with comfortable supportive seats, good driving position, cruise control and 33mpg economy at the French limit.It was a long drive today but podcasts via bluetooth and music on my iPod helped the time pass.
Long fast drives have an allure of their own but the real tour starts tomorrow with the Route Napoleon down to Menton via Nice and Monaco.
My Evora is my daily driver and has done 15k miles so far in the 15 months I've owned it. I know the car well but it's still great to spend time in. Which is good as I'm doing 2,000 miles this week.
It's a fantastic GT car with comfortable supportive seats, good driving position, cruise control and 33mpg economy at the French limit.It was a long drive today but podcasts via bluetooth and music on my iPod helped the time pass.
Long fast drives have an allure of their own but the real tour starts tomorrow with the Route Napoleon down to Menton via Nice and Monaco.
Day 2.
For almost 30 years I've been reading in magazines about drives to the Cote D'Azur via the Route Napoleon. I imagine 30 years ago it was a lot more fun!
It's a very scenic route with some jaw-dropping views (especially after Castellane), and there ARE some great sections of road. I managed to catch one pass with wide well-surfaced roads with no other traffic, and actually drove it twice - the first time confirming no surprises or speed traps, the second time at pace
I also saw a new McLaren GT, in fact I actually saw him twice and he was having fun for sure.
However most of the day was spent in slow traffic crawling along at the new French 80kmh limit with no chance of escape, all the time dodging suicidal bikers.
I think if I ever come this way again I need more time to explore the side roads, and also avoid weekends.
For almost 30 years I've been reading in magazines about drives to the Cote D'Azur via the Route Napoleon. I imagine 30 years ago it was a lot more fun!
It's a very scenic route with some jaw-dropping views (especially after Castellane), and there ARE some great sections of road. I managed to catch one pass with wide well-surfaced roads with no other traffic, and actually drove it twice - the first time confirming no surprises or speed traps, the second time at pace
I also saw a new McLaren GT, in fact I actually saw him twice and he was having fun for sure.
However most of the day was spent in slow traffic crawling along at the new French 80kmh limit with no chance of escape, all the time dodging suicidal bikers.
I think if I ever come this way again I need more time to explore the side roads, and also avoid weekends.
OK, on with the updates!
Day 3: Menton to Andermatt
The weather has generally been much better than forecast and Monday dawned nice and bright. The hotel (Hotel Pavilion Imperial) was a bit quirky but lovely people and private parking. Can't fault the location except for the omnipresent sound of scooters.
Bags packed and off. You can get a fair bit in the Evora, I've got clothes etc for 10 days all told plus hill walking clobber and cameras. The boot is deceptive, it goes all the way out to both wings. And there's always the back seats too.
First stop is for breakfast at the first services which happens to be in Italy. It's great, the orange juice was freshly squeezed in front of me - you don't get that at Greggs! To cap it all an Aston (Virage I think) and a Lamorghini Aventator on Monaco plates filled up with petrol beside me.
Then off to my first stop, the Alfa Romeo Museum just off the autostrada at Milan. I was also thinking about visiting Monza as well but it was too far out of my way.
The first part of the route follows the coast on an elevated motorway that curves and dives in and out of tunnels. It's a bit narrow but is a great route with the sun out and the exhaust in loud mode.
I made good progress but not many friends at the toll booths as I had to get out of the car at every one to either get the ticket or to pay. I use a tag in France and it's great when its just you in the car.
I reached the museum in time for lunch. It's very big and very corporate. The cafe and staff are obviously geared up for corporate hospitality and couldn't be less interested in serving you the rubbish food they had.
However the museum contents were great. Alfa have a superb back catalogue and it's all here.
I had a shoo away a little visitor before leaving for Andermatt
Andermatt should have been just a couple more hours, but roadworks added an hour to that. At least I had good company for the queue.
|https://thumbsnap.com/fvNzCobN[/url]
One final diversion before arriving was the Gotthard Pass. Being early evening by this time it was quiet and was great. It's open and fast.
Then down to the Bergidyll Hotel in Andermatt. A bit dated and run-down, but comfortable and good food.
Its late again now, so I'll write up todays drive through "das loop" tomorrow. Tomorrow is a non-driving day for me - I'm walking the Eiger Trail.
Day 3: Menton to Andermatt
The weather has generally been much better than forecast and Monday dawned nice and bright. The hotel (Hotel Pavilion Imperial) was a bit quirky but lovely people and private parking. Can't fault the location except for the omnipresent sound of scooters.
Bags packed and off. You can get a fair bit in the Evora, I've got clothes etc for 10 days all told plus hill walking clobber and cameras. The boot is deceptive, it goes all the way out to both wings. And there's always the back seats too.
First stop is for breakfast at the first services which happens to be in Italy. It's great, the orange juice was freshly squeezed in front of me - you don't get that at Greggs! To cap it all an Aston (Virage I think) and a Lamorghini Aventator on Monaco plates filled up with petrol beside me.
Then off to my first stop, the Alfa Romeo Museum just off the autostrada at Milan. I was also thinking about visiting Monza as well but it was too far out of my way.
The first part of the route follows the coast on an elevated motorway that curves and dives in and out of tunnels. It's a bit narrow but is a great route with the sun out and the exhaust in loud mode.
I made good progress but not many friends at the toll booths as I had to get out of the car at every one to either get the ticket or to pay. I use a tag in France and it's great when its just you in the car.
I reached the museum in time for lunch. It's very big and very corporate. The cafe and staff are obviously geared up for corporate hospitality and couldn't be less interested in serving you the rubbish food they had.
However the museum contents were great. Alfa have a superb back catalogue and it's all here.
I had a shoo away a little visitor before leaving for Andermatt
Andermatt should have been just a couple more hours, but roadworks added an hour to that. At least I had good company for the queue.
|https://thumbsnap.com/fvNzCobN[/url]One final diversion before arriving was the Gotthard Pass. Being early evening by this time it was quiet and was great. It's open and fast.
Then down to the Bergidyll Hotel in Andermatt. A bit dated and run-down, but comfortable and good food.
Its late again now, so I'll write up todays drive through "das loop" tomorrow. Tomorrow is a non-driving day for me - I'm walking the Eiger Trail.
Edited by giveitfish on Tuesday 10th September 23:58
Day 4: Das Loop
My first proper experiences of Alpine passes. From Andermatt I'd planned a loop of Furka Pass -> Nufenen Pass -> Gotthard Pass -> Susten Pass -> Grimsel Pass (North side only, up then back down again) -> Interlaken
This was about 150 miles and took a bit over 5 hours with lunch and plenty of stops for pics. The weather was cold, overcast and drizzly to begin with, with some fresh wet snow at altitude. Quite a few short sections of road works too,
Furka Pass: I'll come out and say it - I didn't really enjoy this one. The route up is exposed, largely unprotected by barriers and only 1.5 cars wide in places. It's slow and scary (to me), so more of an "experience" than a driver's road. But it's incredibly scenic and of course it's the road from Goldfinger!
Nufenen Pass: This was more like it. I had a mostly clear run and it was brilliant. More road width and a lot of fun. Had a decent lunch at the restaurant on top too.
Gotthard Pass: Busier than the previous day so really just a procession. Having a clear run the day before made it obvious how important is was to avoid traffic. The difference between a fun drive or a scenic tour. I think ideally you'd want to be doing these passes at 5am in mid summer, just like you would in the Dales.
Susten: The highlight of the day for me. The uphill section heading West is made up of fairly open sighted esses and I had a lucky break with no traffic. I fair hammered up it, windows down, exhaust echoing off the cliffs. That drive will stay with me for life.
Grimsel: Great drive up, again lucky to have a clear run of the approach road which is a good country road. Going back down I was stuck behind an articulated lorry (it's pretty industrial up there with a big hydro dam) and a vintage car!
Didn't really manage to get any top-notch pictures. The light was very flat and a couple of times I passed an amazing viewpoint while enjoying a fast drive and decided to just keep going.
All in all quite an intense days driving and well worth the trip.
Finally off to Interlaken to my base for the next couple of nights. It'll be nice to not have to pack up and leave in the morning for a change.
My first proper experiences of Alpine passes. From Andermatt I'd planned a loop of Furka Pass -> Nufenen Pass -> Gotthard Pass -> Susten Pass -> Grimsel Pass (North side only, up then back down again) -> Interlaken
This was about 150 miles and took a bit over 5 hours with lunch and plenty of stops for pics. The weather was cold, overcast and drizzly to begin with, with some fresh wet snow at altitude. Quite a few short sections of road works too,
Furka Pass: I'll come out and say it - I didn't really enjoy this one. The route up is exposed, largely unprotected by barriers and only 1.5 cars wide in places. It's slow and scary (to me), so more of an "experience" than a driver's road. But it's incredibly scenic and of course it's the road from Goldfinger!
Nufenen Pass: This was more like it. I had a mostly clear run and it was brilliant. More road width and a lot of fun. Had a decent lunch at the restaurant on top too.
Gotthard Pass: Busier than the previous day so really just a procession. Having a clear run the day before made it obvious how important is was to avoid traffic. The difference between a fun drive or a scenic tour. I think ideally you'd want to be doing these passes at 5am in mid summer, just like you would in the Dales.
Susten: The highlight of the day for me. The uphill section heading West is made up of fairly open sighted esses and I had a lucky break with no traffic. I fair hammered up it, windows down, exhaust echoing off the cliffs. That drive will stay with me for life.
Grimsel: Great drive up, again lucky to have a clear run of the approach road which is a good country road. Going back down I was stuck behind an articulated lorry (it's pretty industrial up there with a big hydro dam) and a vintage car!
Didn't really manage to get any top-notch pictures. The light was very flat and a couple of times I passed an amazing viewpoint while enjoying a fast drive and decided to just keep going.
All in all quite an intense days driving and well worth the trip.
Finally off to Interlaken to my base for the next couple of nights. It'll be nice to not have to pack up and leave in the morning for a change.
Edited by giveitfish on Wednesday 11th September 22:36
Day 5: Eiger Trail, non-driving day
Spending a couple of nights at the Jungfrau Hotel in Wilderswil. It's excellent, secure underground parking and a quality restaurant with superb service, despite me being a t-shirt and trainers sort of bloke.
I've always wanted to see the Eiger in person after reading so many heroic/horrific climbing tales. Its quite a foreboding place to visit, with audible rock falls and small snow avalanches coming down as the day warmed up.
A very satisfying day in the hills in hot sunny weather.
Tomorrow I'm visiting another James Bond set in the form of Piz Gloria, then its off towards Germany to make the next stage to the 'ring a bit easier.
Unfortunately Apex have broken their McLaren 600LT so my taxi lap looks like its going to be in a 911 GT3 RS. Not quite the same, but first world problems and all that!
Spending a couple of nights at the Jungfrau Hotel in Wilderswil. It's excellent, secure underground parking and a quality restaurant with superb service, despite me being a t-shirt and trainers sort of bloke.
I've always wanted to see the Eiger in person after reading so many heroic/horrific climbing tales. Its quite a foreboding place to visit, with audible rock falls and small snow avalanches coming down as the day warmed up.
A very satisfying day in the hills in hot sunny weather.
Tomorrow I'm visiting another James Bond set in the form of Piz Gloria, then its off towards Germany to make the next stage to the 'ring a bit easier.
Unfortunately Apex have broken their McLaren 600LT so my taxi lap looks like its going to be in a 911 GT3 RS. Not quite the same, but first world problems and all that!
Day 6: Piz Gloria and drive to Freiburg im Breisgau in Germany
On Her Majesty's Secret Service has always been my favourite Bond film, so this was somewhere I've wanted to visit for a long time. I was blessed with the perfect weather for it.
The views are great, the buffet lunch was OK and the Bond exhibition is just the right side of cheesy. All in all I spent far too long there. It took nearly an hour to get back to the car park (4 cable cars with queues), then I had a 150 mile drive to Freiburg near the Black Forest. I could have explored the Black Forest a bit, but it was hot and the roads were clogged so I just drove to the hotel. Had a quick squirt to 130mph on a short stretch of derestricted Autobahn on the way mind!
I was really quite sad to leave Switzerland, had a great couple of days there and I think I'll be back.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service has always been my favourite Bond film, so this was somewhere I've wanted to visit for a long time. I was blessed with the perfect weather for it.
The views are great, the buffet lunch was OK and the Bond exhibition is just the right side of cheesy. All in all I spent far too long there. It took nearly an hour to get back to the car park (4 cable cars with queues), then I had a 150 mile drive to Freiburg near the Black Forest. I could have explored the Black Forest a bit, but it was hot and the roads were clogged so I just drove to the hotel. Had a quick squirt to 130mph on a short stretch of derestricted Autobahn on the way mind!
I was really quite sad to leave Switzerland, had a great couple of days there and I think I'll be back.
Edited by giveitfish on Friday 13th September 20:12
Day 7: Drive to Nurburgring, DTM practice @ GP circuit
Up early to try and catch the Autobahn when it was still fairly quiet, and to catch the DTM practice sessions and Lotus Cup at the Grand Prix circuit.
This is my first experience of Autobahn and basically it was just like the A1 in the UK - 2 lanes and full of trucks.
Most of the journey is restricted to 130kmh but I deliberately planned my route to take in about 60 miles of derestricted road. Unfortunately some of this had road works on so I didn't get the chance to reach vmax, but I did touch 147mph on the gps between clumps of trucks and commuters (who seem to cruise nose to tail at 105mph).
147mph in the Evora was undramatic though I was still a bit tense with a firm grip of the wheel!Mine is only 275bhp so it didn't storm up to that speed, but it didn't take long either and still had more to come. Wind noise, stability and just general confidence were all great.
I visited the Brünnchen corner on the 'ring on the way in. The Industry Pool test sessions were in full swing, I saw an Aston DBX among others and the Tesla S which is doing setup (allegedly) for their record attempt, Also lots of boring family cars and suvs squealing around.
When I reached the GP circuit I first had to go hunting for a cashpoint to pay for parking - I'd got a ticket for the DTM practice session online for 10 euros, but didn't realise I needed another 8 euros for parking which I was short of by 50c.
I'd not had to use cash for about 4 days up to this point, a surprise a bit later was the Devils Diner restaurant by the 'ring entrance only accepted cards for payment above 15 euros - all seems a bit backwards.
I've not seen DTM cars before, but with how the timing worked out and at just 10 euros it was well worth checking out. The cars are loud and fast, and the braking performance especially is hugely impressive. These are the real deal.
The practice for the Lotus Cup was pretty entertaining too. The cars seemed loads louder than the R8 LMS and Carrera Cup cars also running, and they moved around a lot more too. The Evora GT4 cars sounded especially good
Then finally back over the 'ring for the evening Touristfaht session to get a feel for how it will be tomorrow. In a word, terrifying. Watching videos is one thing, seeing the speed differentials, variable driving standards and the sheer number of cars on together was eye widening.
I'm sure it'll be fine!
Up early to try and catch the Autobahn when it was still fairly quiet, and to catch the DTM practice sessions and Lotus Cup at the Grand Prix circuit.
This is my first experience of Autobahn and basically it was just like the A1 in the UK - 2 lanes and full of trucks.
Most of the journey is restricted to 130kmh but I deliberately planned my route to take in about 60 miles of derestricted road. Unfortunately some of this had road works on so I didn't get the chance to reach vmax, but I did touch 147mph on the gps between clumps of trucks and commuters (who seem to cruise nose to tail at 105mph).
147mph in the Evora was undramatic though I was still a bit tense with a firm grip of the wheel!Mine is only 275bhp so it didn't storm up to that speed, but it didn't take long either and still had more to come. Wind noise, stability and just general confidence were all great.
I visited the Brünnchen corner on the 'ring on the way in. The Industry Pool test sessions were in full swing, I saw an Aston DBX among others and the Tesla S which is doing setup (allegedly) for their record attempt, Also lots of boring family cars and suvs squealing around.
When I reached the GP circuit I first had to go hunting for a cashpoint to pay for parking - I'd got a ticket for the DTM practice session online for 10 euros, but didn't realise I needed another 8 euros for parking which I was short of by 50c.
I'd not had to use cash for about 4 days up to this point, a surprise a bit later was the Devils Diner restaurant by the 'ring entrance only accepted cards for payment above 15 euros - all seems a bit backwards.
I've not seen DTM cars before, but with how the timing worked out and at just 10 euros it was well worth checking out. The cars are loud and fast, and the braking performance especially is hugely impressive. These are the real deal.
The practice for the Lotus Cup was pretty entertaining too. The cars seemed loads louder than the R8 LMS and Carrera Cup cars also running, and they moved around a lot more too. The Evora GT4 cars sounded especially good
Then finally back over the 'ring for the evening Touristfaht session to get a feel for how it will be tomorrow. In a word, terrifying. Watching videos is one thing, seeing the speed differentials, variable driving standards and the sheer number of cars on together was eye widening.
I'm sure it'll be fine!
Loving this write up.
Thanks for taking the time to compose it.
I love a good road trip, but you encapsulated perfectly the traffic you get on the alpine passes.
Me and Mrs T drive most years to Lake Garda. One year I decided to go from Mulhouse to Salo (300 ish miles) via the passes rather than the motorway.
It was a bad decision, it took 13 hours. Thanks to lorries, Dutch caravans, fat Germans on Harleys and coaches.
We go on motorways all the time now.
Enjoy the rest of your trip and I look forward to seeing your next write up...
Thanks for taking the time to compose it.
I love a good road trip, but you encapsulated perfectly the traffic you get on the alpine passes.
Me and Mrs T drive most years to Lake Garda. One year I decided to go from Mulhouse to Salo (300 ish miles) via the passes rather than the motorway.
It was a bad decision, it took 13 hours. Thanks to lorries, Dutch caravans, fat Germans on Harleys and coaches.
We go on motorways all the time now.
Enjoy the rest of your trip and I look forward to seeing your next write up...
Thanks guys, I really appreciate the comments. I did wonder if I was just writing this as a future reminder for myself for when dementia sets in
I can completely imagine your experience on the passes Tozerman. I think I was lucky with it being midweek and a slightly iffy weather forecast scaring some off. It was amazing when it came together though.
I can completely imagine your experience on the passes Tozerman. I think I was lucky with it being midweek and a slightly iffy weather forecast scaring some off. It was amazing when it came together though.
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