Last year's trip to the Dolomites
Discussion
Seeing as no one is doing much of anything at the moment I thought I'd share some pictures from last years trip to the Dolomites.
black-k1 was kind enough to offer an open invitation to people to join The Old Gits on their trip to Cortina. There were 26 of us in total and black-k1 had organised the hotel, t-shirt etc. I didn't know a soul but thought that a week away with like minded people should be a lot of fun.
In the run up to the tour I was really unsure about what to take, what gear to wear etc. As it turned out June 1st-9th was spectacular weather. I wore leathers and base layers and was very comfortable - though the heated grips had to go on once or twice on a couple of the higher passes!
Not knowing the guys I ended up taking the route down that suited my schedule best. I left on my Honda Crossrunner at about 6am on Saturday morning from Camberley in Surrey. I was pleased that my gear all fitted in the OE panniers and small top box though they were full! I had everything from puncture repair stuff to a spare litre of oil. Thankfully I only needed a few of the bits but I felt a lot better for being prepared.
Leaving Dover
I got a bit of sleep on the ferry. It was uneventful and the staff helped to strap the bike down. I realised that I didn't have enough water with me and tried to get a few bottles that I could stash around the place as it was already very warm.
I took a route from Calais to Dusseldorf that I'd worked out beforehand using MyRouteApp - highly recommended by the way. Just put your waypoints down and it will take you where you want to go rather than where Google Maps thinks you should be going. I had lots of time as the train didn't start boarding until 6pm. Yes, the train. If I had more time I would have ridden down through Germany and Austria but with the time available I would have had to have blasted down the motorway. That's not my idea of touring.
More details at: https://www.railtravelshop.com/motorail/dusseldorf...
So I had booked on to the train and took my time riding across to Dusseldorf in 30 degree weather. I was melting! When I arrived there was a bit of a wait but then everyone finally got going. There's a video below of what the bikes look like once they're loaded.
I went for dinner and then got on the packed train. The air conditioning was creaky and to be honest I would have spent the extra money on a more private cabin given the choice. I was in a 6 berth couchette and it was hot and busy. Mostly full of Germans bikers headed South. Everyone was nice enough but you can get an idea of what it was like on board from this video.
It was hot and busy and you got chucked about a fair bit on the faster sections. But it did mean that 700kms happened overnight.
The good news was that I woke up to this:
The bad news was that when the train had turned during the night (no idea why) it had my bike facing backwards and the screen had been completely ripped off! If it had been the standard screen I'm sure it would have been fine but it was an Ermax screen using palmer adjusters and there was obviously too much play in it for it to survive. :013:
Anyway, I registered the problem with the train staff so that I could get some money back, strapped the screen to my bike using a cargo net that I'd brought along and off I went. And actually, for the vast amount of riding I was far happier without a screen! Much less wind noise and much cooler. Anything over 80mph was a bit of a pain but I wasn't in a rush so it was actually OK.
An ex-screen.
The scenery all around the place was spectacular and I couldn't have been happier. I followed my pre-planned route through the mountains and was just stunned at the amazing scenery. After a few mistakes where I missed turns i was well on the way. The road into Cortina is the best road that I have ever ridden. Just stunning! By about 3pm I was at the hotel, settled in with a beer and waiting for the others.
What a view.
We were staying in Cortina d'Amprezzo which is a skiing resort really complete with skiing prices but it's a lovely place in the summer.
The view from my room.
The rest of the group arrived in dribs and drabs ranging from guys who had trailered their bikes down ("the trailer trash"), big tourers and sport tourers right the way through to smaller stuff. There was an NS400, a CB500, several BMW K1300S's, another Crossrunner, a lone GS and various other assorted bikes including an Indian Chief!
The guys were all easy to chat to and varied in age from a couple under 40 to the majority over 60.
The rest of the holiday was a mix of different routes as people joined up in to groups of 2-5. Some wanted to do mega-miles while others wanted to take in the scenery. I did a mixture of the two and had a blast.
I have quite a few other pictures but the forum has turned them round on their side etc so you're saved from the worst of it!
The week's riding was a mass of hairpins (19 in a row was the record) great food, astonishing scenery, one cable car and my first time riding with others using an intercom. Once the irritating pairing bit was done it was a revelation to be able to chat to the others so easily. I used a Sena 20S while others had Cardo Packtalks etc. If you're riding in a group I highly recommend one.
All too soon it was over. I had a day to head back to Innsbruck and was hoping that the Timmelsjoch pass would be open. The day before I was due to leave I saw that it had finally opened on June 8th! The traffic was much heavier than anything so far and the standard of driving was appalling as performance cars were busy trying to work their way past vans and family cars. Not much fun.
On the Italian side of Timmelsjoch.
A view of the weather at the top. There is a museum and all sorts of other stuff at the top. Just be aware it's a toll road.
The Austrian side of the Timmelsjoch!
Like I said, it had only just opened.
The other side was much more relaxed though the weather wasn't as good. I wasn't looking forward to the journey back but despite the train being delayed for a couple of hours it all went pretty smoothly and at least I didn't have to drive for 10 solid hours of motorways.
All in all it was a tremendous experience. There are other write-ups at http://old-gits.org/write-up2019.htm . And special thanks to Terry for his company for the majority of the week. It was great fun.
Of the 26 of us there was one crash due to gravel but that was it.
And as to the Crossrunner? It cemented how much I like the bike. It was comfortable, has a great tank range, enough power, plenty of carrying capacity, good suspension and an addictive V4 soundtrack.
I hope that things open up enough to allow people to get out touring this year. Fingers crossed!
black-k1 was kind enough to offer an open invitation to people to join The Old Gits on their trip to Cortina. There were 26 of us in total and black-k1 had organised the hotel, t-shirt etc. I didn't know a soul but thought that a week away with like minded people should be a lot of fun.
In the run up to the tour I was really unsure about what to take, what gear to wear etc. As it turned out June 1st-9th was spectacular weather. I wore leathers and base layers and was very comfortable - though the heated grips had to go on once or twice on a couple of the higher passes!
Not knowing the guys I ended up taking the route down that suited my schedule best. I left on my Honda Crossrunner at about 6am on Saturday morning from Camberley in Surrey. I was pleased that my gear all fitted in the OE panniers and small top box though they were full! I had everything from puncture repair stuff to a spare litre of oil. Thankfully I only needed a few of the bits but I felt a lot better for being prepared.
Leaving Dover
I got a bit of sleep on the ferry. It was uneventful and the staff helped to strap the bike down. I realised that I didn't have enough water with me and tried to get a few bottles that I could stash around the place as it was already very warm.
I took a route from Calais to Dusseldorf that I'd worked out beforehand using MyRouteApp - highly recommended by the way. Just put your waypoints down and it will take you where you want to go rather than where Google Maps thinks you should be going. I had lots of time as the train didn't start boarding until 6pm. Yes, the train. If I had more time I would have ridden down through Germany and Austria but with the time available I would have had to have blasted down the motorway. That's not my idea of touring.
More details at: https://www.railtravelshop.com/motorail/dusseldorf...
So I had booked on to the train and took my time riding across to Dusseldorf in 30 degree weather. I was melting! When I arrived there was a bit of a wait but then everyone finally got going. There's a video below of what the bikes look like once they're loaded.
I went for dinner and then got on the packed train. The air conditioning was creaky and to be honest I would have spent the extra money on a more private cabin given the choice. I was in a 6 berth couchette and it was hot and busy. Mostly full of Germans bikers headed South. Everyone was nice enough but you can get an idea of what it was like on board from this video.
It was hot and busy and you got chucked about a fair bit on the faster sections. But it did mean that 700kms happened overnight.
The good news was that I woke up to this:
The bad news was that when the train had turned during the night (no idea why) it had my bike facing backwards and the screen had been completely ripped off! If it had been the standard screen I'm sure it would have been fine but it was an Ermax screen using palmer adjusters and there was obviously too much play in it for it to survive. :013:
Anyway, I registered the problem with the train staff so that I could get some money back, strapped the screen to my bike using a cargo net that I'd brought along and off I went. And actually, for the vast amount of riding I was far happier without a screen! Much less wind noise and much cooler. Anything over 80mph was a bit of a pain but I wasn't in a rush so it was actually OK.
An ex-screen.
The scenery all around the place was spectacular and I couldn't have been happier. I followed my pre-planned route through the mountains and was just stunned at the amazing scenery. After a few mistakes where I missed turns i was well on the way. The road into Cortina is the best road that I have ever ridden. Just stunning! By about 3pm I was at the hotel, settled in with a beer and waiting for the others.
What a view.
We were staying in Cortina d'Amprezzo which is a skiing resort really complete with skiing prices but it's a lovely place in the summer.
The view from my room.
The rest of the group arrived in dribs and drabs ranging from guys who had trailered their bikes down ("the trailer trash"), big tourers and sport tourers right the way through to smaller stuff. There was an NS400, a CB500, several BMW K1300S's, another Crossrunner, a lone GS and various other assorted bikes including an Indian Chief!
The guys were all easy to chat to and varied in age from a couple under 40 to the majority over 60.
The rest of the holiday was a mix of different routes as people joined up in to groups of 2-5. Some wanted to do mega-miles while others wanted to take in the scenery. I did a mixture of the two and had a blast.
I have quite a few other pictures but the forum has turned them round on their side etc so you're saved from the worst of it!
The week's riding was a mass of hairpins (19 in a row was the record) great food, astonishing scenery, one cable car and my first time riding with others using an intercom. Once the irritating pairing bit was done it was a revelation to be able to chat to the others so easily. I used a Sena 20S while others had Cardo Packtalks etc. If you're riding in a group I highly recommend one.
All too soon it was over. I had a day to head back to Innsbruck and was hoping that the Timmelsjoch pass would be open. The day before I was due to leave I saw that it had finally opened on June 8th! The traffic was much heavier than anything so far and the standard of driving was appalling as performance cars were busy trying to work their way past vans and family cars. Not much fun.
On the Italian side of Timmelsjoch.
A view of the weather at the top. There is a museum and all sorts of other stuff at the top. Just be aware it's a toll road.
The Austrian side of the Timmelsjoch!
Like I said, it had only just opened.
The other side was much more relaxed though the weather wasn't as good. I wasn't looking forward to the journey back but despite the train being delayed for a couple of hours it all went pretty smoothly and at least I didn't have to drive for 10 solid hours of motorways.
All in all it was a tremendous experience. There are other write-ups at http://old-gits.org/write-up2019.htm . And special thanks to Terry for his company for the majority of the week. It was great fun.
Of the 26 of us there was one crash due to gravel but that was it.
And as to the Crossrunner? It cemented how much I like the bike. It was comfortable, has a great tank range, enough power, plenty of carrying capacity, good suspension and an addictive V4 soundtrack.
I hope that things open up enough to allow people to get out touring this year. Fingers crossed!
Great pictures and great memories of a great trip. I'm really glad you enjoyed it.
The setting was spectacular and the hotel was great. I can see a future Old Gits trip to the same place to finish exploring the wonderful roads and stunning scenery.
Such a shame that this years trip has been cancelled!
Still, there's always next year! 
The setting was spectacular and the hotel was great. I can see a future Old Gits trip to the same place to finish exploring the wonderful roads and stunning scenery.
Such a shame that this years trip has been cancelled!
Still, there's always next year! 
Great write up.
We are off to the dolomites next year staying at the cortina Region. We have done the alps 3 times now also using the obb nightjet which is a great service to avoid boring motorways. There were 5 of us jammed in one of those sleeper cabins with helmets / leathers and bags on the way there!! Literally couldn't get moved in the room. I never slept a wink due to how cramped the bed was and also how jerky the train felt, I was expectingvto see my bike "not there" when I got off the train. Not a pleasant experience haha.
The timmersjoch is a fantastic road.
Can you advise which roads you found the best around the dolomites region for our trip?
We are off to the dolomites next year staying at the cortina Region. We have done the alps 3 times now also using the obb nightjet which is a great service to avoid boring motorways. There were 5 of us jammed in one of those sleeper cabins with helmets / leathers and bags on the way there!! Literally couldn't get moved in the room. I never slept a wink due to how cramped the bed was and also how jerky the train felt, I was expectingvto see my bike "not there" when I got off the train. Not a pleasant experience haha.
The timmersjoch is a fantastic road.
Can you advise which roads you found the best around the dolomites region for our trip?
STe_rsv4 said:
Can you advise which roads you found the best around the dolomites region for our trip?
The guys in black-k1s group probably did more routes than any of us so he might be better placed to answer that.A lot of the routes that we did are on MyRouteApp which you're welcome to have. I think my favourite was:
https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/social/route/2003480...
It had a bit of everything including some of the best scenery. The route up to Passo Falzarego was a real favourite as was the Furkelpass.
The folder with all the routes in is at
https://www.myrouteapp.com/en/social/folder/158496...
I know some of the other Old Gits will have their favourites too so hopefully they'll chime in too.
For those thinking about a trip to the Dolomites, I though I'd chuck in a few more pictures from last years trip.
Spectacular roads ...
Stunning scenery ...
Great lunch stops ...
Brilliant weather ...
Obviously, the weather can't be guaranteed but everything else is! If you've not been then I can't recommend it enough and would highly recommend the hotel we stayed at - Hotel Villa Blu Cortina d'Ampezzo
Spectacular roads ...
Stunning scenery ...
Great lunch stops ...
Brilliant weather ...
Obviously, the weather can't be guaranteed but everything else is! If you've not been then I can't recommend it enough and would highly recommend the hotel we stayed at - Hotel Villa Blu Cortina d'Ampezzo
Nothing wrong with being 'trailer trash', it's a great way to introduce yourself to local law enforcement when you get nicked using a no-trailers road trying to avoid the Brenner Pass traffic
Having the car take the strain did make the journey there and back pretty effortless although appreciate it's the soft option.
Still not been able to find a bottle of this in the local supermarket though!
A good write up of a good trip!
Having the car take the strain did make the journey there and back pretty effortless although appreciate it's the soft option.Still not been able to find a bottle of this in the local supermarket though!
A good write up of a good trip!
STe_rsv4 said:
Can you advise which roads you found the best around the dolomites region for our trip?
We stayed in Arabba for our Dolomites trip in 2012. The text and the photos aren't up on the site at the moment but you can check out the daily routes we used on www.bbot.co.ukNice write-up!
Reminds me of taking my Laverda Jota back to its spiritual home in Breganze a few years back. We had a great variety of bikes - mainly older. Took in all the big Swiss passes on the way and stayed a few days in Arabba to do the Dolomites properly. Rode it hard all the way there and back; the only casualty was a side panel blowing off at a rather high speed (they all do that until you bolt them on...). What roads, what a trip.
Reminds me of taking my Laverda Jota back to its spiritual home in Breganze a few years back. We had a great variety of bikes - mainly older. Took in all the big Swiss passes on the way and stayed a few days in Arabba to do the Dolomites properly. Rode it hard all the way there and back; the only casualty was a side panel blowing off at a rather high speed (they all do that until you bolt them on...). What roads, what a trip.
zzrman said:
We stayed in Arabba for our Dolomites trip in 2012. The text and the photos aren't up on the site at the moment but you can check out the daily routes we used on www.bbot.co.uk
That looks like a great trip. Nice to have a record of all your routes like that. 
I'll add in my own pictures (and tales) from the same trip (my bike being the orange pig in SteelerSE's pictures)!
This was my first trip abroad on a motorbike, having only past around 18 months before in September 2017, and the only trip before this being to the Isle of Man. There were slight complications to begin the trip, having been cocked about by the buyer of my house for months, my completion date for the house move was the day before I was due to get onto the train and head into France!
The bike was loaded up ready to go on holiday 4 days before departure, to be left in a friends garage until the day I moved into the new house
House moved sorted, wife appeased (ish), I was ready for holiday (with way too much paperwork with me). Also, world's largest panniers that could comfortably hold enough luggage for a family of four.
Waiting to board the train
I should point out I'd met a few of the guys in the group going on tour (at a pre-tour meetup), I'd never ridden with any of them. Nothing like jumping in at the deep end with my first big tour.
Train boarded (eventually), bike parked up and then the short wait until we got to ride out into France.. after a slightly terrifying ride down the entire length of the train (that metal plate is really slippy)
At this point everyone was being nice to me and not letting me get stuck too far behind (I am a little.. slow.. or perhaps more that I was a bit reluctant to speed in a foreign country) and we headed to the first hotel of the trip
My first experience of Belgian drivers greeted me the morning after as we set off to leave for our next stop in Germany..
After not making my intentions clear that I needed fuel (apparently waving your arms around like a fraggle from the back of the group is not the best way to draw attention to yourself), I lost contact with the group that I'd come over with on the train. I spent most of the rest of the day alone I believe, traversing France and then Germany. I did briefly find two other guys on the tour at a French service station, but they were headed off in a different direction so our paths split and I headed off on my own again.
Eventually I found the hotel in Germany, and needed assistance from NS400R to get into the underground garage (I am completely inept at a great number of things). After an excellent meal with the guys (and some beers), we split into several groups to make our way down to Italy.
A quick pit stop to water a bush, and take a picture of some mountains
Stopping off at a service station in Germany to get a magic sticker for Austria, stumbled into some of the Old-Gits, bewilderingly siphoning petrol from Glenn's Superduke GT (believing it to be diesel)
My orange pig being dwarfed by tvrolet's shining chrome beast
Onwards into and towards Austria where I believe we were heading towards a closed pass that some others on the trip had signaled to us (can't remember to whom, or whether it was with smoke signals or WhatsApp). So we had a quick break.. and then headed back in the same direction, towards a pizza restaurant to join with another Old-Git, who had frantically tried to wave at us on the way through. I just thought he was being friendly.
Mountains feature quite prominently in most of my pictures.. funnily enough
So backwards.. to pizza! (this was nicer than any pizza I had in Italy!)
What then followed was me breaking the cardinal rule of just following the person in front of you.. and if in doubt just keep going straight.. I did not. What I did do, was get lost going through the Austrian border (a horrifically long queue and 36+c heat), head the wrong way into Italy following an errant waypoint in my satnav, and end up on top, and over the other side of the Jaufenpass.
It was pretty, though.
This then turned into a bit of an odyssey to get to the hotel in Cortina, as I was now still around 3 hours from the hotel and knackered.
After a long slog by myself (again), I arrived in the Dolomites and stopped to take a few pictures before the last few miles to the hotel.
The view from the hotel:
.. and then.. some pictures of Italy from the various days of riding (mostly with SteelerSE)
We had to abandoned the bikes in a lower car park to have lunch at a restaurant (and hike up to it in full gear), the views were stunning
A pretty lake
Atop a dam
Quick stop almost at the top of the Passo Falzarego (I'm pretty sure, anyway). The cool blast from the snow was an odd sensation to the heat of the valley down below. Someone skiied past me a little bit after this, very surreal for June.
The top.. snow!
These next few were taken from on top an even higher point, that was only accessible (to me, anyway) via cable car. You can get a one way ticket and ski down I believe
https://lagazuoi.it/EN/Discover-Services-page41-Th...
I am fine with heights.. but I'm not great with the idea of falling so this was mostly completely terrifying on the ascent/descent, and half ok at the top provided I didn't go too close to the edge.
Back to normality with some of the bikes parked in the excellent garage at the hotel
One last mountain + bike shot
The view from the hotel doorstep as I headed off to ride towards the hotel stop in France (some ~640 miles away)
The view of home (ish), with a hint of bird s
t
Gutted that this years trip hasn't happened, hopefully next year!
Thoroughly enjoyed myself (and the company) for the whole trip, was a great first introduction to touring
This was my first trip abroad on a motorbike, having only past around 18 months before in September 2017, and the only trip before this being to the Isle of Man. There were slight complications to begin the trip, having been cocked about by the buyer of my house for months, my completion date for the house move was the day before I was due to get onto the train and head into France!
The bike was loaded up ready to go on holiday 4 days before departure, to be left in a friends garage until the day I moved into the new house
House moved sorted, wife appeased (ish), I was ready for holiday (with way too much paperwork with me). Also, world's largest panniers that could comfortably hold enough luggage for a family of four.
Waiting to board the train
I should point out I'd met a few of the guys in the group going on tour (at a pre-tour meetup), I'd never ridden with any of them. Nothing like jumping in at the deep end with my first big tour.
Train boarded (eventually), bike parked up and then the short wait until we got to ride out into France.. after a slightly terrifying ride down the entire length of the train (that metal plate is really slippy)
At this point everyone was being nice to me and not letting me get stuck too far behind (I am a little.. slow.. or perhaps more that I was a bit reluctant to speed in a foreign country
) and we headed to the first hotel of the trip My first experience of Belgian drivers greeted me the morning after as we set off to leave for our next stop in Germany..
After not making my intentions clear that I needed fuel (apparently waving your arms around like a fraggle from the back of the group is not the best way to draw attention to yourself), I lost contact with the group that I'd come over with on the train. I spent most of the rest of the day alone I believe, traversing France and then Germany. I did briefly find two other guys on the tour at a French service station, but they were headed off in a different direction so our paths split and I headed off on my own again.
Eventually I found the hotel in Germany, and needed assistance from NS400R to get into the underground garage (I am completely inept at a great number of things). After an excellent meal with the guys (and some beers), we split into several groups to make our way down to Italy.
A quick pit stop to water a bush, and take a picture of some mountains
Stopping off at a service station in Germany to get a magic sticker for Austria, stumbled into some of the Old-Gits, bewilderingly siphoning petrol from Glenn's Superduke GT (believing it to be diesel)
My orange pig being dwarfed by tvrolet's shining chrome beast
Onwards into and towards Austria where I believe we were heading towards a closed pass that some others on the trip had signaled to us (can't remember to whom, or whether it was with smoke signals or WhatsApp). So we had a quick break.. and then headed back in the same direction, towards a pizza restaurant to join with another Old-Git, who had frantically tried to wave at us on the way through. I just thought he was being friendly.
Mountains feature quite prominently in most of my pictures.. funnily enough
So backwards.. to pizza! (this was nicer than any pizza I had in Italy!)
What then followed was me breaking the cardinal rule of just following the person in front of you.. and if in doubt just keep going straight.. I did not. What I did do, was get lost going through the Austrian border (a horrifically long queue and 36+c heat), head the wrong way into Italy following an errant waypoint in my satnav, and end up on top, and over the other side of the Jaufenpass.
It was pretty, though.
This then turned into a bit of an odyssey to get to the hotel in Cortina, as I was now still around 3 hours from the hotel and knackered.
After a long slog by myself (again), I arrived in the Dolomites and stopped to take a few pictures before the last few miles to the hotel.
The view from the hotel:
.. and then.. some pictures of Italy from the various days of riding (mostly with SteelerSE)
We had to abandoned the bikes in a lower car park to have lunch at a restaurant (and hike up to it in full gear), the views were stunning
A pretty lake
Atop a dam
Quick stop almost at the top of the Passo Falzarego (I'm pretty sure, anyway). The cool blast from the snow was an odd sensation to the heat of the valley down below. Someone skiied past me a little bit after this, very surreal for June.
The top.. snow!
These next few were taken from on top an even higher point, that was only accessible (to me, anyway) via cable car. You can get a one way ticket and ski down I believe
https://lagazuoi.it/EN/Discover-Services-page41-Th...
I am fine with heights.. but I'm not great with the idea of falling so this was mostly completely terrifying on the ascent/descent, and half ok at the top provided I didn't go too close to the edge.
Back to normality with some of the bikes parked in the excellent garage at the hotel
One last mountain + bike shot
The view from the hotel doorstep as I headed off to ride towards the hotel stop in France (some ~640 miles away)
The view of home (ish), with a hint of bird s
tGutted that this years trip hasn't happened, hopefully next year!
Thoroughly enjoyed myself (and the company) for the whole trip, was a great first introduction to touring
Edited by CookieR on Friday 29th May 15:58
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