Temperature was off the scale last night. Stepping into a cow skin this morning in the mid 30s didn't really appeal, but needs must. Loaded everything except the basha, which was fashioned over the tent as a rather effective sun screen. However, even in the shade it was unpleasant. At least i could top up my ridiculous t-shirt tan.
Rode down Como then across the tops of Lake Lugano and Lake Maggiore.
Lugano puts you back into Switzerland and vignette territory. Some autoroutes are vignette exempt, but they don't make the system completely fool proof.
I fancied a quick pitstop before leaving Italy this morning. There's a little bar on the northern banks of Lugano that I've used before and i remember great things about their coffee and croissants. The road divides the bar and the terrace so you can sit on the terrace overlooking the lake and the waitress pops back and forth over the road. Its easy to miss though, which i managed to do. For future reference it's in a little village just before the border. There's a row of parking on the left under the trees then a little partitioned terrace. Next time, I'll defo get it.
Crossed over into Switzerland and decided to ride through Lugano rather than skirt around it. It's rather nice. My defining memory will always be the stunning, statuesque Swiss barmaid who was walking along the pavement carrying a beer keg. A magnificent sight.
I wasn't particularly desperate to stop and certainly didn't want to pick up any more Swiss shrapnel. I paid 4chf for a mediocre espresso in Switzerland earlier in the week. That's gotta be at least €3. I've not paid more than €1.20 in Italy and every one has been coffee perfection.
Rode south along the west bank of Maggiore, all the way to Verbania. Last time we turned off at Cannobio but i remember the road well and wouldn't want to repeat it. Besides, the road south of Cannobio to Verbania must be one of the nicest stretches of Maggiore so it's worth riding.
All of the lakes are beautiful but there's no point hurrying. I was stuck behind an HGV and there was a couple of times he went head to head with other HGVs travelling the opposite way. Each time, one of them had to reverse and clear some road. I finally managed to squeeze past in one of the towns but the opportunity was a long time coming.
By Cannobio you're back into Italy. I'd stopped there a year or two back with Catherine for a quick coffee. I rode past the same bar today but didn't want the queue of traffic catching back up with me so pressed on to Verbania, on the western bank of Maggiore.
The road is lined with dedicated bike parking and there's plenty of restaurants to choose from. I picked one away from the road that had a few locals passing the time of day. Quick shot of coffee and a panini to keep me going then back into Switzerland over the Simplonpass.
The road to the border is nothing special. Once upon a time, Simplonpass was worth the trip. This year it's solid roadworks. In fact, my entire run across Switzerland this afternoon was spoiled by roadworks. I know they have a short season for road repairs, and they like to do a proper job, but it was ridiculous. I don't think i could travel more than 10 miles today in Switzerland without getting held up at another set of roadworks. Unfortunately there's no decent alternative to clear the lakes. You have to put up with either the intense heat of northern Italy, or Switzerland.
I really wanted to pop down to Zermatt this year to see the Matterhorn. Time was against me so i gave it a miss. I don't want to camp in Switzerland tonight so I'm aiming for the French alps. A direct run would land me there about 7.30. Add in the Matterhorn and it would be closer to 8.30, so I'd be pitching in the last moments of daylight. I need to pick up some provisions too before i stop for the night.
I wasn't expecting the run across Switzerland to take so long. The only fruity bit is the climb to Col de la Forclaz, after Martigny. Stopped for fuel and provisions before leaving Martigny then rode through an unmanned border crossing and dropped down into Chamonix. The roads on the French side were pretty poor but you could still push it. The weather didn't look too clever either, but it held.
The roads in Chamonix are awful. It hit a couple of big potholes and when i stopped my fuel bottle was hanging off the back of the bike, even though it was secured with two straps. I'm gonna cable tie it before setting off tomorrow.
Found the same campsite as last time and the same feisty lady was manning reception. She's a delight. She never pulled me up on my shocking French this time but when i told her the reception office has moved since the last time i visited, she said it moved 3 years ago and was obviously put out that I've been away for so long. I think she's missed me.
There's a few Brits here. I've not seen any British plates for ages but passed a few camper vans today near the Simplonpass. Pitched up near a couple of British bikers. They came over at a similar time to me and hit the same crappy weather. They ended up at Lake Bled in Slovenia. Weather bad, country beautiful. I'll have to investigate further.
We swapped details of good campsites around Europe. They recommended an excellent one in Wolf on the Mosel, which I'll definitely check out. They say there's a restaurant nearby called Marikas Kitchen. They were told about it by another biker who said it serves the best steaks in the world. They're pleased to confirm he wasn't lying.
222 miles
Rode down Como then across the tops of Lake Lugano and Lake Maggiore.
Lugano puts you back into Switzerland and vignette territory. Some autoroutes are vignette exempt, but they don't make the system completely fool proof.
I fancied a quick pitstop before leaving Italy this morning. There's a little bar on the northern banks of Lugano that I've used before and i remember great things about their coffee and croissants. The road divides the bar and the terrace so you can sit on the terrace overlooking the lake and the waitress pops back and forth over the road. Its easy to miss though, which i managed to do. For future reference it's in a little village just before the border. There's a row of parking on the left under the trees then a little partitioned terrace. Next time, I'll defo get it.
Crossed over into Switzerland and decided to ride through Lugano rather than skirt around it. It's rather nice. My defining memory will always be the stunning, statuesque Swiss barmaid who was walking along the pavement carrying a beer keg. A magnificent sight.
I wasn't particularly desperate to stop and certainly didn't want to pick up any more Swiss shrapnel. I paid 4chf for a mediocre espresso in Switzerland earlier in the week. That's gotta be at least €3. I've not paid more than €1.20 in Italy and every one has been coffee perfection.
Rode south along the west bank of Maggiore, all the way to Verbania. Last time we turned off at Cannobio but i remember the road well and wouldn't want to repeat it. Besides, the road south of Cannobio to Verbania must be one of the nicest stretches of Maggiore so it's worth riding.
All of the lakes are beautiful but there's no point hurrying. I was stuck behind an HGV and there was a couple of times he went head to head with other HGVs travelling the opposite way. Each time, one of them had to reverse and clear some road. I finally managed to squeeze past in one of the towns but the opportunity was a long time coming.
By Cannobio you're back into Italy. I'd stopped there a year or two back with Catherine for a quick coffee. I rode past the same bar today but didn't want the queue of traffic catching back up with me so pressed on to Verbania, on the western bank of Maggiore.
The road is lined with dedicated bike parking and there's plenty of restaurants to choose from. I picked one away from the road that had a few locals passing the time of day. Quick shot of coffee and a panini to keep me going then back into Switzerland over the Simplonpass.
The road to the border is nothing special. Once upon a time, Simplonpass was worth the trip. This year it's solid roadworks. In fact, my entire run across Switzerland this afternoon was spoiled by roadworks. I know they have a short season for road repairs, and they like to do a proper job, but it was ridiculous. I don't think i could travel more than 10 miles today in Switzerland without getting held up at another set of roadworks. Unfortunately there's no decent alternative to clear the lakes. You have to put up with either the intense heat of northern Italy, or Switzerland.
I really wanted to pop down to Zermatt this year to see the Matterhorn. Time was against me so i gave it a miss. I don't want to camp in Switzerland tonight so I'm aiming for the French alps. A direct run would land me there about 7.30. Add in the Matterhorn and it would be closer to 8.30, so I'd be pitching in the last moments of daylight. I need to pick up some provisions too before i stop for the night.
I wasn't expecting the run across Switzerland to take so long. The only fruity bit is the climb to Col de la Forclaz, after Martigny. Stopped for fuel and provisions before leaving Martigny then rode through an unmanned border crossing and dropped down into Chamonix. The roads on the French side were pretty poor but you could still push it. The weather didn't look too clever either, but it held.
The roads in Chamonix are awful. It hit a couple of big potholes and when i stopped my fuel bottle was hanging off the back of the bike, even though it was secured with two straps. I'm gonna cable tie it before setting off tomorrow.
Found the same campsite as last time and the same feisty lady was manning reception. She's a delight. She never pulled me up on my shocking French this time but when i told her the reception office has moved since the last time i visited, she said it moved 3 years ago and was obviously put out that I've been away for so long. I think she's missed me.
There's a few Brits here. I've not seen any British plates for ages but passed a few camper vans today near the Simplonpass. Pitched up near a couple of British bikers. They came over at a similar time to me and hit the same crappy weather. They ended up at Lake Bled in Slovenia. Weather bad, country beautiful. I'll have to investigate further.
We swapped details of good campsites around Europe. They recommended an excellent one in Wolf on the Mosel, which I'll definitely check out. They say there's a restaurant nearby called Marikas Kitchen. They were told about it by another biker who said it serves the best steaks in the world. They're pleased to confirm he wasn't lying.
222 miles
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