This blog was created to share information for anyone that wanted to come with me to the Czech Centre SOC Rally in Vernirovice in May 2022.
With the event over and done with it is time to retire the blog.
Thanks to the one or two people that bothered to read it and get the information they may have needed.
The rally was great and I am now looking at:
Whilst I am working from home and waiting for someone to log a call on the MIS Helpdesk, I have turned my attention to places to visit on the way across from Calais Eurotunnel to Vernířovice.
With a longish day from Eurotunnel to the first overnight stop in Kobern-Gondorf, a break other than at the motorway services might be nice.
When my brother, Neill, plans our trips and those that he goes on every year with his mate Patrick, he includes fuel stops as Patrick's Shadow has a lot lower tank capacity than his BMW. I tend not to do that but maybe once I know what sort of mileage I can expect from Vera's tank, then I can add that into my planning.
Anyway, I digress. Places to visit/stop on the way across Belgium and western Germany. Where to look? The internet I guess! Or maybe for POI's in MyRouteApp? Success.
I have started to split to overall routes into bite sized chunks, by day and parts of days.
Day 1 Part 1 is Eurotunnel to the Biker Ranch Eifel near Simmerath. This will be all on motorway into Germany and then exiting for Simmerath.
Day 1 Part 2 is a ride through the Eifel Naturpark from the Biker Ranch to Bad Münstereifel. I chose this as it cuts off the corner that would be the motorway routes. Bad Münstereifel is also the twin town of Ashford in Kent near where I live.
Sadly, in the massive floods or "hochwasser" earlier in July '21 many buildings in the town centre were badly damaged. Hopefully things will have improved by May.
It's not that far and I was sent the route by a friend in Germany as a "tasting" as he put it. I have driven in this area before in my old Fiat Panda!
Day 1 Part 3 takes us from Bad Münstereifel to the hotel in Kobern-Gondorf. Once again this is off motorway.
Waypoint 2 is another biker stop at the Haus Waldfrieden Biker-Treff. Depending on what is consumed in Bad Münstereifel this looks like another watering hole for both ends.....
That adds another hour and a half and some more decent looking miles under the wheels.
Day 2? Work in progress.
I have booked two overnights on the way out and two on the way back. With two overnights at the rally this gives a total of 6 nights in hotels/hostels.
Currently the plan is to leave on May 25th AM and return May 31st PM.
They then reply with a booking form they want signed. This will need to be printed and scanned in and returned ASAP.
Nothing to pay until you arrive. The only caveat is that we have to arrive before 6pm. We should be able to do that from Vernířovice.
Well, here we are. Another update on the trip to the Czech Invader Rally in Vernířovice and only a few days after the last post.
This is Plan C Outwards!!
How things can change. I was using Google Maps rather than MyRouteApp to try and chop the journey into three more equal parts. This is not as easy as you might think considering accommodation and doing the trip on a budget.
I start all the routes from Calais Eurotunnel's "Avenue to France" and there is a waypoint that's clickable in Google Maps. From there to the Vernířovice Rally site in the Hotel Reoneo is around 835.35 miles.
Having a fuzzy brain after months of working from home, I used the calculator on the laptop to chop it up into three parts.... it comes out at 278.45 miles.
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| AACZ - Invader - Vernířovice OUT Plan C |
So using Google Maps I tried to find somewhere around that distance for the first hotel stop. I chose the B&B Hotel in Troisdorf. It has parking and a restaurant on site. I don't know if I really want to overlook the railway though!
Apart from the rally itself, I am booking single or double rooms (if they are the same price) with private bathroom! I don't mind sharing if I have to but given my health problems being solo or with my wife id best all round.
It's maybe a little short at 268 miles. But there was nothing further on in my price range. Or rather what I was interested in paying.
I have kept the second stop at Hotel Reif in Königstein in der Oberpfalz, I just had to change the date to a day later. This is another with restaurant attached. Food and beer and no walking or need to ride the bike.
The Prague stopover is gone. A shame but it does mean I will be away from my family a day less.
The third day is a little over the 278 average. That is simply because hotels nearer the Czech border are more expensive or if comparable in price, don't have food and drink nearby.
Plan C could easily be Plan D though...
Homeward Plan A
No changes here except that I have managed to book the DJH Hostel at Hagen for the second night after we leave Vernířovice.
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| AACZ - Invader HOME Plan A |
I have emailed the DJH Schloss Colditz to see when they are open to take booking and they have yet to reply.
I saw on the main DJH.de website that there was a relaxation in Germany due in August, but that may be up in the air as they have had killer floods in the Rhein/Ruhr and Covid is on the increase as well.
I have been looking at the route back. For the route out I will stick (I think) with Plan B and the southern route via Frankfurt and Nuremburg.
The return looks like this.
Two nights and both at Youth Hostels. The main event being the Colditz Castle Hostel (2) and then at Hagen in the Ruhr (3) on the way back. Three days on the road and each about 250-275 miles. Easily and comfortably do-able on a modern bike. Plus allowing time to stop on the way and look at something!
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| AACZ - Czech Invader - Home Plan A |
There's plenty of time to refine and book.
Now that Vera has joined the Devall Family (or at least will have in time for this event) I have been looking at my (tentative) plans for the trip across to the Czech Invader in May 2022.
I had been looking at taking the newly rebuilt Kettle aka Suzi Triplo but even after all the time (and not to mention money!) spent to bring her back to life, a 2000 miles trip might be a journey too far.
I have a couple of Plan A's. I checked with the new secretary of the Czech Centre and he has confirmed the dates of the rally as May 27-29th 2022. In fact that is the traditional date. That's what I had gambled on when I began to plan earlier in the year.
Those plans are on Suzi Triplo's Blog site.
With Vera taking over the long distance and more arduous trips from Suzi, all updates will be here. With a modern bike I have been able to plan for longer days in the saddle.
I have so far stuck with the Plan A outwards from the UK. Although there is already a Plan B!!!
Plan A is what I call the "A4 Route" and goes across the top of the Ruhr and a first stop at the DJH Hostel in Kassel (2 on the map). The second stop on Prague (3). The shorter distance between Prague and Vernířovice would allow me to maybe make a short stop in Hradec Kralove and call in at my friend and former student's house. I've not seen Rosta since 2011 when Claire and I were in the car.
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| AACZ - Invader - Vernířovice OUT Plan A |
Plan B OUT has shorter days on the way to Vernířovice, with stops at Bingen (2) and Königstein in der Oberpfalz (3) with a final stop in Prague (4). This gives fewer hours on the road and most of that will autobahn, and maybe give me time to "see" something". In the end I could of course reduce the overnights to two from three. The overnights are all (cheap) hotels.
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| AACZ - Invader - Vernířovice OUT Plan B |
Plan A HOME is still to be decided, but I would love to stay in the YH at Colditz Castle again just as a reminder of the 2011 trip we did in the car. But that is still to be decided.
The current problems with both Plan A's is that they both take the former East Germany route and much of it is retracing steps.
Both outward routes share the same Prague Hostel Plus in Holešovice which is cheap and comes with off road parking at a small cost
I have created a new blog to keep all the details and the plans I am making for a ride over to Czech to attend the Czech Centre SOC rally.
I have some posts on my GT750 blog as that was where I first thought of a last ride across Europe to attend the rally.
I decided to bring everything to its own place so that I can plan and share.
