Cambridge→Folkestone→Paris→Gronigen→Rotterdam→Harwich→Cambridge.
On a BMW R1200GS.
Google maps: http://shrunk.net/16a0b326
Kit:
Easy journey, the eurotunnel is fabulous - best way to get to Europe on a motorbike. No straps needed. Rode down the autoroute into Paris. Parisian traffic is no problem.
Rode round Paris in rush-hour, visited the Arc de Triomphe and the outside of the Louvre. The GS engine heated up all the way to the higher engine temperature guage, but no faults or problems. Parisian traffic is great - the drivers look out for bikes and get out of your way. Riding round the arc was fantastic. Don’t listen to Mr Clarkson (he hates it), it’s great fun and it’s easier than riding London.
Went scuba diving under the Eiffel Tower and went up the tower itself (worth a visit).
460 miles to Gronigen, left at 9am. Did a constant 130 KM/H all the way (this may count as speeding in some countries en-route). 6 hours of riding later, I was in Gronigen and none worse for the wear. The GS proves itself as a comfortable mile muncher.
130MPH on the autobahn. Oldenburg’s quite nice.
Approx. 500 miles. Looked at the ferry from the Hook of Holland. 80 quid and 6.5 hours! Forget that, back to the Tunnel for 40 quid and 35 minute journey. Ended up on the train next to another GS. We talked shop and I envied his HID lights.
Paris is groovy. Proper metropolitan city. Much cleaner and friendlier than London. The Parisians can drive, bikers aren’t mad. Park anywhere you like, no tickets, no parking charges.
Gronigen is good for a night out or two. Make sure when you’re in Holland you cross the big dam, it’s well worth it.
Doing Cambridge to Gronigen again in August for the bank holiday weekend. Taking along a fellow biker, he’ll be riding his Triumph Sprint ST. Hope to use the journey to learn more about European biking so that a longer exploration of more Eastern countries can be undertaken in future.
The handheld GPSMap 60c proved invaluable wandering the streets of Paris, as well as a backup GPS for general navigation. Ideally, I’d have the GPSMap 60CSX which takes memory cards, so I could get all of Europe in high detail loaded.
The Garmin Quest did a grand job of navigating me across Europe.