Alps and England, August 2001 − Travels − Captain Tom

Alps and England, August 2001

My travel diary mainly refers to places and routes.

The date is always followed by the odometer reading of my bike at the beginning of the day.

24 August 33724 Berlin

Car train from Berlin to Lörrach near Basel overnight

25. August 33757 Lörrach Sewen (Vosges)

Col du Hunsrück Grand Ballon (1424)
le Markstein (1266)
Col ol'Hahnenbrunnen (1180)
Col du Herrenberg (1186)
Col de la Schlucht (1135)
Ballon d'Alsace (1250)

There I meet Möni, Andreas and the little Max. In the afternoon I am on the way with Möni in the Vosges mountains.
26 August 34049 Sewen

Passwang (928)
Glaubenbüehlenpass (1611)
Brüningpass (1008)
with Andreas Grimselpass (2165)
Nufenenpass (2478)

With Möni we go to the connecting leg to Italy. Meeting point with Andreas to change mopeds is Lake Sarner See. In the evening we move into the holiday apartment in Pino over Lake Maggiore
Change of bikes at Lake Sarner See
Andreas unloads and loads ...
... and Möni struggles with the little one who demands attention
arrived and first onto the terrace
The view over the pool towards the lake
Terrace with view to village Pino
View over Lake Lago Maggiore to Locarno
27 August. 34534 Pino

Bathing day

28 August 34534

Pino
Monte San Martino Pizzoni di Laveno
Maccagno
Indemini
Alpe di Neggia (1395)

Loop with Möni over the mountains on the eastern shore of the Lago Maggiore
View from Monte di San Antonio to Luino
Break on the way to Indemini
Wonderful view back to the Lago
29 August 34726

Pino
Centovalli Simplonpass (2005)
Grimselpass (2165)
Sustenpass (2224)
Oberalppass (2040)
Lukmanierpass (1916)

Larger loop over several passes with Andreas
On top of Simplonpass
Southern ramp of Grimselpass
View to a paragliding pilot in the Rhone valley - about half the height of the ascent to Grimsel
Left the Rhone glacier, right the western ramp of Furka Pass - same position as previous photo
Andreas has a look at the paraglider
Northern ramp of Grimsel with it's three reservoirs
"Summit picture" Andreas on top of Grimselpass
Western ramp of Sustenpass
30 August 35159

Pino
Valle Versasca (James Bond Bungee Jump von Staumauer)
Ponte di Salto
Locarno

Regentag - Wir fahren Auto
Versasca Valley
The dam wall is 660 feet high. This is where they shot the bungee jump in James Bond Golden Eye.
Porta di Salto.
You have to go swimming here. The water is freezing cold. Except for the little one, we all dared.
The village to the bridge
31 August 35159

Pino
Passo di Bernhardino (2065)
Splügenpass (2113)

Little loop over several passes with Möni
01 September 35423

Tour to Luino
Ferry to Navena
Swimming in Vale Maleggio

Rest day in the rain - we drive a few more meters by car
Ferry ride to Navena
Swimming at Vale Maleggio. Here only Möni jumped into the water
02 September 35423

Pino
Passo di Bernhardino (2065)
Liechtenstein
Bavaria
Thuringia
Berlin
in 12.40 hrs including about 186 miles of Autobahn

The vacation with the friends is already over.
Journey back to Berlin
Passo di San Bernardino - southern ramp
03 September 36490

Rest day in Berlin

04 September 36490

Berlin
Hamburg
In the afternoon on the ferry and further rest

05. September 36832

Harwich
At noon from the ferry and over to Shrewsburry to Debbie, Klaus and the children

06 September 37239

Shrewsburry
Chirk
Llangollen
Panorama Route
Worlds End
Horseshoe Pass
Ruthin
Cerrigydrudion
Alwen Reservoir
Pentrefoelas
Betws-y-coed
Capel Curig
Pass of Llanberis
Beddgelert
Llanberis
Pass of Llanberis
Beddgelert
Penrhyndeudraeth
Bronaber
Llanuwchllyn
Llanwddyn
Llanfyllin
Welshpool

Tour to North Wales
Marina in Chirk
Here "park" the small boats, with which one can navigate the numerous channels in Wales
Llangollen Panorama Route
This is where I keep trying to get back to.
View of the ruins of Castell Dinas Bran
Repetition of a photo from 1996, when the thistle was in bloom
Schafe
Single Track Road of the very best
Worlds End Roadsign
The obligatory motorcycle phone booth photo has been taken too
I've never experienced that before. The stream runs across the road.
07 September 37666

Shrewsburry
Leominster
Rhayader
Llansantffraeol-Cwmdeuddwr
Devil's Bridge
Aberystwyth
Tal-y-bont
Devil's Bridge
Rhayader
Llanidloes
Newtown
Shrewsburry

Tour to the centre and west of Wales
Elan-Valley to Caban-coch Reservoir
Singletrack Roads - nice. 50 m later a van came towards me
Elan Valley
08 September 38088

The day belongs to my hosts and Mount Snowdon. I climb it (partly) with Klaus

This is where Debbie, Klaus and the three little ones live
The two smaller little ones
Mount Snowdon
Dog in a rucksack - the path is too steep and too stony
Views to the valley
Tom as a mountaineer - somewhat in the dark
Tom as mountaineer
09 September 38088

Shrewsburry 9.00 am
Harwich 2.00 pm - The ferry does not leave because of strong winds. So i proceed to
Dover 5.30 pm 38477
Eurotunnel Calais 6.30 pm 38607
38607 Berlin 3:00 am 39683

Riding back home
It was the first time I tried the tunnel. Works well. But it's quite a distance. The guy with the other BMW is an Australian who wanted to meet other Australians in Paris and then go on a two-week holiday "somewhere between Geneva and Gibraltar".
Little Max in the end

... just decorated the wall with crayons.
... sleeps as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth
... plays on the lawn in front of the patio
... practices as a sailor
... is afraid of water, but plays in the mud while mom is bathing in the freezing river
... gets rewrapped on the fly