It's a little known fact that Paul McCartney penned the last ever Beatles single, 'The Long and Winding Road' after going for a scratch on Cheshire's famous Cat and Fiddle on his mint mk1 Norton Commando. It's only a slighter better known fact that I'm a bullshit artist, but I digress.
Today we're talking about my favourite riding roads; all of them long and winding, and all of them well worth a visit if you're partial to two-wheeled devices that make ungodly noises when you twist the rubber thing on the right hand side.
There are a few roads that could've made this list but didn't - a couple in Germany and North Wales, in particular - but bad weather tainted my one impression I had with these byways, so they miss the cut.
Most importantly, when I thought of putting together this list, the entires listed below are the first ones that popped into my head and that has to count for something, right?
So in no particular order here they is:
1. Grimsel Pass, Bern, Switzerland
This road has two claims to fame; it's probably my favourite road in Switzerland and it forms part of the picturesque backdrop that adorns this blog. Yes, it's that special.
Starting from the southern end of the pass, you come off the also excellent Furka pass and then wind your way up the tight switchbacks, before you hit the plateau that takes you pass the pretty Grimselsee on your left hand side.
After this point on, the road opens up a bit and from there it's on for young and old, as the excellent surface yields itself to a stunning set of sweepers with the odd twisty bit thrown in for good measure.
To be honest, there's probably a dozen passes like this in Switzerland, but when I took to this particular road in the summer of 2009, it all just came together, with the great weather, lack of traffic and a good night's sleep the night before meaning I was well in the zone when I took this on.
Once you get to the town of Innertkirchen, stop for a brew at the nice cafe on the corner of Grimselstrasse and Sustenstrasse, the latter of which leads you to...
2. Susten Pass, Bern/Valais, Switzerland
.. the sensational Sustenpass.
On my way up this road for the first time, I had a local in a WRX who wanted to indulge in a bit of the ol' slap and tickle and I duly obliged. It was great for a first run to have a pace car, as a couple of the tighter corners definitely sneak up on you.
Once you get to the Alpine refuge at the top of the pass, park your ride, marvel at your balled up tyres and kick back in wonderment at the beautiful Stein Glacier trying in vain to throw itself off the top of the Sustenhorn. You can then continue on your way down to Wassen, then head south back towards Andermatt, or do as I did and go to Wassen, chuck a U-turn and do the whole thing backwards... mmm satisfying.
The Susten Pass, along with the Furka and Grimsel passes, constitute a great loop of mountain roads, so if you ever want to pack in a couple of days of crazy good riding in the country that taking sides forgot, book a night in Andermatt and go bonkers.
3. Kings Highway - Braidwood to Nelligen, New South Wales, Australia
If you will, allow me to draw another strange parallel between sixties rock music and my favourite riding roads. I have no idea if Jim Morrison was a motorcycle enthusiast, or if he ever visited southeastern Australia, but his LSD-induced raving during The Doors upbeat, ten-minute epic 'The End' eerily tells you almost everything you need to know about one of my all-time faves.
Ride the King's Highway...
Right on, James. Montonous, flat and boring for 80% of its length, it's the stretch from outside Braidwood to Nelligen that has made the Kings Highway a rite of passage for every rider from Canberra to Casey's Beach.
The west is the best...
It's as you reach the western edge of the coastal escarpment at Clyde Mountain that the fun begins. Though shedding 800 metres of elevation in about 20 kilometres doesn't sound all that impressive, its the way 'the Clyde' does it that etches itself into the mind of every motorcyclist that partakes of its serpentine bounty.
The first part of the ascent I like best; tight hairpins at first that gradually open up into flowing left/right combinations, and eventually, fast sweepers. Should you not want to carve it up, crack open your visor, take in the refreshing rainforest air and just cruise along - oh, and keep your eye out for the legendary 'pooh's corner'.
There's danger on the edge of town...
The only time I've been pinged by the ever friendly Highway Patrol has been around the towns that dot the Kings Highway. With only three towns located along the 120 odd kilometres of road that makes up the highway, this is to be expected.
The killer awoke before dawn, he put his boots on...
Riiight, so this one's a bit morbid, but there's no denying Jimbo's sound logic on this one. During day time, the Clyde is a haven for traffic and the aforementioned rozzers, so you're best bet is to set the alarm early, gear up post-haste and aim to hit the Clyde no later than a couple of hours after sun up, any earlier and you'll have to keep an eye out for wombats ;)
4. Macclesfield Road - Macclesfield to Strathalbyn, South Australia
Ah, this was my scratching post of choice when I lived in SA. We all have that one piece of asphalt we seem to gel with from the first time, and this one's mine.
One of the groups of riders I hooked up with when I lived in Adelaide were seriously fast and seriously crazy - I still shake my head when I think of them passing around a spliff the size of the olympic torch prior to one scorching run - but on this one stretch of road I was almost untouchable. Smooth tarmac and good sight lines makes this mix of sweepers with the odd tighter corner a joyful exercise in tyre torture.
Not that there is anywhere nice to crash on the road, but this is one place you definitely don't want to leave the black stuff; huge gum trees line the road and in some cases the shoulder drops abruptly a couple of metres into the cow paddocks below.
If there's one thing worse than writing your bike off while doing your best Evel Knievel impression, its writing your bike off while doing your best Evel Knievel impression and landing in one of old Daisy's freshly laid arse omelettes. You've been warned kiddies.
5. Passo della Mendola - Trentino, Italy
This pass sits on the opposite side of the Val di Sole from another honourable mention, the Passo Tonale, but the Mendola Pass gets the nod as it packs a lot more kdo*/kilometre and the pub at the top makes a nice counter meal with a view across to the stunning Dolomites to boot.
To sum it up; wicked. I don't often see this road mentioned among Europe's best and I can only assume it's because it doesn't sit close to any major thoroughfare but do yourself a favour and give it a shot.
Only thing to note with this road is that with it being a stone's throw from Bolzano and Trento, it gets seriously rammed on the summer weekends by local bikers - plan a mid-week visit if you can.
*kdo = kneedown opportunities... duh
6. Gorges du Verdon and Route Napoleon, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France
The roads of Alps de Haute Provence in southern France are well known to motorcyclists, both local and abroad, so there's no need for me to expand further on their awesomeness further here.
Between riding the Route Napoleon and the amazing detour through the Gorges du Verdon, I had one of my most enjoyable ever experiences on a motorcycle, these roads are just as good taken at a canter or a gallop, and if you ride a bike, live in Europe, and haven't visited this part of the world, you're missing out on something spectacular.
7. Col de la Bonette, Col de Vars, Col du Galabier, Col du you get the picture - Alpes Maritime/Hautes Alpes, France
Ok, so this one takes in a few roads, but it contains more mountain passes than you can shake a stick at. If you're heading to the south of France, are a sucker for saddle-induced punishment and want to experience riding nirvana, then why not treat yourself to this curvaceous coup de grรขce?
I carefully mapped this part of my road trip by the tried-and-true method of using Google Maps to scope out the squiggliest succession of roads I could find and the results were nothing short of phenomenal.
Heading north from Nice, I took the D64 over the windswept Col de la Bonette - Europe's highest paved road - the D902 through the Col de Vars and Col D'Izoard, before heading north-west out of Briancon on the D1091 to take in the Col du Galibier.
Needless to say at the end of the day the arm-pump was coming on, my knees were seizing up, and for an hour I nursed a beer while gazing at my bike in an adrenalin-incuded stupor. Brilliant.
Special note: While stuck in a herd of grazing cows crossing the bottom of the Route Galibier, I had one of the most frighteningly weird transcendental moments of my life. There I was on my bike, wrapped head to toe in moo-skin when in unison, the entire herd, stopped, turned around, and stared at me - I could only think that if a cow rode down the King's road in Chelsea wrapped in a two-piece human skin ensemble, they'd probably get the same reaction.
8. Passo Pian del Fugazze - Trentino/Veneto, Italy
Is there a more beautiful place on earth than the Dolomites in Autumn? There could well be, but from behind the clip-ons of my RSV last year, the place seemed like heaven on Earth.
I prefer doing this road from west to east; starting from Rovereto, winding your way up the mountain and staying on the southernside of the valley, before crossing the river just before Vallarsa and continuing on to the Valli del Pasubio.
This road isn't the best in terms of pure riding thrills - though it does have a couple of fantastic sections - but some of the vistas along this trip are straight out of God's own scrapbook and make this road something you have to experience at least once.
So there you have it, eight electrifying roads to scratch that riding itch - what are you waiting for?
Today we're talking about my favourite riding roads; all of them long and winding, and all of them well worth a visit if you're partial to two-wheeled devices that make ungodly noises when you twist the rubber thing on the right hand side.
There are a few roads that could've made this list but didn't - a couple in Germany and North Wales, in particular - but bad weather tainted my one impression I had with these byways, so they miss the cut.
Most importantly, when I thought of putting together this list, the entires listed below are the first ones that popped into my head and that has to count for something, right?
So in no particular order here they is:
1. Grimsel Pass, Bern, Switzerland
This road has two claims to fame; it's probably my favourite road in Switzerland and it forms part of the picturesque backdrop that adorns this blog. Yes, it's that special.
Starting from the southern end of the pass, you come off the also excellent Furka pass and then wind your way up the tight switchbacks, before you hit the plateau that takes you pass the pretty Grimselsee on your left hand side.
After this point on, the road opens up a bit and from there it's on for young and old, as the excellent surface yields itself to a stunning set of sweepers with the odd twisty bit thrown in for good measure.
To be honest, there's probably a dozen passes like this in Switzerland, but when I took to this particular road in the summer of 2009, it all just came together, with the great weather, lack of traffic and a good night's sleep the night before meaning I was well in the zone when I took this on.
Once you get to the town of Innertkirchen, stop for a brew at the nice cafe on the corner of Grimselstrasse and Sustenstrasse, the latter of which leads you to...
2. Susten Pass, Bern/Valais, Switzerland
.. the sensational Sustenpass.
On my way up this road for the first time, I had a local in a WRX who wanted to indulge in a bit of the ol' slap and tickle and I duly obliged. It was great for a first run to have a pace car, as a couple of the tighter corners definitely sneak up on you.
Once you get to the Alpine refuge at the top of the pass, park your ride, marvel at your balled up tyres and kick back in wonderment at the beautiful Stein Glacier trying in vain to throw itself off the top of the Sustenhorn. You can then continue on your way down to Wassen, then head south back towards Andermatt, or do as I did and go to Wassen, chuck a U-turn and do the whole thing backwards... mmm satisfying.
The Susten Pass, along with the Furka and Grimsel passes, constitute a great loop of mountain roads, so if you ever want to pack in a couple of days of crazy good riding in the country that taking sides forgot, book a night in Andermatt and go bonkers.
 |
| Susten Pass |
If you will, allow me to draw another strange parallel between sixties rock music and my favourite riding roads. I have no idea if Jim Morrison was a motorcycle enthusiast, or if he ever visited southeastern Australia, but his LSD-induced raving during The Doors upbeat, ten-minute epic 'The End' eerily tells you almost everything you need to know about one of my all-time faves.
Ride the King's Highway...
Right on, James. Montonous, flat and boring for 80% of its length, it's the stretch from outside Braidwood to Nelligen that has made the Kings Highway a rite of passage for every rider from Canberra to Casey's Beach.
The west is the best...
It's as you reach the western edge of the coastal escarpment at Clyde Mountain that the fun begins. Though shedding 800 metres of elevation in about 20 kilometres doesn't sound all that impressive, its the way 'the Clyde' does it that etches itself into the mind of every motorcyclist that partakes of its serpentine bounty.
The first part of the ascent I like best; tight hairpins at first that gradually open up into flowing left/right combinations, and eventually, fast sweepers. Should you not want to carve it up, crack open your visor, take in the refreshing rainforest air and just cruise along - oh, and keep your eye out for the legendary 'pooh's corner'.
There's danger on the edge of town...
The only time I've been pinged by the ever friendly Highway Patrol has been around the towns that dot the Kings Highway. With only three towns located along the 120 odd kilometres of road that makes up the highway, this is to be expected.
The killer awoke before dawn, he put his boots on...
Riiight, so this one's a bit morbid, but there's no denying Jimbo's sound logic on this one. During day time, the Clyde is a haven for traffic and the aforementioned rozzers, so you're best bet is to set the alarm early, gear up post-haste and aim to hit the Clyde no later than a couple of hours after sun up, any earlier and you'll have to keep an eye out for wombats ;)
4. Macclesfield Road - Macclesfield to Strathalbyn, South Australia
Ah, this was my scratching post of choice when I lived in SA. We all have that one piece of asphalt we seem to gel with from the first time, and this one's mine.
One of the groups of riders I hooked up with when I lived in Adelaide were seriously fast and seriously crazy - I still shake my head when I think of them passing around a spliff the size of the olympic torch prior to one scorching run - but on this one stretch of road I was almost untouchable. Smooth tarmac and good sight lines makes this mix of sweepers with the odd tighter corner a joyful exercise in tyre torture.
Not that there is anywhere nice to crash on the road, but this is one place you definitely don't want to leave the black stuff; huge gum trees line the road and in some cases the shoulder drops abruptly a couple of metres into the cow paddocks below.
If there's one thing worse than writing your bike off while doing your best Evel Knievel impression, its writing your bike off while doing your best Evel Knievel impression and landing in one of old Daisy's freshly laid arse omelettes. You've been warned kiddies.
5. Passo della Mendola - Trentino, Italy
This pass sits on the opposite side of the Val di Sole from another honourable mention, the Passo Tonale, but the Mendola Pass gets the nod as it packs a lot more kdo*/kilometre and the pub at the top makes a nice counter meal with a view across to the stunning Dolomites to boot.
To sum it up; wicked. I don't often see this road mentioned among Europe's best and I can only assume it's because it doesn't sit close to any major thoroughfare but do yourself a favour and give it a shot.
Only thing to note with this road is that with it being a stone's throw from Bolzano and Trento, it gets seriously rammed on the summer weekends by local bikers - plan a mid-week visit if you can.
*kdo = kneedown opportunities... duh
 |
| Passo della Mendola |
The roads of Alps de Haute Provence in southern France are well known to motorcyclists, both local and abroad, so there's no need for me to expand further on their awesomeness further here.
Between riding the Route Napoleon and the amazing detour through the Gorges du Verdon, I had one of my most enjoyable ever experiences on a motorcycle, these roads are just as good taken at a canter or a gallop, and if you ride a bike, live in Europe, and haven't visited this part of the world, you're missing out on something spectacular.
7. Col de la Bonette, Col de Vars, Col du Galabier, Col du you get the picture - Alpes Maritime/Hautes Alpes, France
Ok, so this one takes in a few roads, but it contains more mountain passes than you can shake a stick at. If you're heading to the south of France, are a sucker for saddle-induced punishment and want to experience riding nirvana, then why not treat yourself to this curvaceous coup de grรขce?
I carefully mapped this part of my road trip by the tried-and-true method of using Google Maps to scope out the squiggliest succession of roads I could find and the results were nothing short of phenomenal.
Heading north from Nice, I took the D64 over the windswept Col de la Bonette - Europe's highest paved road - the D902 through the Col de Vars and Col D'Izoard, before heading north-west out of Briancon on the D1091 to take in the Col du Galibier.
Needless to say at the end of the day the arm-pump was coming on, my knees were seizing up, and for an hour I nursed a beer while gazing at my bike in an adrenalin-incuded stupor. Brilliant.
Special note: While stuck in a herd of grazing cows crossing the bottom of the Route Galibier, I had one of the most frighteningly weird transcendental moments of my life. There I was on my bike, wrapped head to toe in moo-skin when in unison, the entire herd, stopped, turned around, and stared at me - I could only think that if a cow rode down the King's road in Chelsea wrapped in a two-piece human skin ensemble, they'd probably get the same reaction.
 |
| Col de la Bonette |
Is there a more beautiful place on earth than the Dolomites in Autumn? There could well be, but from behind the clip-ons of my RSV last year, the place seemed like heaven on Earth.
I prefer doing this road from west to east; starting from Rovereto, winding your way up the mountain and staying on the southernside of the valley, before crossing the river just before Vallarsa and continuing on to the Valli del Pasubio.
This road isn't the best in terms of pure riding thrills - though it does have a couple of fantastic sections - but some of the vistas along this trip are straight out of God's own scrapbook and make this road something you have to experience at least once.
So there you have it, eight electrifying roads to scratch that riding itch - what are you waiting for?
Great stuff dude. I'll keep this in mind for when I'll finally have my world-travel-motorsickle.. ;-)
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