lost in Germany

[Dutchgit]

Closer is the Vulkanstrasse.
http://www.deutsche-vulkanstrasse.com/r ... rasse.html

[Mosel Bikes]

well not exactly lost, but myself and my daughter are in cochem and looking for somewhere else to go before heading home on the 15th, all advice appreciated.
provisionally booked into garmish but its a six hour run minimum from here according to google.
cheers all
stu

We're normally based 25 miles from Cochem, further upstream on the Mosel, near Bernkastel Kues (I say normally, because we're in the UK for a while, otherwise you could have swung by for some detailed information).
It's difficult to suggest specifics, as there isn't much to go on in your post. picking up the clues, being with your daughter (no age or interests stated) and you seem to think Garmish is too far?, you could consider the following:

- the Mosel/Rheine loop, visiting places like Koblenz, Rudesheim, Trier, Bernkastel Kues, maybe taking in a river boat trip as part of the day's ride. If you think of the Mosel/Rhein rivers as the two sides of a ladder, with connecting roads the rungs in between, crossing the Hunsruek hills between them, it is possible to ride what effectively is a big loop, adding criss-cross runs across the Hunsreuk as you go. Both river valleys offer lovely roads/views/places to see and the twisty roads connecting both valleys are often stunning, with lots of switchbacks and hairpins. You can stop at almost any point along both rivers and pick-up a river cruise of varying lengths (as indeed, you can at Cochem). There are also lots of visitor attractions all around that route, if you/daughter are so inclined - castles (Eltz is a cracker and not far from you), museums, cityscapes (Trier and Koblenz).

- a full day tour of Luxembourg, visiting Vianden, Larochette, Echternach (not Echternach Brucke). Lovely and underrated country. Vianden castle is worth an hour or two, as is the chairlift for the views. The WWII museum at Echternach is a cracker, as is the centre-ville, with nice cafes/bars to while away an hour or two, or stroll by the river. There's a lot of recreational facilities there too, if you fancy say kayaking, or rope walking, etc. Just park-up and do it (speak to tourist office for in formation). There are some lovely runs over the backroads from Cochem to Luxembourg (via say the Vulkan Eifel area, Daun, etc (as has already been mentioned by Dutchgit).

- If you fancy a bit of culture, you can easily have a run north, past the Nurburgring (agree, it's only really interesting if you're doing a lap or two, but the entrance point is always worth a look, if part of an overall run, with lots of exotic machinery to see and a great diner to lunch at + you can get the 'must have' photo of you/bike outside the main building at the short circuit.) It also has the 'Ring Werk' that you might enjoy. It's a visitor attraction with multimedia interactive displays, features and museum. Particularly good if you like the history side or racing but also for the younger folk who like simulators/games/karts/etc, like a mini fairground. From there, it's a nice run across country to Bonn, the old capital, where you can park-up and enjoy the small city atmosphere, especially in the old town.

- If you fancy a dip into Belgium and France, maybe for a few days and decide not to head further south, it's worth considering heading back via parts of the Ardennes. You could head for Spa, then Bastogne (great WWII area with lots of museums), pick up the river Meuse at Dinant and follow it along to places like Givet/Revin/Montherme/Charleville Mezier. Quite quiet and pretty, with nice French places to eat/take stock, rather than hustle-bustle of other suggestions. If you do that, you should also maybe think about a final night or two at Bruges on the way back. It's a cracking small city and not to be missed. Maybe your daughter would enjoy it? as it has lots of interesting things to see and do when you get there, drop bike off at hotel/camp site and walk in. The tourist office in the market place is good and can give you all the info you need - great archtitecture, great beer, great chocolate and fritz and a lovely feel to it.

- if you are prepared to go further, Garmish and the whole region is stunning and well worth the trip I won't say much about it here, suffice to say the roads once you get there are fantastic.

- if you want to consider a kind of half-way house, you could consider the Black Forest/Voges area, perhaps winding your way down the edge of the Luxembourg/French border, linking places like Haguenau, Colmar, Strasbourg, Freiburg (the smaller places are much nicer but I'm using the bigger ones to give a sense of direction). The whole area is biker heaven and some of the cities, particularly Freiburg, are worth a look if so inclined.

In general, I always find that if you don't have anything specific in mind, it's always useful to head straight for the tourist office to find out what's to see and collect the leaflets!
If you need any specific information on the Mosel area in particular,or I can help in any way, just pm me.

[Mosel Bikes]

Mosel Bikes know the area very well as they are based out there and full of excellent advice; looked after us very well when we came in via Luxembourg

Thanks Paul (thumbs) . It was great having you stay. Hope things are good and look forward to maybe seeing you in the future.

[desmo666]

well found our way to here....http://www.landhaus-zur-badischen-weinstrasse.de/. And very nice it is, going to spend a couple of days in the black forest and a trip to the Bugatti museum at mulhouse, then onto Pension Haus Schwaben near Manderscheid anf then onto ypres for the last night.
thanks for all the help and suggestions.

[sven]

I've been to both the Speyer and Sinsheim museums and prefer Sinsheim as I love WW2 stuff and American cars (thumbs)

Both can be combined with an overnight in Heidelberg which is a lovely city B)

Another alternative is to head into the Sauerland and visit the Mohen, Eder and Sorpe dams of Dambusters fame. We stopped at the Hotel Palantino next to the Sorpe dam last month and had a great Thai meal. The Sorpesee is a great little place to spend the night - it's like a little seaside town.