Solo Beyond the Channel - Part 1
Crossing the Channel
Follow me on my first solo adventure in Europe. From crossing the channel on the Euro Tunnel. Sleeping on strangers sofas. Riding through the Alps and Italy. Mechanical issues. All for the love of adventure.
I knew when I set out on my firsts solo tour to Scotland that this was just preparation before I headed off to Europe just a few months later. I’d turned 30 that summer and this was my milestone birthday present to myself. A month solo on the road touring Europe by motorcycle. An exciting and daunting adventure. For me at least. I still very much felt like a new rider. Less than two years on the road. Regardless, in my mind going forward all tours to come would be in preparation for my RTW. I’d been planning my trips as feasibly cheap as possible without sacrificing on sight seeing and adventures. Minimizing my expenditures where I could. Of course, being a milestone birthday, I had booked a few splurges to celebrate but for the rest of it travel would be done with minimal expenses in mind. The focus on trying to save money with lodging and food where I could. I wasn’t going to be too strict about food because you know… when in Rome. Literally.
I won’t lie. I’ve never been soo stressed or nervous about setting off on a tour. I had fully gotten used to travelling solo on a motorcycle across the UK but something about crossing the channel just made it feel that much more extreme. The combination of being further from home, in countries that didn’t speak English, and setting off still just under a year of having a full license filled me with self-doubt. This self-doubt only grew as my departure date loomed. The nerves set in. I questioned my ability to even do this tour and whether I was reaching too high too fast. My love and yearning for the road and adventure being greater than my actual skill level with a motorcycle. But I’d told everyone about my plans, ensuring that I held myself accountable and to proceed with the tour. My vacation time had been booked with work and client notified. To me at this point there was no turning back. If I did it would mean embarrassment and extreme disappointment in myself for not doing something I said I was going to do. The downside of being prideful and stubborn.
My thoughts on my route were to cross the channel and head down to Switzerland through Belgium and Luxemburg. From there head straight into the Alps. Hitting some of the brilliant passes I’ve seen on Instagram and YouTube that have been calling for me since I laid eyes on them. Continuing through the alps and crossing the border into Italy straight into the Dolomites. Then working my way out of the Alps and towards some beautiful Tuscany sun. From Tuscany heading south to the captivating metropolitan city of Rome filled with impressive architecture and history. Then further south to the alluring Mediterranean coastline of Amalfi to enjoy the sea before heading back to jolly good England. I spent hours and hours doing research. Studying maps. Reading travel blogs from bikers and non-bikers alike. Watching videos. All to come to this route.
Settled in on the Euro Tunnel
Finally, the day had arrived for me to set out. I started my journey at 6:30 am. Making my 3ish hour journey to the Euro Tunnel. My worries completely disappearing as soon as I hit the road. It’s funny how the build up to a new adventure feels so extreme but when you finally set-off it seems to just melt away. I’m not sure if it’s the focus you have on the road or just the feeling of comfort of being on two wheels. But as soon as I set-off on my journey it didn’t feel as daunting. I was a tad stressed about crossing the channel with the Euro Tunnel. I’d never used it before and wasn’t quite sure what to expect which also made me head out with enough time to be there - almost 3 hours before my departure time. Yes… I’m one of those people who shows up extra early at airports (or the Eurotunnel) to ensure everything goes smoothy. Checked in and bike safely on the train to cross the channel. Chatting with a few other bikers who were also enroute. Here I come Europe!
Not only was this my first time crossing the channel with the Eurotunnel, I would also be staying my first night with someone I met through Couch Surfing. Yup… sleeping on the sofa of a complete stranger. I was taking my “training” for my RTW seriously and with accommodation being one of the biggest expenses I was looking for options to minimize that cost. Relying on the generosity of others isn’t easy especially in a society where we assume the worst of strangers. I spent my first night with a guy in Bruges. I arrived after a full day of travel covered in bugs and with few Belgian beers in tow. He made us dinner and we chatted the evening away in his very picture-perfect Belgian town with a windmill right outside his flat.
Views in Bruges
The next morning it was an early start. A small tour around Bruges and then beginning a full day’s ride to Zurich. I spent my next night with a couple I found through Bunk-a-Biker. A great website that puts you in touch with bikers who are offering a place to stay. They set me up on the sofa for the night with beer and food in the fridge. Then left me a key and off they went with their own plans for the evening. I was baffled by how trusting they were. Opening their home to me even if they weren’t there. The biker community still continues to amaze me with how much people will go out of their way to take care of each other. I’ve never seen it anywhere else, but bikers are really something special and a community I’m proud to be apart of. From Zurich I would be heading straight into the Alps with miserable weather being forecasted. Goodbye sunny days and helloooooo rain and snow! Waterproofs were out and extra layers ready to go. I’d be travelling the route I had decided on regardless of weather. Rain or shine it’s an adventure nonetheless and learning to ride through all elements is a good skill to have.