TRAVEL Q&A
Q The ferries to Spain are already full on the dates my wife has booked off this summer. Is it worth riding two-up across France to get to the Pyrenees?
A Of course it is – but we wouldn’t recommend just blasting across France on autoroutes. That’s dull for you and worse for your pillion. Take a few days on a decent scenic route and make the entire trip part of the holiday. If you leave on a Saturday and return the following Sunday, that gives you three days to get down, three days in the mountains and three days to get home. If you can take an overnight ferry on a Friday (we’d go to Caen or Le Havre) it’ll get you an extra day in the mountains.
Q I liked the look of the Tremola in your Ride of the Year (February issue) but it’s in Switzerland. Do I need one of their rip-off vignettes to ride it?
A It is certainly possible to cross Switzerland and ride the Tremola without a toll vignette sticker (£32 from www.swisstravelsystem.co. uk). Just plan your route carefully and make sure it’s marked on a map as well as logged in your sat nav.
Frankly, though, we’d buy the sticker. For less than the price of two tanks of petrol you not only get the peace of mind of knowing the Swiss bobbies won’t bother you (unless you do something silly) but also get the freedom to plan the most efficient routes – because avoiding the toll motorways usually means a lot of town/village centres and slow or indirect back lanes, which can add hours to a journey.
Q I need a new tailpack for a week away. What do you recommend?
A We’re big fans of Kriega’s ultra-rugged, practical luggage. Build a flexible system of bags with the right capacity for you, using 10, 20 and 30-litre US dry bags. For a week, we’d use the Us-combo 40 (£219, www.kriega.com). A less expensive option is the Oxford Aqua 50: a simple, tough, waterproof 50-litre roll-top tailpack (£65, www.oxfordproducts.com). A huge 70-litre version costs £70.