Switzerland - Are the police as strict as i've heard on bikers?

[JimmyMac]

Cook, naw, I can fry an egg, lol. But only with the one cal spray.

Don't think he noticed all the bacon that was missing, he was to busy looking for all the towels and bathrobes, hahaha.

JimmyMac

 

[stuartb]

That's where all these towels came from on your place.......so you never bought them after all...I wondered how they all said "Property of Butlins"..... lol

 

[Cavey]

Thanks again for all the info guys all really helpful.....and thanks to whoever mentioned the Bikeshuttle service http://www.bikeshuttle.co.uk/ ....i didn't know about it...great service! I was going to blast the 1000 miles down there and book the missus a flight to meet me there, but we've booked on the shuttle instead - drop the bike at bikeshuttle in Northampton > they have a shuttle bus to Luton Airport > pick up from Geneva airport, then wake up in hotel next morning with the bike miraculously parked outside!! Perfect! And will save 2k motorway miles/tire wear/extra hotels etc .....love this forum...thanks guys!

 

[alex]

Bikeshuttle looks perfect for a group get away...

 

[Eddie]

Bikeshuttle looks perfect for a group get away...

It's pricey but I've heard good things so far.

 

[soofsayer]

When I priced it up it was ?720 each, return with the hotel at each end and transfers etc. I have done Leeds to Geneva on a bike in a (very long) day which costs nowhere near that.

I think it's a great idea but I suppose it depends on how you want to do your touring.

When I go to Aragon in September part of the experience is the 2 days through France each way staying at local hotels and sampling the local cuisine and wines. I am also going to visit a couple of places I haven't been to for several years and enjoy the nostalgia. It's a slog in terms of miles but makes it a proper bike trip if that makes sense.

If I was doing a week of touring in the alps then the bikeshuttle would be a good idea imo. But it is a lot of money for convenience. Makes a lot of sense if you have a pillion who would be losing the will to live sat on the bike for a day or two on mainly motorways.

 

[Eddie]

When I priced it up it was ?720 each, return with the hotel at each end and transfers etc. I have done Leeds to Geneva on a bike in a (very long) day which costs nowhere near that.

I think it's a great idea but I suppose it depends on how you want to do your touring.

When I go to Aragon in September part of the experience is the 2 days through France each way staying at local hotels and sampling the local cuisine and wines. I am also going to visit a couple of places I haven't been to for several years and enjoy the nostalgia. It's a slog in terms of miles but makes it a proper bike trip if that makes sense.

If I was doing a week of touring in the alps then the bikeshuttle would be a good idea imo. But it is a lot of money for convenience. Makes a lot of sense if you have a pillion who would be losing the will to live sat on the bike for a day or two on mainly motorways.

Aye, I normally use the ferry to Santander and it's half that price. Did you include flights in that costing? They're about ?80 return.

I can see the value if you're trying to save time & miles and imagine it's nice to wake up fresh in a hotel and have your bike outside ready to go in the Alps/Pyrenees but the cost puts me off a bit. I thought the same when we used the Motorail service from Dusseldorf to Munich. As a group of 4 we decided that next time we'd just ride down and spend the night somewhere. It was nice waking up and being within an hours ride of the alps but cost a little too much for the privilege.

I definitely wouldn't rule it out though, the more options the better I reckon.

 

[soofsayer]

That figure didn't include flights .

I'm taking the ferry in July to Bilbao and it was ?500 ish return, ok not the cheapest cabin. I looked at using the bikeshuttle instead but the cost quickly escalated as above and the time saved was marginal. I'd be getting on the boat around the same time as I'd be dropping the bike off on the way out, and getting off the boat a few hours later then I would if I use bikeshuttle, but hundreds of miles east of Bilbao, so I was no better off and poorer lol.

Not knocking the service, but it's not a fit for everything European.

 

[alex]

Yes it fits a purpose;
Those with limited time
Those with the money
Those who've seen and done the bit in the middle and just want to get on with journey at the other end

The motorway is very dull. I guess an alternative is having someone wanting to drive a van down there...

 

[Eddie]

Ah right, normally we're sharing the cabin so it brings the cost down quite a bit, ?350 each return last time.

It'll be bloody hot in July! We went in June in 2015 and vowed never to go in summer again.

 

[soofsayer]

I'm going solo, a brief timeout from the family . Scorchio !

https://youtu.be/kZMUAd7OJc8

 

[Eddie]

I'm going solo, a brief timeout from the family . Scorchio !

https://youtu.be/kZMUAd7OJc8

Hopefully there will be no nimbo cumuloso!

 

[Skel]

Your welcome Cavey!
You've obviously got a better half like me and can do without the 2,3 or 4 days of motorway madness and earache. Not sure how it cost you over ?700 quid Andy but as you say it's not for everyone.
I'm more than happy to pay a little extra to start my holiday that far south. Time is precious in my world so if I can pay a little more and cut 2 or 3 days of motorways and rain! Lol then it's worth every penny.. [emoji41]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Cavey]

As Soof said, the bike shuttle isn't for everyone but i think it's reasonably pricey for those that don't fancy riding down there. I decided to book based on a few factors:
1. I'm taking the missus and she won't appreciate 2k motorway miles on the back of the RR!
2. I factored in fuel costs, tyre wear, added mileage/depreciation on the bike, additional hotels, more days off work etc and decided the shuttle is actually pretty good value.
3. Flights from Luton are really cheap ?55 pp return

The actual cost for the shuttle is ?430 but soon adds up once they add hotels (2 nights @ ?90 per night), bus shuttle service at both ends etc. You could definitely save money if you choose a cheaper nearby hotel.

On a side note, my ferry +cabin to Santander last year cost me over ?500 (!) so i think Bikeshuffle have got their pricing just about right.