sicily

[ocatoro]

mate's getting married in sicily in april.

plan is to pass my tests asap after theres spaces again on the 19th of jan. so i'll be all fresh and keen and getting a new(to me) bike and obviously you all know what's coming next....

i sort of fancy riding down to the wedding. despite the fact that it's roughly 2000 miles each way...

the alternative to this is flying over and hiring a villa with a couple of mates and their girlfriends for a week because my mrs will be working in belize at the time. so i think they'll be all mushy and stuff about weddings and what not.

it'll likely be cheaper to do the villa option, but obviously more enjoyable to ride down and camp along the way or whatever.


a) has anyone ridden to sicily in around 3 days before?

b) what is the best/cheapest way of getting a bike from the mainland onto sicily?
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CBT - 17/09/12 * Theory - 23/10/12 * Mod1 - 05/03/13 * Mod2 - 25/03/13 * BOSH!
Current - None but shed project H100 (first bike )
Past - ER5, '93 ZZR600, '92 CB400 SF, ZZR600 (again), yellow Monster 620, Blackbird - black Monster 620ie - '96 ZZR600

[John933]

[ocatoro]

that looks like the direction i'd head too.

and yeah 1900 odd mile in 3 days is a long haul, but i figure i have nothing else to do. the odd rest stop, stop for photos, and food/fuel but nothing really time consuming. but fair point and youre probably right.

san giovanni is the shortest isn't it. how much is it? can you prebook it or do you just show up and get on a boat?

(what was brindisi for? better roads or just interest?)
____________________
CBT - 17/09/12 * Theory - 23/10/12 * Mod1 - 05/03/13 * Mod2 - 25/03/13 * BOSH!
Current - None but shed project H100 (first bike )
Past - ER5, '93 ZZR600, '92 CB400 SF, ZZR600 (again), yellow Monster 620, Blackbird - black Monster 620ie - '96 ZZR600

[John933]

[ocatoro]

yeah i prefer the way around the alps. straighter roads for making better progress.

i've done west wales to bologna in 1 day several times. i usually will head off very well rested and try to get a midnight or 2am ferry (just a late one) get a couple of hours kip on the ferry. then head off into the darkness.

it's a long slog, and obviously on a bike it's going to be no joke and less comfortable.

i thought it might not be a total shit to not count the first night down to the ferry and night ferry. then aim for grenoble that day. then rome the next. and then it's a shorter stretch on that last day. probably still looking at 10 hours of riding though and i've only done half of that in 1 sitting so far. i've not covered these distances on a bike, so i will listen and allow longer, but if i happen to be early, happy days.

one good thing is i'll be able to send some of my stuff with other mates, like my suit for the wedding rather than carry it all

that's good about the boats on that little strait. i know the one from napoli is about £120 or something like that. that's why i've never strayed down to sicily when visiting family
____________________
CBT - 17/09/12 * Theory - 23/10/12 * Mod1 - 05/03/13 * Mod2 - 25/03/13 * BOSH!
Current - None but shed project H100 (first bike )
Past - ER5, '93 ZZR600, '92 CB400 SF, ZZR600 (again), yellow Monster 620, Blackbird - black Monster 620ie - '96 ZZR600

[John933]

[Dave-the-rave]

Did 1000 miles in a day once, as in a 20 hour trip without
sleep. Trip's about right. I was seeing things running across
the road and all sorts of weird stuff. That level of exhaustion
is pretty mental stuff. One mirror was loose and would fold in
so I would see myself in the mirror. I was so tired I kept thinking
some crazy looking dude with red eyes and beard had climbed on
behind me, waiting to cut my throat. Brown pants moments.

I wouldn't recommend it though I still remember that
trip with great fondness. Then I did the same journey
back a week later.

[moppy]

[Dave-the-rave]

[SuziCat]

I did Sicily last year on my Beemer. I live in Holland so my trip was slightly different to yours.
I rode from my house to Dusseldorf to catch the Autozug train service which arrived in Innsbruck the following morning. (that saved a lot of boring motorway riding on the autobahns). The train does actually go to Italy but they screwed it up and we had to get off in Austria.
Anyway I digress, the next morning we rode to a half way point on the way to Naples and stayed in a hotel, just off the motorway. The next day we rode to Naples and arrived at the ferry port to catch the Tirrenia ferry. The ferry was an overnighter and after a good rest in the cabin we arrived in Palermo the following morning. Pretty easy journey really. On the way back the German Autozug messed us around again and we ended up with a much longer ride to get to the train than intended. Beware of Autozug, as they change schedules and make you go to different destinations at the very last minute. When it works it works well, but this last time I vowed never to use them again.
Hope this helped. Sicily was wonderful by the way and we had a great holiday with gorgeous weather.

This was the original plan
My house to Dusseldorf for overnight train
Next day arrive in Verona (Italy) and drive half the distance to Naples
Next day arrive in Naples. Overnight Tirrenia ferry to Palermo (Sicily)
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Regular Rides:- BMW R1200R, Triumph Street Triple
Summer Toys:- Yam Virago 1100, Suzuki GS750 (1979)