# Ideas for next trip: DangerousRoads.org



## WildThingsKev

I know a few on here like a challenge, we did 10 high passes this winter in the Dolomites but I'd baulk at virtually all of these in a van.

http://www.dangerousroads.org/

Kev


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## barryd

Some good ones in there. I quite fancy the Furka Pass, Stelvio and the Col du Chaussy. I wish you hadnt posted it now as I wasnt going to go anywhere this year. Will have to now.


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## fatbuddha

think I'd rather ride up and down some of them than drive them. there's one on there that I've skied over - http://www.dangerousroads.org/europe/france/358-pic-du-midi-de-bigorre-france.html - and know a local ski instructor in Bareges who used to run or cycle up it every day in summer to keep fit.

and this one is bollox - http://www.dangerousroads.org/europe/switzerland/3683-col-de-la-forclaz.html - as it's confusing 2 passes. Col de la Forclaz between Trient and Martigny does not look over Annecy Lake!! it's closer to Lake Geneva. and I've both cycled and driven it - fantastic views from the Col down into the Sion valley


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## barryd

fatbuddha said:


> think I'd rather ride up and down some of them than drive them. there's one on there that I've skied over - http://www.dangerousroads.org/europe/france/358-pic-du-midi-de-bigorre-france.html - and know a local ski instructor in Bareges who used to run or cycle up it every day in summer to keep fit.
> 
> and this one is bollox - http://www.dangerousroads.org/europe/switzerland/3683-col-de-la-forclaz.html - as it's confusing 2 passes. Col de la Forclaz between Trient and Martigny does not look over Annecy Lake!! it's closer to Lake Geneva. and I've both cycled and driven it - fantastic views from the Col down into the Sion valley


I think there is one called Forclaz at Annecy though Fats. We went up it last year on the bike.

Stunning views of the lake.










https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place...2!3m1!1s0x478b949d36384fa5:0x61c0e613c07b84c9


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## fatbuddha

there are quite a lot of Col de la Forclaz in France - although many aren't road passes but high mountain walking passes. my point was that the description was mixing up 2 passes with the same name and describing both! they could easily sort that out.


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## Gretchibald

Great minds etc.... this is the site i have been using to plan this years trip. Like to stay near the passes and do them on the scooter.

http://www.dangerousroads.org/europe/france/4467-balcony-roads-in-france.html


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## barryd

Gretchibald said:


> Great minds etc.... this is the site i have been using to plan this years trip. Like to stay near the passes and do them on the scooter.
> 
> http://www.dangerousroads.org/europe/france/4467-balcony-roads-in-france.html


Thats a brilliant link. This also is not doing my plan to stay in the UK and do some work much good either! 

Done a few on there but looks like there are some corkers to do especially up in Isere.

I take it you have done the Verdon Gorges on the bike?


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## alexblack13

barryd said:


> Thats a brilliant link. This also is not doing my plan to stay in the UK and do some work much good either!
> 
> Done a few on there but looks like there are some corkers to do especially up in Isere.
> 
> I take it you have done the Verdon Gorges on the bike?


Not sure if Sporty (the vespa) wold manage many of those. Been on a lot of the passes including stelvio (three times!) But the bike was an 1100 pan european Honda... Brilliant bike.

We hope to get to the Verdon gorge this year. Hoping.. See how it goes. We have a lot on.

take care whatever you do.

Safe driving. :wink2:


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## barryd

alexblack13 said:


> Not sure if Sporty (the vespa) wold manage many of those. Been on a lot of the passes including stelvio (three times!) But the bike was an 1100 pan european Honda... Brilliant bike.
> 
> We hope to get to the Verdon gorge this year. Hoping.. See how it goes. We have a lot on.
> 
> take care whatever you do.
> 
> Safe driving. :wink2:


Verdon Gorges are superb on the bike. I reckon you need a few days at it though as its flipping miles. We usually stay at the Aire at Trigance, do the northern side and the route des cretes and some of the southern side but do the rest from Lac St Croix. The route up from the lake on either western side is superb. There are some steep bits though, especially on the northern side Route des Cretes. Both our Vision and the old 2 stroke Speedfight got up but down to 15-20 mph in places.

We only discovered the southern end which continues south of Lac st Croix last summer. Not as dramatic but less busy and well worth a tootle round on the bike.


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## WildThingsKev

We walked the gorges de galamus whilst overnighting in the carpark at the southern end (October). 

Would be great to have a MHF tour and "follow my leader" chicken run each day in the Alps!

Kev


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## Gretchibald

BarryD - No, looking forward to it this year though after the Alps again . Making sure we have really good internet this time as we missed some good spots and passes last year, didn't realise until we got home and looked up where we had been.


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## barryd

Gretchibald said:


> BarryD - No, looking forward to it this year though after the Alps again . Making sure we have really good internet this time as we missed some good spots and passes last year, didn't realise until we got home and looked up where we had been.


You will be blown away. I know what you mean about missing stuff. Being online is so important as there is a limit to how much planning you can do before you leave although these days I am usually pretty well prepared. That site you linked to is great though and already I can see a few we missed by not very far last year.

If I were you I would do what we do for the Verdon Gorges. Head for Trigance, use it as a base then head down to Lac St Croix.


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## Leffe NL

I simply don't have the family jewels for the vertical drops at the side of roads, either driving or as a passenger.

Have MTB and road raced in the Alps and Dolomites and done some hairy decents, with huge drops and chainlink "fences" but there's less time to consider the consequence of your actions on a gravel road at 50/60km/h, so I take more chances.


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## Sprinta

there's some scary passes there!

I've done almost all of the big ones in Europe by motorcycle, and doing the Stelvio in June. The Furka is not all that scary even in a MH, I've done it twice in the past 2 years, the Pass of The Cattle at Applecross is worse if anything.


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## GMJ

I did the Stelvio in my TVR around 10 years ago...and the Grossglockner too. Great driving.:grin2:

We were going to take the Stelvio in the MH last summer but on the day we went to do it, it was shut :frown2: Gutted...it was supposed to be a highlight of the trip!

Hasty re-planning 'on the hoof' took us the only other route from Bormio via Livigno...which was a beautiful drive in itself tbh...

I guess its hard to get bad drives in that part of the world :smile2:

Graham :smile2:


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## Gretchibald

Sorry to hi-jack this thread a bit as this is really a question for Barryd but I thought others might also be interested in the answer. So Barry , if we get to Trigance ( coming from Castlleane direction), how to we get West to Sainte Croix, assume we have to travel the gorge but which way is easiest ie less scary/ risky .


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## alexblack13

I cant bloody wait! 

AB


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## barryd

Gretchibald said:


> Sorry to hi-jack this thread a bit as this is really a question for Barryd but I thought others might also be interested in the answer. So Barry , if we get to Trigance ( coming from Castlleane direction), how to we get West to Sainte Croix, assume we have to travel the gorge but which way is easiest ie less scary/ risky .


Either route down to the lake is fine. Google says the northern route is faster along the D952 and it is as its a main road but the southern route along the D71 is fine but with a lot of twists and turns it will take you longer but its breath taking. There are a couple of tunnels and overhangs but nothing to worry about. It would depend I guess how much you have seen on the bike from Trigance but the easiest route in the van would be the D952.

Ive put a link to Google maps and the proposed route below but one thing to watch out for is once you get to Moustiers Sainte Marie is it suggest you take the back road to St Croix. Thats fine but there is a bit of a twisty climb and its quite sharp and narrow in places. Should be no bother getting a motorhome up unless you meet another one coming down. Its only a short climb though and there are a few good wilding spots along the top on the back road towards St Croix.village.

Good Aire at Moustiers, use the bike to get up to the village which is stunning. For the Aire at St Croix village you need to time it right to get one of the sideways on lake view spots, park outside the aire if you have to as the bottom end can be a right mash up. Trigance is lovely but again, get there in good time as it only takes 5. People just over spill on the car park though and its not always that popular as you need secondary transport really to see anything.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/8...0819a5fd8fc7e0!2m2!1d6.445771!2d43.761214!1m0


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## Gretchibald

Thanks for that, reassuring, I know there are many who will take their MH anywhere as long as there's a bit of tarmac, always amazed when I come across big MH's on little mountain tracks when I'm out on the scooter but I'm more of a 'safe than sorry' when it comes to the MH.


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## barryd

There are even some that tackle the route des cretes in their motorhomes. I guess I would if I didnt have the scooter but the problem is finding places to pull in. The road generally goes clockwise (when facing the map) from just before La Palud sur Verdon although its not one way, it is pretty much treated that way. No problem stopping at all the view points on a bike of course.  

Worst one ever in the van was a single track up a mountain in the Pyrenees in 2014. Went on for over 10 miles with sheer drops and I met a French bloke in a car coming the other way who refused to reverse despite there being a passing place 25 metres behind him and nothing behind me. His passenger threw a right wobbly, shouting and balling about it. I found out why when the driver eventually gave way and decided to reverse, he was all over the place.


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## adonisito

alexblack13 said:


> Not sure if Sporty (the vespa) wold manage many of those. Been on a lot of the passes including stelvio (three times!) But the bike was an 1100 pan european Honda... Brilliant bike.
> 
> We hope to get to the Verdon gorge this year. Hoping.. See how it goes. We have a lot on.
> 
> take care whatever you do.
> 
> Safe driving. :wink2:


We did the Verdon gorge in the van last year. Lovely area but I'm not driving it again - I prefer relaxing being the wheel. Mind you, I did manage to end up on some sort of c road near there by mistake with ridiculous overhangs and loonies in cars coming the other way. It looked fine on the map because the scale didn't show 20 odd hairpins and a sheer drop. :grin2:


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## Gretchibald

"Not sure if Sporty (the vespa) wold manage many of those." -- I'll race you around the Gorge, first one to go over the edge buys the beers.


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## homenaway

We did the Verdon Gorge a couple of years ago but have only done the northern main road west to east. We passed a 1 metre square rock in the road at one of the overhangs and a bit later a JCB presumably driving along to move it :smile2:

I'm sure the route des cretes is one way from east of La Palud in the clockwise direction, at least until the tunnel and we stopped at several belvederes - you really need to pull over and walk up to the viewpoints for the best views into the canyon.

We have driven down from St Croix to Moustiers on that narrow and steep minor road and glad we didn't meet anyone coming up!

Steve


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## Gretchibald

Verdon done , thank you.




 , and the Galamus






and the Daluis






and the Cians






...and some more , it was a great holiday.


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## Lesleykh

We accidentally found ourselves wild camping at the summit of the Manghen Pass in Trentino, N. Italy, the other week. We were after a free spot for the evening and decided to look on a side road into the hills, as you do, but at every spot we found we went through the old 'there might be something better round the next bend' routine. We climbed higher and higher and the road suddenly got narrower, then it was dark, then it was raining and we didn't fancy our chances turning round so just went onwards and upwards. It was the obligatory hair-raising moment of our trip!

It all felt a lot better the next morning in the sunshine.

Lesley


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