by Knowledge » Mon Mar 16, 2015 11:08 pm
There are some services where you can put your scooter on the train.
The route from Holland to Koper in Slovenia looked a good bet for a while, as it would take you through the night and drop you off on the Adriatic coast, with a gentle ride North to Austria. It would be my choice, but for the fact that it only runs on Fridays, delivering you at Koper on Saturday morning. The return journey is also Friday, so you would need to be riding around Slovenia, N Italy or Croatia for a week before and after the rally. This would be too long away from most working people.
The next best service is from Dusseldorf to Vienna. This is a daily service in the summer, and the scooter travels for just 45Euros. A bench seat in the carriage costs about the same, but you can get a bed in a cabin from 99 Euros. Still a pretty good price when you factor in fuel, oil and a bed and breakfast. Check the Austrian railways site, (OTT). Dusseldorf is about 150 miles from the ferry, and Vienna is about the same distance from Ebensee. On this basis, you could use two trains and do just 600 miles on the continent. Having said that, you might still consider 600 miles (1000km) too far, but you are unlikely to get a better option.
Personally, I am going to ride all the way there, then ride onto Vienna where I will meet-up with my wife for a few days before catching the train home while Mrs Leech flies back to Stansted. This way, I will not have to recover my tracks until I close-in on Hook of Holland and back to Ipswich.
I hope this helps.