Our very loosely planned route to Tuscany took us across France, Belgium and Germany into Austria, then over the Alps into northern Italy via the Timmelsjoch Pass. It also gave me the chance to ride something I’ve wanted to do for years: the Ötztal Glacier Road, a single ribbon of tarmac climbing high into the Tyrolean Alps and often billed as the highest paved road in the Alps.
Getting here from home to Sölden was simply a case of setting the GPS via a couple of waypoints. The first one in Dahn in Germany for some amazing cakes, the second at Pole Position near Ötztal Bahnhof for an octane enhanced coffee stop. Otherwise it was autoroutes and autobahns with cruise control set, letting the RT get us to Austria as quickly and effortlessly as possible.
It began with a quick getaway from work and an early-evening train on a day of south-east chaos: motorways closed searching for an escaped prisoner, Eurotunnel at Folkestone shut for a few hours after parts of a bomb were found on a vehicle. However, we still made it through the gridlock across Kent and boarded an almost empty train!!
Lille for the first night, next morning brought the first planned deviation. Germany knows its cakes, and there is a cake shop in Dahn that is amazing. I’ve been here a few times now, and the roads around here are good too :-)
Stuttgart for the next night, a Premier Inn, not far from the Autobahn with secure underground parking and great value for money. From here, despite some heavy traffic around the Bavarian town of Füssen, we made it just in time to ride the High Road to the glaciers.
Early evening train on a day of SE chaos, Motorways closed looking for lost prisoner and Eurotunnel Folkestone closed for a few hours because they found parts of bomb on a vehicle, good work spotting it! Anyway, we made it through the gridlock of Kent and boarded an almost empty train!
Parked right under our balcony at the B&BHotel in Lille
First night, first cheers 'Sante' !!
We're trying!
Deviation 1, Germany knows its cakes, and this cake shop in Dahn is amazing! I've been here a few times now! PS the roads here are also good :-)
Ready for the rest of the day!
Premier Inn just south of Stuttgart and met the efficiency objective!
Deviation no. 2 - Pole Position Café near Ötztal Bahnhof!
Pole Position collection
Pole Position collection
Riding through Sölden, just before the start of the Timmelsjoch, there is a turning off to the right. It’s not well signposted, or rather it is, but so are many hotels and ski lodges, making it very difficult to read.
The road steepens immediately, and we quickly gained height above the village before reaching the toll booth and the spectacular Ötztal Glacier Road. Despite the gradient and unguarded curves, and still fully loaded because we hadn’t yet checked into a hotel, the RT made surefooted, swift progress. Before long we were above the tree line in a bleak, barren and beautifully peaceful alpine world.
Near the top the road becomes more technical, with a few tight hairpins and little edge protection. My mind was on the task at hand rather than the spectacular views: riding the road. The 13km route ends at the ski station, almost deserted in summer apart from a few maintenance teams servicing the snow machines ahead of the ski season, and the occasional mountain biker enjoying the area’s outrageous routes.
Two glaciers provide the headline. The Rettenbach appears immediately behind the ski station. To see the second, the Tiefenbach, we had to pass through the mountain via the [Rosi-Mittermaier] tunnel. At the exit we were at the highest point of the glacier road (2,830 m), billed as the highest point on any paved road in the Alps, with unspoilt views in every direction.
Back by the ski station, a short gravel track leads to a little chapel remembering everyone lost in the Ötztal Alps. It also offers a spectacular view back down the valley towards Sölden.
We arrived back in Sölden in good time to find a hotel. Apart Enzian had a nice alpine feel, was very comfortable, and had a useful underground garage for the bike (not that security was likely to be an issue here!). It was also a pleasant stroll into the village, which has a good selection of bars and restaurants.
View back down the Otztal Valley
Hotel for the night had a nice alpine feel to it - Apart Enzian
Sölden
A 3d model of the ski runs showing the ski station, chair lifts and road
Outside the 007 expo!
Prost!
Local hooch! Nice!
Cool number plate!
A little about our BMW R1250RT. With its wide spread of torque and agile handling, it was still a lot of fun on the climb and the descent, even fully loaded, and I felt safe and secure throughout. We already knew it’s a very capable tourer, comfortably covering big miles in a day almost regardless of the weather, but to then be fun when you reach somewhere interesting, still fully loaded, is quite a feat. The Ötztal Glacier Road proved its agility and performance.
Camera kit: - Canon EOS M6 + EF-M 22mm & EF85mm (with adapter) Lens; DJI Mini 3 Pro drone; and an old iPhone.
Trivia – A section of the Glacier Road was also used for a fast chase scene in the James Bond film Spectre. The “007 Elements” cinematic installation sits at the top of the Gaislachkogl mountain in Sölden, and visitors reach it by gondola from the village. It covers the film and other Bond locations in the area.
