From the north-westernmost tip of Bavaria, they first travelled to the Allgäu, to the partner house ‘Pension Forelle’ in Obermaiselstein. There we spend a cosy evening with Carmen and Günther, including a tour of the hotel's own motorbike museum. Most of our journey to Sautens in Ötztal is already done. So we can take a leisurely stroll along small side roads through the beautiful Allgäu, take a quick look at Neuschwanstein from the outside, cruise over the Fernpass, which is pleasantly quiet today, and we are already in the touring area of the ‘Ötzirider’. Jürgen Parth has been running the Hotel Post as a motorbike hotel since 1996. Just one year later, it became a partner hotel, making it one of the longest-serving TF hotels.
This is actually our first visit, as we've only met at trade fairs so far. The large car park and the spacious, covered parking area for motorbikes are great. With chain spray, washing facilities and storage areas for small items, everything is there, even an ashtray - exemplary. But now it's time for a beer on the sunny terrace before we move into one of the cosy rooms, all of which have balconies. We are in for a surprise at dinner. And we don't just mean the excellent Tyrolean cuisine, but also the fact that a winner of our ‘bike & business’ award (‘Bike Woman of the year’) is redeeming her overnight voucher today of all days - what a nice coincidence.
The next morning we take it easy, sleep in, have a hearty breakfast and enjoy the morning sun on the terrace. Nice here. Where are the deckchairs? Oh no, we ‘have’ to ride our motorbike ... We have planned two day trips. Together with Jürgen, we first take a loop via Haimingerberg and then pay a visit to the Stuibenfall, the largest waterfall in Tyrol. Then we continue southwards through the Ötztal valley until the ascent to the Timmelsjoch begins shortly after Sölden.
However, we only get as far as the crosspoint with the Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum. After a devastating fire in January 2021, it was rebuilt in just ten months. Many of the exhibits were irretrievably destroyed. Larger than before, the highest motorbike museum in Europe now boasts a remarkable collection of around 500 historic motorbikes. We have to see it and we take plenty of time to do so. On the way back, we follow the signs for the Ötztal Glacier Road in Sölden. The road climbs higher and higher into the ski area. It's not very busy here at the moment, so we can enjoy the most beautiful views in peace and quiet.
The second lap takes us over the Kühtaisattel; incidentally, you have a great view from the dam wall of the Längental reservoir. The detour into the Lüsenstal valley is very attractive, then we head via Zirl and Seefeld to Leutasch. A short refreshment stop at the Geisterklamm gorge before we return to the hotel via Telfs and Mötz. A wonderful, day-filling programme.
Yes, the Hotel Post is rightly known as a biker's inn and the friendly, dedicated landlord knows what is important to motorcyclists. Thanks to its favourable location, many day trips are possible from here, for example to the Silvretta High Alpine Road or the Stelvio Pass, to name but a few. You could easily spend a week or more here.
But for us, it's time to move on again. Because it was so beautiful, we drive to the Timmelsjoch once again, but this time we only stop at the toll station at the Crosspoint (€16 one way) and a little later at the pass museum on the Austrian-Italian border. After the descent into the valley, we head up again in St. Leonhard in Passeier towards the Jaufenpass. It's worth stopping at the fourth hairpin bend and taking a break on the terrace of the ‘Gasthof Schlossberg’. The view is simply marvellous. Then we rush on to the Staller Sattel. The narrow road is regulated by traffic lights. However, these are only green for 15 minutes every hour. It's clear that we have to wait 40 minutes …
We spend the night in the new partner hotel ‘Alpenhof’ in St. Jakob in Defereggen Valley. What could be more natural than to continue the next day via the Grossglockner High Alpine Road? Especially as the weather is at its best and we have enough time to stop at a few interesting places. As a result, today's stage is short on kilometres and we check in with Stefan from ‘Eva-Marie’ in nearby Lofer. The ride home is a little longer, averaging around 250 kilometres per day. It's amazing what you can do in just one week!