The motorbike garage was quickly filled and the covered areas in front of the hotel entrance were in great demand during this continuous rain. "Oh, there are motorbikes in the lobby," Christian remarked during check-in. But this privilege is only reserved for the top-maintained Hondas that you can rent at the hotel. As expected, Susanne, the hotel manager, was not so enthusiastic about the joking idea of taking out a few tables and setting up a motorbike car park there.
In the evening, however, the sun came out and our tour the next day could take place in the best weather. So far so good. Unfortunately, one tour guide had dropped out, so we started in two large groups. Due to the traffic situation, this was feasible, but not ideal. Chief tour guide Toni led the fast group and his girlfriend Diana was the "rag picker", Günther led the other group and Harry was the last one.
After some initial navigation problems with the "slow" group, the tour got off on the right track only after some delay – except for a few construction sites that were apparently new. Or was it not exactly the intended route after all? We will probably never know ...
This THT was mainly about riding. Tour guide Toni has been accompanying motorbike groups from the Rennsteig Hotel through Thuringia for many years. His experience is that people want to ride as winding a route as possible and, where possible, give it a bit of gas. Some participants had imagined this differently and missed one or two tourist stops. The vehicle museum in Suhl, for example, would have been interesting, but it takes too much time with so many people. And it is often not possible to stop quickly to take a photo without danger.
On the other hand, we had super nice stretches of road and an extensive lunch break in the beer garden of the Linkenmühle at the eastern end of the Hohewart reservoir. In the meantime, the weather showed its sunniest side. The shady spots under the umbrellas were as much in demand as the widely known ice cream creations.
After another hour in the saddle, another drink break was needed, so the barbecue station on the southern outskirts of Bad Blankenburg came in handy. Freshly "refuelled", we could really enjoy the following, well-built route through the charming Schwarza valley before returning to the hotel after a total of around 250 kilometres.
On the second evening, there was also a varied buffet, this time with delicacies from the grill, which was set up on the terrace. So some sat inside, some outside and at the end many found their way to the Fliegerbar, the in-house disco.
Everyone had gained a good impression of the region, had interesting conversations with the other participants and simply enjoyed themselves. And that's what these tours are for. All in all, another successful event in an appealing hotel ambience with comfortable rooms, impeccable food and very friendly staff. You can come back from time to time.
The participants
Alex: BMW F 800 GS - Andrea: Honda CB 500 X - Andreas: BMW R 1150 GS - Bianca: KTM 390 Duke - Christian: BMW R 1200 GS Adventure - Dagmar: Husqvarna Svartpilen 701 - Diana*: Honda CB 1000 R - Erika: BMW F 800 R - Frank: Suzuki GSR 600 - Gerhard: Honda NC 750 X - Gernot: Suzuki V-Strom 650 - Günther: BMW F 750 GS - Günther: Honda CRF 1100 Africa Twin - Guido: Yamaha XT 1200 Z - Harry*: Kawasaki Zephyr 1100 - Heiko: Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT - Hendrik: Triumph Tiger Explorer - Joachim: Yamaha Tracer 7 - Kai: BMW K 1600 GT - Karl-Heinz: BMW R 1250 GS - Karola: Yamaha MT-07 - Klaus: BMW R 1250 RS - Markus : Honda CRF 1100 Africa Twin - Martina: Yamaha MT-09 - Michael: BMW R 100 - Moris: Yamaha Tracer 900 - Peter: BMW R 1200 GS Adventure - Peter: CF Moto 800 MT - Roland: BMW R 1200 GS - Roland : BMW R 1200 GS Adventure - Sabine: Honda NC 750 X - Toni*: Honda NC 750 X - Toni: Honda NT 1100 - Ulli: Triumph Tiger 800 XCX
* Tour guide