Where does the THT take place? Only in the southern Harz? Well, the Harz is not that big. Is it worth it? Absolutely! Strictly speaking, you should say "in" Südharz, because that's the name of a group of 15 villages in the south-east of the approximately 2200 square kilometre low mountain range. And in the small district of Wickerode there is even a motorbike hotel.
It was obvious that we would start our day tour with the neighbouring Kyffhäuser. This region is no longer part of the Harz Mountains, but the route from Kelbra to Bad Frankenhausen is ingenious and is one of the roads you should have ridden once. Unfortunately, there are often a lot of speeders there, which is why this section of the B85 is mostly speed-limited. But in the early morning there was not much going on and we could really enjoy the ride.
Then, as promised, we headed for the eastern Harz Mountains. We cruised through the hilly landscape on idyllic back roads, only rarely interrupted by small villages. As with the last THT, we also had a "tour guide" this time. Normally Sabine guides the guests from the "Hotel Sauerbrey" in Osterode. Because a tour guide was prevented from coming at short notice, she quickly stepped in and took over a tourist group. People know each other and help out when things go wrong. This is another aspect of the "partner" houses.
Achim led the sporty group, the route was planned by Axel. His group was also rather touristy and he always had lots of interesting things to say at the stops. Not everyone stopped at the same places and did not follow exactly the same route. However, we were reunited for the lunch break at the Felsenkeller near Gernrode and the impressive Rappbode Dam was also on each group's programme.
It is not always easy to form a harmonious group with so many people you don't know and who hardly know each other. But this time the guides managed it again. Everyone arrived at the hotel satisfied and was welcomed with chilled drinks between the garage and the entrance.
Meanwhile, the hotel was completely booked, two participants even had to be "outsourced" for sleeping. The kitchen had put in a lot of effort and left nothing to be desired. On the first evening, an excellent three-course meal was served, and on the second evening, the grill was fired up. In addition, there were all kinds of delicacies from the buffet - we couldn't possibly manage it all.
This THT was also excellently arranged and the hosts and their team deserve a lot of praise. The 2023 dates have not yet been fixed. We will announce them here and in the coming issues in good time.
The participants
Achim*: BMW S 1000 XR • Axel*: Triumph Tiger Explorer 1200 • Detlef: Aprilia Caponord 1200 Rally • Dietmar: BMW K 1300 S • Erika: BMW F 800 R • Frank: BMW F 650 GS • Franz: BMW R 1250 GS • Gerd: BMW R 1250 GS • Gerhard: Honda Gold Wing 1800 • Horst: BMW R 80 ST • Joachim: Yamaha Tracer 7 • Karola: Yamaha MT-07 • Kay: BMW R 1200 GS • Lukas: KTM 1290 Super Adventure R • Mady: Suzuki GSX 750 F • Marina: Suzuki Bandit • Marko + Bärbel: BMW R 1250 GS • Markus: BMW R 1200 GS • Markus: Honda Africa Twin • Matthias: BMW R 1250 GS Adv. • Moris + Bianca: Yamaha Tracer 700 • Reinhard: Kawasaki VN 900 • Sabine*: BMW R 1200 GS • Sabine: Honda NC 750 • Sascha: Triumph Explorer XC • Siegmund: Triumph Tiger • Stefan: Triumph Explorer • Toni: BMW R 1250 RT • Uli: KTM Super Duke • Ulli: Triumph Tiger 800 XCX • Uwe + Martina: BMW R 1250 GS Adv. • Veronika: Yamaha MT-07 • Waldemar: Triumph Tiger 800 XR • Werner: Triumph Tiger 660 Sport • Wolfgang + Karin: Kawasaki Versys 1000
* Tour guide