ADV Rider #65 issue

Tatra Tossers Tour

Words and Images: Jonathan Kaye

September 2023:

2023

supposedly inescapable, however, there were a lot of escapes using some pretty ingenious ideas. One of the ideas was the building of a glider in the roof of the castle from bed sheets and bed slats! The glider was never used for escaping but many years later it was tested to see if it would work, and it successfully left the castle and flew over the river.

along for some of the trip and Brian decided he would ride to Auschwitz with us and be our guide on the road.

The group of 8 were a mix bunch and the culmination of two groups of riders who had met on the overnight train from Innsbruck to Dusseldorf a few years prior and consisted of eight riders on a mixture of bikes - four BMW GS’s, two Yamaha tracers, one Honda 1100 NT, and one Ducati monster.

Our plan was to meet near the ferry terminal in Hull for the overnight boat to Holland. On the boat, maps were studied and stop points looked at whilst a few beers were drunk. The boat arrives in Holland at around 08.00 so this offered a full day to travel across Holland and Germany to our first stop Colditz. The only issue was as we got off the ferry and headed out of the port, the weather turned very wet. We quickly reevaluated our ideas and decided to get the miles done on the autobahn as we had nearly 600 miles (approx. 965 km) to cover.

We arrived in Colditz at around 18.00 after a long and boring ride in the heavy rain. Luckily the owner of the campsite took pity on us and offered to let us bed down in one of the large communal cabins with heaters available. Rather than trying to pitch our tents and struggling to dry our kit we took him up on the offer!

The following morning, we left our kit drying and headed for Colditz castle. This was used as a prisoner of war camp and

From Colditz we headed to Poland and camped in a pretty rural location. We noticed a big change in the costs of things from this point and also the scenery. Poland was a lot different to what was expected. It’s a beautiful part of the world with quiet roads and super friendly people. After pitching our tents, a trip to the shops was in order for supplies. The beer worked out at £0.76 for 660cl bottles straight from the fridge.

The following morning, we had a nice steady ride through rural Poland cris crossing the many villages on mostly deserted roads, heading for Stalag Luft 3. This is the prisoner of war camp made famous by ‘the great escape.’ There is little left of the camp; just a small museum and, hidden away in the woods, one of the tunnels is marked out.

Before we left England, we had been in touch with a Scottish man living in Poland. Both he and his wife are keen bikers who said we could stop at their house for the night. When we arrived, Brian and Gosia had been busy preparing for eight bikers to camp at their house. There was beer in the fridge, food on the table and facilities for us to use. Gosia told us the history of the area and what had happened to her family during the war and how things had changed in Poland over the last few decades. We couldn’t have asked for better hosts. Their hospitality was amazing, and they wouldn’t even let us pay for the food or beer. We invited them

We had a full tour of the camp which took all afternoon. It really is a very earie place. We all know the stories of what went on there but until you visit and see the place, you don’t get the full picture. It’s something that will stay with me for life and even thinking about it makes the hairs on my neck stand up!

After this, I think people wanted to spend some time on their own, so the following day a couple went to Krakow, some went to the salt mines, and some headed straight for Slovakia. I had a little issue with my bike and went to BMW to see if they could help. I also needed my sat nav updating as it didn’t include eastern Europe on the maps. I left the dealers and headed to the camp site in the Tatra Mountains. I made my own route down through Zakopane

Above: Riding from Poland to Slovakia. Right: Waiting for the ferry.

Above left: After a very long ride in the rain, the communal cabin was snug.

Above middle: The glider in the roof at Colditz. This was proven to fly!

Above: Brian and Gosia’s hospitality was extended to some fantastic food and drinks.

Below: One of the minor roads used to explore the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia. u

and over the border. On several occasion I came across some of the others who were doing the same thing, then we parted ways even though we were all heading for the same place. I can honestly say this was one of the best days riding I have ever had. The roads were fantastic, the scenery unbelievable and the people I met extremely friendly. I chatted to Polish and Slovakian bikers who pointed out roads to try and ways to go.

We had 2 nights in the Tatra Mountains at a mountain village called Strba. This area is nice, with plenty to see and do. Again, some of the group did their own thing and visited a mountain railway

and the ski village whilst other went to explore on the bikes. I did the latter with a couple of the others to explore the local villages. For lunch we stopped in a small village restaurant; the menu was set so everyone had the same and it was brilliant. It was full of locals and even the police turned up for lunch. From Strba, we headed north for Czechia but before the border we wanted to take in a cold war airbase and museum. Unfortunately, when we arrived it was closed for refurbishment! This was a long hot day, and everyone was tired and luckily, we found a campsite in a town called Piestany. The site was along the

In Czechia we visited Hell’s Mine which is home to the Pekelné Doly (Mines of Hell) motorcycle club. The cave is an old relic dating back hundreds of years but was used by the Nazis in the war. The cave has a road and round about inside, along with a bar and restaurant.

This was where we had the first incident. Two of the group parked on the steep hill outside and dropped their bikes, fortunately with very minor damage.

banks of the river Vah, which made for nice views, and it also had an onsite restaurant and bar swimming pool and bunk house. After the ride we opted for the bunk house and headed straight for the pool to cool down. Beer here was around £1.20 per pint and went down very easily.

I was leading the group through the countryside and was coming into a town when I missed a turn. I took the next street which doubled back, and I stopped as I got around the corner as I thought it was a one-way street. Unfortunately, the guy behind didn’t, my panner went flying down the road and he was laid under his Ducati. This time there was a little more serious damage. My pannier was broken and had to be ratchet strapped o. His gear lever was broken off along with some expensive carbon parts. An Allen key was used as a gear lever for the remaining few days.

We had one night in Czechia at a lake side resort we found by accident. It seemed to be a holiday hotspot, and we camped next to the bars and restaurants and had a really good evening to forget about the day’s incidents. The owner of one of the bars did seem to increase the price each time we went back, but it was still less that £1.20 for a beer and around £5.00 for a pizza.

It was a straight run back through Germany and Holland to the ferry from here. All in all, we had done 11 days through some amazing countries which surpassed my expectations significantly. Would I go back? Yes. I would like to spend more time in each country and get to see more of it.

Do I recommend visiting? Without a doubt! If anyone is looking to travel and explore this region of Europe, I would suggest you stop thinking and start planning.

Above left: One of the tunnels made famous by the great escape at Stalgluft 3.

Above: Looking down from one of the abandoned watch towers at Stalagluft .

Below left: Camping in Brian and Gosia’s garden. Below: Deading to the Slovakia border from Zakopane in Poland.

Top right: The bridge over the river in Piestany. Right: Tent drying in the early morning sun - Strba, Slovakia.