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       It was back to Switzerland this year, this time there were six of us and we went via a meandering route across northern France, (see France 2006). Stayed on a campsite near Lucerne that I had stayed at before. This one is a gem that I was going to keep to myself but conscience has got the better of me. I can’t give you a road number because, apart from the motor ways, the Swiss don’t seem to use them, but if you come out of Lucerne on Haldenstrasse sign posted Kussnacht, (past the Transport Museum), after around 5mls you come into a small village called Merlischachen. As you drop down the hill towards the village, on the right is a small campsite called Camping Vierwaldstatterseee, right on the side of the lake. I can’t call it specifically ‘Biker Friendly’ but I can definitely say it is friendly to bikers. The facilities are basic but adequate but the best part is it is right on the side of Lake Lucerne so you can fall out of the tent and straight into the lake if you want to waken yourself up in the morning. One of the best things about the site is it is on what used to be the main road from Switzerland to Italy via the Gotthard Pass, before they built the motor ways and it is also within easy reach of some of the other more notable passes. Because of this the site can get pretty busy in the peak period, especially at the weekends as many people still prefer the old passes to motor ways and tunnels, but we were there in July and it wasn’t too bad. We did the Gotthard, Susten, Grimsel and Furka passes all in one glorious day and were still back in time for a few beers. Just up the road in the village is a Spar type shop that sells most things you are likely to need and about 400yds from the site a ferry landing stage which is the best way to travel into Lucerne and see the lake at the same time. The owner of the site, (whose name I can’t remember but we nicknamed him Ernie) kept us right on all the right tickets to ask for to get the best deal We ended up getting a cruise around the lake, stopping in Lucerne for around 5hrs and a repeat cruise back for slightly more than the normal cost of a one-way trip. If you know to ask for them, most campsites, hotels etc. will provide what is called a Gastekarte, which is essentially a pass that will get you some good reductions on admission charges to various attractions such as museums, swimming baths, sports center’s and travel etc. ‘Ernie’ did us proud on this and we used them to get reduced admission into the Transportation Museum in Lucerne, which is well worth visiting. There are various other attractions on the museum site including a multiplex cinema and a Planetarium, the admission to all of which can be reduced via the Gastekarte.                         As mentioned earlier we managed four passes in one day without too much effort. It was a Sunday and all of the passes were absolutely full of bikers. You could generally tell the locals, mainly by the speed they were riding - usually a good indication of local knowledge, but we did come across one accident which had just happened. A local GSXR rider was propped up against a barrier near the exit from a tunnel with an obviously broken leg and a pretty badly trashed bike. There appeared to be no other vehicle involved so even those with local knowledge can get it seriously wrong so we heeded the warning from then on. Switzerland is a truly great place for biking, superb roads, brilliant scenery and not necessarily as expensive as one might think. If you intend to stay in hotels and eat out all of the time then yes, you’d better make sure your credit card is well loaded, but if you are camping then the basics such as food, fuel and a few beers are no more expensive than at home, so there’s no excuse - pack your tent and get yourself there, you won’t regret it.