If you have a Garmin GPS with European mapping (or at least France, Belgium and Germany), then life is very simple indeed.

Right-click the link below and select 'Save Target As' to save the Garmin database file to your laptop. Double-click the file to open it in Mapsource, connect your GPS and select 'Save to Device', ticking both Waypoints and Route. Then just select Calais to Nurburg on your Garmin.

garmin.gdb

Otherwise, use the photo-directions below. Note that this is not the route I take myself now - you can find that in the Garmin file. I'll try to remember to create photo-directions of my current route next time I drive there.

Three warnings before you set off ...

First, you are going to Nürburg and not Nürnberg (Nuremberg)! More than one person has ended up in totally the wrong region of Germany thanks to that pesky 'n'. You are not going to the place where the war crimes trials were heard, you are going to the place where people spend all their time going round and round in circles at high speed. :-)

Second, fill up with petrol early both outbound and on the return. After you get off the ferry, it's quite some distance before you hit the first petrol station. Best to fill up at Dover. If you are driving home on Sunday, everything in Belgium and France is closed, and the machines do not work with British cards. So fill up in Nurburg and top up at a service station, as the last bit is not fun when you are running on fumes (don't ask me how I know that ...).

Third, Belgium is not keen on speeding. Exceeding 200kph (around 125mph) gets your car or bike confiscated on the spot. Even 100mph gets you a fine of around £500. You have been warned!

Immediately afterwards, take the left-hand slip-road for Dunkerque and Lille (watch for a very tight bend):

Then follow the A16 (E40) to and past Dunkerque

The tricky bit of the journey is navigating the Brussels ring-road, which you do as follows ...

As you start to get close to Brussels, look for a service-station on your right (last fuel for a while) and some overhead gantry signs immediately after it. This is your signal to start moving to the right:

Once you are in the two right-hand lanes, a third lane will appear at the far right. Ignore that and stay in the two lanes for E40 Luik:

Do not miss this turning or you will go into Brussels. The average time taken to escape from Brussels is three weeks. Several Scooby drivers who ended up there last August are still trying to find their way out.

You will now be merging with traffic to your left, and you want to head into the two left-hand lanes before the motorway splits once again:

Congratulations - you have now navigated the Brussels ring-road and lived to tell the tale! Keep following those signs for E40 Luik which will at some point transform themselves into signs for E40 Liege.

After Leige, stay on the A3 (E40) towards Aachen, but again don't get too carried away as you don't go as far as Aachen. Start watching the junction numbers and looking out for your junction, which is Exit 38 for Eupen. You will see the signs for Exit 38 before you see the sign for Eupen:

At the top of the slip-road, you are forced right into a filter-lane (ie. there's no give-way line, but slow right down as the turning is tight). Go straight across the roundabout in front of you and then follow the road ahead through several sets of lights. After a couple of miles, you will reach a roundabout where you turn left. For those who have followed the previous version of my directions, this is a change - there's no benefit to changing if you know the old route, but this one is slightly easier the first time. I discovered it because it's the way the GPS wanted to go.
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The rest of the route is straightforward, so no more photos.

You will pass through more town, across a roundabout or two, again ignoring a left fork to start climbing a gentle slope out of the town. At the edge of the town is a roundabout where you take the first exit (1-o'clock).

If towing a trailer, this is an excellent time to make sure the bikes are fastened down properly because there next few miles comprise an unofficial Belgian suspension-testing facility.

The road then gets bendy (watch for some deceptive bends) and you reach a roundabout. Take the 1st exit right onto the A258 towards Trier (away from Aachen)

You're going to follow the A258 all the way to the Ring, but be careful not to get lost on the first bit. After much more windiness, you will eventually reach a T-junction where you turn left (towards Monschau). In 1-2k, you'll get an overtaking lane: slow right down as soon as you lose it. Immediately after the overtaking lane goes, turn right, signposted A258 Koblenz. This is a delightful road, but has some deceptive bends - enjoy with caution :-)

You'll pick up intermittent signs to the Nürburgring along here, but they come and go randomly. Continue enjoying the road until you get close enough to start seeing racey-type things everywhere. After you pass the grandstand and museum on your left, then the Dorint hotel, take the next left into Nurburg. Follow the road through Nurburg until you see a large Ring-shaped (not ring-shaped) sculpture on a roundabout. You have arrived!

If you're coming in from another direction, once you get very close you want to look for signs that say Zufahrt Nordschleife or Einfahrt Nordschleife.

The journey from Calais takes around 4 hours when cruising at around 100mph, with just a brief petrol stop. It can take longer if you hit the Brussels ring-road at rush-hour, and at van or trailer speeds with a snack-stop it can take 5-6 hours. Gone are the days when it could be done in 3h 15m if you have plans to retain your car ...

If you have an old-fashioned GPS, the following waypoints may help (with the position format set to British Grid and the map datum set to Geod Datum '49):

If you're using a GPS that works out its own route but you don't have the street-level mapping installed for Belgium and Germany, beware of motorway junction instructions! It will tend to do things like tell you to turn or bear left when the slip-road is actually off to the right.

More enjoyable outbound route:

At Brussels take the ringway and follow directions for E411 Namur.

At the Daussoulx motorway junction (region of Namur) follow the E42 motorway to Liege for 10 miles, leaving at exit 8 Huy-Couthuin.

In Huy take the N66 to Hamoir.

Follow N66 till you arrive at Trois-Ponts.

In Trois-Ponts, go right onto N68 towards Vielsalm.

At Vielsalm, go left taking the N676 to St Vith.

Before you arrive at St-Vith, get on the E42 at junction 14 towards Bitburg.

Leave at Exit 4 Prum and from here on take the B410 via Gerolstein to Kelberg and Nurburgring.

More enjoyable return route:

From Nurburgring, take B258 to Blankenheim via Schleiden to Monschau.

At Monschau, go towards Eupen.

From Eupen, go to Verviers and further on to Pepinster and Chaudfontaine.

At Chaufontaine, follow directions to Liege and the E40.

Stay on E40 (towards Brussels, Gent) and at Jabbeke junction follow directons towards Calais.

Stefaan writes: the outbound route is probably the most fun, it will take you through some of the best parts of the Ardennes and Eifel region. The return route might be a bit less interesting, but with some great roads, and as you can see it is very easy on directions and i think it will get you to your destination quicker.