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to avoid ending up on faster roads though.
I think if you look on streetview and find a one-lane-in-each-direction "main road" (on google maps these are yellow with a blue marker), it's ok to cycle on if you need to, but two-abreast cruising will not be relaxing/possible and there can be some quite big junctions. There may well be a bike lane in places or a separate shared use path (even if not part of the network routes on that web page). Google maps also has roads that are white with no marker, and these can be exactly the same size as the above, small town or country roads, or gravel tracks (the width on the map does give an indication if it will be a fast one or not).
Highways (2 lanes in each direction) are large yellow roads with red symbols, and I don't think there is any real chance you could stray on to one - it would be the same as riding onto a motorway.
Strava seems to think that there's a perfectly rideable trail between the two over the mountain. I don't think so!
Can happen if mountain bikers go that way I think.
far more economical to spend more time in Italy than in Switzerland.
I can only agree...
Supposed to be looking at the route in more detail tonight but I think we might be riding to the pub
Just one other thought: I've been on holiday in the Val di Mello/Splugen area in about September, and it's getting later -the deep valleys were very cold in the mornings, the weather getting changeable and not nice on the Swiss side of the Splugen. I think your route is great and it isn't a difficult place to get about - if you don't like a section of road/track, there will almost certainly be an alternative. It might be not worth worrying about it further and keeping flexible about whether you spend more time on the Swiss side or the Italian side according to the weather nearer the time.
xrayspex-
Just one other thought: I've been on holiday in the Val di Mello/Splugen area in about September, and it's getting later -the deep valleys were very cold in the mornings, the weather getting changeable
I've been thinking about this too. We were relatively lucky with the weather last year in the Pyrenees, but Col de Pailhères was a real challenge with the wind & cold. The next day, the higher Port d'Envalira was easy peasy due to beautiful weather. We'll be spending more time at altitude than last year, so definitely plan on bringing more layers for those kinds of days to be safe.
GideonPARANOID
@Georgel As much I would love to, I only have so much holiday leave at work!
@xrayspex Some more great tips - thanks! With this in mind, I've realised that there's quite a few sections near the Splugen Pass which Strava has tried to route me on the Via Spluga which looks like more like what you say - gravelly. That's not ideal for us on road bikes (28/25mm tyres), so routed onto the more main roads instead for those bits. I think I need to take some time to learn the naming convention of Swiss road network to avoid ending up on faster roads though.
The first link is really handy & gives me a bit more confidence that it might be rideable on road bikes though, as it Google StreetView seems to give out after about a kilometre. I'm hesitant to route on roads you can't StreetView (not very adventurous sounding, I admit) after a very muddy experience of trying to navigate Le Parc Naturel Narbonnaise en Méditerranée last year. May give it a try!
@Tor sent the route we had to a former colleague who lives in the Alps & has returned some really handy advice which we've yet to look at properly. From a quick look at the suggestions, one was a query about whether a road existed. Intrigued, I had a look at my route & eventually figured out that it was between Bivio & Juf. Strava seems to think that there's a perfectly rideable trail between the two over the mountain. I don't think so!
At the weekend we did some bikepacking in the Forest of Bowland & on the ride over we popped in to see our favourite bike mechanic, Marek, at his workshop Aurelius Cycles. He's done some touring in the Alps & said the route looked great but that it would be far more economical to spend more time in Italy than in Switzerland. I suspect that he's right, personally informed by a £17 G&T in Geneva airport (thankfully paid for by insurance money). Might just mean less time in bars/restaurants & more time spent in shops instead. We'll have to see. I had a little look at camp site prices & they all seemed reasonable, apparently food is the killer. As long as the pastries are affordable I'm generally fine though.
Supposed to be looking at the route in more detail tonight but I think we might be riding to the pub instead to enjoy the last of this weather before the cooler conditions eventually return this evening. In the meantime, I've refined a version of the route.