I haven't done one of these reports in yonks but I enjoy reading them so here goes..........
I left Greater Belfast for Spain on the 8 September to head for Rosslare in Co Wexford. I went with two friends who I’ve been riding with 40+ years. (Combined age of the three of us 193
). They had been coming to Northern Spain for over 20 years but this was my first trip there though I have made several trips to France, Belgium, Norway, Italy and Southern Spain over the years. We left about 10am and the boat was not scheduled to leave until 11pm that Friday night so we plotted a route giving Dublin a wide birth and through the Wicklow hills. It is an area none of us knew well as we normally head to the wet west coast of Ireland for trips.
It was unseasonably warm in the East of Ireland that day with temps of 28-29 C in Naas and 27C at the top of the Wicklow hills! On the whole warmer than Spain would be!
We stopped in Rosslare town for Fish and Chips then off to the Ferry Port to get the Salamanca which runs directly to Bilbao in Northern Spain. A big improvement from my previous european trips which necessitated a ferry to Scotland and a 500 mile trek through Scotland and England to catch ferry’s on the south coast of England
The Salamanca is comfy and only two years old. It runs on LNG instead of Diesel so no oil smells on the deck or in the hold.
The boat docked at 8am Sunday morning after a very smooth crossing the Bay of Biscay was like a millpond and we even saw a school of common dolphins,
We headed Straight into the Hills above Bilbao and a 189 mile route to Potes. We were soon on high twisty roads.
Potes is a Picturesque town
Up next day to do a scenic loop. Great roads
Obligatory Pictures of the Deer and the Bear,
Very steep little excursion lots of very tight hairpins
TBC........
I left Greater Belfast for Spain on the 8 September to head for Rosslare in Co Wexford. I went with two friends who I’ve been riding with 40+ years. (Combined age of the three of us 193
). They had been coming to Northern Spain for over 20 years but this was my first trip there though I have made several trips to France, Belgium, Norway, Italy and Southern Spain over the years. We left about 10am and the boat was not scheduled to leave until 11pm that Friday night so we plotted a route giving Dublin a wide birth and through the Wicklow hills. It is an area none of us knew well as we normally head to the It was unseasonably warm in the East of Ireland that day with temps of 28-29 C in Naas and 27C at the top of the Wicklow hills! On the whole warmer than Spain would be!
We stopped in Rosslare town for Fish and Chips then off to the Ferry Port to get the Salamanca which runs directly to Bilbao in Northern Spain. A big improvement from my previous european trips which necessitated a ferry to Scotland and a 500 mile trek through Scotland and England to catch ferry’s on the south coast of England
The Salamanca is comfy and only two years old. It runs on LNG instead of Diesel so no oil smells on the deck or in the hold.
The boat docked at 8am Sunday morning after a very smooth crossing the Bay of Biscay was like a millpond and we even saw a school of common dolphins,
We headed Straight into the Hills above Bilbao and a 189 mile route to Potes. We were soon on high twisty roads.
Potes is a Picturesque town
Up next day to do a scenic loop. Great roads
Obligatory Pictures of the Deer and the Bear,
Very steep little excursion lots of very tight hairpins
TBC........
Last edited by a moderator:
