Pyrenees route suggestions please

[ChasF]

Planning to meet up with a mate who is coming into Santander and heading for Perpignan. So far I’ve suggested we meet in St. Jean Pied du Port and he would like to travel on minor roads along the Pyrenees either on the French or Spanish side. We’ll probably travel with him as far as Andorra or Puigcerda and then travel back to St. JPduP to pick up our campervan on some faster roads, probably in France. He’s riding a 1200GS, his first bike for 30 years, which he’s had for about 4 years but I don’t think he’s done many miles, he did do an IAM course, but I’m guessing we should stick to tarmac.

Can anyone offer helpful route suggestions?

 

[Wapping]

He’s riding a 1200GS, his first bike for 30 years, which he’s had for about 4 years but I don’t think he’s done many miles, he did do an IAM course, but I’m guessing we should stick to tarmac.

Can anyone offer helpful route suggestions?

As it’s ADAC’s route(s) suggestions, it’ll be suitable for anyone who can ride a motorcycle.

Along the Pyrenees and back again. ADAC map and GPX file

Lots of bods ask for a route or routes through the Pyrenees. This ADAC map, lifted from their series of dedicated motorbike and car touring route maps, does a pretty neat job of answering that request. The good things about it are: 1. It shows two ways of going west to east or east to west, so...

www.ukgser.com

Instant holiday, all for free.

Want to have a look at it?

 

[shez1]

Head for Pamplona, jump on the N240 (a good, gently curving road) and head east to and along the N260. This runs along the Spanish side of the Pyrenees at around 1000 meters altitude almost to the Med. The further east the twistier it gets, so ideal for you mate to familiarise with the bike as he goes along. Once near the Med, there are lot of options to head north into France. Allow at least 2 days. The Spanish side is cheaper, usually better weather and I also prefer the roads.

 

[wessie]

Follow the D918/D618 from St JdeP all the way to Vielha in Spain. You will do the highest passes as used in the Tour de France. From Vielha go down the C13 to Sort and along the N260 to Puigcerda. The road from the border up to Quillan is good through the gorges.

If you want to head back to St JdP then head back across the N260to Jaca. Then head over one of the cols back to France. Canfranc (posh train station) or Puerto de Larrau would be my choices. If using the latter head west over the D19 & D18

 

[ChasF]

Thanks very much for the suggestions. I’ll need to get the maps out and try to work out which is best.

 

[Wapping]

And the alternative way back:

 

[Jersey_GS]

The N-135 out of Pamplona to St jean P D port is epic but frequently patrolled by rozzers
Choose your own route to Jaca and stay there for a night
Then take the A-23 toward Sabinanigo and turn left on N-260a but keep heading north on the A-136 Biescas to Laurens then turn Right just before Laurens and take the D918 to Argese- Gazost
On the French side D918 Col Du Tourmalet Argese- Gazost to Arreau
D618 over back to Spain to Vielha then the C-28 down to the N-260 all the way to Ripoll
C- 38 from Ripoll to the D115 France to Perpingnan

 

[MartinK]

The D260 on the Spanish side, (as our friendly contributors say above)
The "Route Des Cols" on the French side (Mark, aka-"ikkje" on here introduced me to the Route des Cols in 2022).
That's a good starter

Route des Cols - do a quick google - loads of info, such as: https://www.dangerousroads.org/europe/france/8587-route-des-cols-des-pyrenees.html

Teapotone does a review of the N260 (there are loads more!!!)

Mark and I did a video of the route - the Route des Cols bit starts about 50 seconds in

 

[Wapping]

To complete the ADAC map set:

Excursion



Link road 1



Link road 2

 

[Wapping]

P

Posts #2, #6 and #9 combined

 

[Wapping]

If you wanted some single days out en-route from A to B, these circular days out from RiDE magazine might be helpful. They are based on three towns, being Pamplona, Ainsa and Ripoll

RiDE -Motorcycle touring routes in Spain's Pyrenees mountains

You might just have the motorcycle ride of your life in the Pyrenees. They have everything – from swooping, rolling hill-country roads to towering passes with hairpins and huge vistas, not to mention tiny roads and hidden villages. Plus one of Spain's most famous roads - N-260.

www.ride.co.uk

The GPX files for each of the 29 thro’ 37 circular routes, download really well. Are they perfect? No, no route ever is and someone will always say “Mate, that misses the XYZ road between A and B”. But that’s life, there’s always something better. However, as a base for ideas, they are not too bad…. And they are free!

 

[Wapping]

You could have a look at this:

Tour

www.tourenfahrer.de

I can’t believe the ‘off-road’ bits are too onerous but you’ll know better than us how your chum will cope.

 

[Wapping]

This route maybe goes too south in the Pyrenees (it does touch parts of the southernmost ADAC route) and you’ll not be going to Madrid, but I’ll chuck it in , just in case someone trips over this thread and finds it useful.

 

[Wapping]

There are lots of people who are maybe apprehensive about riding in the mountains and some, understandably, about even riding abroad. It’ll be interesting to hear which route you end up taking and, not least, how well your friend gets on.

 

[ChasF]

There are lots of people who are maybe apprehensive about riding in the mountains and some, understandably, about even riding abroad. It’ll be interesting to hear which route you end up taking and, not least, how well your friend gets on.

Thanks for posting up all these routes. The reason I asked in the first place is that I’ve often looked at maps and noticed that most of the main roads run north south and west east routes are not particularly obvious. My experience of the Pyrenees is limited to a couple of HUMM rallies at La Molina/Puigcerda, a couple of visits to Andorra and I’ve used the Somport tunnel a few times.

For this trip I’m favouring a route on the Spanish side but for various reasons I’ll be using my K1100 and two up so will probably avoid the gravelly routes.

My mate has not been to Spain before on a bike as apparently his last trip around France was on a 250 Honda in 1980 and whilst he got to the Spanish border he didn’t have the necessary bail bond. After the Pyrenees bit he’s hoping to retrace some of his 1980 route up through France - I think he’s in for a bit of a shock!

I’ll do a little trip report with some photos when it’s done.

 

[g00ner]

I’m down there September 1st to 8th this year, planning to do a mix of road and the Spanish TET. I’ve booked camping near Potes at La Viorna.

Have a good trip yourself and thanks for posting the routes @Wapping

 

[Wapping]

Thanks….

I’ll do a little trip report with some photos when it’s done.

Welcome

Enjoy the holiday.

 

[de crowe]

K1100! Will you be using an LT or RS?
I will be arriving in Bilbao in about two weeks time, I hope the weather is better than it is here and not too cold. Going to head to Pamplona and on to Ainsa and heading north from there, destination Luxembourg giving myself 6/7 days

 

[force4fun]

Personally I’d stick to the Spanish side rather than French. The Spanish want you to enjoy their roads and they make sure the surface is smooth and speed limits are progressive. France roads not so good condition and speed limits are more restrictive, 60 mph roads are not 50 and you have to slow down a long way from the towns.

 

[shez1]

France = more speed cameras, more expensive, worse weather.