Trip done and dusted
Well folks, thanks to those who made suggestions for my trip to Spain. I didnt get to cover the mileage I had thought, as Spain is a bigger place than I imagined. I did however have a cracking time and spent a clean fortune in the process.
My mate Gary came along, having just passed his bike test and a total of about 20 miles experience under his belt. We got collected at Barcelona Airport by mike, the owner of
www.motoespana.com I rented a 1200GS and recommended something smaller for the novice.... a 650GS was what he got
I brought along my own Garmin 2610, which I fitted to the bike, but forgot the jack plug to make my comms fit. This proved interesting when I tried to by-pass Barcelona. We ended up passing the bottom of La Ramblas and the Harbour, at evening RUSHOUR
I was happy to bully my way through the traffic but must admit I was worried about G. He later thanked me for the baptism of fire, which he claimed left him ready to deal with anything. We then followed the coast to Tarragona, which was the first night's stop.
Next day I started to get the hang of the sat-nav and asked it to take us onto minor roads. We headed into the terra alta region and rode some magnificent mountain roads and passes, with almost no other traffic.
We played about until we ended in the clouds and the temp dropped very quickly, so it was a 40 minute run down the motorway into Valencia for the 2nd night. Next day it was more mountains and lots of bends to contend with. We both enjoy the comedy program 'Benidorm' and couldnt resist a look to see if it was really like the TV.... for those who havent been, the answer is Yes!
G couldnt resist booking in here for the night
From there we ended up in Alicante, where I had a snooze on the beach, before heading a little further south to La Zenia, just below Torrevieja, which was our base for the night. I had stayed here last August for the family holiday and dropped in to say hello to a friend.
This was the time I realised the 650 was not a bike for munching miles and wished we had stayed near Barcelona to upgrade it after a few days, as Gary was now riding like someone with years of experience.. We headed for Orihuela and took in a bit of offroading on the way. The sat-nav kept us on minor roads to Agost and and onto Alcoi. I was chuffed with the roads, but, the next section was some of the best biking roads I have ever seen. We carved up mile after mile of bends to Guadalest. I was really worried about G and his lack of experience, as he negotiated the technical bends with ease, the lines were perfect
I couldnt resist a photo of his rear tyre when we stopped for a break. He was getting full use of it
We couldnt find a decent hotel in the mountains so we ended up in Porto de Calpe. Next day was a blast up to Cambrills, where we stayed for two nights. The plan was to return the bikes at 6pm, so I wanted to cram in a coastal ride from Lloret de mar to Tossa de mar, an amazing bit of road I travelled along last Summer, but it was not to be.
That morning I got a phone call to say my father had passed away. I wasnt in the frame of mind to ride the bike, so we returned the bikes early and headed off to the airport.
I really enjoyed the trip and the weather was great, although the exchange rate left something to be desired
I would really recommend
www.motoespana.com to everyone. I got a budget airfare and was collected and dropped off at the airport by the owner, free of charge. We racked up 2000 kms this time on someone else's tyre and service bills. (Last year I managed 4000kms in a week with no surcharge).