Pyrenees, too hot in July?

Trippy

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I have never been and was wondering just how hot does it get up in the mountains around Andorra in the first half of July, too hot ?
 
Trippy said:
I have never been and was wondering just how hot does it get up in the mountains around Andorra in the first half of July, too hot ?
Click to expand...

I'm sure I went the beginining of August the hottest we got was 34 deg you'll be fine Jim.
How many holidays are you having this year ?:augie
 
It'll be getting hot down on the plains leading to the Mountains and in some of the valleys but lurvely up in the bumpy bits :thumb2

Andres
 
July can be cold, wet,

72026712_dDzj8-M.jpg


and foggy (low cloud).

72026715_dtMXr-M.jpg


The day before was blazing!
 
I went to the Pyrenees a couple of years ago in July and caught up with the Tour de France, camping on some lonely mountain top. Well it would have been lonely if it wasn't for 10,000 mobile homes and 'quick erect' bars that sprang up.

It was freezing....It blew a hurricane and lashed down. Woke up to thick fog and then blazing sun. It's great fun. You'll be fine.
 
Trippy said:
I have never been and was wondering just how hot does it get up in the mountains around Andorra in the first half of July, too hot ?
Click to expand...

Shouldn't this be in the joke section. It can never be too hot. we live in the UK and need all the heat we can get. They have Webbed feet in Manchester it rains so much .... come on Mr Blue sky let it rip:thumb2

We went to Prague last June and it was in the High 30's (36-38) and that was hot so just get off the bike, crack open a coke and watch the world go by... thats my idea of touring:thumb2 You'll love it:thumb2
 
Early July last year I was on the N260 then back over to St Lary, gorgeous weather. Nothing on the roads, liked it so much we are going back again this year, might even buy you a drink!
 
I would have loved to do that Nick but I was beaten to that week for A/L.
I have 8 the days from the 11th spare.
 
For those that have travelled more than me, does this sound like a reasonable week away and not to much of a slog for someone who's not into huge mile munching?


Catching a ferry to Roscoff and riding down to the west side of the Pyrenees and then over to Andorra with a few trails on route and back up through France calling in at Limoges and the deserted village.

Fri - Leave Plymouth 12.00 arrive Roscoff 19.00.
Sat / Sun - France.
Mon / Tue / Wed - Pyrenees.
Thu / Fri / Sat - France.
Leave Roscoff 23.30 Sat arrive Plymouth Sun 06:15.

Take basic camping gear and combine camping down there with little hotels on the way there and back.

Ferry about £150.
Miles about 1500.
 
That is easily doable and should give you the opportunity to keep to the more interesting D & N routes for the whole time.

If you are going to Oradour-Sur-Glane, get a copy of 'Das Reich' by Max Hastings and read it before you go (if you like military history you will enjoy the book anyway and it's an easy read). Take it with you too, it's the best guide to what happened there and is detailed enough to allow you to walk the streets and follow the events.

Somewhere to stay is Hôtel de France in Bessines-sur-Gartempe.

Me and Clive found it courtesy of Garmin in 2006. Great little family owned hotel. The owner is the chef and is very friendly. He will probably get you to park your bike in the lock-up at the rear of the hotel and give you the key to come and go as you please.

It's in the Limousin, so the beef is special.


Some stuff on my blog on the hotel and Oradour but you'll have to trawl back through to the 2006 entries.
 

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Thanks Mike, and yes I'd heard that about Andorra so it was only the area I was meaning.
 
Trippy said:
For those that have travelled more than me, does this sound like a reasonable week away and not to much of a slog for someone who's not into huge mile munching?


Catching a ferry to Roscoff and riding down to the west side of the Pyrenees and then over to Andorra with a few trails on route and back up through France calling in at Limoges and the deserted village.

Fri - Leave Plymouth 12.00 arrive Roscoff 19.00.
Sat / Sun - France.
Mon / Tue / Wed - Pyrenees.
Thu / Fri / Sat - France.
Leave Roscoff 23.30 Sat arrive Plymouth Sun 06:15.

Take basic camping gear and combine camping down there with little hotels on the way there and back.

Ferry about £150.
Miles about 1500.
Click to expand...

I did a couple of slightly shorter trips than this last year and I'm not into mile munching either.
My trips had a combination of some low mileage days and a couple of long (for me) days.
My longest day was something over 300 miles and I ended up averaging 180 miles per day which gave me a good balance.
For example I had one day watching some bike racing and another day wandering round war memorial sites so those days were very light on the road miles.
Worked for me but some folk like to simply pound the miles away but each to their own and all that.
I think I need to fit in a trip to the Pyrenees this year because I haven't been yet and I'm nearly there nowdays.
Enjoy.
 
One good tip is to combine the crossing from France into Spain and then back with a couple of the col's that you pass. In particular the Bielsa tunnel is a nice route, and at the Spanish end you are in Ainsa, about which there are lots of threads, and from personal experience know of a good campsite just north of town, which has a bar, small supermarket, and swimming pool.
One tip which I keep on mentioning, and if I bore peeps I make no apology. Lots of the Pyrenees is within national parks. A lot like the lake district they can get very very busy especially during national holidays. It might be worth checking if there are any scheduled for when you plan to be there. One year the wife and I ended up 50 miles away from where we first started looking for a room.
 
August trip

doing a similiar trip from Roscoff down west side of France :)and into the mountains,:bounce1 will probably cross into Spain while in the mountains, will there be any hastle :mcgun:nenauwith border crossings, do i need differant paperwork


or is it just bribes ;)
 
What border crossings?, when we went it is like the rest of europe cross from one country to another without seeing anyone.

If you go to Andorra then you will need passport, you get stopped in and out.

Enjoy:thumb

Teejay
 
my old mums a local !!

I'm off to french pyrenees in july with a mate, on the bikes, but me, well im a lucky bs. tart as me old mumsie lives in them thar hills !!! so free accom for me and time for lots of rides 'n sight seeing , oh and probably fixing the bs.tart drains again cause french plumbers are so crap !! (har har)
But seriously its a great area with great roads and great places to see and more bike friendly than uk. Just watch out though the french drivers are a bit, well, distracted and bikers have a specific 'cool' wave, so take care and assume your'e invisible !!:rolleyes:
 
We went in September a few years ago, and we're going in September again this year. When it was hot, it was stifling, particularly on the Spanish side at the foot of the mountains. In the mountains it was still really warm when the sun was out, but to say the weather was changeable would be to understate it. I'd never put on and taken off waterproofs so much. Standing in the sun sweating, watching thunderstorms roll across, then having to deal with hailstones within ten minutes was almost exciting. But mainly a ballache.
 
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