Pyrennees in May 2018

Hi all, I spend my summers in Asturias, born there, keep a pad there only missed one summer in 52 years. I know my way around the Picos but not so much the Pyrennees.

I used to offroad there a lot (Asturias) but sadly many routes are now shut and last year's fires along the north have done nothing for tolerance of offroading. You "can" still offroad, the rangers are "tolerant" of non hooligans but you can be reprimanded and/or sanctioned if you get the wrong guys. If you get caught or stopped once, then you better not get caught again or they lose their sense of humour pretty quickly. Additionally the routes vary in difficulty even on the same route. They are very difficult to mark out even using a satellite mapping system because some have gates which you can open, and some which you cannot, but you can't see them from a satellite.

In any case, the aforementioned "tolerance" is variable throughout the year; the summer months, in particular, are not a good time to be caught in the forests (or what is left of them after last year) but bare mountains are (possibly) a little less critical. However, you can be more easily spotted on open ground and sometimes the Civil Guards are under pressure to "fund" the town hall. The general rule is that a track has to be 4m wide in order for motorised vehicles to be allowed to use it but that is not always necessarily the case.

Therefore I would advise going on an organised tour because the organisers know which tracks they can use, often have a rapport going with the local CG rangers and it takes any worry or stress out of it. As such, in Asturias, I don't think there are many (if any) organised tour operators which is a crying shame because the routes are very interesting, the scenery is great and the food is much better than in eastern Spain.

A word of caution wrt to the dates. I'm not going to publicise on here the best month to go (there is one). That seems selfish but I have my reasons and they are obvious. Having said that I will tell you the best months to avoid because the danger levels rise and I do want people to enjoy themselves. July and August are the months to avoid anywhere in Spain except the central part which almost empties in those months. However, you will roast and dehydrate and it isn't pleasant. Having said that you can stop and bathe in any of the many reservoires around if you can find a way down (and there is any water in them)

Increased traffic on the coastal roads and some of the more touristy routes are full of Sunday drivers and tourists. Also the ferries are more expensive.

Northern Spain is NOT like the rest of Spain in many ways but in particular weatherwise. You WILL encounter 4 seasons in one day even in summer and occasionally you will encounter rain for the whole of your trip . I advise getting an APP on your phone called eltiempo.es which will give you radar depictions of rain, cloud and wind seperately so that you can vary your route and avoid the worst of the weather.

Jaca is indeed a very nice town from which it is possible to do a "spoke" tour and base yourself. Around Jaca there is access to the N260 transpyrniacal route and heading north you can enjoy Formigal and Ordesa and there is a BEAUTIFUL (I mean it, Google it) old train station in the process of being restored called Canfranc Station. I am organising a trip there with my mates from home at the end of April.

If the weather is shite and going to be shite for the whole week then I suggest going south towards Burgos and there is a beautiful but tiny (Cathedral) town called Santo Domingo De Silos. The road down from Santander is great (I think it's the N623 from memory - there are two, don't take the N627 or the motorway).

In Santo Domingo you will stay in a great little town which, if anyone is a fan of the old spagghetti westerns, is where the last scene of The Good The Bad And The Ugly was filmed. They have recently restored the film set which looks like a cemetary. If you want to, you can sponsor a "grave" and place a name on it. There are many mother-in-laws' names on many graves there.

I'm not going to publicise on here the best month to go (there is one). That seems selfish but I have my reasons and they are obvious.

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Come on, your idyllic excursions to the Picos ain’t going to be ruined if you lift the lid on your secret box of the remaining 10 months of the year and reveal the one.

In this post you offered help of all sorts to bods:

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/475722-Newbie-alert!!?p=4994808#post4994808

A frequent Picos rider as I was born up that way and have a pad there, spend my summers there and tour about with my mates, some of whom are on this forum. I live on the med so I mainly tour around Spain with my mates at least twice a year from there and once a year the Picos. If anyone needs anything, help, ideas, recommendations (about Spain) then please feel free to PM me. I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination but I do know some pretty awsome roads in and around Asturias as well as some other areas.

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So why keep your intimate knowledge of one twelfth of the year a secret? Or do site members have to track down your mates on UKGSer to ask them? Maybe you have sworn them to secrecy, too? Site members can’t PM you as you haven’t shelled up £12 to be a site subscriber, so you’ll never have bods banging on your inbox for help.

PS If you really think ‘your’ Picos will be ruined, make one up. That’ll fool ‘em. Or is it late April / early May, perhaps?

I am organising a trip there with my mates from home at the end of April.

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Or are you fobbing your mates off with a lesser time slot, so as to preserve your secret?

No, you're right. It's a bit churlish. It's not "my" picos by any stretch. I'm sorry if I came across that way. It's not hard to work it out.

The best month in The Picos is September. Various reasons for this:

1) Far less tourism traffic; caravans, cars etc. Locals all return to their cities for the academic year although they do return at weekends.
2) Mostly you get Indian summers so it's (generally) dry, the leaves have not started falling from the trees so there are less "surprises" around the corners which although often very well constructed with very few "false apexes" are often blind. Spring and pre-summer months are hit and miss weatherwise but if you are lucky, there's no doubt that the enjoyment is as good as in September.
3) There is good choice of accommodation and ther are good deals to be had.

I am a "little" protective of this area and all I ask is that people don't ruin what is a wonderful, beautiful and welcoming area for bikers by being hooligans. As of yet there are virtually no police patrols, traps or cameras so let's keep it that way. I'm not suggesting that any of you are and let's face it, these bikes are not bikes hooligans choose. AND, I will admit, many of my compatriots are the hooligans in their own home. Without wanting to come across as patronising, the locals are tolerant of "fast" riders as long as it isn't through the villages. Simples

All the very best to all of you, ride safe wherever you go.

Just re-read your quote aboput April.

No, April is probably not a great time to go to Canfranc and no I don't understand why you would think I would deprive my friends of going when it's best. Anyway, that is purely driven by "season rides". For various reasons I won't bore you with my Valencian biker pals and I ride out twice a year in April and October. I'd love to take them in September but my bike is In Asturias then until the end of it because that's when my UK friends ferry down to spend a week.

There, hope that helps.

TBH, I hadn't realised that not being a subscriber it prevented me from being contacted. In any case, I want to give this forum a little time before I "subscribe". Having heard mixed reviews I thought I would see if I fit in here or not before I commit myself.

So far no complaints, though.

Enginerelight said:

.... hadn't realised that not being a subscriber... Having heard mixed reviews I thought I would see if I fit in here or not before I commit myself.

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It's £12 a year - That's three and a bit pence a day; just how much thought does it require?

By way of simple comparison:

The Sun is (I'm told) 55p

A pint of London Pride at lunchtime cost me £4:60

Enginerelight said:

Having heard mixed reviews I thought I would see if I fit in here or not before I commit myself.

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Hmm. Argumentative, secretive, yes I think you will fit in just fine around here.

And welcome, unless of course this comment should be in another thread.

Wapping said:

It's £12 a year - That's three and a bit pence a day; just how much thought does it require?

By way of simple comparison:

The Sun is (I'm told) 55p

A pint of London Pride at lunchtime cost me £4:60

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A little more thought than it does to read The Sun.

Thank you BEM.

Enginerelight said:

Having heard mixed reviews

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It's (almost) like a real place. People will treat you the way you treat them. If you've come looking for an argument you'll find it here alright. But if you looking for information, about almost anything under the sun, you'll find that here too. The £12 (or whatever it is in real € money) is the best value I get all year, every year.

Be free with information when someone asks about a place / road / area you know something about and the next time you ask a question I bet you'll get it back in spades. You'll also get some smart, stupid, funny (delete as applicable) answers but hey, that's life...

Enjoy the place & the banter but don't take it too seriously

Easy to flog stuff here, most years I probably save my subs by not paying e-bay fees.

I got rid of my GS 6 years ago, but worth contributing to contributing to this site for travel advice alone.

Just spent the wet Easter Weekend planning my July/August 8 riding day trip to the Pyrenees on Basecamp. To and from the port of Bilbao with Carcasonne as the mid point. Looking at around 1200 miles in total usinsg as much of the ADAC route as possible.

I've booked a hotel in Carcasonne but nothing else, what is the thought on booking your hotels in advance versus doing it on the day? I quite like the idea of having a bed for the night but it does lock you into a planned schedule. Only one bike, two up so not looking for multiple rooms.

shready said:

Just spent the wet Easter Weekend planning my July/August 8 riding day trip to the Pyrenees on Basecamp. To and from the port of Bilbao with Carcasonne as the mid point. Looking at around 1200 miles in total usinsg as much of the ADAC route as possible.

I've booked a hotel in Carcasonne but nothing else, what is the thought on booking your hotels in advance versus doing it on the day? I quite like the idea of having a bed for the night but it does lock you into a planned schedule. Only one bike, two up so not looking for multiple rooms.

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This is a whole can of worms on its own. Personally, I wouldn't bother booking - just have a rough idea of where you need to be each day and make sure you don't slip catastrophically off schedule, so you get left facing a monster day to get back to the port at the end of it.

It's different if you're going to be covering serious distance each day (eg compress the trip to two days each way) as booking ahead gives you the ability to ride for longer and turn up late, secure in the knowledge that you have a bed; prebooking can sometimes be more important two-up, depending on the temperament of the pillion (some get jumpy, others go with the flow); and the same is true when riding with one or two others (not everyone enjoys the uncertainty involved in making it up as you go along). And of course the bigger the group, the more booking ahead makes sense to guarantee you'll all end up under the same roof.

The only thing that might swing it is when and where you're going: August is peak French holiday time, the Pyrenees are popular… so especially if you've already planned the route and know where you're going, you may get better rates in better hotels by booking ahead. You could find the better ones (especially the better budget ones) may be full if you just pitch up – and at that time of year you probably won't be getting any deals when you stand there on the doorstep.

But one bike? Personally I'd just go with the flow. As long as your pillion is happy with that. Ultimately, how they want to do it is probably the most important factor.

And if after the first night, it's all gone pear-shaped and finding somewhere was a nightmare, you can always get Booking.com on the phone and book the rest of the trip up (adjusting your routes accordingly) so you have the peace of mind of reserved rooms for the rest of the trip. But that's unlikely to happen.

Simon W said:

This is a whole can of worms on its own. Personally, I wouldn't bother booking - just have a rough idea of where you need to be each day and make sure you don't slip catastrophically off schedule, so you get left facing a monster day to get back to the port at the end of it.

It's different if you're going to be covering serious distance each day (eg compress the trip to two days each way) as booking ahead gives you the ability to ride for longer and turn up late, secure in the knowledge that you have a bed; prebooking can sometimes be more important two-up, depending on the temperament of the pillion (some get jumpy, others go with the flow); and the same is true when riding with one or two others (not everyone enjoys the uncertainty involved in making it up as you go along). And of course the bigger the group, the more booking ahead makes sense to guarantee you'll all end up under the same roof.

The only thing that might swing it is when and where you're going: August is peak French holiday time, the Pyrenees are popular… so especially if you've already planned the route and know where you're going, you may get better rates in better hotels by booking ahead. You could find the better ones (especially the better budget ones) may be full if you just pitch up – and at that time of year you probably won't be getting any deals when you stand there on the doorstep.

But one bike? Personally I'd just go with the flow. As long as your pillion is happy with that. Ultimately, how they want to do it is probably the most important factor.

And if after the first night, it's all gone pear-shaped and finding somewhere was a nightmare, you can always get Booking.com on the phone and book the rest of the trip up (adjusting your routes accordingly) so you have the peace of mind of reserved rooms for the rest of the trip. But that's unlikely to happen.

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Thanks Simon. We have a reasonable schedule we are going counter-clockwise taking in Sapin first and then France. Miles are 174 day 1, 173, 157, 147, 147, 109, 121 and 100 day 8. Days 1 and 2 are high but they aren't particularly complex, whereas Col du Tourmalet and Col d'Aubisque are the 109 mile day.

I have tried both methods of booking ahead and winging it. Booking ahead was a bugger last year when we were dead beat and soaked to the skin but our hotel was booked and paid for some 35 miles away. Wife and I decided to forget the booked hotel and get the nearest we could see. It was fully booked and so were all the others in the area. So we plodded on to our pre-booked hotel.

Simon's advice is spot on, but note that August is peak season for the Spanish too and especially the week containing the Assumption Day (August 15th) a Wednesday this year when occupation in the Pyrenees is 100% and the roads a nightmare as the people who's holidays are in the first fortnight overlap with those who have the second ...

You can get the booking.com app on your phone and look for digs in the afternoon when you know more or less how much time/distance you have left that day. Note too that check-in and eating is much later in Spain so staying here gives you more time - and it's cheaper and the food's better in Spain!

I don't really see the point of the Spain out, France back pan as these are crossings over the frontier all along the Pyrenees and these are often fantastic routes in themselves - avoid the tunnels!.

Finally, phew, its it were me I'd book digs on the last night ready for the ferry home.

Regs

Simon

Simon_100 said:

Simon's advice is spot on, but note that August is peak season for the Spanish too and especially the week containing the Assumption Day (August 15th) a Wednesday this year when occupation in the Pyrenees is 100% and the roads a nightmare as the people who's holidays are in the first fortnight overlap with those who have the second ...

You can get the booking.com app on your phone and look for digs in the afternoon when you know more or less how much time/distance you have left that day. Note too that check-in and eating is much later in Spain so staying here gives you more time - and it's cheaper and the food's better in Spain!

I don't really see the point of the Spain out, France back pan as these are crossings over the frontier all along the Pyrenees and these are often fantastic routes in themselves - avoid the tunnels!.

Finally, phew, its it were me I'd book digs on the last night ready for the ferry home.

Regs

Simon

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Our first night in the Pyrenees will be Thursday 26th July and we return on the following Thursday so miss Assumption Day by almost a fortnight. When we arrive we drop down into Spain, mainly because Le Tour de France is in the Western French Pyrenees at this time, the dates are a week later this year and only announced after I had booked the ferry.

I know about the crossing along the borders as I've ridden the Pyrenees a few times before, this trip is mainly for my wife to see it as she's never been there. I looked at the ADAC map and the Ride mag routes and came up with this circular route. I agree about booking the last night, probably goint to be in St-Jean-de-Luz.

shready said:

We have a reasonable schedule we are going counter-clockwise taking in Sapin first and then France. Miles are 174 day 1, 173, 157, 147, 147, 109, 121 and 100 day 8. Days 1 and 2 are high but they aren't particularly complex, whereas Col du Tourmalet and Col d'Aubisque are the 109 mile day.

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I was going to say... perhaps the problem on the previous trip was weather combined with too much mileage, rather than pre-booking, so adjust your mileage - but it sounds like you've already done that. You should have no trouble with that kind of schedule.

I've not ridden much in Spain in August so didn't realise that was peak holiday time there too (another good tip from Simon) so perhaps pre-booking would make sense. Especially if you're aiming to stop in smaller towns or villages, where there may not be much choice. Certainly, on the French side they do a nice line in out-of-the-way pleasant guest houses, but those are likely to be fully booked by the middle of May, never mind when you turn up in August. It'll only take a few days of struggling to find accommodation to knock the gloss off the trip – because as bad as it can be slogging the final 35 miles to your destination, there is one thing worse: getting where you think you want to stop and only then finding out that the nearest hotel with a room is actually 35 miles further down the road... I think I've talked myself round to pre-booking in August! (must be why I normally go in September!)

Simon W said:

...I've not ridden much in Spain in August so didn't realise that was peak holiday time there too (another good tip from Simon) so perhaps pre-booking would make sense. ... I think I've talked myself round to pre-booking in August! (must be why I normally go in September!

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IMHO August is a no-no for travelling in Spain and especially the Pyrenees but some folks, including the Spanish, don' have a choice ...

But actually it's a good month to visit large Spanish cites, especially Madrid, as they are quiet and there's a sort of 'intimacy' among the people who hang on, sometimes by necessity and sometimes by choice - there's a phrase, 'hace de Rodriguez' which means roughly 'home alone' when the husband stays in the city apartment eating - and drinking - what he likes while the wifey stays up country with the screaming kids. It's a high point of the year for a friend of mine in Madrid ...

Simon W said:

...I've not ridden much in Spain in August so didn't realise that was peak holiday time there too (another good tip from Simon) so perhaps pre-booking would make sense. ... I think I've talked myself round to pre-booking in August! (must be why I normally go in September!

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IMHO August is a no-no for travelling in Spain and especially the Pyrenees but some folks, including the Spanish, don' have a choice ...

But actually it's a good month to visit large Spanish cites, especially Madrid, as they are quiet and there's a sort of 'intimacy' among the people who hang on, sometimes by necessity and sometimes by choice - there's a phrase, 'hace de Rodriguez' which means roughly 'home alone' when the husband stays in the city apartment eating - and drinking - what he likes while the wifey stays up country with the screaming kids. It's a high point of the year for a friend of mine in Madrid ... he claims it's a bit cooler so he can work better!

shready said:

Our first night in the Pyrenees will be Thursday 26th July and we return on the following Thursday so miss Assumption Day by almost a fortnight. When we arrive we drop down into Spain, mainly because Le Tour de France is in the Western French Pyrenees at this time, the dates are a week later this year and only announced after I had booked the ferry.

I know about the crossing along the borders as I've ridden the Pyrenees a few times before, this trip is mainly for my wife to see it as she's never been there. I looked at the ADAC map and the Ride mag routes and came up with this circular route. I agree about booking the last night, probably goint to be in St-Jean-de-Luz.

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You're right to avoid the Tour like the plague! I guess that from your plans you're a bit of a francophile so I won't suggest San Sebastian as a last stop before Bilbao ... actually I got totally lost in St. Jean de Luz in a broiling July afternoon a few years ago so headed for the beach and turned left. Really lovely and the strand - I think it's called a corniche - down to the river/frontier is really lovely.

Enjoy!

Simon

Yeah, I'll go along with all that's been said above. Difficult to know for sure what the best course of action is, even for a local. In theory that is what Booking.com is for; last minute deals on hotel rooms. Being a single bike I wouldn't have thought there was much of a problem but you just never know. Like you, I never tour in Spain in the hot summer months, I radiate out from home for day rides. But it'll never be that hot up north, not when you compare it to the high 30's and 40's of southern Spain (and by southern I mean anything south of the Picos!)

The biggest problem in July/August is the increased traffic; the Sunday drivers; those who drive once a year and on unfamiliar roads, fully loaded (or overloaded!!), not to mention tourists. The other is getting caught in Operacion salida/retornowhich is when the Spanish mobilise to either go on holiday, or return from holidays. The most significant of these being 1st of August and 31st depending on which day of the week they fall. Having said that you will find slightly less white vans. Lorries tend to stick to the main roads but occasionally they have to navigate the back roads.

In any case, you're touring with a wife/gf I assume, therefore you're touring, and when I tour with my wife on the back that means taking it very easy which will be fine. You'll enjoy it anyway, I'm sure.

The biggest problem in July/August is the increased traffic; the Sunday drivers; those who drive once a year and on unfamiliar roads, fully loaded (or overloaded!!), not to mention tourists.

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Be careful who you paint with your broad brush. The bulk of correspondents to this section of the forum are, of course, tourists. All enjoying ‘your’ Spain.

Last year we sailed to Santander and spent two weeks travelling back through Spain and France to Roscoff.

This year we are riding to the tunnel and riding down through France to Spain where we plan to tour for about 10 days in Spain.

Booking.com worked for us really well as we just chose where we wanted to stop either the night before or during the ride.

I wouldn't plan nights ahead other than possibly the first and last nights in case you find somewhere en-route where you decide you want to stay.

We are tempted to book two or three nights at Isábena and explore from there - so if anyone has stayed there, how was it.

Otherwise have a great trip!