Picos, Moto Piston & Pyrenees 2011

2 wheel humvee

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Here's how it went;
I met up with Gerry for an uneventful ride to Portsmouth ( 1 road rage incident and a coffee stop notwithstanding.......) lots of rich folk with their expensive playthings waiting to board the ferry.....

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Side stand or centre stand :rolleyes:

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Cookie, Darkhorse and Springer had elected to bring their old clunkers (sorry classic bikes...) which were respectively A Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans, a BMW R80/7 and a Triumph Bonneville, much discussion ensued; will it break down? will it leak oil? am I mad? And that was only the 1200 riders ;)

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The rest of our group (staying at La Pisa) comprised;
Me-1200 GS Adv, Gerry-1200GS (also known as "the narrowboat captain"), Johnnyboxer-1150 GS Adv, Oscar-1200GS Adv, Joybringer (Mark) 1200 GS Adv, Trippy- Yamaha TTR 600 (I think) and Cookieboy-R80 G/S.

It was very warm in the belly of the ship and tieing down bikes and unloading luggage was thirsty work so, with the luggage dumped in the cabin and after a quick change it was time for a quiet afternoon drink..........

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Darkhorse made the rule that to leave the round you had to buy two-there were 9 of us and no-one dared leave (Johnny shandy pants excepted) :blast :beer:

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Numbers were down for evening dinner, those of us that were able to leave our cabins enjoyed a fine meal washed down with (in my case) a couple of G&T's :augie

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Next day, following a peaceful and calm crossing, Santander loomed into view
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A convoy of bikes left the busy town, a fuel stop was needed for the bikes with smaller tanks once we had left the town, the narrowboat captain sailed by as the rest of us pulled in for a pit stop..............a brisk pace ensued, it was great to see the older bikes being ridden briskly, I soon learned that I needed to make no allowance for them to keep up :D

We stopped for a late lunch at the seaside town of San Vincente de la Barquera
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Fed and watered we continued, we had a meandering and scenic route to Aniezo just outside Potes, I stopped for some pics of the group.....

Cookie and the Le Mans
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Darkhorse on the R80
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Oscar;
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Johnny;
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Ferret;
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We rode through the Gorge on the CA281 to the dam, up the hairpins and through the tunnel in the pic and onward to La Pisa, more pics;

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Springer aboard the Bonneville;
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Cookieboy on the R80 G/S
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Joybringer;
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After some of the bikes were stopped at a Police roadside check point we stopped to re-group......

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We'd arrived;
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More soon, just going to check I haven't burnt the dinner................
 
Nice photos Steve and yeah mine is a TTR600.
That was nice food on the boat in the evening, a good steak followed by creme caramel with a coconut and lychee soup if I remember correctly :)
 
Dinner at La Pisa was as always, excellent :clap

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The first night I think I had, Pork with Red cabbage garnished with shallots and mandarin with a mandarin Jus...........

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A wi-fi / Internet / mobile phone free night of talking bollox, beer and wine ensued..........

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Next day dawned cool, misty and decidedly damp, the Moto Piston route of 5000 curves was ruled out as too gruelling for all so we went for a ride, in the fog and the mist my outside temp guage was reading a chilly 6 degrees............:eek

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The weather improved and with it visibility, the old bikes were at the front of the group and were setting a cracking pace, it was great fun to watch and to follow the Guzzi especially with it's bellowing exhaust note :bow

The roads were largely deserted and we had them almost exclusively to ourselves, we stopped for the occasional picture and enjoyed the scenery....

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We passed through a small hamlet and in search of a late lunch found a suitable venue, I asked for a table for 6 to dine Al Fresco (which surprised the restaraunt owner as the natives plainly thought the weather too chilly for eating outside) convinced we were about to be offered a menu of the day meal we sat back and waited, water duly arrived followed by bread baskets and much faffing, according to Oscar it was fortunate for us that he and Gerry joined us when they did as we might still be there now-waiting for food, fortunately for us Oscar is a native and takes it upon himself to assist us all in the transaltion of menu's and wine lists etc. Thanks Oscar :bow

Lunch is served.......
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Old bikes pinging and ticking whilst cooling down in the afternoon sun.....
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After 3 very acceptable lunch courses for a modest price we made our way back to La Pisa having covered around 150 enjoyable miles :bounce1

Dinner for me was Tomato and Chorizo to start
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followed by Pork in ?? sauce with peppers and sauteed potatoes :thumb2

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The fish looked good...........
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I'm not sure what everybody else ate but I'm fairly certain Darkhorse had cheesecake for dessert :D

Another night of beer, bollox and wine ensued :beerjug: :blagblah :beer:
 
On Saturday many of us travelled the 80 or so miles to Santander for a look around the new venue for the Moto Piston rally (the event was held the previous year in the village of Colombres and it was last year's event at Colombres that started the ball rolling for the current trip, little did we know at the time that the organisers would change the venue to Santander........:rolleyes: ) we arrive and park as directed near the sports hall-venue for the autojumble, the area surrounding this building would later become the stopping point for many of the vintage bike's ride outs.

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Inside the Autojumble there were thje usual display of old....
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The exotic;
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The home grown.......
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And the ugly.......
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It's the first time I've seen one of these "in the flesh" as it were....
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I think I like it, but the small submarine they've used for an exhaust can would have to go ;)

Across the road from the sports hall the practice session was in full swing for the time trial

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We wandered the noisy paddock area and spotted this
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The location and design of the oil breather catch tank on the other side of this bike would later become useful to someone in our group.........:augie

Old Montesa;
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And another.....
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Lovely old Scott flying squirrell......
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Darkhorse doing a little 1 wheeling to entertain the crowds :D
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We spotted this bunch of tossers
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Across the road to the sports hall/space ship/autojumble area again and the paved surrounds were slowly filling with bikes returning from ride outs, they ranged from the used and the practical......

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To the rare.....and fondly remembered;

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To these two, which look really well built but divided opinion as far as taste was concerned :rolleyes:

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We spoke to several Rally entrants who were full of praise for the organisers and appreciated everything being within walking distance of all the main hotels, the event looked well run and I had no complaints but felt that some of the charm of the event had been lost in it's move to Santander, that's my point of view as a spectator, as was pointed out to me the event has to be geared for participants not gawpers :D

I left mid afternoon and plotted a scenic route back to Potes, I took some pics along the way had a coffee with Mark and blagged some free wi-fi :thumb2

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Views from the bridge in Potes;
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On a clear day you can get 1 or 2 bars of phone signal from here, it's a short hike from La Pisa :rolleyes:

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From my bedroom window at La Pisa I heard a commotion, it sounded like a breakdown truck..................
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it was, it was Shaun's bike, it had suffered an electrical failure and flattened the battery, no doubt caused by years of neglect from it's previous owner :hide ;)


A few drinks before dinner;
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A few drinks during dinner, those who were partaking of the local cidre were encouraged to pour it as the locals pour it, cookie made a valliant attempt....
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Whilst Mark didn't :D
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Dave had the fish-possibly followed by cheesecake :augie
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Oscar's friend Diego (from Bilbao) joined us for the evening and would lead a great but demanding ride the next day......
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Lots of beer n' bollox ensued, there was talk of a cab or minibus to Potes for a drink or three but the old folk were "settled" and didn't want to be disturbed or parted from their "cosytoes" :friday

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Sunday dawned bright and warm, Diego led today's ride on his K1300S, hampered (if that's the right word) by a pillion-his girlfriend but blessed with a lot of local knowledge he set a brisk pace :bounce1 From memory the group comprised; Me, Diego, Gerry,Cookie, Oscar, Marki andSpringer (Steve) he led us along a fantastic Gorge road, through villages and along deserted roads of endless curves, we climbed to the town of Sotres and stopped for a coffee, we took some pics along the way.........

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To Sotres! It's up there somewhere ;)
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We stopped for a late lunch (and to recover from our morning route of 10,000 curves!) in Colombres, the last time we were here the town hosted the Moto Piston Rally, the village square looked earily quiet.........
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The last time we were here we struggled to find space to park......
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But there were plenty of old bike visitors whilst we enjoyed (endured? ) lunch.....
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We enjoyed a slightly more relaxed pace on the way back to Potes, we bade farewell to Diego, I stopped to take a pic near Potes and heard a familiar sounding engine approaching.......
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Followed by Oscar
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Back at La Pisa Cheesecake was back on the dessert menu so all was well in Dave's world :D

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Great report and pics, and a great few days:thumb
 
great stuff :thumb2

i never had the cheesecake, but i remember the chocolate mouse was very nice. akchooly, it was all very nice.

very, very nice :)
 
Monday morning and this is the view from the spot affectionately named "the marrowpatch with intermittant 1 bar of phone signal when standing on 1 leg and leaning over the ledge of the neighbouring garden" or something similar.......
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While the sun looms over the mountains and a daytime temperature in the 30's is forecast again and, crucially-for some for the remainder of the week, a little dark cloud is looming over the Guzzi, it has blotted it's almost perfect reliability by suffering a rear puncture :tears
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Using ther tried and trusted water and fairy liquid method cookie could not find the source of the escaping air, as Gerry Mark and I prepare to leave in the direction of the Pyrenees cookie is optimistic that with frequent top ups at sevice stations he can make it to Santander for the ferry today, up to now Darkhorse' Airhead has not missed a beat neither has Steve's Bonnie-whilst sounding fantastic the whole trip, as we're leaving I declare Steve's bonnie winner of my (just made up) "most reliable old clunker" of the trip award, it turns out that may have been the kiss of death-sorry Steve :hide

Gerry, Mark and myself say our goodbyes to the rest of the group who are all headed for the ferry at Santander today whilst we are getting the Wednesday evening crossing giving us 3 full days extra, we descend to the valley floor to pick up the Ca184 road and encounter thick fog, misting visors and mirrors and 6 degree temperature whilst riding into the Sun, there were a few near misses :eek:
We stopped for a picture break here;
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We are heading for the medieval walled town of Sos del Ray for an overnight stop at Hotel El Pieron, I know nothing of the town we only picked it as a convenient stop off for our projected 750 miles over the next 3 days-we're in for a treat-but first we have to get there :bounce1
We travel together for a couple of hours, along a twisty but badly surfaced minor road (this was obviously the part of the route Gerry planned I mutter to myself), we arrive at a Mirador (viewing point) and stop for a pic or two, we set off together (or so I thought) unbeknown to me as I tear off enjoying the superbly surfaced twisty N232 the starburst effect has happened ( every person with a G.P.S. receives a different instruction and the riders scatter in different directions-each one convinced only their way is the right way.......) it would happen again several times over the next couple of days :rolleyes:
So, there I am rolling along-on my own, every vent in my jacket open, temp showing 28 degrees I decide to stop for a drink from the bottle of water in my top box, I crest the brow of a hill and pull over, I turn the bike around thinking the backdrop might make a good pic............
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I take a few more;

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Soon I have company, first Gerry, then Mark, the 3 of us together again-it won't last :D

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It's not long before the next "starburst effect" occurs and I find myself at the entrance to a toll road-a motorway, at this point I'm unsure whether I am still "on route" or if my GPS has auto recaculated without me noticing, with no way to turn around I take the on ramp and stop to assess my position, in the distance I see a lone bike with panniers cross my intended path beneath the motorway, I suspect it's Gerry but it's too far away to tell :confused:
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Nothing for it but to blat down the motorway for a couple of junctions then get off and re-join the route, I cruise at an indicated 90, the temp is 32 degrees, I have all my vents open again (not for the first time I'm glad I opted to wear the Trailguard suit on this trip in favour of my Streetguard), convinced I must be well ahead of the others I leave the motorway and pick up a road barely wider than a single track with passing places, it's smooth and free of traffic but very tight and technical in places :clap
I'm setting my own brisk pace and having a ball, as I slow down for a village I spot a Police patrol car tucked almost out of sight, as I pass (just below the speed limit) we exchange a glance, I'm expecting to see him in my mirrors at any moment so maintain a moderate pace for a couple of clicks, it seems it's too hot to chase tourists so I'm back on the pace again :bounce1
I pull over to drink the last of my water and take a few pics
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Soon I am joined by Mark and we ride together to Sos del Ray and arrive at Hotel El Pieron,
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There's no sign of Gerry so we sign in and each go to our rooms for a shower, nice room;
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Nice view of the cobbled streets below;
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In fact it's areally nice hotel, Mark is able to look down at the parked bikes from his room, note; only 2 bikes, Gerry had yet to arrive whilst Mark and I are already in the bar, we were joined tonight by David (Rivendell of this parish) :beerjug:

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We strolled around the town waiting for the 8pm opening of the local restaraunts for dinner
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Mark hit on the idea of photographing door knockers, it's a lively little town :confused: So I joined in-here's my efforts;

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Technically it's a letter box so it's cheating, but as there's no rules I declared this the winner :rolleyes:

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After a couple of beers we found a place to eat, Gerry had gruel followed by chicken
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Mark had a starter followed by Monkfish, I had a starter followed by Pork and apple-just pork and apple!

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WARNING! the next image may shock or scare those of a nervous disposition......
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;)

Having checked the security of the bikes and reflective qualities of my stickers we turned in

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David looks down at the peasants from his suite balcony :D

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Our destination today is Hotel Astrolabe in Oloron Saint Marie on the French side of the Pyrenees, it was this hotel that Gerry failed to make on last year's trip due to his bike & body/car interface, this is the "unfinished business" part of the trip for both Gerry and I, he because he'd bust his leg and me because I took the most direct route to the hospital he'd been taken to last year, I had got a bit further than him having arrived at Col d'Aspin which would have set me up for the Col du Tourmalet, so we agreed the Col Du Tourmalet was the target for today's ride en route to Oloron Saint Marie.
We were blessed again by the weather gods and were heading for the N260 and N230 both great roads on the Spanish side of the pyrenees and familiar to Gerry and I from last year, following a brief "starburst effect" we re-grouped, it was about this point I had a brain fart and decide I needed some "time out" to ride alone/set my own pace and take pics as I pleased, we agreed to part and meet up en-route, I enjoyed the N260 (who wouldn't) and stopped for the odd pic;

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The temps were in the low 30's and there wasn't a breath of wind, there was only some very light tourist traffic otherwise the roads were empty :thumb2

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I continued on the N260 heading for Ainsa;
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Having passed through Ainsa I stopped to wait for the others, it was too hot to wait around for long so I bimbled North along the A138 stopping for the odd pic;
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With no sign of the others I figured I might as well press on up the A138 to the tunnel and border crossing, I figured I would stop somewhere for lunch and leave my bike where the others would see it and join me, I should have sensed all was not well as each village I passed through looked more deserted than the last and none of the roadside restaraunts were open :confused:
All became apparent as neared the summit, the tunnel was closed :blast
Our route to France was blocked, there didn't seem to be a way we could backtrack and ride the Tourmalet and get to our evening hotel :blast :blast Thwarted again !
We bactracked to Ainsa and re-joined the N260 and followed the Col du Pourtalet into France, it's a great road
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It seems my timing was better than the others as I had a clear run into France whilst they were delayed by runaway livestock and a crash :p All of which may explain why I got to Oloron an hour before them, the Astrolabe has rooms themed to Country's, last year I had the Greek room this year I had the African room, it's a little tacky and not terribly well done but the price is keen,the breakfast is good and Madame is easy on the eye ;)

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We sat outside in the evening sun and sank a few beers and compared our day's, David was staying at a Hotel half a mile away so we walked to his for Dinner, crossing the River;

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As we ate dinner at the Hotel Bristol I noticed a picture of a street scene taken some time ago, I recognised the location and took a snap of the picture to compare;
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The building to the left with the shutters to the windows is Hotel Astrolabe-our hotel ;)
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Last day tomorrow, 280 miles, I know of at least 1 great pass on the route, we're guaranteed good weather and we have a ferry to catch, surely we can ride the last day together-can't we?

night-night :rob
 
Last day, from Oloron Saint Marie to Santander, our ferry departs at 9pm it's around 290 miles so there's no great hurry.............
We set off in single figure temperatures and managed to to keep our group of 3 together for some time before the obligatory picture stops began, Mark on climb to the Col de la Pierre St Martin;

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The sun was still rising, it was cold in the shade;
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But once we'd reached the top we were in the sunshine and the temps were in double figures

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This is a fantastic road, mile after mile of brand new Shell grip, the road is as wide as a dual carriageway, the views are stunning and the corners-for the most part are constant radius with just a hint of camber, this relatively open road with it's fast sweeping curves was, for me, a welcome change from some of the tight and technical switchback roads which demand your full attention if maintaining a brisk pace that we had covered over the previous day or so, I stopped for a pic or two (I didn't take many more :(

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I looked over the edge, I could see Mark below, he was "faffing" (his words) trying to get his camera ready for my approach;

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Gerry flashed past.......
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And disappeared into the distance....
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We continued down the Col and were stopped at temporary lights for 10 minutes, it wasn't clear at first why we had been stopped then, in the distance a group of people guided a car into a curtain side trailer and closed the doors, as we drove past I could see it was a Volvo but not a model I recognise, then we saw the film crew walking down the mountainside with their equipment, they picked a great day and fantastic location for their shoot :clap
We continued our journey via the Col Piedrasmar and contiued east to Santander for the ferry, Mark and I arrived at the port together with the narrowboat captain some way behind :D
Having checked in we parked the bikes and had a chat to some of the riders, it transpired the rest of the LaPisa group that hadn't got the Monday ferry were enjoying a coffee at a pavement cafe in the town, as we set off to join them Gerry arrived ;)

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We met Trippy and Shaun who had been joined by Banksy and Ralphy ( both formerly of this parish and on their own trip aboard their Harleys) Timpo was there too having been trail riding in Portugal, JB was apparently wearing his boots out searching for free wiffy (wi-fi) :JB

Having endured the endless queueing and waiting and the furnace hot temperatures in the bowels of the ship we were loaded and retitred to the upper decks, closely followed by the bar :beer:

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The cabaret singer/entertainer was better than average and much beer was drunk and bollux was (once again) the language of the evening :beerjug:
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Convinced he'd found the next model for one of his his photoshoots Ralphy was caught ogling a lady dancer when he thought no-one was looking :D

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A great trip :bounce1 Good company and food, great roads and weather :bow
Thanks to; cookie for instigating and all who took part for the craic and the company, thanks to Diego for the superb ride and local knowledge and to Oscar (Oie) for being tour-dad/translator/local guide/food guide & critic not to mention wine expert and master of the raised eyebrow 1000 yard stare :beerjug: :clap
The "unfinished business" remains just that-unfinished, it won't be next year but I have to go back some day if only for the Col du Tourmalet :thumb2
 
Steve, that was a fantastic report. Thank you. Was almost like being there...:aidan

I also have a few photos to share and will be beavering away later if time permits. Then I'll post some photos...:)

"...during the war..."
 
"...during the war..."

And other pearls...........

"I'm not really hungry..............."

"I can't eat 3 courses..............."

"You were off route..................."

"I didn't see you......................."

I remember cookie's expression "W*nking like a safari park chimp" but have no idea of the context in which it was said :D

Look forward to seeing your pics.
 


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