Best month for and Pyrenees trip

[timmynich]

Hey Guys

I'm planning a trip to Picos and Pyrenees hopefully end of May/early June. Just about to book the ferry thinking it will be nice and warm (compared to over here,) but then thought -will it be freezin at those altitudes? Will the nice high tarmac roads be open in May? Am I just being a muppet?
Haven't been before folks so would welcome your advice.

Cheers,
Tim

 

[billabong]

pyrenees

hi tim

I went over the pyrenees back in may 92 on a suzy gs 850,went through bourg madame,aix les thermes then over the top of the pyrenees and dropped onto the costa brava for a week,at the highest point there was snow at the side of the road and it was about 8 degrees midday, so you should be fine as long as you don,t cross over in the middle of the night,i know it was about may the 14th when we went over the top,
regards
andy

 

[teejay]

We went last week in May last year, in the high 20's nearly 30 degrees to Ainsa, lovely, rode down through France and back, never rode in a drop of rain.

This was Ainsa.......

Teejay

 

[sidestand]

You should be fine then, although you could get one or two of the Cols closed for post winter maintenance (last time we did it in late May was in 2010 & the Col de Tourmalet & Col D'Aspin on the East side was closed)

But this was the worst snow we found

 

[John Armstrong]

End of May to be certain the higher passes will be open I'd reckon. But if it's an early summer then whenever they're clear (rather obviously).

Or have a look here for less guess work>

http://www.infotrafic.com/route.php?region=FRANC&link=cols.php?PYRE

 

[timmynich]

Pyrenees trip

Cheers guys that all sounds fantastic. I'll get the ferry booked quick! The cabins are getting sold out in as I speak, so it's obviously a popular time.

The ride down sounds nice, Teejay. If I had longer I'd definitely consider it - maybe next time. Actually I should just do it. I always come back wishing I'd booked more leave and done more riding!

Great photos and tips guys. If it's 32 degrees at the bottom I'll be looking for those snow patches to cool off.

Thanks for the link John. Very handy site, that.

Cheers again,
Tim

 

[sidestand]

A side trip well worth doing is to visit the Observatory at the Pic Du Midi

It's just after the Col Du Tourmalet near Lourdes - It's a double cable car trip up there, but it's bloody amazing - like a Bond arch villain's base in the sky

Try the 3D panorama out on the website

http://www.picdumidi.com/web/fr/12-webcam.php

 

[Oliwoof]

We have lived in the Pyrenees for almost 5 years now, and there seems to be no definite time for the high passes to open. Last year the warm weather came early and Col d'Aubisque was open late April, albeit with pot holes and still a little snow. Col du Tourmalet is normally open early June, the Col road is used as ski run during the winter and rapairs are necessary for the Tour de France to pass through. This winter there has been significantly more snow than last so would expect everything to be delayed, but its all down to the weather so who knows?

All that taken into account May/June is a great time to visit the area, few tourist about, quiet roads and the mountains still have a covering of snow so look beautiful .......

Pic du Midi is well worth a visit, as are many places in the Hautes-Pyrenees - Gavarnie, Pont d'Espagne etc.

Cheers, Phil

http://pyreneesmotorcycletours.com
ride the best roads

 

[Dellis]

Went to the Picos and Pyrenees last September and it was fantastic. Decent weather without being cooked alive and reasonably quiet.

Dave

 

[harleyta]

I did a trip to the Pyrenees last August and had the most amazing time. It was a solo trip and I took the ferry from Poole to Cherbourg and camped in Normandy as I wanted to see the Normandy beaches/battlefields. I then took 5 days travelling through Le Mans, Poitiers, Lourdes and then stayed 3 nights near the Col D'Aubisque. I went up the Pic du Midi cable car and the views were almost lunar. Not cheap though at £32.

Then I went over the Pyrenees into Spain and spent the next few days travelling Eastwards along the N260. This has to be one of the best motorcycling roads I have been fortunate to follow. Lots of mountain passes and gorges with some of the most spectacular scenery. I then headed North to Carcassonne, the Gorges Du Tarn and the viaduct at Milau.

Then finished the trip by heading up through the centre of France to the Channel Tunnel and home.

Being August, I was lucky enough to have some glorious weather, but from about Day 4 the temperatures were around 38 degrees. This was a little too hot for my liking especially in all the bike gear. I had real problems if I took my gloves off as I couldn't get them back on where my hands had swollen in the heat and were so sweaty. I never rode in the rain at all - until I reached Dover. I camped every night on some fabulous sites (and some not so great).

The only thing I booked is my ferry ticket and my tunnel return ticket. Each night I would sit down with my map and decide roughly where I wanted to reach the next day and then looked for a campsite when I got there. I had no sat nav, just a french road map and I stayed on all small roads and avoided any Motorways. This meant I went through some lovely little villages and saw so much more of France than I would have done just powering my way down to the Pyrenees.

This was my first trip abroad on a motorcycle and I loved every minute of it. I covered 3,000 miles in 17 days AND ALL OF IT ON A YAMAHA XT250 SEROW!!!
Amazing little bike that never missed a beat, covering 150 to 200 miles a day (260 miles on one day)

 

[blu-dub]

Picos de Europe and Pyrenees trips

We are running a few trips to the Picos and Pyrenees - please feel free to check our website ! one thing to bear in mind is that the ferry places are always in demand and book quickly ,this year in particular due to the Hog event in June and the simple fact that theses roads are so bloody good!!

we've still got availability by the way !!

www.atlasmotorcycletours.co.uk

thanks for looking - karl