So day 1 of our annual motorcycling adventure is coming to an end. Due to late arrival of the ferry we didn’t get on board till 9.15pm. A lovely ride down to Plymouth via a fantastic country pub in Somerset, where we had a fab lunch, and then some great roads before a final blast down the A38 to the port. We have now departed the UK and arrive in Roscoff at 8am for our 320 mile slog down to La Rochelle for a relaxing 2 night stay. Once again I have to thank those people at home that look after my boys to allow us to enjoy these adventures.
So day 2 of our European tour. We arrived in Roscoff at 8 am and were through customs by 9.15. Still no EES system at the port. Due to the amount of people on board we decided to skip breakfast and headed South for just under an hour on some lovely country roads and stopped at a pretty wee village called Le Faou for a croissant and drink. We then had a blast down a very scenic dual carriageway for 199km before riding through the Briere National Park and some more country roads to the town of Pornic for a relaxing lunch by the side of the harbour. After we took a motorway free route down to La Rochelle, arriving just after 6pm. Temperature at Roscoff was 17 and it gradually rose to 30 by the time we were an hour from La Rochelle.
Day 3 of our trip and it was a day off the bike enjoying the old town of La Rochelle. After a fab brekky we headed in the centre of town to the markets. Fabulous fruit and veg stalls outside and amazing meat and fish offerings indoors. I let Helen do the indoors stuff as I can’t abide the smell of fish
. Then we headed off to the aquarium for a couple of hours before a small harbourside lunch. In the afternoon we went to the bizarre but very interesting Bunker Museum in the centre of town. Temps today started at 24 this morning and reached 32 by mid afternoon. Tonight we head back into town for dinner at a French restaurant.
Day 4. Today we said farewell to La Rochelle and headed south towards the north end of the Pyrenees. 270 miles in total. We did the first 150 on major roads and the last 120 through a couple of national parks to where we are now. Sometimes you get lucky with your accommodation but this time we hit the jackpot. 450 metres above sea level in a tiny village called Aydius. Just stunning. The “hotel” is actually a restaurant with rooms. So as well as amazing scenery we will be well fed and watered. Temps at 9am was 24 and by the time we arrived here at 4.45 it was 33! Tomorrow we head west, over the Col du Pourtalet, and into Spain.
Day 5. We left our village haven of Aydius and headed east over the Col de Marie Blanque 1300 metres, and then south west over the Col du Pourtalet on the France/Spain border, 1850 metres, and into Spain. We took a route avoiding motorways, past the Malloy de Riglos rock formations and stopped for a much needed refreshment break in Agreda. After that we continued east through the Navara national park and onto our next stop in the city of Soria, with an air conditioned underground car park. Temperatures today ranged from 13 at 8.15am to 38 at 4pm. Tonight, if our bodies allow, we will try and join in with the Spanish footy fans when they play Portugal
. Total miles today 247.
Day 6 and we left Soria at 8.15 to try and beat the heat. Did’nt work
. We headed south west, through another national park on some fantastic roads before arriving at the city of Segovia. We headed for the centre to visit the 2000 year old Roman aqueduct, the largest in the world, before heading north west along the Spanish plains. After a fab lunch stop at the world’s poshest truck cafe we continued towards Salamanca for a 2 night stay. Unfortunately the weather had to turn at some point and a storm of rain and hail slowed our progress for about 30 minutes, but soon stopped and within half an hour we were totally dry again. Current temperature here is 37 degrees at 6pm! Our accommodation for the next 2 days is an apartment with all mod cons and secure underground parking for the bike. The bike itself is performing fab and is currently averaging just over 64mpg. I will give her a thorough check over tomorrow so she’s ready for the rest of the trip. Tonight we will walk the 300 metres to the main square and find a nice restaurant for dinner.
Day 7 and a day off the bike. A walk through old town Salamanca. Helen got to pose with Christopher Columbus before we headed of to the cathedral and the Roman bridge. A quick walk through the university grounds before a wee sandwich and drink. Back to the accommodation for an afternoon siesta before we head to another museum which opens at 5.30!
Day 8 and we have headed west from Salamanca and over the border to Portugal. A fab ride through hills and valleys and over 2 dams, before following the Douro river to our hotel in Peso da Regua. Mileage today a bit lower at 170 and temperatures reached 36 degrees. Only error was not realising that Portugal is an hour behind Spain so we arrived a tad earlier than we had planned.
Day 9 of our tour. We left Regua at 9.15 and after a quick fuel stop we headed north on the famous N2 towards the town of Campea. We then jumped onto the N304 and continued towards Mondim de Basto. This road is simply stunning, and despite the low cloud and temperature, 13 degrees, at the top we had a fantastic ride. We then headed to Cerva on the N312 for a short coffee break before heading along the N206 to Lixa do Alvao for a small lunch in the town square. Afterwards we headed south on the N212/N15 to the town of Murca before heading east on the R15 to Mirandela. I assume the R stands for rural! as the road was just one bend after another for miles. Fantastic. Another stop for drinks a few miles outside of town before taking the N213 north to our overnight stop in Chaves. I’m not sure what I clicked on booking.com but our room tonight has a balcony with a jacuzzi and 4 poster bed, so we can sleep under stars if we so wish.
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Day 10. We left Chaves at 9am but in reality, as we were heading to Spain, it was 10am. We covered virtually every kind of road you can imagine, apart from motorways. A roads, country roads and even single track very bouncy rural stuff. A fuel and lunch break just before A Gudina and then possibly the worlds greatest road, the OU-533 from A Gudina toward A Rua. After that it was the N120/N6 to Leon. After a much needed cooling shower we headed to town to visit one of the oldest gothic cathedrals in the world, building commenced in 1250 and was complete in 50 years! When you see the size of the place you would, like us, wonder how this was possible. Afterwards we headed to the main square for dinner and drinks. Tomorrow we continue north through the Picos to a coastal town for a walk on the beach. We are finishing our evening in a bar called The 4 Lions. We advised the owner it should be 3 lions tonight! He wasn’t convinced
Day 11 of our holiday. We left Leon at 9.30 and headed north east along the N621, to Riano. Another fantastic road. We then followed the N625 to the Picos. This road starts off with amazing sweeping bends but then shows its true colours by changing to narly twists and turns that meant 3rd gear and above was a rarity. This was for almost 20 kilometres and was definitely not for the inexperienced or nervous rider! Occasional rock falls in the road made it so concentration was a must. Towards the end we found a much needed cafe for a break, which was obviously known to the local bikers. We then headed to the coastal town of Ribadesella for a quick lunch before rejoining the famous “pots and pans” route. The AS114. Simply one sweeping bend after another. Our fabulous hotel for tonight is in the north coast village of Pechon. The weather has finally broken here which curtailed our planned walk to the beach for a paddle
. Thunder, lightning and heavy rain but appears to be clearing out a little now. Tonight we are having dinner at the hotel, a first for this trip. Tomorrow we continue east to Bilbao for our last night on European soil for this tour. Total miles for today 154 and temperature peaked at 33.
Day 12 and our last full day of the tour. Tomorrow we take a leisurely breakfast before heading to our ferry for a lunchtime departure. This morning, after a quick visit to Pechon beach, we headed south east along the fabulous CA181 to the town of Puentenansa. We then headed along the CA182 to the CA280. This was a 15km climb through the absolutely stunning Saja Besaya Natural Park, through a forest full of sweeping and some really narly bends. The peak was at 1280 metres. We met free range cattle and horses along with an occasional lizard! We also found the cousin of the deer that is usually found on the “pots and pans” route, only this one doesn’t have a bullet hole in its ear
. This route is known as the Pass Puerto de Palombera, and is well worth visiting if you are in the area. Once we dropped down out of the mountains we followed the CA171 alongside the huge, and appeared almost never ending, Ebro reservoir, towards the town of Villarcayo for fuel and a lovely lunch. We then continued north east over the Bocos Pass on the CL629, where we were overflown by a group of Griffon vultures, before using a motorway free route to our final hotel for this tour in the centre of Bilbao. We were promised a view of the Guggenheim museum and river, but despite being on the 6th floor, the local foliage has got in the way. Tonight we are heading into Bilbao old town for dinner and drinks.
And that’s a wrap for 2026. Day 13 and we are heading north across the Bay of Biscay onboard the Galicia. It’s been amazing touring again and once again huge thanks to those back home that allow us to go on these adventures by looking after my boys.
Will post pics/vids once we have had chance to download them all.
=======
Thank you.
I have moved the post and thread into trip reports.
Richard
So day 2 of our European tour. We arrived in Roscoff at 8 am and were through customs by 9.15. Still no EES system at the port. Due to the amount of people on board we decided to skip breakfast and headed South for just under an hour on some lovely country roads and stopped at a pretty wee village called Le Faou for a croissant and drink. We then had a blast down a very scenic dual carriageway for 199km before riding through the Briere National Park and some more country roads to the town of Pornic for a relaxing lunch by the side of the harbour. After we took a motorway free route down to La Rochelle, arriving just after 6pm. Temperature at Roscoff was 17 and it gradually rose to 30 by the time we were an hour from La Rochelle.
Day 3 of our trip and it was a day off the bike enjoying the old town of La Rochelle. After a fab brekky we headed in the centre of town to the markets. Fabulous fruit and veg stalls outside and amazing meat and fish offerings indoors. I let Helen do the indoors stuff as I can’t abide the smell of fish
Day 4. Today we said farewell to La Rochelle and headed south towards the north end of the Pyrenees. 270 miles in total. We did the first 150 on major roads and the last 120 through a couple of national parks to where we are now. Sometimes you get lucky with your accommodation but this time we hit the jackpot. 450 metres above sea level in a tiny village called Aydius. Just stunning. The “hotel” is actually a restaurant with rooms. So as well as amazing scenery we will be well fed and watered. Temps at 9am was 24 and by the time we arrived here at 4.45 it was 33! Tomorrow we head west, over the Col du Pourtalet, and into Spain.
Day 5. We left our village haven of Aydius and headed east over the Col de Marie Blanque 1300 metres, and then south west over the Col du Pourtalet on the France/Spain border, 1850 metres, and into Spain. We took a route avoiding motorways, past the Malloy de Riglos rock formations and stopped for a much needed refreshment break in Agreda. After that we continued east through the Navara national park and onto our next stop in the city of Soria, with an air conditioned underground car park. Temperatures today ranged from 13 at 8.15am to 38 at 4pm. Tonight, if our bodies allow, we will try and join in with the Spanish footy fans when they play Portugal
Day 6 and we left Soria at 8.15 to try and beat the heat. Did’nt work
Day 7 and a day off the bike. A walk through old town Salamanca. Helen got to pose with Christopher Columbus before we headed of to the cathedral and the Roman bridge. A quick walk through the university grounds before a wee sandwich and drink. Back to the accommodation for an afternoon siesta before we head to another museum which opens at 5.30!
Day 8 and we have headed west from Salamanca and over the border to Portugal. A fab ride through hills and valleys and over 2 dams, before following the Douro river to our hotel in Peso da Regua. Mileage today a bit lower at 170 and temperatures reached 36 degrees. Only error was not realising that Portugal is an hour behind Spain so we arrived a tad earlier than we had planned.
Day 9 of our tour. We left Regua at 9.15 and after a quick fuel stop we headed north on the famous N2 towards the town of Campea. We then jumped onto the N304 and continued towards Mondim de Basto. This road is simply stunning, and despite the low cloud and temperature, 13 degrees, at the top we had a fantastic ride. We then headed to Cerva on the N312 for a short coffee break before heading along the N206 to Lixa do Alvao for a small lunch in the town square. Afterwards we headed south on the N212/N15 to the town of Murca before heading east on the R15 to Mirandela. I assume the R stands for rural! as the road was just one bend after another for miles. Fantastic. Another stop for drinks a few miles outside of town before taking the N213 north to our overnight stop in Chaves. I’m not sure what I clicked on booking.com but our room tonight has a balcony with a jacuzzi and 4 poster bed, so we can sleep under stars if we so wish.
Day 10. We left Chaves at 9am but in reality, as we were heading to Spain, it was 10am. We covered virtually every kind of road you can imagine, apart from motorways. A roads, country roads and even single track very bouncy rural stuff. A fuel and lunch break just before A Gudina and then possibly the worlds greatest road, the OU-533 from A Gudina toward A Rua. After that it was the N120/N6 to Leon. After a much needed cooling shower we headed to town to visit one of the oldest gothic cathedrals in the world, building commenced in 1250 and was complete in 50 years! When you see the size of the place you would, like us, wonder how this was possible. Afterwards we headed to the main square for dinner and drinks. Tomorrow we continue north through the Picos to a coastal town for a walk on the beach. We are finishing our evening in a bar called The 4 Lions. We advised the owner it should be 3 lions tonight! He wasn’t convinced
Day 11 of our holiday. We left Leon at 9.30 and headed north east along the N621, to Riano. Another fantastic road. We then followed the N625 to the Picos. This road starts off with amazing sweeping bends but then shows its true colours by changing to narly twists and turns that meant 3rd gear and above was a rarity. This was for almost 20 kilometres and was definitely not for the inexperienced or nervous rider! Occasional rock falls in the road made it so concentration was a must. Towards the end we found a much needed cafe for a break, which was obviously known to the local bikers. We then headed to the coastal town of Ribadesella for a quick lunch before rejoining the famous “pots and pans” route. The AS114. Simply one sweeping bend after another. Our fabulous hotel for tonight is in the north coast village of Pechon. The weather has finally broken here which curtailed our planned walk to the beach for a paddle
Day 12 and our last full day of the tour. Tomorrow we take a leisurely breakfast before heading to our ferry for a lunchtime departure. This morning, after a quick visit to Pechon beach, we headed south east along the fabulous CA181 to the town of Puentenansa. We then headed along the CA182 to the CA280. This was a 15km climb through the absolutely stunning Saja Besaya Natural Park, through a forest full of sweeping and some really narly bends. The peak was at 1280 metres. We met free range cattle and horses along with an occasional lizard! We also found the cousin of the deer that is usually found on the “pots and pans” route, only this one doesn’t have a bullet hole in its ear
And that’s a wrap for 2026. Day 13 and we are heading north across the Bay of Biscay onboard the Galicia. It’s been amazing touring again and once again huge thanks to those back home that allow us to go on these adventures by looking after my boys.
Will post pics/vids once we have had chance to download them all.
=======
Thank you.
I have moved the post and thread into trip reports.
Richard
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