**********************************************************************************************
Some of the villages and roads in the Pyrenees that I visited on this trip (June 2nd to 17th 2013) have been badly damaged / destroyed by floods in the last week or so, my sympathy goes out to all those affected.
**********************************************************************************************
First off I have to say thanks for the valuable information on here which helped me plan my first trip abroad on the bike, so here’s a ride report for you of the resulting trip, it is a bit long & picture heavy, I got carried away!!
This was always going to be a bit of a “whistle stop” trip as I wanted to see a number of places and decide which I wanted to revisit with more time on another occasion.
Okay here goes....
I had booked the Plymouth/Santander ferry and after travelling down watched the Pont Aven arrive at Plymouth.
and was fortunate to have a very calm crossing.
There were loads of bikes on the boat, it was all a bit snug and it did get a bit warm waiting to disembark...
I’d booked in for four nights at Pyrenees Motorcycle Tours and as luck would have it there were a group of four other guys on the same ferry heading to Phil’s and they kindly agreed for me to tag along with them, they actually made a huge effort to make me welcome and feel part of the gang, it was a good way to start my first trip.
Incidentally there was also a guy who had been behind me in the queue to get on the boat at Plymouth who I’d had a brief chat with, after I’d got off the ferry and was waiting for the other four he made a point of coming over to me to make sure I was ok as I’d told him it was my first trip – a great example of the support you generally find in the biking community.
Anyway it was a quick run on the motorways round to Pyrenees Motorcycle Tours to be met by Phil & Belinda. Introductions were made and beers opened and then after everyone had had a chance to get sorted out Belinda served a great meal and the evening progressed with the usual motorcycling discussion.
The following day we all went for a ride out down into Spain and the Ordesa Y Monte Perdido National Park, lead by Phil and accompanied by a friend of his on a XTZ660, ridden in a way I would not have thought possible, entertaining doesn’t really cover it!
The scenery was rather good
After a leisurely lunch in Escalona
we headed back, over the Col d’Aspin
After another evening of beer, food and bo*****s next up, via a coffee stop in Saint Savin,
was a ride to Pont d’Espagne
Warm & sunny (almost too warm) with great scenery there, however after lunch we headed for the Cirque de Troumouse where it was not so warm! With snow blocking the road before we could get to see the Cirque
Fantastic scenery anyway so still worth the trip up there. With storms brewing we decided to head back.
The following day dawned clear and sunny and I headed off on my own as I really wanted to go up the Col du Tourmalet, even though I knew it was closed to through traffic. It may not be the most interesting road from a motorcycling point of view but when you have seen the Cols on the TV watching Le Tour on many occasions it becomes a “must do” thing. It was good to be able to add context to the TV pictures.
Got a great view of the Pic du Midi, next time I’ll go up there in the cable car.
Further exploration to Cirque du Gavarnie and up to the ski station at Pic des Tentes, not surprisingly the road was blocked by snow at higher level but having the road up there to myself was great.
After my final (excellent) evening at Pyrenees Motorcycle Tours and an early breakfast - I really can’t thank Phil & Belinda enough, great hosts in a lovely house - I set off for the rest of the trip.
I was ultimately heading for Olot, via Luchon and Sort and a bit of the N260. A few stops on the way, a couple of navigational errors and some closed roads all conspired to make it a long day. A very rewarding day though. The 260 is almost too much to take in, but it is a great road, I particularly enjoyed the stretch to Ripoll.
Olot is an interesting place and it was lively, as I suppose you might expect on a Friday evening. I thought I’d have another look around before I left in the morning – great plan except that when I woke up it was raining, hard.
The idea was to head to Barcelona and then back up the coast, the rain eased mid morning so off I went (the exit from the hotel’s underground car park was entertaining, a steep ramp with a sharp turn on wet cobblestone type surface). Not long after I got on the road the weather turned really foul, windy and heavy rain, I was up in the clouds and couldn’t see much at all so it wasn’t much fun. I stopped for early lunch at Vic and decided to head straight for the coast and leave Barcelona for another time. As I got going again a small patch of blue sky appeared, but it was just a tease because the rain returned within a few minutes and it really meant it now. It hammered down, the roads were flooding and I couldn’t see where I was going. Eventually as I got near to Palamos the rain stopped and the roads were dry, I found a hotel and got booked in. An afternoon sat outside in the sun with my kit draped over chairs, steaming away and followed by and evening sat watching the world go by from a seafront restaurant meant I soon forgot about the rain.
I’d been away for a week now and was really into the whole trip thing.
A cloudless sky greeted me in the morning and off I went, planning on riding the coast road to Perpignan and then inland to Carcassonne and on to Millau. The first bit was great, riding the N260 once again along the coast to the French border. The abandoned border posts, covered in graffiti do look a bit strange. As I headed West all seemed good, apart from the dark clouds which were forming. Suffice to say that the rest of the day was wet, very at times; so much so that by the time I got to Lodeve I’d had enough and stopped for the evening.
This to me was another excellent justification for not having booked any hotels, having the flexibility to change the route completely and stop when you feel like it far outweighs the perceived advantages of booking all your accommodation from the safety of your computer before you go.
A new day arrived, cloudy and cool but dry and looking like it would only improve. I was aiming for somewhere near Les Deux Alps as my next stop, but by now I was only vaguely following my original plan.
First up was the Millau Viaduct, I know it’s been mentioned on here before but it really is a crazy structure, unfeasibly high and the road deck looks tiny.
They’re tough these GS’s, strong enough to hold that up anyway!
Obviously the next place from here was Gorges du Tarn; it is a bit special with some lovely little settlements along the way. I’d not want to be there in holiday season though; I should imagine it being a bit busy.
After lunch I headed East, joining the N106 for 30 miles of brilliant road. After Ales I headed across towards Gap. I got to see Mt Ventoux in the distance, another Tour de France icon. East of Nyons the D94 turns into another fantastic bit of tarmac. I didn’t much like Gap when I got there, nothing wrong with the place except it seemed so busy after all the little places I’d been through so I pushed on to Savines-le-Lac to be rewarded with a hotel with a decent view
And a great meal in the restaurant.
Day 10 of my trip and a bit of indecision; head south now or have a look at a few Tour Cols and then head south. So I went North up the N91
as far as the turn for the Col du Galibier (which I knew was closed)
before re-tracking to Briancon and then over Col d’Izoard
and Col du Vars, there’s a small cafe at the top but I’d already stopped for lunch in the ski resort so didn’t go in, however it was very popular with the cyclists who had made their way up there.
and into Italy over the Col du Larche
I thought I’d get back into France via the Col du Lombardy but when I got to the turning the sign said “closed” so instead I went for the Tende tunnel. Unfortunately the barriers came down just as I rode up and the sign flashed up “20” in the minutes waiting time box, so I got off the bike.
Eventually the barriers lifted an I made my way through the tunnel and looked for a hotel, I ended up in the village of La Brigue at the Le Mirval, a great hotel with more good food.
It was an interesting village; apparently it was in Italy for a while.
This turned out to be a real stand-out day of my trip (as you may have deduced by the number of photos)
My other half had flown out to the Ligurian coast for a few days in the sun so I set off to meet her in Alassio and as I was already so close I had plenty of time to go via Monaco – or so I thought. The D2204 to Sospel and then over towards Nice turned out to be a bit slower than I anticipated
Not helped by patches of surface dressing or “Gravillons” as the French refer to it, all over the place. Then I got caught up in traffic in Nice as I’d missed a turning, it was worth the effort though as the view of the bay from the D2564 was impressive even though it was a bit misty
So I headed down to Monaco and the traffic was horrendous, cars and scooters everywhere, I nearly didn’t bother but eventually found my way to the harbour.
An interesting place to visit and great to ride through “the tunnel”, albeit the wrong way compared to the F1 guys. I should have done more research on the road layout and where to park as all the traffic made it very difficult to just stop or turn around.
I wanted to ride the coast road to Alassio so that I could get a feel for the costal resorts and see the scenery rather than using the Autoroute / Autostrada. Whilst this was good in parts it was also very slow, 50kph limit almost all the way and constant traffic. The contrast to my previous days riding was huge, but you can’t get it right all the time!
As you’d expect there were a few rich boys toys out on the water, the owner of this was probably feeling quite pleased with themselves
Except that at anchor about 250yds away was this
Eventually I arrived at Alassio having taken 8 hours to cover 120 miles and I hadn’t stopped for that long anywhere really.
I had a day off the bike the following day and we went to Santa Margherita where, amongst other things, there is a stunning church
The inside of which really has to be seen, over the top plus a bit.
And from there a boat trip to Portofino
Incidentally the silver and black Sunseeker in the picture is/was for sale if anyone’s interested, only £2,950,000......
The buildings in this area are often painted to give the impression of stonework
The next day, which was Friday, I had to head off as I had to be at Caen for the late sailing on Sunday. After a bit of thought I decided to go for the N85 “Route Napoleon” from Grasse to Digne (even though it added significantly to the distance) then head, hopefully, to Chamonix as I’d decided I really wanted to see Mt Blanc. I knew it would mean passing through an area I’d been to a few days before but given the scenery it was no real hardship.
I went back into Italy over the Col du Montgenevre and down to Oulx, here I had to decide, 3 mountain passes and Mt Blanc Tunnel or Frejus Tunnel and flatter roads, as the clouds were coming in and lower I went for the Frejus route. First shock was the 27 euro toll, next was how hot the tunnel was – 35 deg C for at least 4km in the middle. I’d remembered reading the tunnels got warm but it was still a surprise.
This choice of route resulted in me stopping for the night in the small village of St Nicholas de Veroce at Hotel Restaurant Le Coin du Feu which was the best of the trip. A wooden Alpine style building, a room with a terrace and a view out over the mountains and the best meal of the two weeks. It really was brilliant.
Totally refreshed and with the clouds clearing I set off to see Mt Blanc. After having a wander around Chamonix, very strange to see people in full skiing gear & skis on their shoulder on the 15th of June and waiting a while, the clouds cleared.
Tearing myself away from the mountains it was off across France, Autoroutes and mainly dull major roads lead to an afternoon stop in Bourges with its cobbled streets and old buildings and overnight at Bracieux.
So now it was my last day in France and I wanted to go to the Normandy Beaches so after a quick stop in Blois
I made my way across country to Isigny-sur-Mer and slowly along the coast
I’d never been to the area before and was very pleased that I had. I’m sure every visitor goes away with a different memory but I’d be surprised if anyone was not affected by the history.
As with all trips they have to come to an end so I made my way to Ouistreham (after a quick look at Pegasus Bridge) for the overnight ferry to Portsmouth which was somewhat less crowded than the ship I was on two weeks before
Only about 10 bikes on there.
An uneventful crossing spat me out in Portsmouth on a dull, cool Monday and I headed home.
I’d seen a lot and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Obviously there are some things I’d do differently, places I’d stay longer and some I’d miss out, but that’s the way life is and as I said at the top; this was always going to be a taster trip.
**********************************************************************************************
Some of the villages and roads in the Pyrenees that I visited on this trip (June 2nd to 17th 2013) have been badly damaged / destroyed by floods in the last week or so, my sympathy goes out to all those affected.
**********************************************************************************************
Thanks again to anyone who through their postings on here inspired this trip.
And so to the next time............................
Some of the villages and roads in the Pyrenees that I visited on this trip (June 2nd to 17th 2013) have been badly damaged / destroyed by floods in the last week or so, my sympathy goes out to all those affected.
**********************************************************************************************
First off I have to say thanks for the valuable information on here which helped me plan my first trip abroad on the bike, so here’s a ride report for you of the resulting trip, it is a bit long & picture heavy, I got carried away!!
This was always going to be a bit of a “whistle stop” trip as I wanted to see a number of places and decide which I wanted to revisit with more time on another occasion.
Okay here goes....
I had booked the Plymouth/Santander ferry and after travelling down watched the Pont Aven arrive at Plymouth.
and was fortunate to have a very calm crossing.
There were loads of bikes on the boat, it was all a bit snug and it did get a bit warm waiting to disembark...
I’d booked in for four nights at Pyrenees Motorcycle Tours and as luck would have it there were a group of four other guys on the same ferry heading to Phil’s and they kindly agreed for me to tag along with them, they actually made a huge effort to make me welcome and feel part of the gang, it was a good way to start my first trip.
Incidentally there was also a guy who had been behind me in the queue to get on the boat at Plymouth who I’d had a brief chat with, after I’d got off the ferry and was waiting for the other four he made a point of coming over to me to make sure I was ok as I’d told him it was my first trip – a great example of the support you generally find in the biking community.
Anyway it was a quick run on the motorways round to Pyrenees Motorcycle Tours to be met by Phil & Belinda. Introductions were made and beers opened and then after everyone had had a chance to get sorted out Belinda served a great meal and the evening progressed with the usual motorcycling discussion.
The following day we all went for a ride out down into Spain and the Ordesa Y Monte Perdido National Park, lead by Phil and accompanied by a friend of his on a XTZ660, ridden in a way I would not have thought possible, entertaining doesn’t really cover it!
The scenery was rather good
After a leisurely lunch in Escalona
we headed back, over the Col d’Aspin
After another evening of beer, food and bo*****s next up, via a coffee stop in Saint Savin,
was a ride to Pont d’Espagne
Warm & sunny (almost too warm) with great scenery there, however after lunch we headed for the Cirque de Troumouse where it was not so warm! With snow blocking the road before we could get to see the Cirque
Fantastic scenery anyway so still worth the trip up there. With storms brewing we decided to head back.
The following day dawned clear and sunny and I headed off on my own as I really wanted to go up the Col du Tourmalet, even though I knew it was closed to through traffic. It may not be the most interesting road from a motorcycling point of view but when you have seen the Cols on the TV watching Le Tour on many occasions it becomes a “must do” thing. It was good to be able to add context to the TV pictures.
Got a great view of the Pic du Midi, next time I’ll go up there in the cable car.
Further exploration to Cirque du Gavarnie and up to the ski station at Pic des Tentes, not surprisingly the road was blocked by snow at higher level but having the road up there to myself was great.
After my final (excellent) evening at Pyrenees Motorcycle Tours and an early breakfast - I really can’t thank Phil & Belinda enough, great hosts in a lovely house - I set off for the rest of the trip.
I was ultimately heading for Olot, via Luchon and Sort and a bit of the N260. A few stops on the way, a couple of navigational errors and some closed roads all conspired to make it a long day. A very rewarding day though. The 260 is almost too much to take in, but it is a great road, I particularly enjoyed the stretch to Ripoll.
Olot is an interesting place and it was lively, as I suppose you might expect on a Friday evening. I thought I’d have another look around before I left in the morning – great plan except that when I woke up it was raining, hard.
The idea was to head to Barcelona and then back up the coast, the rain eased mid morning so off I went (the exit from the hotel’s underground car park was entertaining, a steep ramp with a sharp turn on wet cobblestone type surface). Not long after I got on the road the weather turned really foul, windy and heavy rain, I was up in the clouds and couldn’t see much at all so it wasn’t much fun. I stopped for early lunch at Vic and decided to head straight for the coast and leave Barcelona for another time. As I got going again a small patch of blue sky appeared, but it was just a tease because the rain returned within a few minutes and it really meant it now. It hammered down, the roads were flooding and I couldn’t see where I was going. Eventually as I got near to Palamos the rain stopped and the roads were dry, I found a hotel and got booked in. An afternoon sat outside in the sun with my kit draped over chairs, steaming away and followed by and evening sat watching the world go by from a seafront restaurant meant I soon forgot about the rain.
I’d been away for a week now and was really into the whole trip thing.
A cloudless sky greeted me in the morning and off I went, planning on riding the coast road to Perpignan and then inland to Carcassonne and on to Millau. The first bit was great, riding the N260 once again along the coast to the French border. The abandoned border posts, covered in graffiti do look a bit strange. As I headed West all seemed good, apart from the dark clouds which were forming. Suffice to say that the rest of the day was wet, very at times; so much so that by the time I got to Lodeve I’d had enough and stopped for the evening.
This to me was another excellent justification for not having booked any hotels, having the flexibility to change the route completely and stop when you feel like it far outweighs the perceived advantages of booking all your accommodation from the safety of your computer before you go.
A new day arrived, cloudy and cool but dry and looking like it would only improve. I was aiming for somewhere near Les Deux Alps as my next stop, but by now I was only vaguely following my original plan.
First up was the Millau Viaduct, I know it’s been mentioned on here before but it really is a crazy structure, unfeasibly high and the road deck looks tiny.
They’re tough these GS’s, strong enough to hold that up anyway!
Obviously the next place from here was Gorges du Tarn; it is a bit special with some lovely little settlements along the way. I’d not want to be there in holiday season though; I should imagine it being a bit busy.
After lunch I headed East, joining the N106 for 30 miles of brilliant road. After Ales I headed across towards Gap. I got to see Mt Ventoux in the distance, another Tour de France icon. East of Nyons the D94 turns into another fantastic bit of tarmac. I didn’t much like Gap when I got there, nothing wrong with the place except it seemed so busy after all the little places I’d been through so I pushed on to Savines-le-Lac to be rewarded with a hotel with a decent view
And a great meal in the restaurant.
Day 10 of my trip and a bit of indecision; head south now or have a look at a few Tour Cols and then head south. So I went North up the N91
as far as the turn for the Col du Galibier (which I knew was closed)
before re-tracking to Briancon and then over Col d’Izoard
and Col du Vars, there’s a small cafe at the top but I’d already stopped for lunch in the ski resort so didn’t go in, however it was very popular with the cyclists who had made their way up there.
and into Italy over the Col du Larche
I thought I’d get back into France via the Col du Lombardy but when I got to the turning the sign said “closed” so instead I went for the Tende tunnel. Unfortunately the barriers came down just as I rode up and the sign flashed up “20” in the minutes waiting time box, so I got off the bike.
Eventually the barriers lifted an I made my way through the tunnel and looked for a hotel, I ended up in the village of La Brigue at the Le Mirval, a great hotel with more good food.
It was an interesting village; apparently it was in Italy for a while.
This turned out to be a real stand-out day of my trip (as you may have deduced by the number of photos)
My other half had flown out to the Ligurian coast for a few days in the sun so I set off to meet her in Alassio and as I was already so close I had plenty of time to go via Monaco – or so I thought. The D2204 to Sospel and then over towards Nice turned out to be a bit slower than I anticipated
Not helped by patches of surface dressing or “Gravillons” as the French refer to it, all over the place. Then I got caught up in traffic in Nice as I’d missed a turning, it was worth the effort though as the view of the bay from the D2564 was impressive even though it was a bit misty
So I headed down to Monaco and the traffic was horrendous, cars and scooters everywhere, I nearly didn’t bother but eventually found my way to the harbour.
An interesting place to visit and great to ride through “the tunnel”, albeit the wrong way compared to the F1 guys. I should have done more research on the road layout and where to park as all the traffic made it very difficult to just stop or turn around.
I wanted to ride the coast road to Alassio so that I could get a feel for the costal resorts and see the scenery rather than using the Autoroute / Autostrada. Whilst this was good in parts it was also very slow, 50kph limit almost all the way and constant traffic. The contrast to my previous days riding was huge, but you can’t get it right all the time!
As you’d expect there were a few rich boys toys out on the water, the owner of this was probably feeling quite pleased with themselves
Except that at anchor about 250yds away was this
Eventually I arrived at Alassio having taken 8 hours to cover 120 miles and I hadn’t stopped for that long anywhere really.
I had a day off the bike the following day and we went to Santa Margherita where, amongst other things, there is a stunning church
The inside of which really has to be seen, over the top plus a bit.
And from there a boat trip to Portofino
Incidentally the silver and black Sunseeker in the picture is/was for sale if anyone’s interested, only £2,950,000......
The buildings in this area are often painted to give the impression of stonework
The next day, which was Friday, I had to head off as I had to be at Caen for the late sailing on Sunday. After a bit of thought I decided to go for the N85 “Route Napoleon” from Grasse to Digne (even though it added significantly to the distance) then head, hopefully, to Chamonix as I’d decided I really wanted to see Mt Blanc. I knew it would mean passing through an area I’d been to a few days before but given the scenery it was no real hardship.
I went back into Italy over the Col du Montgenevre and down to Oulx, here I had to decide, 3 mountain passes and Mt Blanc Tunnel or Frejus Tunnel and flatter roads, as the clouds were coming in and lower I went for the Frejus route. First shock was the 27 euro toll, next was how hot the tunnel was – 35 deg C for at least 4km in the middle. I’d remembered reading the tunnels got warm but it was still a surprise.
This choice of route resulted in me stopping for the night in the small village of St Nicholas de Veroce at Hotel Restaurant Le Coin du Feu which was the best of the trip. A wooden Alpine style building, a room with a terrace and a view out over the mountains and the best meal of the two weeks. It really was brilliant.
Totally refreshed and with the clouds clearing I set off to see Mt Blanc. After having a wander around Chamonix, very strange to see people in full skiing gear & skis on their shoulder on the 15th of June and waiting a while, the clouds cleared.
Tearing myself away from the mountains it was off across France, Autoroutes and mainly dull major roads lead to an afternoon stop in Bourges with its cobbled streets and old buildings and overnight at Bracieux.
So now it was my last day in France and I wanted to go to the Normandy Beaches so after a quick stop in Blois
I made my way across country to Isigny-sur-Mer and slowly along the coast
I’d never been to the area before and was very pleased that I had. I’m sure every visitor goes away with a different memory but I’d be surprised if anyone was not affected by the history.
As with all trips they have to come to an end so I made my way to Ouistreham (after a quick look at Pegasus Bridge) for the overnight ferry to Portsmouth which was somewhat less crowded than the ship I was on two weeks before
Only about 10 bikes on there.
An uneventful crossing spat me out in Portsmouth on a dull, cool Monday and I headed home.
I’d seen a lot and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Obviously there are some things I’d do differently, places I’d stay longer and some I’d miss out, but that’s the way life is and as I said at the top; this was always going to be a taster trip.
**********************************************************************************************
Some of the villages and roads in the Pyrenees that I visited on this trip (June 2nd to 17th 2013) have been badly damaged / destroyed by floods in the last week or so, my sympathy goes out to all those affected.
**********************************************************************************************
Thanks again to anyone who through their postings on here inspired this trip.
And so to the next time............................
but I'm sure a mod will move it if they see fit)
