pyrenees and up through france

[Deleted account 211025001]

excellent, just google mapped it street view style like other poster did and the bloody hotel now has green signage, good job i checked first ! cheers again

The front view also looks very closed

I last stayed there the summer before last, do hope it's not shut down and they were just redecorating or something like that when the picture was taken

Andres

 

[Ruadh08]

Likewise, I will be on the same ferry that night!

Maybe meet n the bar for a beer or two, as I will be a bit thirsty having ridden my GSA down from Scotland!

Plan is to ride down via the pico's etc to Valencia, over 5 days, where I will get the ferry over to Palma!

Look forward to meeting you,

Regards,

Paul G

 

[Dean]

Morning all,

Just booked my ferry to santander for the 4th sept, with a view for a few days in the pyrenees then a leisurely ride back up through france back to blighty.
I say leisurely but who knows, i have pencilled in 7 days to do this mini trip and was wondering if anyone has done something simillar and could recommend places to visit, roads to ride.
There is no set in stone plan except the pyrenees really.
I'll be perched on my GS, whereas my pal will be arched on his 1997 ZZR.
Also , can anyone recommend any comms kits, as I can see us numptys getting split up or lost and it would be nice to take the piss out of each other whilst doing so
any tips or advice greatly appreciated ( even about my pal hiring a gs beforehand )

Cheers

Steve

I was in the pyrenees last year Spanish and French sides just a couple of days really,

got a lot of help from Simon for the spanish side, he has documented a lot routes, trails etc here, found us some stunning quite back roads.

More here: www.thespanishbiker.wordpress.com/

and French side Nigel some info here: www.coupdecoeur.co.uk

But we was there briefly in and out via the chunnel : here

hope its of some help , and however you do it have a good trip in September

 

[sdk72]

Cheers dean for those links, "ace" rides looks just the ticket! Might also have to go and see that big bloody dune too, thanks for sharing Gives a good indication of the scale of the place

So it seems comms kits aren't really worth it, I'm taking an old school paper map, mates got the sat nav , anything worth taking that's not so obvious at all?

Cheers

 

[Felters]

cheers cooperman, good read
I was looking for the 2 hour ferry back to poole but alas no can find, however i really dont fancy the calais dover, dover home riding as when i have done this in the car I know I just wanna go home and anything north of paris feels like this to me. sooooo, ferry from cherbourg or le havre might just be a solution

Ouisterham is another option as well. I did Pau to Cherbourg earlier this year. Probably eight hours sold riding - didn't use Peage but wasn't hanging about either. Why not go home via Bilbao/Santander to minimise the long distance stuff?

 

[sdk72]

Ouisterham is another option as well. I did Pau to Cherbourg earlier this year. Probably eight hours sold riding - didn't use Peage but wasn't hanging about either. Why not go home via Bilbao/Santander to minimise the long distance stuff?

Hi felters, we are arriving on the Santander ferry, I just don't fancy doing that trip twice, reckon Cherbourg is the best bet based on routes and the like, see your just up the A32 from me.

 

[Dean]

Cheers dean for those links, "ace" rides looks just the ticket! Might also have to go and see that big bloody dune too, thanks for sharing Gives a good indication of the scale of the place

So it seems comms kits aren't really worth it, I'm taking an old school paper map, mates got the sat nav , anything worth taking that's not so obvious at all?

Cheers

The Dune is Huge

Glad to pass it on, That's how I got to know from the others

I think comms are a personal thing for me Map and sta nav does the job as swmbo does not ride or pillion, we got split up once mobile phones with each others numbers loaded did the trick for the regrouping.

Airhawk is a must for my personal comfort and the phone number of a hotel we was staying at in the phone would have saved us an accomodation hunt through the night (should have called to say we was waylaid rooms got taken)


I'm off Friday to the middle bit of France etap dancing route enhanced by ukgser's input in simple terms Millau and back

 

[sdk72]

quick question on breakdown cover..
anyone used startrescue.co.uk, cheap as chips compared to RAC etc but thats what worries me

 

[sdk72]

cheers again, looking at a sheepskin alaska seat thing , should help somewhat
not booked any hotels, was going to see what turned up as and when, bu=it risky but might take a tent too !

enjoy your trip dean, will post some pics about the journey as and when

The Dune is Huge

Glad to pass it on, That's how I got to know from the others

I think comms are a personal thing for me Map and sta nav does the job as swmbo does not ride or pillion, we got split up once mobile phones with each others numbers loaded did the trick for the regrouping.

Airhawk is a must for my personal comfort and the phone number of a hotel we was staying at in the phone would have saved us an accomodation hunt through the night (should have called to say we was waylaid rooms got taken)


I'm off Friday to the middle bit of France etap dancing route enhanced by ukgser's input in simple terms Millau and back

 

[GSAMark]

Did this trip a few years back. Millau is a nice place to make a base on in the midi pyranese. rather than go over the Millau viaduct, take the long and twisty roads down into the Tarn valley below, wonderful views and roads and there's a lovely campsite in the valley called Les Rivages if you're both camping, just a 5 minute walk from the river Tarn which runs from a glacier up above, great to jump in after a long day on the bike!!! Also a choice of guest houses and B&B's. As for coms, I use an interphone F4, any of the early models can't do bike to bike but the F4/F5 has approx 500m range. Hope this helps,
Happy hols

 

[sdk72]

Hi Mark

is this the Millau near montpellier, if so seems a days ride from the pyrenees or am i being a right plonker ?

Steve

Did this trip a few years back. Millau is a nice place to make a base on in the midi pyranese. rather than go over the Millau viaduct, take the long and twisty roads down into the Tarn valley below, wonderful views and roads and there's a lovely campsite in the valley called Les Rivages if you're both camping, just a 5 minute walk from the river Tarn which runs from a glacier up above, great to jump in after a long day on the bike!!! Also a choice of guest houses and B&B's. As for coms, I use an interphone F4, any of the early models can't do bike to bike but the F4/F5 has approx 500m range. Hope this helps,
Happy hols

 

[sdk72]

just seen that the "midi" pyrenees is a big stonking area

Hi Mark

is this the Millau near montpellier, if so seems a days ride from the pyrenees or am i being a right plonker ?

Steve

 

[Wapping]

Did this trip a few years back. Millau is a nice place to make a base on in the midi pyranese. rather than go over the Millau viaduct, take the long and twisty roads down into the Tarn valley below, wonderful views and roads and there's a lovely campsite in the valley called Les Rivages

.....all quite true, but a 'kin long way from the Pyrenees proper.

 

[sdk72]

.....all quite true, but a 'kin long way from the Pyrenees proper.

are there enough days in my week to do the pyreness proper as well as the midi version ? as much as i like riding i want to soak up the atmosphere of the places too

 

[The Other PaulG]

On your leisurely ride up through France, think about staying a day or two with Tony and Wendy in the beautiful Massif Centrale near Brive:

http://ridersrest.eu/default.aspx

Paul G

 

[Giles]

are there enough days in my week to do the pyreness proper as well as the midi version ? as much as i like riding i want to soak up the atmosphere of the places too

Everybody's different. Some peepes like a mad thrash hour after hour, and some will only ever ride for an hour or so at a time before they take a half hour fag / coffee break.

I'm doing something similar to you (but in reverse) in about four weeks time. (Tarn, midi, Pyrenees proper, Picos, ferry home..), but I have about ten days.

My preferred pace (for want of a better word) is to grind 'em down! I've got her indoors on the back so I'm not going to go hell for leather, we just hare and tortoise style keep jostling along at a steady pace.

Regular stops will really eat into your day, if you tott up the fag / petrol / coffee / wee stops, before you know it you've spent an hour and a half / two hours of your day in a petrol station.

Taking a packed lunch (buy something or get the hotel to knock you something up) is a good way of buying time. Seeing a sign to a nearby village / small town and turning off your route, finding the town centre, parking up, finding a cafe .... getting back on your route afterwards ... all a good way of loosing time. But ... it's a holiday! And it's choice!!

In Spain in particular, look out for cafes on the main road with Norbert Dentressangle and his mates parked outside. Don't be put off - you will normally get a blinding meal, served very quickly, for bugger all money. I prefer to do this than to come off my route and spend half an hour or so travelling to and from lunch.

You mentioned earlier are there any don't miss bits ..

The N260 is a well trodden bikers route. Make sure you ride the valley floor from Castejon de Sos to Campo.

 

[Wapping]

are there enough days in my week to do the pyreness proper as well as the midi version ? as much as i like riding i want to soak up the atmosphere of the places too

Like many questions.....

It depends on where you plan to start from, what time you intend to start at, what roads you wish to take between the two points (and maybe back again), what speed you intend to average (how fast you ride, adjusted for stops) and not least what time you would like to arrive.

My advice..... Stop listening to every 'Must do-must see' tip, you will never do them all.

(a) Assume that a comfortable daily mileage is 200 to 250 mile distance on non-motorway roads, on a mixture of the equivalent of our A and B roads. Increase this to say 350 if you want to lob in some motorway or decent stretches of fast National roads. If you insist on taking every small track, leafy lane and by-way and / or stop to press wild flowers at every opportunity, reduce the 200/250 mile figure accordingly and maybe significantly.

If you have a day off, remember that you have not gone anywhere and have lost a day's distance. Remember also that if you leave at 09;00 and not 10:30, you may well arrive up to an hour and a half earlier at your final destination.

(b) Agree that if you think 100 miles is a long way in the UK it is definitely no shorter abroad.

(c) Get yourself the Michelin map book of France 1:200000 scale is perfect.

Work out where places are, how far they are apart and what type of roads are available.

Another very good map is Michelin's basic route planner 726

This strips out all the small detail, smaller towns and villages, but leaves in all the decent roads (by which I mean it excludes all the minor roads) and includes the so called 'Bis tourist routes'. It is perfect for plotting the longish journey you intend to make.

Maps are cheap, so maybe add this map which fits somewhere between the two:

(d) Apply the above to your plans, sitting in the comfort of your sitting room. Adjust as necessary when you are there and as circumstances permit. Things do change and do (sometimes) go wrong.... Be flexible and do not curse the Gods of Misfortune, they really do not care.

 

[sdk72]

right, you all talk sense and I am asking myself to many headaches .

i will get a Michelin map book of France 1:200000 scale, find some of the routes you all have kindly mentioned, plan them out loosely and then bugger off and enjoy myself

hopefully meet some of you along the way, if not another day, but thanks to all for your contributions, you can't buy experience !

 

[Giles]

I knew it ... Trixie and his blinking Michelin maps ...

He'll be in the cubicle next with his tissues alongside Rasher and his twist of the wrist book ....

 

[Wapping]

I knew it ... Trixie and his blinking Michelin maps ...

Oi, more respect towards your wage payer. Bleedin' uncivil servant