Picos via Plymouth ferry

clerici

Guest
We're off to the Picos next Sunday (24th) and I haven't been abroad since my Bantam took me to the S of France in the last century...

Can anyone advise what's required?

Documents -
d licence (photo) - I have but do I need a Spanish translation?
Bail bond?

Equipment -
spare bulbs - yes I think they're required
warning triangle - no?
refective vest - got one

Money for speeding fines (just in case?)

and - how do I find out how to adjust/mask the headlight?

replies before Friday please...especially if anyone can recommend the best roads...thanks Ant
 
I think you've got it all sorted. I've (three weeks ago) just got back from that area. Didn't mask lights at all. The Pont Aven is a super ship and they are very swithed on re: bikes.

If you are thinking of going off road make sure you don't wander onto the national park areas. Three guys from our hotel in Ojedo were fined as they came off a trail from a national park. About 70 euros each and escorted back to hotel to get the money by Gardia Civil on BM's.

Have Fun
 
clerici said:


and - how do I find out how to adjust/mask the headlight?

replies before Friday please...especially if anyone can recommend the best roads...thanks Ant
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If it is an 1150GS then the headlight is easily adjusted (rotated) as per the instructions in the handbook.

Only other thing you might want to consider taking is a spare poly v belt.
 
Got breakdown cover through Jardine Lloyd Thompson.

£24 for one week. 0121 224 6934
 
Take your original documents (licence, MOT, Insurance, Breakdown Cover etc) & take copies of each, stored elsewhere. Copy of your Passport also & note down your ferry booking reference number.

No translation of Licence required.

Bail Bonds not needed for a long time.

I always take the following:

Spare bulbs, fuses, cable ties, insulating tape, 35m camera film tub of grease, latex gloves, stainless lockwire & tools to remove wheels, calipers, fuel tank etc.

I keep the above ready to use each trip but have rarely needed them. I will of course need the first time I forget to take them! I have a comprehensive list that I can e-mail to you from home this evening if required - let me know?

Warning Triangles & reflective vests are not required although there is talk of vests becoming compulsory in Italy soon?

Money - always needed for when your credit cards fail - happened to me twice. Best bet is to spread your money about your person to avoid losing everything.

Never adjusted a headlight for riding abroad ........

Best roads - smaller the better.

Have a good trip, post photos on your return.

clerici said:
We're off to the Picos next Sunday (24th) and I haven't been abroad since my Bantam took me to the S of France in the last century...

Can anyone advise what's required?

Documents -
d licence (photo) - I have but do I need a Spanish translation?
Bail bond?

Equipment -
spare bulbs - yes I think they're required
warning triangle - no?
refective vest - got one

Money for speeding fines (just in case?)

and - how do I find out how to adjust/mask the headlight?

replies before Friday please...especially if anyone can recommend the best roads...thanks Ant
Click to expand...
 
clerici said:

Equipment -
spare bulbs - yes I think they're required
warning triangle - no?
refective vest - got one

Money for speeding fines (just in case?)

replies before Friday please...especially if anyone can recommend the best roads...thanks Ant
Click to expand...

OK, the reflective vest is required for cars, but there is some confusion about it being required for motorcycles (there was an article about this in a Dutch bike mag recently). Take it, to be on the safe side.

Documents - Take them all, and make a photocopy of them, and store those in a different location to the originals.

Roads - easy this one, buy the Michelin regional maps, and look for the green roads. Avoid motorways, and follow the N roads (equivalent of A roads).

One other thing, the Spanish eat at different times to Northern Europe. Breakfast, till about 12, lunch 2-4, evening meal after 9pm. Make sure you eat a substantial meal between 2 and 4, as you may find it impossible to get food between 4:30 and 9, especially in the smaller towns and villages.

Enjoy, and post pics.

David
 
Re: Re: Picos via Plymouth ferry


One other thing, the Spanish eat at different times to Northern Europe. Breakfast, till about 12, lunch 2-4, evening meal after 9pm. Make sure you eat a substantial meal between 2 and 4, as you may find it impossible to get food between 4:30 and 9, especially in the smaller towns and villages.
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We had no problem finding food, our problem was finding Vegetarian food.:)

Spain is a wasteland for Veggies, it's literally an alien concept to them.
 
Gents,

Hope you don't mind me asking but what sort of prices were quoted for Bike n rider/passenger to Santander return and were you able to obtain any discounts.

Thanks in advance

PW
 
PW

PW

We managed a discout via CSMA but then I decided we (my wife's a dep head of a special school) needed more than the basic accommodation (to combat day to day stress...) so forked out for posh cabin so the final price was well into the £350+ bracket.

I think that Ride mag also has "discounts".

I'll try and let you know if it was 'value for money'...

Ant
 
Re: Re: Re: Picos via Plymouth ferry

Steve Pickford said:
We had no problem finding food, our problem was finding Vegetarian food.:)

.
Click to expand...

We had no problem finding food, our problem was finding edible food.:)

Actually, we also had considerabie trouble finding food of any kind outside the cities on the north/north west coast.
 
Ant,

All I can add to the above having returned last Wednesday, are a few roads which will leave you in awe:

Starting on the Western side of the Picos at Cangues D'Onis, we followed the 625 South through Oseja de Sajambre after which we took a left and headed up into the mountains to Posada de Valdeon.

From there head South to to Portilla de la Reina, and turn left to Llanaves de la Reina, which takes you to the summit of San Glorio, one of the most spectacular viewpoints before hitting some fine hairpins on the descent which we followed to Potes.

Spent the following day on the road up to Fuente De, exploring most of the side roads into the mountains to different villages - Pembes is signposted after you leave Los Llanos en route to Fuente De, and is something out of a different era - completely unspoilt.

The route above covers the West and South sides of the Picos, as we took the coastal road rather than explore the North side. We roughed it and camped where we stopped, though other bikers on the ferry were basing themselves in campsites/B+Bs on the coast and heading into the mountains each day. Beware of grazing cattle including bulls and some very protective Pyrenean mountain sheep dogs that hang out in numbers of 4/5 per flock of sheep - they're good for 30 mph if you spook them

Cangues D'Onis and Potes are the main places we found that are alpine type towns offering accommodation, bars, food, fuel etc

Apologies for not supplying road numbers, but they varied on the three maps I used. Best map was Spanish published by Adrados Ediciones which gives helpful pointers such as hostels, campsites and even fuel stations.

Take a look at "Show us yours" - photos of our trip are on there taken by Big Lad

Enjoy it - the roads are awesome, scenery breathtaking, and Spanish way of life more than attractive. Wish I was still there...

Tim

:)
 
WATERPROOF

It's a green a pleasant area of Spain for a reason. It rains. Take bin bags and spare gloves. If it doesn't get you there, it's sure to pi** down when you get back to Plymouth, just ask the GS lot we met earlier this year.

If you keep dry, it's great though.

Have fun.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Picos via Plymouth ferry

DavidHolmes said:
We had no problem finding food, our problem was finding edible food.:)

Actually, we also had considerabie trouble finding food of any kind outside the cities on the north/north west coast.
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Just find the nearest bar. 99% of bars also do food (especially in the smaller villages), so you don't look for restaurants, just for bars. And take a decent dictionary with you. Look for one with lots of foodstuffs in it, as that's what you will be using most.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Picos via Plymouth ferry

DavidEmmett said:
Just find the nearest bar. 99% of bars also do food (especially in the smaller villages), so you don't look for restaurants, just for bars. And take a decent dictionary with you. Look for one with lots of foodstuffs in it, as that's what you will be using most.
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I'll second this. I did the Picos and the West coast a few years ago. We lived on larger portions of Tapas (raciones I think?). All the bars we went in did them cooked to order. The Tapas was free with your drinks so you got to try the dishes first. Excelent food; spicey fried potatoes (Patatas Brava I think?), choritzo, fried squid, fried tomatoes, roasted red peppers on toasted bread and very good meat balls but we never found out which animal never mind what part of it they were made from.

As mentioned before the Spanish eat later so don't expect to sit down for a meal at 7pm.

My mouths watering thinking of it all. :)

Santiago de Compostela on the west coast is worth heading for. A lovely old pilgrim city with some excelent bars and resturants.

Enjoy your trip. :)

Edit: Have breakfast in the bars as well, the Potato Omelettes are great.
 
Can confirm Santiago as worth visiting, good campsite on the edge of town.

One point to note about Tapas - in the morning & at lunch they're okay. Some places keep them hanging about all day, unrefrigerated. I've seen a friend buy Tapas late at night, made with Mayonnaise & ended up puking:eek:

Be careful what you eat:cool: If indoubt, order Ensalata Mixta (salad with Tuna, oil & Lemon juice). Can't go wrong but a few days of that will leave you feeling like a battery due to the Lemon Juice:D
 
We paid £220 each return for our trip a few weeks ago. That's with the inside cabin. As Tim said, it was brilliant !. The scenery is stunning and the roads are great for a GS. They could be rough at times though and a bit hit and miss mid corner with potholes and gravel. We both used TKC 80's which were supurb. We did quite a bit off road in mud and rocky tracks with all the gear on the back, as well as loads of twisties on the roads. I couldn't fault the tyres at all. Loads better off road than tourance.
Have a great trip and watch out for the sheepdogs, they scared the crap out of us a few times !
 

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I was over in Almeria last week and went via Santander, £322 with cabin, solo rider. Only mistake I mad was I arrived back inSantander around 11.00 & instead of checking out the boat decided to look around the town. Got to the posrt around 3.15 to find no boat, cancelled (this was last Thursday) next boat would be Monday! So after queing for about hour and half to find out options, got on phone to Brittany Ferries UK office. They give a refund plus a free place on another boat, just had to ride 700 miles through the night, cold and rain to get to Caen!

So, worth ringing the ferry company whilst on your way back just in case!!

Great scenery and great roads though!
 

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Thank you to everyone's advice and comments - its nearly the weekend and off to Plymouth.

(Before that I'll be going to Newport and back from Worcester - I wonder if that Yamaha Genesis sports thing will be en-route again on the Ross/Ledbury road...he didn't like the twisty bits, the 12GS was twice as quick!!!! Yeah!)

I'll report back in a couple of weeks.

Adios

Ant
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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