Pyrenees 2 up.

Flyingtiger

Flyingtiger

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In 11 days time, Armed with an R1200GS TE and my better half on the back to keep me in check we will be stretching are biking legs and heading off over to the Pyrenees.

Not only is this the first time for us embarking together on a purely biking adventure but it is also my first time heading over into the realms of Europe by road.

I know there is always the debate on whether to have or not to have a plan/itinerary BUT I DO!

That does not mean i have or must or will stick to it but i have one there to either follow if all go's well or amend if i wake up too hung over one morning!

So here is my plan roughly;

Plymouth - Santander
Santander - Pamplona (1 Night)
Pamplona - Luchon (3 nights)
Luchon - Carcassonne (2 Nights)
Carcassonne - Andorra (1 Night)
Andorra - Murillo de Gallego (1 Night)
Murillo de Gallego - Pamplona (1 night)
Pamplona - Santander - Homeward Bound

The rest i will leave to biking gods! :bow

Anyone heading that way? Anyone already been to these place and have recommendations? Anyone think its unachievable or a bit stretched? Any must Do's or must See's?

Any comments of wisdom or knowledge will be much appreciated and probably prevent me getting a good hiding from the missus if i balls up!

Cheers,

Andy.

Ps My Missus isnt actually a fire breather.
 
I've done the Pyrenees a few times. The road to ride is the N260. Which is ridable between Pamplona and Luchon.

Good luck.
 
Visit the Picos and Bardenas Reales.....the scenery in these areas is stunning..
 
As an alternative to Luchon I can recommend the village of Bierge and the Hosteria de Guava on it's outskirts, about 20 miles east of Huesca. A newish country hotel with excellent food that they will serve at sensible English hours rather than the late night dining that locals prefer

It is on the southern edge of a national park and the A2205 through it is a delightful ride. The viewing station above the gorge at N42 12.926 E0 2.435 gives great views of the vultures and eagles soaring in the river canyon below

Further west another enjoyable ride is the A1202 and the nearby Castle of Loarre

Bierge
 

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Did a trip two years ago on my 1150, two up camping every night for a month, santander-Pyrenees across south of france and home via the Alps, awesome you will love it. Have a cassoulet in carcasonne
 
WOW that's some going, if only we had longer i think i would have done a similar route. We are both really excited about going, just reading about other peoples adventures and getting these replies makes it all the more exciting. cheers
 
Not sure how fixed you are with your overnight stops, but Ainsa is worth a stop. Look up the Hotel Posada Real in the old town.
 
I've ridden from Bagneres to Carcassonne in one day via the N260 and Andorra and it's an easy ride :thumb2 I arrived early enough to see the citadel in the late afternoon/evening. Two nights was too long. Andorra is a toilet in the city centre.
 
You're passing through my weekend play ground - well, one of them :)

Depending on your route from Luchon to Carcassonne....I'd recommend the A17 and A618 if you stay on the French side and want some twisty mountain roads. Slower but nicer scenery than the autoroute. The farther north you go before heading east the less twisty the roads will generally be. However bear in mind I found two roads closed due to snow two weeks ago (both just south of Tarascon), one because of an avalanche; no idea what is currently open. You can do the trip in a day, so not sure how you want to break the trip up if you are taking more than one. Foix has a cool castle and a great little market (not sure of days).

Now is a good time of year to see Carcassonne as it will be fairly quiet. There is a free, large bike parking area up near the main entrance of the walled city.

For the Carcassonne to Andorra leg, check out the Gorge de Galamus. Fewer camper vans this time of year, so you might get a reasonable run at it.

The D25 into Ax les Thermes may not be open yet, but has some good views.

Don't bother stopping at El Pas de la Casa unless you want duty free; Andorra La Vella is more interesting for shopping (I'm told!)

Andorra to Murillo ... N260, C-28 to Vielha, than south on N230 and back on N260.

If you have the time, and the road is open, take a side trip up past Baqueira onto the plateau to the north of it for the views.

Campsite/Cabins here I've used a couple of times. Handy hint, remember you are in Catalonia, not Spain, when talking to the locals :)

If you take the N260a there is a great sign post (bends - 23km) outside Broto just after the Torla turn off.

If anything else comes to mind, I'll add it later.
 
Flyingtiger said:
Thanks Gargy i will make sure thats on the route, what time of year have you been?
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Always travelled in Europe in early June. No reason for this, it's just the way it worked out.

As for being realistic concerning each days travelling. If your doing mountain roads your not covering mileage very quickly, and you stop more for breaks/photo's etc etc.

With being two up, I wouldn't want to do much more than between 150 - 200 miles per day on twisty roads............... On a lighter note, your going to love it. Mountain riding is fantastic.

Good luck.
 
Flyingtiger said:
Awesome i will take a look, and i love a good lat/long thats made my day cheers Kritou. Do any of you guys know if i will be able to get to the Pic du Midi? and is it worth it?
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Well it depends on where you're coming from really! :nenau
Been there, twice. loved it for the roads either side and we took the cable car ride to the weather station at the peak.
€25 each said Mrs Og! For a few minutes ride in a lift?! :eh said i!
It was well worth it - the view over the mountains to Spain is worth it alone and it gives you a good perspective and appreciation on just exactly where you're at. ;)
Park near the "Irish pub" :blast (i find them sooo embarrassing :D ). The coffee's not bad there either. Dont mind the donkeys - they just curious and very er... friendly.
I've not 'done' much of the Spanish side - i thought France much better and easier for a couple.
ENJOY! :bounce1
 
Cheers Ogmios,

haha my better half will probably wet herself when she see's the irish pub! being a dubliner herself! Although there might be tears if they dont sell smithwicks. I would think we will probably be coming from the south side up from luchon, which side is usually the best approach?

Gargy, i will try keep that in mind in the planning, im sure ill know about it when enough is enough!
 
Flyingtiger said:
... I would think we will probably be coming from the south side up from luchon, which side is usually the best approach?
...
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Bagneres de Luchon i presume. :nenau
Well you'll end up on the D918 anyway. A pleasant road and includes the Col Du Tourmalet which i enjoyed (crossed it 6 times in a week actually! :blast ) either from the East or West it's all good twisties. :thumb2
'La Mongie' is where the pub and the cable car are.
Thought i had more info / pics on my p.c. - i was wrong. :blast
If i can help - just ask. Wish we were going for a third run at it this year. ;)
 
It's a lot of riding each day, but manageable I think. You may not have so much time for stopping and spending time somewhere, though.

I will say my idea of 'manageable' comes with a fairly big caveat - I travel on my own, usually stopping for fuel/leg stretch when I need it, and eat either stuff I've brought or somewhere cheap and cheerful. Stopping for lunch at a restaurant will take over an hour, probably closer to two. Definitely worth it if you are visiting, sure, but it's not my priority when I'm out on the bike. Most of my travel is one or two days riding at a time either from here, or on longer trips to stay with friends. I haven't done a week-long trip yet!

Oh, forgot to say - don't forget that the 1st, 8th and 14th May are all public holidays, so places will be shut (check opening times for places like pic du midi observatory, bakeries will be open, supermarkets probably not). The 15th is likely to be taken as holiday by many as well, to give the long weekend, so there may be more traffic. To be honest, this means diddlysquat as I've been out and about on 'the busiest day of the year' in the pyranees and still barely met a sole. The only exception to that is the tour de france...

Edited to add...

Col Du Tourmalet is well worth a visit, as is the observatory as others point out. Not sure if it is open yet; http://www.sport-passion.fr/parcours/etat-cols.php suggests it is currently still closed. The chap that runs the holiday tours down here usually has good information on things like that.

Pic du midi is closed 11 to 29 May http://www.picdumidi.com/horaires-tarifs/
 
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Your 'agenda' looks very easily doable and it's a good idea to base yourself at a centre for a few days and ride out 'lite' - plus a day or two off bike, there'a always lots to do and see. At least that's what it looks like you're doing!

Thanks to Dean for the heads up on my blog, I have indeed spent a lot of time here - lived here since 1997 and been bimbling around Spain since the early eighties - and I still don't know it all! :)

A few tips:

Don't go to Andorra - it is a total dump, the roads in and out are congested and boring, and if you are going to have a traffic accident, that's where you'll have it - and - you have to go through customs to get out of the place*.

Meanwhile:

Gargy said:
I've done the Pyrenees a few times. The road to ride is the N260. Which is ridable between Pamplona and Luchon.

Good luck.
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I'm sorry but why give incorrect advice? The N260 doesn't go anywhere near Luchon - how could it, being that it's a Spanish road!

In general there are some fantastic sections of the N260 but, increasingly, some crap bits too - I think it's a great shame that so many bikers seem to think that the N260 is the (Spanish) Pyrenees - far from it . . . but all the more peace and quiet for the likes of me. Last Sunday I rode 400 kms and only came up behind a car after 300! - and s/he pulled over :)

Regs

Simon
 
Flyingtiger said:
Awesome i will take a look, and i love a good lat/long thats made my day cheers Kritou. Do any of you guys know if i will be able to get to the Pic du Midi? and is it worth it?
Click to expand...

Yes you will be able to get to La Mongie which is where you catch the cable car to Pic du Midi and you might be able to ride to the Col du Tourmalet but no further at this time of year as its still blocked with snow. Pic du Midi is fabulous and well worth a visit.

Cheers, Phil
Pyrenees Motorcycle Tours
ride the best roads
 
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