Central Pyrenees

Lucky08

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Going to the Pyrenees in September setting out from Bilbao. I’ve got 10 days and am looking at the option of basing myself somewhere central in the Pyrenees and using the base to travel around daily.
Did it in Italy last year basing myself in Bormio and travelling from there around the passes nearby.
Not sure if this will work for the Pyrenees but I do like the fact that I unpack once and travel light from one point.
Any advice and central accommodation recommendations welcomed.


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Having stayed in Sort before I'd base myself there as it's fairly central in the Pyrenees for day trips.
 
There are many great options along the N260. I have stayed in Sort, and also stopped off in Pamplona, but that’s probably best as a stop off rather than a base (depending on what time your ferry arrives and how late you want to ride on the first day). Sort, Jaca or Ainsa would be good options.


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We stayed at Isabena for a few days.

Lodges / camping / pool / restaurant etc.

Lovely spot
 
For the past seven years we have stayed at https://www.hosteriadeguara.com/en. Twenty miles east of Huesca it is perfectly placed for day touring, run by two sisters who provide packed lunches, breakfast and excellent dinners at “proper” british bikermate hours!
 
I did something similar last year but used 4 bases over 2 weeks. On the Spanish side I used Sort & Jaca. Jaca was the nicer town, Sort is a large village really. On the French side I stayed in Carcassone where I went to see the old city rather than ride. I had originally selected to use Quillan which seemed to be surrounded by good roads. The other place used was Pau which is a nice city.
 
Hotel les Brases in Sort is used by many bikers, they have a lock-up round the back.

A nice day's ride is up over the mountain to Vielha, down to El Pont Suert, then across to La Pobla de Segur and back up to Sort
 
This place is great value;

https://www.hotelterradets.com/en/

Plenty of excellent riding on the doorstep, but the Pyrenees are very big, not Alps big, but too big to see it all from one spot, from here you can do a good chunk of the Spanish side of the Pyrenees, but there is still a fair bit more to the East and West, plus all of the French side most of which is not within reach.
 
As you have 10 full days in the Pyrenees, I think I’d do a bit as Wessie suggested and as Rasher is hinting at.... maybe make it a two centre jaunt, using the day travelling between the two centres as a part of ‘riding great roads’. Just remember that the further you get from Bilbao, the further you have to come back.

Where to stay? You can see some suggestions pinging up already.... but really, how long is a piece of string. My tip would be to look at something like the ADAC map (see sticky) and find two places that are on crossroads or T-junctions. Why? Towns on straight roads have only two directions of travel, left or right. Places on crossroads have four, whilst a T-junctions has, three. In the mountains it’s reasonably important to have in mind that you don’t want to be riding miles to get to the first crossroads.


PS Army strategists have known the value of crossroads for centuries. It’s why the Germans fought for days to try to take Bastogne and the Americans fought hard to deny them it. It wasn’t simply that there was a significant American presence in their rear.
 
Definitely agree with Wapping and thee rest. Tow bases at least, Jaca is idea for the west and I'd go for Ripoll in the east. Both are attractive small towns with plenty of night life, restaurants, etc. and at the centre of dozens of tour itineraries - don't forget to include as many passes over into France as possible but don't stay there!

Sort is OK as a base for trails but for roads it's a bit of a dead end compared to the other two. Plus as has been said it's really just an overblown village, too much dependence of tourism and full rich kids either playing with canoes or playing at being hippies while their rich middle class parents bankroll them ... just saying like!

If you want a day out off-bike both have spectacular rail connections to Zaragossa and Barcelona respectively - but you have to like trains!

Enjoy and let's hope Spain is open for business again by then ...
 
Great suggestions from Simon which show (just as Rasher and Wessie pointed out) how big the Pyrenees really are. The ADAC map shows an easy way - riding pretty good roads - to join the two places up. But time (and how you want to use it) is up to you.

Me? I think I’d break the 10 days up as:

A day out from the port and a day back, depending of course on the arrival / departure times. Two days gone, eight left.

Two day to get somewhere. Six left

Two days there. Four left

A day to get somewhere else. Three left

Two days there..... one day spare.

In short, go around in a sort of elongated circle, which the ADAC map can help you create. Do you always have to follow the shaded ADAC line? No, of course not. ADAC have worked hard on creating suggested routes. If you look at their map you can see that there are very often what I’d call ‘link roads’, main roads that you can take to miss out bits or join other bits together. Use them to see more and save time.... the Spaniards, over many years and at the cost of millions, built these main roads for a purpose.... it took them off the goat tracks. You could see an awful lot of the Pyrenees that way.

Have a look too at the RiDE guide. It often has some pretty good suggestions.... plus some kind fellow created a whole bunch of Spanish routes, based on a Spanish motorcyclist’ s ideas....
 
In the east of the Pyrenees I really liked Torla at the southern entrance to the Ordesa National Park, but then we do go hillwalking whilst on holiday, so had a day off the bike walking in the park.

It’s a good base for a loop of the Col du Tourmalet and the Col d’Aubisque balcony road on the French side.

Hotel Edelweiss was only 55 Euros B&B and the room was a suite too with fabulous views of the mountains. It also had a garage for bikes. There are several good bars and restaurants in the village too.

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Further east Sort looks like a nice place and I’ve stayed in Bagnères-de-Luchon before (also nice), but I wouldn’t recommend La Sau D’Urgell as it’s just an unattractive little industrial town, although the parador was nice.
 
Hotel les Brases in Sort is used by many bikers, they have a lock-up round the back.

A nice day's ride is up over the mountain to Vielha, down to El Pont Suert, then across to La Pobla de Segur and back up to Sort

Yes, have used that hotel and garage.


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At Hotel Les Brses, I had the octopus.

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Thanks all. Some great advice and some promising options. I love this forum for this and all the other support it provides. I promise to follow this up with a trip report. Thanks again.


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Agree that both Ripoll and Jaca are both good places to stay and use as a base. My favourite along that road (N260) is Ainsa. On a cross roads, lots of hotels, with a good place to buy and get tyres changed. They have a dedicated bike tyre fitter and had tyres to fit in stock.
Neumáticos Aragón is on the left leaving town on the N260 heading east. (Their address is not helpful, but is P.I. Sobrarbe, Nave 13-14, 22330 Ainsa.

There is also a medieval old town up on the hill with interesting streets, plaza and castle. I usually stay at Hotel Dos Rios
Avenida Central, 4, 22330
Aínsa, Spain
Phone: +34 974 50 09 61
GPS coordinates: N 042° 24.877, E 00° 8.443

The hotel also has a Hostel next door which is cheaper. Neither is expensive. Bikes can park in a secure private garage for free, 200 meters from the hotel. The restaurant / cafe is popular with locals and has a nice vibe. :thumb
 
For an alternative view.... ten days riding mountain roads is all well and good but I prefer a mix. Obviously motorays are out of consideration, but there's soemthign to be said for finding some faster, sweepier, wider roads at some point.

Or maybe that's just me.
 


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