Euro Plans

[Blufoot]

I am planning a ride to malaga at the end of august to see me mum. :D

I wondered if anyone knew where the best channel tunnel deals are - or is there a better way?

Also I have roughly planned on going london - bordeaux - madrid - malaga, are there any roads that I would be gutted to miss along this rough route. I would be willing to divert for a better route and I really wanna try and take a nice route through the peyronees :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: .

anyone out there (crust) that can offer advice on routes or accomodation etc - please help me out.

thanks in advance.. :burnout:

[spacemonkey]

I'll write a full report of the journey I made last year over the Pyrenees when I get home during the week. You want to either head across from Pau (below Bordeaux) or get into Andorra. Amazing roads! Now, bearing in mind just how bleedin hot it's gonna be in central Spain that time of year and in leathers as well, do you really want to go via Madrid? It would be so much better hugging the coast a bit more. If you keep to the high ground it will be cooler still. Watch out for sand on the bends down south as this is like hitting diesel. I'm doing it in a van in a month's time... then in the MX5 or the bike in November. Adios!

[Blufoot]

cheers monkey man!

Unfortunately we havent got enough time to coast hug, someone has to be back for work :(

I was thinking about gettin the early channel tunnel trip then aiming for bordeaux for the afternoon - stop, eat, drink, rest a bit then make a run for toulouse to saty the night. in the morning going through the pyrenees to madrid and then chilling again before the final assualt on fuengirola.

you dont by any chance know the names of the amazing roads do you? looking at my map theres loads to choose from, but knowing my luck i'll pick some dodgy route.

i'll look forward to reading your report mate...

[DesmoDog]

Blue,

I read an outstanding article on the harley meet in Madrid, I think it was in T.W.O. - well ok the subject was crap but the detailed route provided was brilliant. I'll see if I can dig it out and I'll scan it for you. Failing that, I agree with Monkey, virtually any route through the Pyrenees is great, avoid Madrid, and stick to the coastal route - I think theres a coastal motorway from Barcelona down to Alicante-ish. It'll be a damn sight cooler.

Dog

[CK & AK]

Wayne - give one of my bruvs a call - pm me for numbers/email addys.
They do this trip every year for 2 weeks on the bikes, and could prob recco lots of places to stop - and also the best routes that they like through those mountainy things:D - regulars to Spain/France & Portugal.
Infact Bruv 3 (the hairy one) is just buying house in South of France - can also give good info.

C

[Blufoot]

cheers everyone, keep it coming...

CK - i'll get in touch tonight...

[spacemonkey]

Ok, first of all I'd suggest going down the M3 to Portsmuff and getting on the overnight boat to Cherbourg. DON'T bother booking a reclining chair as I don't know anyone who has managed to fall asleep in one. You are better off heading for the (empty) restaraunt and grabbing a double sofa. Get a blanket (and something to block the lights out) and drift into the land of nod.... Then in the morning grab a cuppa of P&O tea from your 'bedroom' bar and it's so foul it'll guarantee you'll be wide awake. And the bogs are just outside the door for the essential morning vomit.

Then it's off to Rennes/Nantes/Niort/Saintes/Bordeaux/Pau. Extra points if you can kick over one of the black wooden cutout Gendarmes lining the road. I particularily liked the one which had had it's head blown off with a shotgun! If you do stray onto the Peage, there is a myth that they can tell if you have been speeding by checking the tickets' time. Well the kiosk staff won't but my dad HAS seen the GD's checking and pulling people over for kicking and a fine. Stick to the N roads as these are like our best A roads and then some. DO NOT speed through villages as this is where the GD's lurk and if you speed here they will pull you over for said kicking and on the spot fine. TOP TIP: if you can stick a Scottish 'Ecosse' sticker (know what I mean???) to the back of your bike you're less likely to get a tug for minor stuff. Fact-backed up by many peeps. You see the French love the Scots cos they both hate the English. Word is that the GD's are lurking around Calais looking for English plated bikes/cars to give a tug and kicking. You have been warned... If you have any form of radar detector don't even think about taking it with you as they have a very dim view of these and it will be destroyed and you will be escorted back to whence you came minus £500. Oh, and you won't be welcome back for a while...

Anyway, back to the mission: I camped at a place just before Roquefort on the D932. I took the D224 on the left and got onto the D24. But this place was spooky as hell itself, complete with bats, owls and 'dogs' howling thru the night. Cheap though...

From Pau take the N134 then turn left onto the D934 towards Laruns. This takes you on a very scenic route over the Pyrenees with just a small tunnel at the very peak. If you've never been down that way it really is breathtaking when you come around a corner in a village and suddenly you can see the Pyreness in the far distance heading off to both sides as far as you can see. When we went there were GD's in their favourite form of transport (dark blue van things) on one side of the tunnel and the Spanish GC's on the other side with cocked Heckler and Koch MP5's. My dad did his very English "Hello" and they grunted us through. Obviously looking for something ETA based me thinks... A coupla hundred yards down the road was the type of big police car they used to knock that bank robber off that R6 months back.... :eek:

[spacemonkey]

Now you will be in bloody bright sunshine and on the A136 in Espania. I would strongly suggest taking this road down to Bieascas and turning left onto the N260 to Ainsa and onto the A138 to Barbastro, but you could take the boring quicker(?) route via Sabinanigo/Huesca to Barbastro.Either way it's here to Lledia on the N240 via Monzon. Hopefully they have finished the ring road in Lleida otherwise you will have to use The Force to find your way through the roadworks to the C12 towards Tortosa. This will yake you through Flix in the mountains near the river Ebro. Remember this place as I will be moving there (my dad is already doing it as well next month) in a year or so and all are welcome. The local Rose wine is excellent but has gone up to 55cents a bottle. Buggers... Anyway, follow the river down to Tortosa and pick up the coast road N340 (or the peage A7/E15) to Valencia. Here the A340 goes up into the mountains inland slightly to Alicante then it goes down through Murcia and Lorca. Just out of Lorca (ok a bit further than that...) you can pick up the A92N which I believe is a free motorway/dual carriagewaythrough Baza/Granada then at Archidona take the A359/A331 down into Malaga, straight into the first English pub you'll find... :cool:

This route will probably be the same time as going through Madrid but as you will be in the mountains by the coast you won't get anywhere near as hot. Central Spain in August?? Hahahaha.....
You have got to do it though! What transport are you taking? On the return go from Lleida on the C13 towards Andorra (becomes the C26 then C14). Here I would suggest stoppin gat the last town before you leave into France I think it is called Pas de la Casa? Every shop in every town sells the same stuff at the same price so don't bother shopping around. The roads into, upto and through Andorra are amazing! Not to be missed. If you have room, the last town has some bike shops that are so cheap they are almost giving the stuff away. We paid £8 for oil that would have cost £25 here! Lids, leathers etc all very cheap. And the grog and smokes... I get my £5 a litre 80% black Absinthe here, but they do non suicidal drinks too. Rum at £1 a litre? Try the shop next door to the gun shop (where they sell stun guns for 40 Euros including little ones that fit in the pocket... and Mace at £3 etc etc...). If you have a car then go through the tunnel before the vill and this will take you out into France. Head back towards the vill and park outside the border and walk in. The GD's have been busy searching all the cars everytime I or anyone I know has been there, but if you walk back a few times with full carrier bags they don't seem to notice. Your choice..

Then head up the N20 to Foix/Toulouse/Cahors/Brive then on the free peage to Limoges back on the N147 to Poitiers (that Ecosse badge might come in handy here...) then N10 to Tours. N138 to Le Mans where you will find yourself on the race track (making Bentley noises I trust) then Alencon where you pick up the N158 to Caen. Go on the N13 via Bayeux where you will eventually find the signs for the Normandy Landing beaches etc if you have time then up to Cherbourg and home! Crap road manners will resume when you disembark at Portsmuff. Oh well, can't have it all.... :mad:

[spacemonkey]

Oh, and check out www.speedferries.com for a cheap price if you are doing the Calais run, but now Hoverspeed are doing heavy discounts to. Also if the bike try the bike mag discounts. Don't forget to pop some tape on your lights for the correct dip...