One Friday afternoon in late June saw myself and Rob meet up at the garage on the A449 to pair intercoms for our ride down to Portsmouth on our first motorcycle tour together in 13 years. Rob was keen to go on tour again and ride that shiny new Triumph Tiger on foreign roads, so by the end of April I had worked out an exciting 10 day adventure departing the UK at the end of June. Neither of us fancied a long two way crossing sitting on a boat in the Bay of Biscay or that horrendous ride along the M25,M26 to/from Folekestone either so we settled on getting a ferry to Brittany with a return from Santander instead. This would give us chance to ride in both countries and pick out some interesting routes with the central Pyrénées being the main attraction since i'd never yet ridden there and always wanted to ride that famous N-260. Watch the short video or read on to find out more ..
Home to Portsmouth
We were soon up and over Birdlip Hill with a single stop just south of Marlborough at Choppers Cafe for jam on toast followed by a very pleasant Summers ride through Winchester and in to the South Downs countryside. It was good to get some rider observation in on the way too with intercom analysis of hazards and positioning since Rob is looking to take his advanced rider test soon so all good practice. I had prepared the daily routes in advance to suit our choice of navigation e.g. phone based using the MRA navigator app as well as routes downloaded to my trusty BMW Navigator 6. Our Ferry departed heading for St Malo at 8pm we had plenty of time to get there refuel near the port, get through passport control and ride onto the ferry with plenty of other bikers. A bit of an odd bike tie down on the ship 'Bretagne' this time, right next to railings by the ramp which made it quite awkward to get access to my pannier so I had to unload first before pushing the bike close in to the rail and we both cautiously chose to use spare seat pads to protect the panniers in-case the boat rocked the bike on to the rail. We soon found our shared cosy two berth cabin and settled in for the night crossing after a very good evening buffet meal in the a la carte restaurant. At last after all of the planning we were well underway!
A calm night aboard the Bretagne and we docked around 8am on Saturday disembarking the ferry around 9.30am with us upsetting the middle-aged men in lycra (MAMIL) cyclists by cutting in front of them before passport control, much to my amusement as you could tell they weren't all that happy. Play 'em at their own game I thought! (he he). We both chose to have breakfast on the road but unfortunately our idea of finding a local patisserie or cafe came unstuck for a while when I got all mixed up with road sign options - was it Dinan or Dinard? It was a while since I'd plotted the route to take us next to the Chateau so I started to question the GPS directions. We took the road to Dinan regardless, but couldn't find a suitable cafe to park so a few laps around the town and losing each other around the one way system. At least the intercoms were helping us stay in touch. Eventually we parked up on the outskirts and sat outside a nice cafe enjoying our croissant and coffee before taking off in the direction of Paimpont and Pipriac via the department roads. Our plan was to skirt around the big cities avoiding the autoroute until picking it up later in the day south of Nantes.
A nice morning through Brittany and some of its pretty villages before arriving in Couëron around lunchtime just in time to embark the small river ferry that crosses the Loire. Even better it was free and much more interesting than heading inland to cross the big by-pass bridge around Rennes. By now the weather had brightened up warming us up after a cool drizzly start to the day. On the other side of the Loire we stopped to refuel in a nice little riverside town of Le Pellerin but unfortunately with what is the madness that are French Cafes, Bars and Restaurants closing at lunchtime (this caught me and Mark out last year too) we were forced to make do with a Snickers bar and bag of crisps from the local Intermarche (supermarket)! Not ideal given the distances we were covering, and for a while we were concerned we had covered only a third of the days distance until I remembered the afternoon would put us on the autoroute just south of the river. After riding through a very flat nature reserve near Pont-Saint-Martin, and then along narrow farm lanes we joined the A83 slightly north of where I'd originally planned for about 60 miles or so on the toll road and exited near Saint-Jean-de-Beugné.
In the late afternoon we were riding along some of the best roads of the day quietly cruising the D37 crossing rivers and canals in the Charente department and then south via the D112 and D5 before finally rolling in to Rochefort around 6.30pm. Just when you think it’s all gone well yet tired hot and hungry, the road across to our hotel via a lift bridge over the marina basin seemed to be stuck in the up-right position. Somehow we missed the lighted diversion sign and I swear it wasn't lit the first time we arrived in to town so this meant we were riding around in circles trying to figure out how to get across town. In the end we found the diversion but the next challenge was to find the hotel itself. Tonight we were staying at Hotel Residence Arsenal but neither of us could figure out where its entrance was and how to get inside. Being a historical site with limited signage the nearby buildings seemed inaccessible too with heavy iron gates. Rob stayed in a car park with the bikes and in the end after a long walk I discovered how to gain entrance and after a brief tour of the facilities including explanation that we were staying in a one time food store for Louis XIV French Navy I concluded that the high security could only be there to keep English bikers and French peasants from stealing food! We both had a very nice suite each, perfect after the long ride and reasonably priced too. Fortunately for us as it was getting quite late so we soon met and headed to a very nice restaurant set under arches for a few beers and nice bruschetta style pizza to review a long tiring but mostly enjoyable day on our first leg ride through France.
Another big day on Sunday, our second leg through the length of France this time we made sure to feed ourselves with a decent breakfast first. We sat outside overlooking the Charente river harbour enjoying the view and the usual croissant with soft cheeses hams and coffee and us both adding plenty of jam to our yoghurt too. It was great to while away an hour or so chatting about our family lives over the years. I did look at route adjustment options to get us on to our next destination hotel in Pau near the Pyrénées but in the end decided to stick to the route as planned rather than a detour east on the boring autoroute. Our ride started around 10am crossing the Charente toward Saujon with some straight roads riding through the province of Aquitane to the east of Bordeaux.
Soon we were presented with country farm roads and vineyards all around us crossing over the Dordogne a couple of times once at Libourne, and then later on the D670 at Saint Jean de Blaignac both potential coffee or lunch stops but we were enjoying our ride so much we continued on to cross the Garonne river at Langon stopping for fuel there before enjoying the heavily forested roads in the Gascogne national park. We both agreed today was turning into a great ride, we'd covered a lot of ground in good time and the scenery constantly changing with the climate much warmer as we travelled further south. Just as we were starting to feel hungry and in need of a break we stopped at a nice shaded cafe in the little town of Roquefort just before the bridge on the D626. Being a Sunday we saw plenty of bikers passing through in both directions and both agreed we could easily spend the rest of the afternoon there.
The next section took us along the very straight D934 through forests and farmlands and I swear I heard Rob groan politely as I suggested we might meet Carol Decker today since we were heading T'Pau! It was one of those roads that reminded me of driving in the USA and nice to switch to cruise control and enjoy the scenery while chatting away to Rob on the intercom. Riding into the city of Pau was quite uneventful though we did have a few issues going through the one-way system to our small centrally based Ibis hotel where at check-in I chose the hotel breakfast option and paid access to the secure underground car park. We both shared a good size bay for both bikes. Our short walk into town to find a restaurant had us settle for one on the famous Boulevard des Pyrenees seated right near the road with an excellent view of the sunset across the river valley and a spectacular view of the mountains in the distance. A perfect location after our days ride and good food too, Rob enjoyed his Burger and I had the Entrecôte with frites. We both agreed we were now settling in to the tour well, and looking forward to tomorrows ride up into the mountains.
I had created two route options for Monday of various length. One about 150 miles should take us high in to the mountains on the D918 over the Col d'Aubisque before heading on to the famous Col du Tourmalet and across the border into Ainsa via the Bielsa tunnel. The shorter option about 131 miles would ride over the Col d'Aubisque before cutting south on the D934 over the Col du Pourtalet to cross the border into Spain finishing along the N260 south east to Ainsa. After consulting the maps the night before and over breakfast we agreed to load the longer route to ride the Col du Tourmalet.
Our introduction to the mountains started with a fast twisty ride up to the pretty town of Les Eux-Bonnes accompanied by several other bikers following the balcony road passing under a few cliff tunnels before stopping briefly to take a few pictures. On the outskirts of the town Rob came over the intercom to say he needed to stop because his visor had come loose on the one side. I found a large layby in the shade under trees and we soon discovered his visor had actually broken and the plastic nib that locks it in had sheared off. Thankfully good old electrical tape came to the rescue to effect a temporary repair and we were soon underway again with an amazing ride up to the top of the Col d'Aubisque. Rob was caught out by the gravel on the bends and had a 'brown trouser' moment as the back wheel slid out slightly. Annoyingly for some reason French road maintenance crews often leave loose gravel across the full width of the road. On the top of the pass we met up with some Welsh lads and a Spanish couple as well as a nice couple from New Zealand who owned Open Road NZ Motorcyle Tours. Having been in New Zealand myself back in March with Helen and seeing that amazing scenery and roads first hand I couldn't resist taking their details and hearing how they run tours between the North and South Islands. One for the future maybe?
While looking out across the views from the Aubisque the Spanish couple pointed to the road that climbs up further across the valley and in broken English said it might be closed due to road works. This was now strangely reminiscent of last year with Mark as we tried to pass over the closed Cormet de Roselend in the French Alps, in the end forcing us to take a huge detour. Rob and I decided to ride on and see if the pass was shut and yes after a few miles the road was blocked off completely yet we found it quite amusing as Rob followed a cyclist up a lane in the hope he found a detour only to find out the cyclist was taking a pee!
In the end I loaded the alternative route into the Navigator and killed a few waypoints to put us on the alternative route riding over the Col du Pourtalet instead. We stopped off for a shady lunch back in Les Eux-Bonnes at a small restaurant in one of the road bridge arches and both went for the steak and fries a wise choice given the detour and double back would add to the ride time now. Not the best cut of meat there really but the fries (and flies) with cold drink went down well.
The road over the Pourtalet was superb with wonderful scenery heading south across the border in to Spain and on to Formigal. While having fun in the valley twisties I lost Rob somewhere on the N-260a just after Biescas behind me but we soon joined up again somewhere near Fiscal and in 30 degree heat took a welcome stop for a cool drink and ice-cream at the very nice Hostal Restaurante Río Ara at the junction of the main N-260 that runs straight into Ainsa. We arrived at Hotel Mesa in good time the first of our 3 nights at this popular biker stay with covered parking bays and 6 other bikes already parked up and enough room left for our bikes. We got chatting to a Belgian guy while topping up oil on his old but smart R1150R. He'd ridden two up across the Pyrenees over 14 days and would be starting his return home tomorrow. Nice chap! The riding today being more technical in hotter weather meant we stayed local with only a short walk along the river before returning to the hotel for beers and a meal while trying to stay out of the late evening sun. Another great days ride although a shame we didn't make the Tourmalet, riding the alternative Pourtalet and on to the legendary N-260 more than made up for it though.
We were a bit unsure how Rob would be feeling after four days in the saddle so the 3 night stay over in Ainsa was ideal and gave us a few options for the mid-week without luggage and maybe take shorter day rides in the area or have complete days off the bike altogether. I liked the idea of a central location for a change, so prior to leaving I'd researched a few circular routes. It's tempting while on these trips to fill your day with as many miles as possible yet underestimating the impact of the mountain roads on your time can make for a long arduous day and compromise the fun. In the end we decided to go for the shorter circular route that came in at around 170 miles. Experience would say about 150 miles in this kind of terrain but the extra 20 miles wouldn't reduce the enjoyment too much we thought. So a fairly early start today (Tuesday) with a nice buffet breakfast we started on the N-260 east. This legendary road is an amazing mix of fast sweeping bends and tight twisties with amazing views everywhere you look.
On the outskirts of Bisaurri just as we rounded a bend we were suddenly confronted with a herd of large horned cattle in the middle of the road. The road being narrow we killed our engines as close as we could to the right verge and spent a while waiting for them to pass. Two inquisitive ones came towards my bike to take a look, and I became a bit nervous of those horns so considered jumping off the bike and running for cover or maybe starting the engine to ride through a gap between them if only I could find one. Thankfully the farmer came to get them back in line with a gentle tap of his stick. The first coffee stop followed a fast run down from up high along a straight section to the small village of Laspaules (Les Pauls) made famous for it's 16th century witch hunt and executions. A short walk up to the cafe I recall steel beads across the door with a cosy atmosphere inside. The villages in the Pyrenees are of a similar period and style made of rough stone with cobbles so we sat outside in the shade while the lady served a very nice 'cafe con leche'. It was much cooler this morning we were soon underway again with my Navigator taking us down a lane detour to cut across to meet the N-230 heading north.
The narrow road started to climb up high and twist into the hills revealing spectacular views across the valley and the village of Montanuy nestled below. We stopped at the Mirador Pau Donés (lookout) just near a sharp bend to enjoy the view across Aragon and take some photos before joining the 230 near Vialler. Our ride North through valleys at speed was fun entering quite a long tunnel just before riding into the lively town of Vielha following along the river valley. Eventually we turned off on to the N-141 twisting up over the Col du Portillon to cross the border back in to France. I'd planned a lunch stop near Bagnères-de-Luchon or 'Bangers for Lunch' as was my literal translation! Just as we arrived in the town of Saint-Mamet we spotted a decent Restaurant/Cafe on the other side of the road near a triangular road layout. We soon found a side-street to park but unfortunately the curse of the late lunch struck again and the French had stopped serving food. It was only 1.30pm and by now we had changed into shorts to cool down so we settled on sitting at the cafe with a group of French bikers on the next table, feeling quite jealous of their meal while we ate our melting Snickers bars saved from the day before along with a cold coke and ice cream from the cafe.
The late afternoon was spent riding up through the valleys and ski-resorts along the French D-618 toward Le Plan with almost zero traffic allowing us to enjoy the road at good speed. As the temperature rose we both started to fade a little in the heat without eating a decent lunch. Soon after I had a 'moment' where a small car in front decided to suddenly turn left into a small driveway just as I was about to overtake. Fortunately I had just moved to the overtake position when I saw the car make a sudden turn and managed to get on the brakes hard. No harm done but we discussed over the intercom how we were both losing concentration now as we climbed up the hairpins to the cafe in the ski resort of Piau Engaly. We never found that elusive cafe but parked up at a large car park to take a break, drink water and admire the mountainous terrain ahead. At this point the other side of Rob's Shark Evo helmet visor became detached with the same broken lug problem. More electrical tape was required to keep the other side attached to the helmet meant Rob was reluctant to open the visor at all in case it became dislodged with insufficient eye protection.
The ride back across the border through the two mile long Túnel de Bielsa-Aragnouet was a nice relief from the 30 degree heat especially for Rob with his closed visor. We took it steady back to the hotel both of us quite tired by now and arrived back into Ainsa at around 6.30pm. Later after a cool shower I met Rob for a stroll across the road to the Pizzeria de Ainsa dining on large square cut pepperoni pizzas and drinking bottles of beers in the shade like two travel weary gringos! A good day's ride today, some fantastic roads and scenery we both loved the N-260 and N-230 but I guess that extra 20 miles return back did play it's part in the end. A good lesson in distances, riding times and nourishment I thought.
Wednesday morning both a bit bleary eyed and tired we discussed todays plans over breakfast. I fancied a ride south to visit some lakes/reservoirs I'd spotted on the map but didn't fancy a full day so explained to Rob this option of returning sometime early afternoon. Since Rob had issues with his visor breaking on both sides he opted to have a day off the bike do some bike maintenance e.g. oil the chain and try and make a more secure visor fix and rest up a bit. A wise choice I thought, considering his first long bike tour for a long while it would set him up for the remaining days riding further into Spain. Just before leaving I noticed a tower and cathedral marked on the map in the hotel lobby that looked interesting, so by 10am I was heading south in bright sunshine along the A-138 (the A being Aragon) with large bodies of azure blue water of the Mediano and El Grado reservoirs to on my left both connected by the Rio Cinca and a huge dam at one end near the town Ligüerre de Cinca.
The land around the reservoirs seemed quite barren and dry almost desert like and I soon saw a sign directing me to 'Santuario de Torreciudad' inviting me to take a twisty road up over a high headland overlooking El Grado. Parking up in a covered bay I changed into shorts and left my bike gear secured to the bike and wandered over to look look at the huge modern brick built building. What immediately caught my eye was the magnificent view across the reservoir and snow capped mountain peaks on the horizon.
As I walked a man said hello and I assumed he was British but it turned out he was from Belgium on a visit with his wife. He explained he had a holiday home in the area and was a regular visitor to the Sanctuary, built in the 1970's and informed me the mountain peak I could see in the distance was Monte Perdido - the lost mountain. The sanctuary is dedicated to the virgin Mary and represented by a sculpture of Mary and child overlooking the Rio Cinca. As a sickly child aged 2 Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer was taken to the shrine by his mother and was subsequently cured of his illness. In later life as the founder of the controversial Opus Dei sect he built the sanctuary in gratitude to the virgin.
I found the shrine fascinating being built almost entirely out of 20th century brickwork. The modern style of the pillars and structures were very unusual as I walked around the square. I went down the path at the edge to view the mediaeval tower below that overlooks the El Grado reservoir. On the way back I met up with the Belgian man again who introduced me to his Wife and also a Priest who didn't speak English but the Belgian man translated between us. The priest seemed amazed I had ridden a 'moto' all the way from the UK and after saying goodbye I spent some time sitting inside listening to a serman in Spanish while looking at the huge sculptured alterpiece to reveal different scenes of the Virgin Mary. The inside roof and balcony areas gave the impression of being carved in some way until I realised they were made entirely of brickwork too.
Later, I wandered back to the bike and changed back into my bike gear where I quickly realised my schoolboy error. I had left my boots under the bike and they were now swarming with small ants. I tried to rid the boots of ants but ended up putting them on and hoping they didn't bite but did feel them itching as I rode off. I returned via the A-139 tracking a river north but soon realised I was running low on fuel. My Navigator found me a solitary petrol pump at a small station near the junction with the N-260 not far from the tunnel that leads up to Campo. As I took off my gloves I turned around and noticed a group of at least 6 Spanish bikers suddenly arrive behind me. I quickly grabbed the fuel nozzle before I'd detached my tank bag because I didn't fancy a long wait in 30 degree heat with itchy feet while they all fuelled up. Further down the road on a fast downhill section they were travelling faster and having fun so I moved over to let them pass easily prompting each one of them to do the right leg wave as a thanks. Later at the bottom of another fast road section near a roundabout I saw some gathered around a Police biker stood there with his notebook. Oh dear, I guess I was lucky travelling alone, he may well have pulled me over instead I thought.
Back in Ainsa around 2.30pm, as I turned on to the roundabout outside Hotel Mesa I saw Rob wave while sat looking all relaxed in the shade drinking beer at the restaurant. By now all I could think of was getting those itchy ant infested boots off, cool down drinking a beer with Rob. He explained he'd had a good morning sorting a few things out including the visor problem and eaten a good lunch. I ordered his recommendation a plate of lamb chops and egg salad with a cool beer. Most enjoyable sitting in the shade people watching. Later in the afternoon I relaxed on the balcony for a while before preparing our bikes for tomorrow's ride. I packed some gear to be ready for an early start before a light meal of Spanish omelette in a baguette over the road at the lively Hotel Sanchez followed by a pleasant walk up the steps to the old town overlooking the river. We called it a day soon after to get some sleep after not before grabbing a a beer from the bar to watch one of the Euro football matches.
While researching for Thursdays route I came across the Hotel Parador Sos del Rey Católico recommended in a book by motorcycle traveller Duncan Gough. Also I found a great little route in another book 'Motorcycles Routes of Western Europe' by Toby Ballantine starting from Ainsa along the 'Valle de Hecho' passing very close to the same Parador I had booked two rooms for the night. After a good breakfast and early 8am start we followed the N-260 west then took the 260a at Fiscal for a wonderful cool twisty ride up in to the mountains before stopping for a 'banana break' on the descent in the sleepy town of Gavin. By now we had learned our lesson and packed sufficient sustenance in the form of bananas and bags of nuts to ensure we would last a long day without fading toward the end.
In the city of Jaca we discovered the A-1205 road was blocked and realised I had lost Rob behind as I followed the most obvious alternative road off a roundabout so decided to return back to lookout for him. Thankfully he'd taken the same road so we reviewed our next options over the intercom. I killed some waypoints and continued along the N-240 before the Navigator led us up a lane to get back on the original 1205 route toward the waypoint after a small village. Next came a slightly wrong turn along very rutty gravelly farm track, at first I found it quite daunting so switched the GS bike mode to Enduro to soften the suspension and calm the throttle and soon started to feel more comfortable standing up on the pegs and started to have a little fun on the loose stuff.
My decision to leave the top heavy 6kg top-box at home for this trip in favour of a lighter roll bag strapped to the tail had already made the bikes handling lighter and easier, so by now it was paying real dividends as the lane became even more choppy. At one point in a muddy rut the bike was 'zigging' while I went 'zagging' and I nearly lost it completely. I relaxed my grip on the bars to let the bike go where it wanted to, and kept my hips in line to get the bike back under my control again. Rob was doing better than I. Although a 17 inch wheel on the Tiger wasn't ideal, his experience riding around the farm in his younger days plus the Africa Twin day he'd been on last year made light work of it for him I think. All we had to do was keep our distance to avoid flying gravel and stones and at times reached a good speed.
Eventually the track came to a dead end at a field of crops so we took a short break before turning the bikes around and retracing back the way we came. I was getting more confident now, steering while stood up pushing down on the pegs and keeping the weight over the front wheel, however, as we gingerly travelled along this forested ridge next to a narrow stream three huge raptors flew by from the right, so close to my head I nearly lost all control. Each bird had a huge wingspan and later after some research I'm now fairly sure they were 'Spanish Imperial Eagles'. Their wingspan must have been over 5 feet and I was so shocked I sat back down on the seat shut the throttle off and watched as they gracefully disappeared into the woods to my left. I did wonder if 'Gandalf' had summoned those Eagles to carry us back up the lonely mountain! Near the farmhouse we soon found the HUV-V-2102 (H for Huesca) leading us out at a gentle pace along the sublime 'Valle de Hecho' following along the ridge before parking near the church/chapel in the quiet little town of Hecho (Echo). At the end of a narrow cobbled street between old stone buildings we found a tiny cafe serving food. We both went for the excellent chicken sandwich and ice-cream to follow, sat outside in our shorts calming down after all of that unplanned off-road excitement. We both agreed it had been a fun morning with the added bonus of a perfect lunch stop too!
After a walk up hill in to the town through the narrow streets I seemed to lose my bearings and almost got lost after passing the cathedral but with Rob's help soon made our dining experience in the hotel restaurant on time. Tonight we would be amongst quite a few fellow Brits drinking beers on the terrace before being seated inside near the window. Rob went for the Thistle soup and I had the Iberian ham croquettes to start. We both enjoyed the Cod au Gratin with a glass of wine to reflect on a wonderful day tackling a good mix of terrain, us both having a lot of fun along the way.
The ferry crossing from Santander would leave on Saturday afternoon so Friday would be all about getting onto the Cantabrian coast for the night via the most interesting route. Neither of us enjoy motorway (autopista) riding so today we started the day heading South West to look at the Bardenas Reales National Park before tracking North West, with close to 240 miles to cover. Rob and I met up at 8am for a really nice breakfast and I managed to order some bacon and eggs to complement the buffet with a brew of tea. Bikes packed and on the road at 9am the temperature already rising to 28 degrees as we dog-legged through the little town of Sadaba getting a little lost at first riding down back streets before picking up a few rough unpaved lanes into barren farmland and across what Rob described over the intercom as reminding him of 'the Paddy Fields in Vietnam'. The fields looked desert like and flooded with water with small shoots of plants growing. We were now riding off road again along a farm-track between them, and I recall looking ahead to see a great long ridgeway in the distance.
We became a little disoriented in the fields trying to find the entrance to the park, we could make out farm buildings in the distance but struggled to navigate since the Navigator wanted to take us deeper into farmland I was concerned we would meet with a dead end like yesterday. Rob following behind had spotted what looked like a road so we ignored the GPS and made it back onto the black top before spotting a sign to the park on the left. Bardenas Reales is know as the 'Badlands' a desert like area due to the climate around the Pyrenees and warm weather south loses out on rain fall so over the centuries has created a great wasteland with interesting rock formations. We were well and truly riding on gravel now leading out as far as the eye could see as the park opened out into a great desert like expanse and the heat rose over 30 degrees. I was pleased to be wearing my cool mesh jacket and back protector again today but could feel the sweat running down my back using all of my concentration for these gravelly roads. Eventually we settled into the ride stood up again while glancing down at the speedo I remember hitting 50 mph with Rob following some distance behind. After about an hour of riding on gravel we stopped in a shady area under a tree near some animal pens and goats for a much needed drink and rest before Rob led us out of the park.
We picked up the NA-134 near Funes (Navarra) the road was a real mixture of sweeping fast bends and straights and near the town of San Adrián I was tempted to look for a lunch stop but we agreed to continue on and find something nearer the road. Each town and village seemed to be high up on hillsides either side of the main road as as we came up and over a hill I missed a cafe on the left that I'm sure I recognised from a previous trip with Mark, Peter and Lindsay in 2012, but chose to continue on finding a small roadside cafe that looked open but sadly after parking up on the shaded side of the building wasn't serving food it seems. We rode on disappointed and just as I was thinking 'McDonalds, there had to be a McDonalds you can't escape 'em' we came through a town with a cafe and thankfully the young lad who was learning English at school invited us to take a seat and his mother would cook. The lad tried to convey the menu options as best as he could and seemed keen we eat a 3 course meal, but myself and Rob recognised macaroni and cheese as an option so soon after we were tucking into large plate each with a cool drink to escape from the heat. We watched with amusement as the lads mother used a mop handle to bash against the air-con unit to increase its fan power for us and we both changed into shorts using the cafes facilities.
Crossing into the small region of Álava now, I'd originally planned a lunch option in the big city of Vitoria Gasteiz, but not realising it would be too late due to the time we had spent navigating around Bardenas Reales and consuming that belly full of pasta earlier on we just continued straight through the city and out along the A-624 toward Basque country where the scenery turned even more green and lush. The riding now quite fast as we crossed into Cantabria and 'green Spain' joining the CA-153 near La Matanza heading due north toward the coast. I can't recall where we stopped for fuel but remember a toilet block behind with a nice view across the valley. By now the weather became much cooler with grey clouds brooding in the distance. Still wearing my mesh jacket and Rob without waterproof liners we decided to press on and hope the rain didn't come. During the steady climb into the forested Cantabrian mountains we experienced a slight drizzle, and on one section of a valley we needed to take care as the surface changed to dark brown silty mud for a while near Trebuesto.
I could now smell the sea as the Navigator had me turn off on to the autopista 8 heading west for a few junctions. By now I couldn't see Rob behind but hoped he was using his phone based MRA Navigator. The route would have taken us through the seaside town of Laredo but realising this meant a lengthy ride I chose to stay on the autopista for a few more junctions. I called Rob up on the phone to explain but he was all fine so we both met up soon after in the car park of Hotel Olimpo overlooking Isla Playa (near the beach) a pretty headland resort. A good clean hotel with a large balcony and view of the beach and gardens. We dined at the restaurant, early for Spain around 7pm and the first seated at the window overlooking the ocean and shared some fantastic Scallops in garlic sauce to start, and I followed this with what I thought would be a small plate of lamb so we were both amazed to see me served an actual leg of tender lamb instead. We followed dinner with a walk outside in the gardens while reflecting on a fantastic adventure we'd had over the last 10 days.
Saturday morning we both opted for a lie in and met for a late breakfast after packing the bike kit in preparation for the cabin since it's not possible to revisit the car deck while at sea. I was very slow packing today but Rob was really on the ball waiting patiently for me wearing his helmet in the shade under a tree after he'd kindly checked us out of the hotel. I hoped he wasn't just keen to get home but I don't think so! I then realised we were really cutting it fine to make the last check-in. I needed to get my act together and as we set off on our last short ride in Spain we encountered a fine mist of rain that clogged up the visor. I'd chosen a route to avoid the autopista allowing us to sample the headland and bay in to Santander port from the eastern side but I can't say I saw much of it. On the way we did see a car suddenly change direction though, with no indicators that had us really alarmed for a while while on these wet roads. In the end we arrived with a good 20 mins to spare and while tying down the bike on the fairly new ferry 'The Salamanca' we met a chap on his first trip riding solo on his Triumph Bonneville. Nice chap who almost didn't believe us this was our first experience of rain. He'd been near Ainsa the week before us and got soaked day after day, then later while in the Picos he was soaked again. After unpacking for the night and finding the cabin, Rob spotted the beer and Tapas bar and after organising ourself in this bigger 4 berth cabin room we both ate well and then crashed asleep for 2 hours. The evening meal followed hors d'oeuvres followed by Beef skewers with baked potato. Sunday was a day of relaxation, just eating and drinking and after Rob had bought a pack of cards continued to teach me how to play Whist a game I'd never had the chance to play, confusing at first for me but a lot of fun. We disembarked in Portsmouth harbour quite late into the evening, and the ride home was pretty much the reverse through Marlborough save a huge diversion around Birdlip hill due to the road works. We said our farewells over the intercom on the A449 near where we'd started our adventure ,and I rolled into my garage at 9:43pm having covered 1558 miles in total.
Again an excellent adventure, and good to tour with Rob this year and get him back into riding distances again while he enjoys riding that smart looking Triumph Tiger. The daily route distances were just about right and so pleased we experienced good weather while having fun in the mountains and along that wonderful N-260. Those off-road sections were a real bonus. I can't wait for the next one now!
