Spanish Pyrenees & Costa Brava New
Tour
Tuesday 25th May - Saturday 5th June 2010
| Duration |
11 Nights / 12 Days |
| Tour Area |
Spanish Pyrenees, Costa Brava, |
| Status |
Escorted Tour (E) |
| Accommodation |
3 star Hotels - most with swimming pools |
| Mileage |
200 - 250 miles per day - longest 350 miles |
| Approx Tour Mileage |
1750 miles |
| Roads |
Combination of Motorway, A, B and Mountain Roads |
| Skills |
Intermediate - experienced rider with continental experience |
The mountains of the Spanish Pyrenees and the beaches of the Costa Brava -
a perfect combination
We start our European touring season in style - with
a 12 day tour through the Spanish Pyrenees to the lovely Costa Brava. This
is no mad dash to the beach, but a leisurely tour through
the Spanish Pyrennes - with 2 x 2 night
stops - giving us plenty of time to ride the fantastic roads
and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the area, this is followed by
a 3 night stay at a hotel just 200m from the beach on the Costa Brava.
Our return will take us back through the volcanic
region of the Auverne, with the opportunity to ride over the dramatic Millau
Bridge.
Following an overnight ferry crossing from Portsmouth to St.Malo we cross
Western France to our first nights stop south of Bordeaux. The second day
sees us complete our journey across France, taking to the mountain
roads made famous by the 'Tour de France', before entering
Spain for our first of 2 two nights stops. Our
base is a 3 star hotel with great food and fantastic mountain views, and
is ideally placed to visit the dramatic Ordesa National Park. More
superb biking roads as we continue our ride along the Pyrenees to
our second two night stop, this time in the Cerdanya Valley. Widest and brightest
of the Pyrenees valleys, this area enjoys over 3000 hours of sunshine per
year, and
it is only a short ride away from the tax free Principality of Andorra.
Leaving the mountains behind we drop down to
the Mediterranean Sea for our next Spanish location,
a family run hotel in a quiet resort on the Costa Brava. This
will be your home for the next three nights - set in its own gardens, and
just 200 metres from the sea - this 3 star hotel offers all the facilities
you would expect, including a tennis court and 2 swimming pools.
Nearby is Figueres, the birthplace
of Salvador Dali, the historic city of Gerona and of course the beautiful
city of Barcelona.
Our return takes us up the Mediterranean coast before picking up the A75
northwards. This may be a motorway but it is one of the best I have
ridden, offering dramatic views of the volcanic Auvergne region and of course
the opportunity to see, and ride over the fantastic Millau Bridge.
Although this is a new tour, we have ridden the Pyrenees
many times before, and it represents everything
good about biking - superb roads, stunning views and biker-friendly locals. We
ride along the Spanish side of the Pyrenees, which tends to enjoy the better
weather and provides great roads and beautiful views. We tour this area
either in May or September, not only because it is cooler,
but also to avoid the tourists, although, to be honest, we have never found
this part of the world to be busy, sometimes going for an hour without seeing
another vehicle.
Tour Format
Day 1: Tuesday 25th May Today,
you should make your way to Portsmouth to catch the Brittany Ferries
overnight ferry to St Malo. The
ferry boards early evening, allowing you to travel down on the day. Once
onboard, you have time to relax, get a meal, and meet your fellow riders
and escort for the tour. A two-berth en-suite cabin is included in
the package.
Day 2: Wednesday 26th May (350 miles) The
ferry docks at 0830hrs, which means we will get off in plenty of time for
our first day’s
journey down through Western France. Using mainly motorway, this
get us quickly to our hotel south of
Bordeaux, where an evening meal awaits.
Day
3: Thursday 27th May (225 miles) Our first
glimpse of the Pyrenee today as we complete our journey across France. Some
275 miles long, the Pyrenees form one of the world’s great mountain
chains, stretching from the Catalan Mediterranean in the south, to the Basque
Atlantic in the north. Passing through the famous pilgrimage town of
Lourdes, we start to ride the Pyrenees ‘proper’ as we take to
the wonderfully twisty, scenic roads of the Col du Tourmalet, much used by
the Tour de France cyclists. Crossing over into Spain, our
day finishes at a 3 star hotel in a rural setting offering lovely
mountain views. Our stay here will include all breakfasts and evening meals.
Day 4: Friday 28th May (free
day) Our two night stop gives you a free day to
do as you wish. Set
in the middle of three national parks we are
surrounded by a multitude of places to visit. In
the north-west, the Valley de Gistaín (40 km) and Parque Natural Posests-Maladeta
offer spectacular scenery and stunning natural beauty, while the Natural
Park de la Sierra and the Guara Canyon lie in the south-west (both approximately
40 km away). The Ordesa National
Park is perhaps the best known, within the park
lies the most spectacular section of the mountain chain, with peaks rising
over 3000 metres and valleys that were once so isolated that they had their
own distinct traditions and dialects and, indeed, saw no form of motor transport
until the late 20th century. Since its creation in 1918, the park has
increased tenfold, encompassing an area rich in woodlands, lakes, waterfalls
and abundant wildlife.
Amongst all this scenery, the
motorcyclist is not forgotten, as this part of the world has a multitude
of smooth, undulating
roads that are sure to put a smile on your face. Should you fancy
a day off the bikes the ancient city of Ainsa is close by,
or perhaps you would prefer a swim in the hotel pool followed
by a beer or two, enjoying the view from the hotel's panoramic terrace.
Day 5: Saturday 29th May (145 miles) Not
a big mileage today, so plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and traffic free
roads as we continue our tour eastwards though Aragon into Catalonia. The
day ends at a 3 star hotel set in the Cerdanya Valley, with fantastic mountain
views of the Pyrenees.
Our stay co-incides with the village festival, so you will have the
opportunity to join in and enjoy a little of the Catalan culture.
Day 6: Sunday 30th May (free day) Our second
two night stop gives you a free day to explore this unique part of
the Pyrenees. Widest and
brightest of the Pyrenees valleys, Cerdanya it is said to be shaped like
the "handprint
of God" and is in area that enjoys over 3000 hours of sunshine per year.
Fought over for many years, the Valley was eventually divided between France
and Spain in 1659, however inhabiitants on both sides of the border consider
themselves Catalans.
Fancy a peaceful day after last nights festival? The hotel
offers a fitness centre, spa, sauna, inside and outside
swimming pools. If even that sounds like hard work, time to relax
in the solarium or on the hotel terrace,
admiring the stunning mountain views over a glass or two of wine.
For those that wish, retail theraphy is available in the form of a
local Sunday market, and of course it is only a short ride to the tax free
Principality of Andorra.
The rider is not forgotten, assuming we can stop you going back to ride
the roads of yesterday, to the south lay the mountains of the Serra de Cadi
offering challenging roads and fantastic mountain scenery. Or why not visit
three countries in the day? as you take a circular route through Andorra
, France and back into Spain again.
Days
7: Monday 31st May (112 miles) reluctantly we leave the
mountains behind, passing Ripoll - known as the cradle of Catalonia -
we continue eastwards on our journey to the sea. Bypassing
the city of Gerona our day ends at your base for the next three nights,
a 3 star hotel, just 200m from the beach at a small Costa Brava resort.
Day 8,9: Tuesday 1st - Wednesday 2nd June (free days) With
no fixed plans, your time is your own for our stay by the beach. For
those wanting to see the sights, Figueres, the birthplace
of Salvador Dali, has a museum showing many of his works. The
city of Gerona is not far away and boasts a walled city dating back to
Roman times, and of course the beautiful city of Barcelona with its cathedral
and house "La Pedrera" designed by Gaudi are within easy riding
distance.
If you do not wander that far, the hotel is situated in one of
several small resorts in the area. Its own facilities include two
swimming pools, a tennis court, games room, pool table, TV lounge and terrace
bar with the beach just 200 metres. All bedrooms are en-suite and have
TV, internet WiFi, direct dial telephone, central heating, air conditioning,
safe, hairdryer and balcony overlooking the extensive gardens. To help
keep costs down, all breakfasts and evening meals are once again included.
Days 10: Thursday 3rd June (325 miles) Today,
we must leave Spain behind as we head along the Costa Brava,
entering France at Perpignan, before picking up the A75 for our journey northwards. Although
a motorway, this road offers some great views of the Auvergne countryside
and dramatical crosses the Tarn Gorges by way of the fantastic Millau Bridge.
Opened in December 2004, the bridge was designed by the British
architect Norman Foster and is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world,
with one mast's summit at 343 metres (1,125 ft) - slightly
taller than the Eiffel Tower and only 38 m (125 ft) shorter than
the Empire State Building. Our overnight stay tonight is at 3 star hotel
in the Aveyron region.
Day 11: Friday 4th June (250 miles) Our journey
continues through Central France to a final nights stop in the Champagne
region.
Day 12: Saturday 5th June (248 miles) We
complete our tour with a final days ride across Northern France to Calais,
for an afternoon
channel crossing.
Accommodation
All
the accommodation we use on tour is to our normal standard, that is of 3
star qualities or better. Bedrooms are en-suite with the usual
facilities such as TV, telephone and hairdryer and many have fridges,
balconies, and free Wi-Fi access. Hotel facilities such as
fitness rooms, spa, sauna and swimming pools are included, so we suggest
you take your swimming gear.
With the Pound
and Euro at practically 1 for 1, we believe this tour offers
value for money, as all evening
meals - with the exception of the ferry crossing - are included, leaving
you with only lunch, petrol, drinks (and the odd ice-cream) to budget for.
As much of the tour is through rural Spain, many of the locals do not speak
English. However, we will have a Spanish-speaking guide with us, who
will be on hand to help.
| Tour prices are inclusive of the following |
| * Outward overnight ferry Portsmouth to St.Malo
with en-suite cabin (2030 hrs) |
| * Return afternoon channel crossing |
| * 10 Nights' en-suite accommodation at 3 star
hotels |
| * 10 Regional breakfasts |
| * 10 Evening meals (see
note 1) |
| * Full use of hotels' leisure facilities |
| * Maps and route notes as appropiate - Garmin routes
available |
| * Services of experienced Tour Guide |
| |
| Not Included |
| * meals onboard ferries |
| Tour Cost |
|
| Two persons, one bike, shared room |
£995 each |
| One person, one bike, shared room |
£1035 each |
| One person, one bike, single room |
£1285 (based
on single hotel room and cabin share on ferry) |
| Deposit £95 |
|
Note 1. In
Spain, it is the normal practice to eat quite late - evening meals will
be traditional regional menus and mainly meat based. Although
we will do our best to get an alternative, vegetarians should be aware that
the choice can be very limited.
Insurance
On all European tours (including Southern Ireland) we require
clients to take-out some form of Personal Travel and Accident/Breakdown
cover. This
is essential for repatriation of yourself and your motorcycle in the event
of an accident or medical emergency. We can recommend cover through
Gold Cover Insurance Services Ltd, a company that have specialised in travel
insurance for many years and is used by many Motorcycle Tour Operators.
GOLD COVER INSURANCE
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