Paging the Francophiles

SWMBO and myself are off to France on the 29th May for a week. Really
looking forward to the K having its first really long trip.

We're visiting friends near Bordeaux then were going to ride along the south
coast to Nice and over the alps and home.

However, I've done the alps trip before and am fancying maybe exploring the
Pyrenees.

So the question is what are the must do routes/things to see in the
Pyrenees?

Any hotel recommendations would be nice too

--
Steve Parry
BMW R45
01 Kawasaki ZX12-R
07 K1200GT SE
95 BMW F650
87 Yamaha FS1
Sukida SK90PY
91 Kawasaki AR50
07 VW Passat SE Estate for comfort
www.gwynfryn.co.uk

 

This hotel - http://www.hotelpalazio.com/ and take the HU-631 from
Sarvise to get to it - an utterly fantastic road (as are most of them
around there).

--
Krusty
www.MuddyStuff.co.uk
Off-Road Classifieds

'02 MV Senna '03 Tiger 955i '96 Tiger '79 Fantic Hiro 250

 

Ta

--
Steve Parry
BMW R45
01 Kawasaki ZX12-R
07 K1200GT SE
95 BMW F650
87 Yamaha FS1
Sukida SK90PY
91 Kawasaki AR50
07 VW Passat SE Estate for comfort
www.gwynfryn.co.uk

 

Andorra is nice ride---a hole, mind you, but it's an interesting trip
to get there.

 

I came up from the Spanish side and down the French side, over the
pass, rather than through the tunnel. The Spanish side is better, if
only because it doesn't have the perpetual mist that shrouds the
French side of the hill.

 

You may get a few ideas from our trip a few years ago -
http://www.colinandpat.co.uk/Hol2004/index.html

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Colin Irvine

<thread swerve>

How are you healing?

 

Quite nicely, thanks. Plaster and bandage came off the left hand
yesterday, friction burn has dried up -
http://www.colinandpat.co.uk/Colin/Bikes/Hand.jpg
Just need some physio to get the hand working again. Right hand is
bruised but mostly functional. Pat's pretty much 100%.

The bike's been written off, so busy deciding on the next one. A
shortlist of Blackbird, ZZR1400 and Hyabusa has been passed by
herself. Bear emailed me a couple of days ago with a surprisingly
accurate summary of Pat's reaction [1].

The worst thing is missing all this nice biking weather.

[1]"I've crashed the bike and thrown you down the road darling".
"That's ok - buy a newer, faster bike".

 

<g> Relayed that to Pat - there's a blown kiss winging its way towards
you.

 

I think it would be wrong not to buy the 'busa, just wrong. Ugly but
I've always wanted one, despite not riding one ever. So, I'm
recommending what I want, not what I have (subtle difference).

--
TD
1991 VFR400R NC30 (black and red)
2001 ZX-9R (red and black)
1999 M5 (neither black nor red)
Missing: SOB, Unreliable Italian exotica, Lardy tourer

 

From the source of some ideas:

From the northern side of the Pyrenees I'd say that most roads are twisty
and shite and then suddenly there is the "autorroute des deux mers".

My suggestion, provided I know south-eastern Pyrenees and my opinion is
biased:

Leave Bordeaux and the coast in the morning and drive to Pau, some
autorroute to Tarbes, then head south to Spain and enter the country via the
Bielsa tunnel, destination: Ainsa. Some 370kms that can be done in one
morning. E-mail to my legit address (see this post) for details of either 1)
affordable one Michelin star restaurant or 2) good quality "eat as much as
you can "restaurant", both in Ainsa.

I'd use the evening for gently moving eastwards to Vielha, then do the
Bonaigua pass and sleep at that Morera hotel in Valencia d'Aneu where Colin
and Pat stayed. Their half board should be enough after the main meal of the
day.

Trip to Andorra, option 1: Drive down to Sort, N260 "Coll del Cantó", la Seu
d'Urgell and there you are.

Trip to Andorra, option 2: Drive down to Tremp, then there is a road to
Ponts with very nice twisties. From there you can drive north to la Seu
d'Urgell with a stop at the motorcycle museum of Bassella (on the road, next
to a petrol station and a Pan's & Company fast food). If you enjoyed the
Tremp-Ponts, I'd suggest Coll de Nargo-Tremp(again)-Sort(again) and then
Coll del Cantó to la Seu.

In Andorra, e-mail me if you need a nice deal in some hotel. The hotel is in
a commercial area (Laphroaig 10, 25 euros [1])and near the Caldea thermal
center.

I'd leave Andorra by La Seu d'Urgell and Puigcerda, then do the old N152 or
"Collada de Toses" (not the parallel road through Masella and Molina ski
resorts) to Ripoll (google for the Begur holidays of some ukrmers and N152).
From Ripoll, north to Camprodon, France, Ceret, and to the coast. Welcome to
sunny Mediterranean.


[1] http://www.cavabenitowhisky.com/

 

I think they probably score worst of the three. Favourite atm is the
ZZR - with ABS!

 

I hope you have looked over a Gentleman's Ducati

 

About in that order: Cirque de Gavarnie (mountains),
Saint-Bertrand-De-Comminges (old village on a hill, very nice ancient
church), Artouste and the train (mountain railway), Lac d'Oo (in the
mountains), Grottes de Betharram (caves).

There are also plenty of nice places in the Roussillon (Mediterannean
shore of the Pyrenees)(catch a bottle of Muscat de Rivesaltes when you
are there)

Got some family in Pau, so I don't use hotels much

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Grand Prix de Pau occurs from May 30th to June
1st.Don't expect to find hotels there... (at least until it ends).
If you wsant to see some of it
(http://www.grandprixautomobilepau.com/en/index.htm) large parts of the
tracks are visible from free locations, but parking in Pau will be a
nightmare. A better idea is to find an hotel in a town nearby with a
railroad connection (Orthez, for instance) and get there by train (the
circuit is mostly near the railway station.

 

Not looked over as such, but I have been following the thread up there
with interest. I may take a closer look.

 

There was something about the ZZR1200 that Lozzo said put him off over the
1100?

 

Well hugely lighter and better handling with better brakes than the ZZR. No
ABS TBF. Proper pillion accomodation and a new super comfy seat. Ducati do
a top box rack which adds to the Nonfango pannier frames. Nice it is and
they are not stupidly expensive. I got the two helmet size 'box also but
more sensibly it is rugged enough to take a big Oxford roll bag crammed with
gear. Not as if you are far from York and you need to come visit the new
place anyway.

Reminds me, must go measure the pillion rest to pannier distance for Statto.

 

Ahhhhhhhhhhh
I'm out of date apparently. That's a shedload of money though, Colin is an
ex accountant.

 

He's your bitch now?

 

<slap>