Riding across Southern Europe - May
Discussion
As a result of some shift swaps I've got all of May off work, and with nothing better to do thought it would be nice to take a bike across southern Europe. Either get the ferry across to Calais and down into Spain, or the ferry direct to Bilbao. From there maybe head across South of France, have a look at Monaco, and towards Italy, before going round over the top to Montenegro (have to get there by 24th May) and possibly into Albania before heading back home.
So, what bike would be good? I'm not taking the Fireblade, but budget for something new maybe £5-7k? Obviously comfort will be the priority.
What routes would anyone take? Anywhere to see/stop recommended on the route there or back?
So, what bike would be good? I'm not taking the Fireblade, but budget for something new maybe £5-7k? Obviously comfort will be the priority.
What routes would anyone take? Anywhere to see/stop recommended on the route there or back?
That sounds like a great trip. I've done many parts of that trip but not as a single journey.
Personally, I'd do the ferry to Northern Spain to start with then do Picos.
The South of France from the Massif Central to east of Marseille is horrible. The mosquitos in the Camargue are big enough to need 4 engines! That is definitely a "motorway option"
As for the bike, I'd go for something like a SD1290GT, a K1300S or a ZZR1400. However, £7,000 to £8,000 would get an H2 SX and that would definitely be my choice.
Personally, I'd do the ferry to Northern Spain to start with then do Picos.
The South of France from the Massif Central to east of Marseille is horrible. The mosquitos in the Camargue are big enough to need 4 engines! That is definitely a "motorway option"
As for the bike, I'd go for something like a SD1290GT, a K1300S or a ZZR1400. However, £7,000 to £8,000 would get an H2 SX and that would definitely be my choice.
End of May/ beginning of June were heading to Spain and Portugal. Will start with the ferry to Bilbao. We have a long two weeks to do a lap of the Iberian peninsula and then back up through France. With a month, you could do all of that and then across to the alps and Italy. Or are you heading southeast to the Balkans?
I’ve just retired and my wife finishes in April. Leaving late May / early June we're off on a European jaunt for a month. We’re doing the channel crossing, through Luxembourg / Germany and then down to Montenegro following the Croatian coast. Coming back we'll probably do Serbia / Bosnia and possibly Hungary.
We want to do the Picos and Portugal too, but that’s for another trip as we're taking it slowly now we have more time. We're not planning the route as such, just riding and booking accommodation each day as we go. What we are doing now is picking things we want to do and places we like the look of. Early things on the list are Technik Museum Sinsheim (which I heard of from someone's post on the enjoying retirement thread on PH), Heidelberg, The Romantic Road (tourist route in Germany), Munich, The Eagle's Nest, The Grossglockner Pass and Salzburg. As you can see, we haven’t looked at anything other than Germany and Austria yet. If we do all those who knows if we’ll make it as far as Montegro!?
I’d thought about Albania too, but my insurance won’t cover me. I know I could buy third party cover there, but I’m not sure I can bothered with the cost and the hassle of the extra border crossings for what was just going to be a day trip up the mountain road that runs along the Montenegran border.
Worth checking out the Teapot One vids he’s posting at the moment as he’s gone from Slovenia down to Greece and back. Gives a bit of insight into the Balkans.
I’m going on my 1250 GSA, but pretty much any bike will do. Years ago my wife and I put a couple of European trips in on a CBR600. Not sure my back could take that now though!
We want to do the Picos and Portugal too, but that’s for another trip as we're taking it slowly now we have more time. We're not planning the route as such, just riding and booking accommodation each day as we go. What we are doing now is picking things we want to do and places we like the look of. Early things on the list are Technik Museum Sinsheim (which I heard of from someone's post on the enjoying retirement thread on PH), Heidelberg, The Romantic Road (tourist route in Germany), Munich, The Eagle's Nest, The Grossglockner Pass and Salzburg. As you can see, we haven’t looked at anything other than Germany and Austria yet. If we do all those who knows if we’ll make it as far as Montegro!?
I’d thought about Albania too, but my insurance won’t cover me. I know I could buy third party cover there, but I’m not sure I can bothered with the cost and the hassle of the extra border crossings for what was just going to be a day trip up the mountain road that runs along the Montenegran border.
Worth checking out the Teapot One vids he’s posting at the moment as he’s gone from Slovenia down to Greece and back. Gives a bit of insight into the Balkans.
I’m going on my 1250 GSA, but pretty much any bike will do. Years ago my wife and I put a couple of European trips in on a CBR600. Not sure my back could take that now though!
May is possibly a bit early I would say but if you have no choice then I would do the ferry to Cherbourg or St Malo on the basis that the point of the exercise IS the trip and you would spent 30hrs on a ferry picking your nose otherwise.
I'd avoid all motorways and tolls, the roads are nearly as quick and you see much, much more.
Beetle down through France to as far West and South (head for S W Portugal?) as you fancy would then give a bit of time for the weather to improve over the mountains and plan directions according to the nicest weather (i.e. don't plan a route in advance) is a nice way to do it. That way you could go down Italy and then ferry to Albania or you could head straight for the Balkans (take your own food for the ferry) depending on where is sunnier at the time.
I use the WeatherSpark website to get an idea of potential possibilities and then check out the local weather when I am travelling.
Should be a great trip!
I'd avoid all motorways and tolls, the roads are nearly as quick and you see much, much more.
Beetle down through France to as far West and South (head for S W Portugal?) as you fancy would then give a bit of time for the weather to improve over the mountains and plan directions according to the nicest weather (i.e. don't plan a route in advance) is a nice way to do it. That way you could go down Italy and then ferry to Albania or you could head straight for the Balkans (take your own food for the ferry) depending on where is sunnier at the time.
I use the WeatherSpark website to get an idea of potential possibilities and then check out the local weather when I am travelling.
Should be a great trip!
The trip, however you do it will be a blast and some good tips above.
Conscious that the 'what bike?' question will rouse lots of suggestions, here's mine....
I did a a chunk of Europe on a £5k Aprilia 1200 Caponord. All day comfortable as a bit upright, good wind protection, sounds right, great trick suspension, most come with OE luggage and plenty quick enough for most things.
There you go!
Conscious that the 'what bike?' question will rouse lots of suggestions, here's mine....
I did a a chunk of Europe on a £5k Aprilia 1200 Caponord. All day comfortable as a bit upright, good wind protection, sounds right, great trick suspension, most come with OE luggage and plenty quick enough for most things.
There you go!
Take in the Gorges du Verdon if you can, absolutely beautiful, if you're coming to or from the north the Route Napoleon from Grenoble to Cannes would be epic.
Bike wise, you could worse than something like the 2017 V-Strom 1000 I took to Italy the other year, maybe not the most exciting bike, but plenty grunty / handly enough, I found mine comfy and reliable too.
Bike wise, you could worse than something like the 2017 V-Strom 1000 I took to Italy the other year, maybe not the most exciting bike, but plenty grunty / handly enough, I found mine comfy and reliable too.
The Pont Aven is still sailing from Plymouth which is about 21 hours, alternatively St Malo to San Sebastian is about 8 hours on motorway, or 13 hours avoiding it. Two or three nice days riding and sight seeing in France sounds reasonable if you're away for a month. Having done the ferry I wouldn't do it again unless it was the best way to make a particular trip work.
Spring showers are pretty common in northern Spain, we got hit with a couple of proper soakers, which affected morale for some of our party.
I would definitely recommend the primary attribute for your bike should be reliability; sheltering in a bus stop waiting on the recovery truck was a definite low point, as was having no shade from the blazing sunshine two days later!
Spring showers are pretty common in northern Spain, we got hit with a couple of proper soakers, which affected morale for some of our party.
I would definitely recommend the primary attribute for your bike should be reliability; sheltering in a bus stop waiting on the recovery truck was a definite low point, as was having no shade from the blazing sunshine two days later!
hiccy18 said:
The Pont Aven is still sailing from Plymouth which is about 21 hours, alternatively St Malo to San Sebastian is about 8 hours on motorway, or 13 hours avoiding it. Two or three nice days riding and sight seeing in France sounds reasonable if you're away for a month. Having done the ferry I wouldn't do it again unless it was the best way to make a particular trip work.
Spring showers are pretty common in northern Spain, we got hit with a couple of proper soakers, which affected morale for some of our party.
I would definitely recommend the primary attribute for your bike should be reliability; sheltering in a bus stop waiting on the recovery truck was a definite low point, as was having no shade from the blazing sunshine two days later!
I tend to agree tbh, and if I take the ferry it's a bit of a detour to hit the alps and mountain passes. France is nice enough, I certainly wouldn't be just sitting on the motorway all the way down. The only downside of the chunnel and going through France is the route doesn't take you past anything big or especially interesting, although I'm sure cute little French villages will be welcoming and nice to see. Spring showers are pretty common in northern Spain, we got hit with a couple of proper soakers, which affected morale for some of our party.
I would definitely recommend the primary attribute for your bike should be reliability; sheltering in a bus stop waiting on the recovery truck was a definite low point, as was having no shade from the blazing sunshine two days later!
Spring showers do not sound fun, I am very much a fair weather biker where possible! Hopefully by May that far south most of the weather has gone.
Reliability has been considered, anything Italian has been excluded.
Am not ready for a BMW, so likely Yamaha or Honda. Possibly Triumph. If I was using the chunnel I'd probably head for Le Mans, overnight Saumur, La Rochelle for lunch, Royan ferry and Arcachon overnight for the Dune de Pilat (I found it stunning, the missus said "f
k climbing that!" 
) then Biarritz, Hondarribia, San Sebastian? Saumur and Arcachon are both really lovely.
We got soaked in the middle of May, yellow weather warning storms (three of them!) across two days, but we were hostage to fortune having booked all accomodation before departure, and then my bike playing up removed what wriggle room we'd had the following day.
k climbing that!" ) then Biarritz, Hondarribia, San Sebastian? Saumur and Arcachon are both really lovely.We got soaked in the middle of May, yellow weather warning storms (three of them!) across two days, but we were hostage to fortune having booked all accomodation before departure, and then my bike playing up removed what wriggle room we'd had the following day.
A few points.
As someone has pointed out Plymouth to Santander is about 20/21 hours, not 30 hours. The boat - Pont Aven - has a really nice restaurant. Have a nice meal , a good night's sleep and you arrive nicely refreshed for your first day's ride.
In May you won't need to prebook accomodation, except maybe Day 1. Otherwise I would plan your route around the weather. Just look at the forecasts and decide where to go.
Take a laptop or tablet and booking.com will. find you accomodation each day.
AsBlack K1 said the route across the South of France can be a pain but simply head a little further North up into the Southern part of the Massif Central. Gorge du Verdon and Gorge du Tarn and well worth the trip.
As someone has pointed out Plymouth to Santander is about 20/21 hours, not 30 hours. The boat - Pont Aven - has a really nice restaurant. Have a nice meal , a good night's sleep and you arrive nicely refreshed for your first day's ride.
In May you won't need to prebook accomodation, except maybe Day 1. Otherwise I would plan your route around the weather. Just look at the forecasts and decide where to go.
Take a laptop or tablet and booking.com will. find you accomodation each day.
AsBlack K1 said the route across the South of France can be a pain but simply head a little further North up into the Southern part of the Massif Central. Gorge du Verdon and Gorge du Tarn and well worth the trip.
hiccy18 said:
If I was using the chunnel I'd probably head for Le Mans, overnight Saumur, La Rochelle for lunch, Royan ferry and Arcachon overnight for the Dune de Pilat (I found it stunning, the missus said "fk climbing that!" ) then Biarritz, Hondarribia, San Sebastian? Saumur and Arcachon are both really lovely.
We got soaked in the middle of May, yellow weather warning storms (three of them!) across two days, but we were hostage to fortune having booked all accomodation before departure, and then my bike playing up removed what wriggle room we'd had the following day.
This sounds good, a ride through the vineyards of Pauillac and Margaux is worth a detour, Saint Emilion is a beautiful town too although slightly off that route.k climbing that!" ) then Biarritz, Hondarribia, San Sebastian? Saumur and Arcachon are both really lovely.We got soaked in the middle of May, yellow weather warning storms (three of them!) across two days, but we were hostage to fortune having booked all accomodation before departure, and then my bike playing up removed what wriggle room we'd had the following day.
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