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Diggs
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PostPosted: 17:39 - 06 Jan 2023    Post subject: Spain in May Reply with quote

Myself and two friends are thinking about getting cheap flights to Spain in early May, a hotel for a base and hiring bikes for a few days to do some exploring. Anyone here done something similar recently and can offer some top tips? Ideally looking for a base by the coast with mountains and twisties nearby...
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Weisse Schlange
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PostPosted: 19:21 - 06 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

Spent 2 weeks firing round Spain a coupla years back
Ferry to Santander, turned right into the Picos mountains and aimed for towns with medieval catherdral centres.
Nothing booked, just rocked up and found somewhere.
Went around Madrid, across to Murcia for a bike club party for 3 days and then back into the centre for more unbelievably awesome roads.

The North of Spain is a revalation on a Motorbike. Absolute heaven.
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ZebraDriver
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PostPosted: 19:37 - 06 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

I hired a MT07 from a dealer in Marbella a couple of years ago. Loads of good roads up in the hills around that area. I had the advantage of my brother in law as a guide but its not difficult to find good bike roads. Book your bike hire well in advance, I was on a two week holiday in late September and nearly missed being able to get a bike as they were all out on hire.

Me and a couple of mates have been planning something similar to what you are talking about, book a four day weekend break, with two days bike hire, it should be do-able for around £500. Other halves were coming as well but they just want to sit at the pool in the sun

Just remember to sort out travel insurance that will cover a big bike - most limit you to 125cc.

ZD
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 20:30 - 06 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

Northern Spain/Picos area is fantastic. You can dot about in a very ad-hoc fashion using booking.com. Potes is a good jumping-off point to base yourself in, none of the roads will disappoint. Food and accommodation was cheap. locals were welcoming.

Mrs stinkwheel flew into Madrid last year and used IMTbike for the hire. She got a BMW G310 which was probably the fastest bike of the group on that kind of twisty. It was a bit of a slog up to the Picos from Madrid but that's the only flights that fitted her schedule. I think they have an office in Bilbao too. Potes is about 2 1/2 hours from Bilbao, 90-ish miles of motorway then the madness begins.

IMT weren't the cheapest but they provided a superbly well turned out bike and didn't fuck us about at all so I'm happy to recommend them.
https://www.imtbike.com/motorcycle-rentals/locations/bilbao/
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pfaz
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PostPosted: 21:37 - 06 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

Currently weighing up riding all the way across France vs Fly + Hire.

Can I ask what people did with luggage if they fly to Spain and rented bikes? I imagined transferring everything from a suitcase to the rental bike panniers but what happens to your suitcase then? Will the bike hire company store luggage for you?
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 21:50 - 06 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

pfaz wrote:
Currently weighing up riding all the way across France vs Fly + Hire.

Can I ask what people did with luggage if they fly to Spain and rented bikes? I imagined transferring everything from a suitcase to the rental bike panniers but what happens to your suitcase then? Will the bike hire company store luggage for you?


IMT certainly did.
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I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.
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Rob Fzs
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PostPosted: 12:52 - 07 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

pfaz wrote:
Currently weighing up riding all the way across France vs Fly + Hire.

Can I ask what people did with luggage if they fly to Spain and rented bikes? I imagined transferring everything from a suitcase to the rental bike panniers but what happens to your suitcase then? Will the bike hire company store luggage for you?


We rode down from Stafford, Plymouth all the way down France via A roads (fuck paying the tolls) and then did abit of the Pyrenees and then going back the way we came.

If i was gonna do Spain i'd do the Santander ferry and then ponce about for a week on your own bike , we didn't really do much Spain, stopped at a nice Campsite called Camp Gavin, had a night in Andorra , this was all in May 2019, France was still quite cold in the mornings then, we always found somewhere to camp, but alot of the regular places weren't open then
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pfaz
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PostPosted: 13:22 - 07 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rob Fzs wrote:
We rode down from Stafford, Plymouth all the way down France via A roads (fuck paying the tolls) and then did abit of the Pyrenees and then going back the way we came.

If i was gonna do Spain i'd do the Santander ferry and then ponce about for a week on your own bike


I rode across France last year to do the Stelvio and then did my own pouncing around North Italy which was great. I think I made a bad call though which was to get across France as quick as possible and those motorways are tedious. I do think A roads and stopping for croissants/coffee at every French village you pass through sounds much more fun!

I've considered the ferry route but it's around £600 return which I think discounts it completely. That's a lot of fuel/tolls (probably 3x-4x what it would cost to ride) and it's a two day crossing Sad

Lots of factors to consider for sure...
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Rob Fzs
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PostPosted: 13:38 - 07 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

pfaz wrote:
Rob Fzs wrote:
We rode down from Stafford, Plymouth all the way down France via A roads (fuck paying the tolls) and then did abit of the Pyrenees and then going back the way we came.

If i was gonna do Spain i'd do the Santander ferry and then ponce about for a week on your own bike


I rode across France last year to do the Stelvio and then did my own pouncing around North Italy which was great. I think I made a bad call though which was to get across France as quick as possible and those motorways are tedious. I do think A roads and stopping for croissants/coffee at every French village you pass through sounds much more fun!


I've considered the ferry route but it's around £600 return which I think discounts it completely. That's a lot of fuel/tolls (probably 3x-4x what it would cost to ride) and it's a two day crossing Sad

Lots of factors to consider for sure...


only trouble with French villages is the speed limits bloody 20 , ferry price is crazy , we were in abit of a rush, did the lot in 7 days but it would be alot more enjoyable if we weren't having to do 400 miles a day
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 16:51 - 07 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

Santander ferry was £££. It was a very close run thing between the cost of fly-hire and ferry your own bike when we went for just over 2 weeks, never mind a weekend.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.
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chickenstrip
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PostPosted: 17:00 - 07 Jan 2023    Post subject: Re: Spain in May Reply with quote

Diggs wrote:
Myself and two friends are thinking about getting cheap flights to Spain in early May, a hotel for a base and hiring bikes for a few days to do some exploring. Anyone here done something similar recently and can offer some top tips? Ideally looking for a base by the coast with mountains and twisties nearby...


I did the Santander ferry, and spent about 4 days hooning around the Picos, which i also highly recommend.
Worth noting that the north coast around that area can be subject to a lot of fog in May, which can extend right into the Picos area.
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CaNsA
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PostPosted: 01:37 - 10 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

I went to Mihas last year in May for a week.
Fucked about a bit.
Rented a bike and went to Gib, parked up next to the border, walked across, fucked about, walked back over.

Was pretty cool.
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A100man
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PostPosted: 11:01 - 10 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've used the Santander ferry a few times, Campervan, Foot passenger then car hire, and once on my Fazer 600 - I like it a lot because, well, I hate flying. It used to be 24 hrs from Plymouth (not two days) but it's a bit quicker now I think. You have to have a cabin otherwise it's hell - nearly got pissed on by a drunk on my first trip - he was sleep-pissing in the doss down area (aka reclining seats)

Also northern Spain is called 'Green Spain' for a reason - it rains - much like Cornwall. They also drink cider there, loads of it. try some.
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P.
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PostPosted: 13:14 - 10 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

Went to Spain in July time, unsure what year. Rode to Plymouth, ferry to Santander, north coast, through mountain roads to France, back into Spain, headed to Andorra.

Was a good bunch of riding and cost like £330 for the ferry return, bikes were fueled whenever and we had no problems, I expect it to be nicer, but theres nothing like riding your own bike.... I loathe hires.

Airbnb/booking.com and the like is helpful for last minute plans, we planned NOTHING. It went really well.
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Ste
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PostPosted: 13:45 - 10 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here's a nice route across the Pyrenees for you... Google maps link.

Word of warning if you're wild camping, watch out for the wildlife.

https://i.imgur.com/LkYPTXD.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/vvu4LkO.jpg

After that we decided that we'd had enough of Spain so we went elsewhere.

https://i.imgur.com/UujmjQL.jpg
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 14:05 - 10 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another potential suggestion. Southern Portugal. You can get cheap flights into Faro which is the main hub airport for the Algarve and there are a couple of hire companies that'll meet you at the airport with a bike. As soon as you start to move inland a bit, it gets mountainous the roads get really nice. The N2 is a classic. Or follow the Spanish border up the Guadiana River. That bit further South at that time of year.

You could have an epic few days motorcycling on Medieira, the geography of that place is utterly bonkers and again, they'll meet you at the airport with a bike too but I suspect flights would be more expensive. I hired an utterly horrible little benelli 301 single over there and had a total hoot on it
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.
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chickenstrip
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PostPosted: 17:18 - 10 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

Paddy. wrote:
theres nothing like riding your own bike.... I loathe hires.


Never used a hire bike in my life, but I'd much rather use a bike I'm familiar with, know the handling characteristics of and how best to load it up with the luggage.
Also, if I'd been at a bike dealer's in Switzerland to get a new headlamp bulb, and the mechanic had walked past and said "top bike!", it wouldn't have meant anything with a hire Smile
There's also a nice feeling from having your own bike that has taken you places. My bike is part of my history Smile
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Freddyfruitba...
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PostPosted: 18:34 - 10 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

Before you finalise on May, you might want to bear this little gem in mind:
https://www.euronews.com/travel/2022/11/25/long-queues-and-scams-will-the-new-eu-entry-system-cause-border-chaos

Basically the EU's new Border Control system is due to come into effect then, involving biometric data, paid-for visas etc for non-EU citizens, so I think it's fairly safe bet that border crossings in May will be utter carnage.... Shocked
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Rob Fzs
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PostPosted: 12:58 - 12 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

Freddyfruitbat wrote:
Before you finalise on May, you might want to bear this little gem in mind:
https://www.euronews.com/travel/2022/11/25/long-queues-and-scams-will-the-new-eu-entry-system-cause-border-chaos

Basically the EU's new Border Control system is due to come into effect then, involving biometric data, paid-for visas etc for non-EU citizens, so I think it's fairly safe bet that border crossings in May will be utter carnage.... Shocked


sounds great, wont work

utter fuck fest when the computers are down
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almostthere
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PostPosted: 21:43 - 12 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

get a flight to Malaga and do the roads around Ronda some of the best roads ever Thumbs Up
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Diggs
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PostPosted: 13:45 - 13 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for all the kind advice folks. Not a tour with own bike this time, just a short break. Meeting up tonight to nail it down. The suggestion I'm bringing to the table is:

1st week in May, fly to Barca on Tuesday lunchtime. Spend afternoon/evening avoiding drinking too much.

Wed - Bike hire shop 9.00 Wed morning to pick up steeds. Down coast, nice spot of lunch then inland for twisties.

Thurs - Monserrat or similar in mountains.

Fri - Up coast, nice spot of lunch then inland for twisties. Get bikes back to shop before end of play. Get pissed.

Sat - mooch around city eating tapas, fly back in evening.

I have costed it at £500 each for flights (including one of us with a suitcase), cheap/cheerful hotel with parking and a bed each (ear-plugs essential...) plus bike hire (Late model CB500 or similar, insurance, lid, unlimited mileage etc). With taxis, beer, food, petrol, airport parking etc probably a grand each for a 5 day trip, so not too bad....

I'll be interested to see what the other two have come up with. Very Happy
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A100man
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PostPosted: 14:01 - 13 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

Diggs wrote:

1st week in May, fly to Barca on Tuesday lunchtime. Spend afternoon/evening avoiding drinking too much and getting all our stuff nicked..



FTFY
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Diggs
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PostPosted: 15:05 - 13 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

A100man wrote:
Diggs wrote:

1st week in May, fly to Barca on Tuesday lunchtime. Spend afternoon/evening avoiding drinking too much and getting all our stuff nicked..



FTFY


I've been mugged in Harare, Moscow and Miami in my time, but never in Spain. Look poor and don't get split up is the way to go Thumbs Up
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Now - Speed Triple, old ratty GS550, GSXR750M
Gone (in order of ownership) - Raleigh Runabout, AP50, KH125, GP125, KH250, CBX550, Z400, CB750FII, 250LC, GS550, ZXR750H1, Guzzi Targa, GSX750F, KH250 x2, Bimota SB6R and counting...
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A100man
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PostPosted: 18:56 - 13 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

Diggs wrote:
I've been mugged in Harare, Moscow and Miami in my time, but never in Spain. Look poor and don't get split up is the way to go Thumbs Up


.. ever considered that the Paul Calf outfit might not be helping.
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to v or not to v
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PostPosted: 21:22 - 13 Jan 2023    Post subject: Reply with quote

Diggs wrote:


I've been mugged in Harare, Moscow and Miami in my time


is your nickname lucky?
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