Week off - what to do?

[1198]

Hi,
I've just got next week off, and fancy doing something for a few days.
I've looked on the interweb and a ferry to France is as cheap as £35 return. I'm fancying a trip - any ideas?
I'm thinking just a couple of nights in the Normandy or a quick ride to the Ring...
I've also considered a trip to Mid / South Wales as an alternative.
I'm located in Yorkshire, about 260 miles from Dover, and would most likely be on a Panigale.

(Silly idea would be Portsmouth or Plymouth to Northern Spain but that's about £500 ferry fare.)

[MahatmaAndhi]

Bruges is lovely and a short trip from Calais. I've driven it (not ridden) from Peterborough. It took 5 hours including Euro Tunnel.
From there, there's Cologne not too far. Rotterdam and Amsterdam too. While I've not been to any of these (yet) they all look very nice from my computer chair.
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2008 Aprilia Sportcity 250

[B5234FT]

Amsterdam is great if you havent been, really relaxed friendly atmosphere, but I've never been by bike so cant comment on that.

How I envy you southerners and having Europe a few hours away!

[chickenstrip]

What do you want to do?
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[SDFarsight]

You've certainly got a good idea with Normandy; they have alot of twisting rural hill roads to ride along! As for what to do when you're off your bike, I could suggest a number of things but it really depends on what you're into.

I've been to France many times but never on my bike; I hope that the ferry has somekind of clamp for motorcycles as I don't trust my kick-stand. Or I could just try out my centre-stand for once.
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Riding: 2009 Kawasaki ER6f
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[stevo as b4]

France for a few days would be probably cheaper, but I'd like as much time off the bike as on if I were abroad now personally.

What really appeals to me most in this weather, is a week riding the Welsh forests on an enduro bike as part of an organised trip with nice camping or rural accommodation and a tasty bbq with lots of cold beer/cider every night. You'd be paying hundreds for such an adventure week though, as most of us live in the wrong place!

Will be a while before I've got one of my bikes built for cheap off roading, so I quite fancy hiring one of these new fangle trick enduro bikes to see how awesome or not they are for a noob that's not been off road properly for 10years or more.

[Alpineandy]

There were some ferries from further north (Harwich, Hull and somewhere else I can't remember).
Have they all stopped now or just become prohibitively expensive?
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The above comment isn't necessarily the truth and anyone that says it is, is only correct if it's the truth or they're bigger than me.

[pepperami]

Week off, what to do? : Extreme wanking
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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[Alpineandy]

[pepperami]

Extreme wanking: Wanking at a public event, or whilst riding your bike, or at the front desk of the local cop shop, or at a wedding
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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[chickenstrip]

[chickenstrip]

[pepperami]

On a serious note, why not just throw a dart into a map and go to wherever it lands.
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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[chickenstrip]

[SDFarsight]

[chickenstrip]

[1198]

Giving it more thought, it's likely to be a bike based holiday, with the Ring looking favourite. I've done Normandy and Brittany, and the three boxes I want to to tick is Northern Spain, the South of France or the Rhineland / Nurburgring area. Still thinking....

[stevo as b4]

A dedicated ring trip isn't cheap from what I've read from people doing it in cars (usually a group of mates all clubbing together and taking one car). But it is a notorious place and if you survived it, it's a great thing to have ticked off your bucket list.

If I were going to ride to the SOF or Spain, I'd want a minimum of 10days, as all your doing otherwise is riding your bike all the time. Last time I went to the west coast in France, we did two days there, two back, and probably two days of ride outs and exploring places. The rest of the time I stayed in a motel and used the bike just as a taxi to go to the beach, local attractions, restaurants and shops. So apart from short hop on hop off trips it was 4days of bike free time, and was easily the best holiday in France or on a bike I've ever had.

[SDFarsight]

[1198]

I've done the Ring once, this May. I did it in my old ZZR11, and just fancy going back to a, spend more time on the local roads, and b, just to tick the box with a Panigale.
The roads in the region looked amazing, but I didn't get to ride them as much as I'd like. Equally I'd like to spend a while watching the cars and bikes riding the Ring from one of the many vantage points.
But the Northern Spain bit appeals too....

[jjdugen]

My box to tick is the 'Chasing the sun run'. Set off from Lands end at sunset, watch it rise in Norfolk. Shortest night / longest day is the hardest, but any time around now will be a challenge.
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[1198]

[1198]

[arry]

[pepperami]