Triumphrat

Itchy

If I may jump in on this one, and I dont wish to Hijack the orginal question... I'm planning my first trip to France In July approx 10 days. Never having toured before in foregin parts and travelled on the "wrong" side of the road.. Any tips,

Camping or B&B's ?

Is it worth getting a GPS ? Easy to mount on Tiger

Was thinking of getting Ferry from Plymouth to Santander ( North Spain) and then making my way " home " (N.Ireland)

What would you allow per days , miles and approx cost

Thanks

Two Tigers

Its wonderful over there, wide open roads, much less traffic, great back roads
a cafe in ever village.

best bits of advice that come to mind.
Get a GPS, if only for the speed camera database, most european cameras seem to be little green 'pill boxs' at the side of the road. Much more difficult to see.

Petrol is a bugger to find on a Sunday. The french have a lot of unmanned fuel stations, but British chip & pin cards wont work in them.
Take fuel on whenever you can.

On Tom Tom you can add Points of intrest to the data on the card, this way you can always check that hotels are in your area. I am not sure if you can do this with camp sites.

European bikers stick out their left leg to say thankyou, sounds strange but works when you get used to it.

As for mileage, if you stick to the motorways 400 miles is easy, but on the back roads 150 can be a long day.

Hope this helps, I'll add other thigs as I think of them

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When you walk a mile in another man's shoes ... you're a mile away from him - and you've still got his shoes !

Itchy

Thanks !

Like your wit ...... "French Virgin "

Jacqueslemac

Depends what you're interested in. Whether it's crumbling old villages, steep gorges, the sea, high mountains, châteaux, solitude, space France has got the lot.

If I was doing your trip, I'd try to include the Pyrenees (you'll be hard pushed to avoid them!),
Carcassonne (rebuilt medieval city),
Mazamet (becasue the road from Carcassonne to Mazamet over the Montagne Noire is great),
Castres,
Albi (fortress-like cathedral),
St Affrique (lovely roads between Albi and St Affrique, plus the Gorges du Tarn),
Millau (the bridge is more spectacular from underneath, but the roads to the south of Millau feel like north Africa in parts),
Séverac-le-Château (campsite, château on the hill, free autoroute taking you past a very sparsely-populated area),
Aurillac, (very wooded area, almost no traffic)
Aubusson,
Argenton-sur-Creuse, Châtellerault, Chinon, Saumur, (lots of châteaux, serene scenery, troglydte dwellings)
Le Mans, (need you ask? The Mulsanne Straight is there for the riding)
Alençon, Argentan, Falaise (hills of Swiss Normandy),
Bayeux, (lovely old city, as well as the tapestry and war museum)
Carentan (and then stay of the N-road and take the coast road on the east side of the Cherbourg peninsula)

On the other hand, there are loads of alternatives...

Whatever you do, try not to use the autoroute unless you have to. Even avoid the N-roads if possible.
If you're using a Michelin map, any road with a green line running alongside it is considered "scenic".

Most of all, take it easy, follow your nose if a road looks interesting and don't be too rigid in your plans.

Jacqueslemac

Camping for me. Cheap, clean and plentiful. Well-signposted too (usually!)

The other thing I usually forget and always regret, is the saying "take half as many clothes and twice as much money as you planned."

BoneyMalloney

The thing i remember most about Andorra was the diesel on the road and the ruts where all the wagons/coaches had worn the tarmac down

As for France - you can't go wrong, fantastic biking country.

Milau bridge - try approaching it from below, maybe through the central massif - it's awesome!

http://boneymalloney.piczo.com/eurob...linkvar=000044

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Chris.

chrisn

B&B if you're continuously on the move. It's less time consuming and you have less to carry. Also you'll be more refreshed sleeping in a bed.

Get a GPS - they're priceless. Carry michelin maps for reference. Easy to mount using a RAM, SW Motech, or Touratech bracket.

Plymouth Santander is a great crossing, modern boat and you roll off into sunshine and good riding. Visit the Picos de Europe mountains if you can find time, then the Pyrenees. Ride the N240 from Sort to Adrall if poss - asphalt heaven! You could turn left there and head into France via Andorra.

Plan your route basic route first and base daily mileage at 250miles max to determine evening stops. (assuming you want to ride twisty rodes and have time to stop for food, drink, and photos etc.

For inspiration click HERE

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Chris

Itchy

Thanks Guys for info, plotted out an approx route last night using info given here.

Thanks chrisn, it was you who actually triggered the Plymouth Santander route, I had done a search on this topic prior to posting and come across your route/ photos.. execellent. It really appeals getting a "lift" to the bottom and making the way home opposed to travelling down and then back.

Looks like I'm going to have to part with a lot of ££££'s the Garmin Zumo/ Tom Tom equivalent is very expensive.

BoneyMalloney

'Looks like I'm going to have to part with a lot of ££££'s the Garmin Zumo/ Tom Tom equivalent is very expensive.'

I've never had a problem with Garmin - great piece of kit. If you're on a budget try and get hold of a 'Quest' on ebay...

Regards,

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Chris.

iansoady

A few things that might not have been mentioned:

The Corniche de Cevennes is a great swooping road through (as you may guess) the Cevennes, which is a lovely area. Runs from St Jean du Gard to Florac.

Anywhere in the Massif Central, especially just north of le Puy en Velay (which is pretty dramatic itself).

The passes on the French side of the Pyrenees, usually used by the Tour de France (l'Aubisque, Tourmalet, Peyresourde).

La Cirque de Gavarnie, also in the Pyrenees.

For Itchy, ferry to Santander then northwards is a good plan. I always stay in small hotels in France (not the chains, although places like Formule 1 can be very cheap). Logis de France is an association of independent hotels which are generally good value, and many have excellent restaurants. Most towns will have at least one reasonably priced place to stay.

I've been returning to France for 20 years or so both by bike and car and absolutely love it. It represents civilisation to me.

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Ian
2004 Tiger 955i
1955 Velocette Viper.