Barcelona Part 1 (Plymouth to Barcelona)

This trip represents the culmination of an idea that was born at a barbeque two summer's ago; Scott, myself and Jez standing around the bonfire, drinking beer, smoking cigars, and plotting tours of Europe - despite the fact that only one of us had a bike at the time! And a Harley Davidson 883 Iron isn't really suited to long distance touring....  

Within  a month, Scott had bought a 2017 BMW R1200 GS Triple Black, and within 2 months Jez had found his steed, a 2007 R1200 GSA.  When I completed the trio with Gretchen at Christmas, we were all set to do something the following summer.

A house move for Jez meant that the original plan was pared back to the previously recorded Ireland trip with Scott.  The following summer, due to practical necessity we were down to Jez & myself for the long-delayed continental trip.  Planning was tricky, because the wives wanted in on the adventure, but without the riding!  So we settled on a plan of taking the ferry to Northern Spain, riding to Barcelona via the Pyrenees, meeting the girls in Barcelona for a long weekend, and then riding home via the French Pyrenees, whilst the girls flew home ahead of us.  

The intended outline itinerary

Day 1 - Taunton to MV Pont-Aven

A leisurely post-lunch ride from Taunton saw us arriving in Plymouth with a good hour to spare.  I was genuinely surprised at how many motorbikes were queuing for this sailing - there must have been 50-60  or more in the queue.  A few organised groups were evident, but just as many were riders arriving in ones and two's.  We got chatting with an older couple who were also heading for the Pyrenees for the first time on their very comfy looking Aprilia Caponord 1200.  

The intended schedule would see us landing in Santander around 18:00 the following day, making for a relaxed 2 hour ride to our AirBnB.  However, there had been a Medical Emergency in the Bay of Biscay the previous night, and a passenger had been airlifted off the ferry.  Pont-Aven arrived in port a couple of hours after we had been scheduled to leave, so it was closer to 21:00 when she cleared the Breakwater Lighthouse, and into the channel for the 24 hour sailing to Santander.  

I don't know about you, but since going to France as a kid with my family, I've always had this sense that the holiday really starts when you sit down for your first meal on the ferry.  That's a feeling that has continued into adulthood, when Angela & I took our family to France on the ferry several times, and it still gets me excited even now.  Ideally I like to order steak & frites.  Tonight, I wasn't going to be able to do that, as the self-service selection didn't include steak, and the full service restaurant was closed.  Oh well!  We'd make do with what was available - whatever it was it was pretty forgettable, as I've forgotten what it was, but it was hot and filled us up.

After our very late dinner, we settled into our inboard cabin for a good nights sleep.

(86 miles ridden today)

Day 2 - MV Pont-Aven to Durango

Shockingly, we both woke up after midday the following day, and I have to assume that it was just all the excitement of getting ready for a big trip away catching up with us both.  After a leisurely shower, we went in search of what would now have to be Brunch.  There are a couple of restaurants onboard, and we selected the self-service restaurant which was very acceptable, and then went up on the top deck to get our first proper sunshine of the trip.  Despite the wind whipping across the Bay of Biscay it was noticeably warmer than home some 700 miles north of us by now.  

As the Cantabrian coast hove into view and the sun started to dip below the horizon, we got the call to go to the car decks, to get ourselves ready for disembarkation.  Given that all the motorbikes were in the belly of the whale, I'm pretty sure we were amongst the last to be released.  The bunfight for the exit was a sight to behold.  It seemed like 12 lines of assorted cars, motorbikes, motorhomes, coaches and lorries were all trying to squeeze through 2 passport control posts.  

The bunfight to leave Santander dockyard was something to behold.

You really would think they would have it organised better than this by now; "Bienvenido a España!"

It's gone 21:00, and there is little natural light left, so we head out of the port, crossing the city to pick up the coastal highway to Bilbao.  The road is quiet, and despite the dark, we can pick out the outline of the hills that cosset the coast, and the fascinating looking river inlets that we cross as we head east.  

After an hour and a half on the the road, as we skirt around Bilbao I manage to select the wrong lane at a major intersection, which dumps us off in a suburb called Uribarri.  After 10 wasted minutes trying to relocate the on-ramp, we decide to stop for a snack / drink and a look at the map.  Sorted, we re-join the N637 for another 10 minutes, before getting onto a minor road, and locating our stop for the night, Eguzki B&B, just outside of Durango, with the Urkiola Natural Park as it's backdrop.

The B&B is run by an English/Basque couple, Sally & Roberto.  Roberto stayed up to greet us, and blew us away by offering to rustle up some homemade soup and an omelette. This was delicious, and very welcome.  We may even have consumed a local beer at Roberto's insistence....  Roberto was a very friendly and engaging host, and I have no doubt we would have had a great stay if we had decided to base ourselves here for a few days.  

(88 miles ridden today, 1,157 on a Ferry)

Day 3 - Durango to Sarvisé

We slept very well (again) as the beds were very comfy.  It was a lovely view out of the windows that confirmed to us the sense that we had had riding in the dark, that this was a very beautiful rural area.

Sunrise at Eguzki B&B

After a hot shower and a delicious breakfast to set us up for the rest of the day, we were eager to get going.  Roberto's recommendation to go through the Urkiola Natural Park, instead of following our chosen roads turned out to be a great suggestion.   

We skirted north of Vitoria-Gasteiz, and then joined the A1 towards Pamplona for an hour, just to eat some miles before getting off the beaten track and starting to skirt around some of the foothills of the Pyrenees at Irurtzun.  Pushing north and west of Pamplona, we stopped for lunch in a tiny village called Urroz.  Parking the bikes in the shade of trees lining the village square, we realise it's getting really warm.  

After lunch we rode through a really stunning landscape of almost pyramidically eroded sandstone, before re-joining the N240 just west of  Yesa Reservoir (Embalse de Yesa), a really huge reservoir which is known locally as "the sea of the Pyrenees".  There was a lot of construction work around the dam, and as we crested the road alongside the dam, it was clear that the reservoir had been substantially drained.  Weather it was because of the work on the dam, or this was just the low water mark before the winter, we had no way of telling.

Yesa Reservoir, looking towards Tiermas

I don't think we'll be going for a swim today....

We stopped for fuel at Jaca, and then sweeping onwards towards the start of the legendary N260 at Sabiñánigo, we took the Northern leg towards France.  Just before Biescas, we were slightly alarmed at the sight of half a dozen fully-armed Guardia Civil officers standing in the middle of the road.  By fully-armed, I mean assault rifles and sub-machine guns! I've heard and read some bad things about the Guardia, and the main advice is don't under any circumstances provoke them, and if stopped, be as civil and subservient as is necessary to avoid a beating.  We didn't blink, just slowed down to a walking pace, and were waved through - phew!  

As we started to climb onto the first mountain section of the N260, we stopped to re-hydrate and snack.  Despite the fact that according to the SatNav we were less than an hour from our destination for the night, it's never a good idea to just push on if you are feeling even a little tired.  Especially when you know that the next 30 km will be full of switchbacks, dropoffs, locals rushing home for tea and sheep / cattle avoidance manoeuvres may have to come into play!  

Snack break.  We really aren't in Kansas anymore...

The N260 has a reputation as being a really brilliant motorcycling road, delivering more smiles-per-mile than any other.  For both of us, this is our first experience of proper mountain roads on the bikes, and this first stretch delivers in spades. With the sun behind us, we started to get to grips with the rhythm of the road, constantly looking where we need the bikes to be going.  The views - when you can safely snatch them - are spectacular.  After 10-15 km we plunge into a short tunnel, and upon exiting start the steady descent into Broto, the gateway to the Ordessa National Park.  A few km later we pull into Sarvisé; our room at Casa Puyuelo Turismo Rural is more than satisfactory.

Casa Puyuelo Turismo Rural, Sarvisé

We end up having a bit of time to kill, as the local restaurant doesn't start serving food until 21:00, so we wander around the village taking some photos, and calling home to check-in, and confirm survival!

Another brilliant night's sleep ensues.

(167 miles ridden today)

Day 4 - Sarvisé to La Floresta (Barcelona suburb)

Our hostess, Maria Jesús, doesn't speak a word of English.  Well, ok, maybe one or two, but we weren't quite sure about the breakfast arrangements.  The dining room was on the first floor, with open windows facing down the valley.  First in the dining room, we were seated at a table with a selection of cheeses, meats, sausages and jams already set on each table.  As soon as we were seated, Maria's husband brought an additional five or six plates - I kid you not - of additional goodies; fruits, breads, crispbreads, more hams and traditional sausages, yoghurts, honey etc.  Most of it was local, as in from the surrounding farms & villages, and it was simply fantastic.  For €5 a head, that was the best breakfast I have had for a very long time.  

An Australian couple come in, and we get talking.  They have been hiking in the Ordessa National Park, a half hour north of Sarvisé, and they are blown away by the scenery, and the variety of walking trails available.  After looking at some photos and some park brochures, Jez & I have earmarked this area for an in-depth stay in the future.  

Saddled up, we followed the N260 south as it headed down the valley towards Aínsa, stopping a few times to enjoy the early morning views along the valley.

The Rio Ara near Janovas

After crossing the Río Cinca river at Aínsa, we continued to push east on the N260 with the massif of Peña Montañesa towering above the valley to the North.  The road is very wide with panoramic views, and steadily climbs for about 25 km, before turning sharply north into the mountains through a tunnel, which takes you into the jawdropping Ventamillo Gorge.  

It's a narrow limestone canyon, which in places is 300m deep.  The road is very narrow, and traffic was relatively slow, and overtaking opportunities once within the 10 km gorge are few and far between.  We watched in awe as a couple of trucks passed each other - very slowly - with just a few inches to spare just by the entrance to one of the covered tunnel porticos which are a feature of the road.  

Ventamillo Gorge from above

Once out of the Gorge, the N260 gets very rural for at least the next 60-70 km, and this section of road was very quiet from a traffic perspective - not that the N260 had been particularly busy yet - but I doubt we saw more than one car every 5 minutes.  

Miles and miles of smiles - guaranteed!

Needless to say, this hour of biking was a lot of fun.  We started to drop out of the mountains as we got to the town of Tremp, where we found a really nice little Cafe to grab a bite to eat - the wood fired pizzas were an easy choice.  Not a particularly Spanish lunch, but whatever is available, eh?

A shady lunch with a shady character. :-)

We hit the road, and within two minutes of pulling out of the cafe, I get a phone call from my daughter.  Pulling over - despite using the Sena paired to my phone - sometimes it's just easier to stop - I learn that I am to become a Grandfather for the third time.  That puts a big smile on my face!  

We start jagging cross-country to get to Barcelona for late afternoon / early evening.  As we leave Tremp, the scenery takes on more of a rolling hills characteristic, with large outcrops of sedimentary rockfaces.  The land here is more arid, sometimes semi-desert, and as we pull up to admire the view, we discover we are in the middle of a UNESCO declared area called the Conca de Tremp-Montsec Geopark.  It's a large park - over 2000 square km - with a wealth of geological and paleontological interest.  Another reason to come back!

Where vultures dare.  There might be eagles, but they are outnumbered...

As we start to get within 50 Km of the coast, the size and frequency of conurbations increases, and eventually we pick up the C16 Autopista and join the Friday afternoon commuter run, as we trundle into La Floresta, our home base for the next 4 days.  

We find our AirBnB with relative ease, and after unloading all of our luggage, we decided to go and forage for supplies, and have a good look around.  Locating a nearby Lidl's we stock up on essentials - including local beer - and get back to the house before it gets dark.  We chain up the bikes, as they are going to be stationary until Tuesday, and go and prepare an evening meal to eat on the terrace overlooking the valley.  

La Floresta, part of San Cugat del Vallès

La Floresta is a quiet little residential suburb, part of the larger municipality of Sant Cugat del Vallès.  With rambling streets full of colourful chalets tumbling down its verdant hilltops, it has the feel of a remote mountain retreat, even though it’s just on the other side of Mount Tibidabo overlooking Barcelona.  La Floresta is an agreeably eccentric sort of place, where street signs declare the presence of wild boars and minimalist cube-houses jostle with early 1900's country mansions.  It has become something of an artists commune over the last 20-30 years.  

Over the last four days, we have covered 1685 miles since leaving home, but only (!) 528 miles on the bikes!  Tomorrow, Saturday morning, we collect the wives from Plaça de Catalunya, and begin four days of culture & sightseeing, before setting our sights on the Pyrenees once more, and starting the return leg of this adventure.

(187 miles ridden today)