OMG

[Bibio]

has anyone ever been to this part of France

http://maps.google.co.uk/?ll=42.522218,2.462997&spn=0.38208,0.891953&t=m&z=11&vpsrc=6

stumbled upon it by mistake looking around in G-Maps.

those roads look crazzzzzy. i have zoomed in on a few and they put roads like the leven loop and dukes to shame...

hhhhmmm wonder if i can get a cppl weeks off in the summer :smt077

[Specialone]

Most of the roads in France are awesome, quiet, very well maintained and clean, nothing over here comes close IMO.

[Luckypants]

Just come back from cycling in the Pyrenees, a bit further east than that but can say the roads are pretty good. I agree with Phil, we don't have the terrain to demand building such great roads. Check this out...

The road to Luz Ardiden

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/310850_10150305277818214_677353213_8056202_1893529 51_n.jpg

Hardly a vehicle on it in summer, it just goes to the ski station.

[ogden]

Road + Mountain = Fun.

Simple as that.

[Bibio]

Just come back from cycling in the Pyrenees, a bit further east than that but can say the roads are pretty good. I agree with Phil, we don't have the terrain to demand building such great roads. Check this out...

The road to Luz Ardiden

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/310850_10150305277818214_677353213_8056202_1893529 51_n.jpg

Hardly a vehicle on it in summer, it just goes to the ski station.

seen that one mentioned loads of times.

i think this would be 160 miles of complete and utter mentalness :smt045

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=N20&daddr=42.72162,1.93584+to:42.68035,2.2827+to:D619+ to:42.57088,2.52239+to:Roquecourbe%2FD618+to:D53+t o:42.48622,2.67439+to:D63+to:D618+to:42.62532,2.61 84+to:D2+to:La+Clava%2FD2&hl=en&ll=42.728857,2.456818&spn=0.761624,1.783905&sll=42.581905,2.645988&sspn=0.190858,0.445976&geocode=FeLViwIdsBUcAA%3BFVThiwId4IkdACnfNg5zEpuvE jH0jcfi2x0vbw%3BFR5AiwIdzNQiACn7JhiGIfCvEjEwFtsvnk wjyg%3BFR7liwIdwpAlAA%3BFYCUiQIdFn0mACmRmKLgIgGwEj FhzZYSIYgHEw%3BFTRPiQId-ucnAA%3BFVxBiAId3pkoAA%3BFcxJiAId1s4oACmXwVmtHqe6E jEBb1wQIYgHEw%3BFYQJiQIdZPUoAA%3BFYIiigId280nAA%3B FShpigIdIPQnACkJ9bTeiQWwEjGDGZYKUE3OoA%3BFTwoigIdi mEoAA%3BFV7AiQIdplcqAA&vpsrc=6&doflg=ptm&mra=mi&mrsp=12&sz=12&via=1,2,4,7,10&t=m&z=10

[-Ralph-]

If you fancy that PM 'Nigel' or his daughter 'Trickywoos' on here. Nigel and his wife own and run a B&B near Perpignan, and Nigel owns an SV, knows the roads well, and is happy to do local tours.

One year I'm going to talk Specialone into visiting that region on the dirt bikes for a week. You can ride Biarittz to Perpignan without touching tarmac.

[andrewsmith]

Anyone fancy this?

I dooo!

[fizzwheel]

i think this would be 160 miles of complete and utter mentalness :smt045

More than likely, been to that area last year, from Millau into Spain and then back again.

from Point A on your map, go through Andora and then into Spain, then head for the little town of Sort and then back into France again.

Take a few days and explore, that was the most memorable bit of riding from our trip last year.

[andrewsmith]

Fizz did you do the old border crossing road adjacent to the A9/E15?

[fizzwheel]

Fizz did you do the old border crossing road adjacent to the A9/E15?

I've got no idea ! I just followed Viper who had it planned and loaded into his Satnav, it was f*cking mental though.

I wrote a trip report about it, which might give you a better idea of where we went !

Tis here

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=156683

[andrewsmith]

Cheers Fizz

Part way through the epic post!!

[mattSV]

If you fancy that PM 'Nigel' or his daughter 'Trickywoos' on here. Nigel and his wife own and run a B&B near Perpignan, and Nigel owns an SV, knows the roads well, and is happy to do local tours.

One year I'm going to talk Specialone into visiting that region on the dirt bikes for a week. You can ride Biarittz to Perpignan without touching tarmac.

I haven't seen Nigel on hear for ages, their B&B is called Coup de Coeur iirc.

This (http://www.coupdecoeur.co.uk/) is their website but it looks as though they are doing some work on it.

I have been down to Perpignan & Andorra loads of times in a car, and the roads are awesome - a long way to go on a bike but well worth it.

[-Ralph-]

a long way to go on a bike

Having done it this year, I would recommend the ferry to Santander, kick back and relax then explore southern France, Spain or Portugal at your leisure. 24 hours on a ferry is not as bad as it sounds because it's more like a cruise ship than a ferry, lots of facilities and entertainment, and you could sleep for half of it if you want.

[BigBaddad]

Vinca is a great place to stop

[Jayneflakes]

I lived here (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Brive-la-Gaillarde,+France&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=45.099094,1.466675&spn=0.077187,0.154324&sll=42.605663,2.184906&sspn=0.321933,0.617294&vpsrc=6&hnear=Brive-la-Gaillarde,+Corr%C3%A8ze,+Limousin,+France&t=m&z=13) for a while in 2002 and the roads were amazing. I so wish I had been a rider then, rather than a pillion. I used to go climbing every day and the route up to the crags was spectacular, also the Limestone was beautifully sharp and the routes bolted. There are many things that the UK could do with learning from France! One weekend I had was spent camping in the Alps, just sat there in glorious sunshine 1000 metres below a snow capped peak. The roads through that region were amazing, following the river valley up past alpine lakes that were almost turquoise in colour.

If any of you have desires to see beautiful places outside of the UK, I would recommend visiting France.

[carelesschucca]

I so need to win the Euromillions tonight so I can spend the rest of my days driving about Europe in a nice big Winnebago just so I can take my bike off the back and ride the good roads.

If that plan falls through, I need to start saving up so I can go away on the bike for a couple of weeks and get to roads across the Northern Spain area. Wonder if Mrs Chucca would go for that as a honeymoon idea, she can still go to Italy but I'll go ride the bike in Spain :)

[STRAMASHER]

I always recommend the Pyrennees instead of the Alps (although they are a must do too)

Quieter roads and less touristy, so cheaper too.

And when it pishes down for days in France you nip over a pass or even better, through a tunnel into arid, warm even better surfaced roads in Spain.

You can zig-zag all the way from the boat in northern Spain to Barcelona. Gets a bit confusing with the old lingo nipping from country to country a few times a day though, I have found to my cost. #-o

May/June is cheap and you can stay in 4star hotels for Brit B&B money in the ski resorts.

Last year was the first time we flew the SWMBO's out on a plane, so lots of ways of getting the job jobbed.

[Bibio]

i can but dream... maybe one day.

[STRAMASHER]

i can but dream... maybe one day.

I got in a 150 odd mile burn aboot yesterday after I finished work at lunchtime. Blue skies and beautiful, empty roads, see the top of every mountain (some snow!), down every glen.... Callander, The Welly (1 other bike) Inverarererey, The Hell Glen, Arrochar, The Lochside.

We have it pretty awesome here too in comparison. Less of it right enuff and you just need to wear more clothes.:)








See ya sunday in the gloom. ;):p