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Old 22-01-12, 10:53 PM   #1
Runako
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Default France to Spain to Mallorca and back again!

Hi all. A few of the boys and I are going on 'tour' to Mallorca in June. You know, the type where you drink yourself into the ground from airport to airport until you can't remember how much you've spent. Add some Sunshine , non-stop banter and a bit of "what goes on tour stays on tour" type behaviour and yep, you've got the typical lads hols

Been there, done that and don't fancy drinking myself into oblivion for 4 days . But, it gave me a great excuse to plan this mad trip, never mind my considerable lack of experience (typical me)! I've had the SV for over a year now and, apart from the odd trackday, I've simply not had enough fun on it. So, I'm gonna do Magaluf a little differently this year

Trip / Route / Tips

So, travelling in June with this rough route in mind.

Dover --> Calais --> through France(???) --> down to Barcelona --> Ferry to Palma and back again, maybe at a more leisurely pace.

Provisional timescales: 2/4 days out, 4 in Mallorca, 4/6 back - (min 10, max 14 days) avoiding the motorways in France unless necessary.

I'm looking for any help or advice from start to finish really. That is:

1) Preparation, incl Bike - At the moment I have an Oxford X40 expander tank bag and a 25 ltr Rucksack and already struggling with what to take (and what not to take);

2) Route - The most efficient route through France to Barcelona on the outward leg. Perhaps something more adventurous on the way back;

3) Mileage and riding hints, tips, experiences.

4) Accommodation - Willing to camp but less inclined if it means an excess of stuff on the bike (see 1).

5) Likely cost - What sort out of things should i be wary about (the type of things which could lead to unforeseen expense)?

6) Is this plan Bonkers?

I'd appreciate any personal experiences and first hand knowledge but please feel free to recommend any useful resources or websites for me to check out. I also know some of the stuff is covered here but my trip is so specific in some ways that I am only getting bits and pieces from other posts.

Btw, if anyone wants to come along or is going to France or Spain in June (will post the final dates shortly) that would be lovely.

Thanks Orgers.

Ronnie

Last edited by Runako; 22-01-12 at 10:57 PM.
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Old 24-01-12, 12:18 AM   #2
ogden
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Default Re: France to Spain to Mallorca and back again!

OK, points in order:

1) Preparation: Pack as light as humanly possible. I can do two weeks with an Oxford tailpack, one humpback pannier and a tankbag for maps and electronics (the other pannier had camping gear in). Don't take a rucksack - you'll be sick of carrying the weight on your body within the first few hours and your back will be sweaty as hell. Get a tailpack. And this point bears repeating: pack light.

2) Routes and motorways: You can do Calais to Barcelona in two days, but if you think you'll do it without using motorways you're seriously mistaken. It's 840 miles, that's 13 hours' riding according to Google Maps and that doesn't involve fuel stops, comfort breaks and lunch, etc. I did Hoek van Holland to Brno in two days last year and we did motorway pretty much the whole way, a chunk of it with no speed limits. We were knackered by the time we got there. we were also off the boat in Holland by 8am on the first day, having done an overnight crossing. If you must do it that way, go over the night before and stay at a cheap hotel in Calais, so you can get an early start without checkin, transit and time differences eating into your day from the very start.

Average speeds matter. You might think you can cruise at 80 plus, but every minute you're not moving your speed is coming down. Your average speed will end up between 50 and 70 on motorways, between 30 and 50 on other roads. Seriously. While you can reasonably comfortably do 450-500 miles a day on motorways, I've found as little as 250 miles to be waaay too much if using interesting wiggly roads all the way. And you don't want a mad 150 mile dash for the hotel before sunset at the end of each day.

3) See above. 200 miles a day is plenty if you're on the twisty stuff. 500 miles is *more* than enough if you're on motorways. that's 10 hours of solid riding at an average of 50mph. 1000 miles is do-able if you absolutely have to get home and you're running late, but you'll be riding for 20 hours and you won't want to get out of bed for a fortnight.

4) Work out how far you're likely to get each day, look at the rough area, hit booking.com and find somewhere in the right place. You can generally cancel with no charge if you find somewhere better in the meantime. Camping is an optoin, but it means carrying more stuff and you probably don't want to do that. I lugged a tent, sleeping bag, thermarest and whatnot to the far side of the Czech Republic and back just so I could spend two nights at Gedinne at the very end of the return leg. Getting that on and off the bike every day was more than a bit tedious.

5) Tolls will add up. Fuel will add up. Accommodation will add up. Do get euro breakdown cover, you don't want to be stuck 1000 miles from home with no cheap and easy way of getting recovered.
Be realistic, and assume you'll get nicked at least once. I always carry a float of a couple of hundred euros just in case.


6) Nah, road trips on two wheels are just about the best experience you'll ever have. Go for it.

I'm tentatively planning to be riding down to the Pyrenées and back in mid/late June, I can bung you my draft route if you want to see the kind of stuff I'm planning. The two big trips I did last year are blogged at http://eldaifo.blogspot.com/, but I go to France and Belgium a few times a year for weekend raids as well. Once you've got the bug, it's hard to shake.

Have fun!
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Old 24-01-12, 07:21 AM   #3
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Default Re: France to Spain to Mallorca and back again!

We done 325 miles the night before our return ferry and stayed 70 miles from Calais, even that was a killer, we had to stop every hour or so as it was tiring.
I get a bad shoulder after sustained riding so I was topping up my painkillers.

On twisty or mountain passes, we struggled to do 150 miles in a day, as like above our average speed was very low.

Doing the iron butt challenge won't be fun and you won't enjoy doing stupid amounts of riding, take an extra day, your body will thank you for it.
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Old 24-01-12, 09:22 AM   #4
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Default Re: France to Spain to Mallorca and back again!

Good advise above. I have done 350 miles on twisty roads a few times now (Scotland to Birmingham) and it takes 10 - 12 hours of concentrating and progressive riding (i.e. national speed limit sign means go like f**k). Not something I'd try to do in a foreign country where I don't read the road instinctively.

The key to slogging it out on the motorway is regular breaks. Don't turn it into an endurance test and see if you can ride out a tank of fuel. If you are travelling at 80mph, stop every 80 miles or so. If you get less than 120 miles before your fuel light comes on, refuel at every stop. Don't make the mistake I made half way across Spain (!) and remember that if you have panniers on your bike, extra weight and wind resistance may mean your fuel economy drops and you don't get your usual mileage out of a tank. If you don't need to refuel, buy a coffee, or have at least 5-10 minutes sitting on the grass watching the world go by. What this does is breaks up a long journey into a series of 1 hour rides from point to point, and a 1 hour ride is easy.

For accommodation look at http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/united...om/index.shtml. Formule 1, Hotel F1, Etap and Ibis hotels are dead cheap and just about every big town in France has at least one, plus more in-between dotted along the motorways. They are very basic, but they give you a bed and a roof, which is all you would be getting in a tent. All I'd warn about these hotels is they tend to be in industrial areas, shopping areas, or at the poorer end of town, so take a chain and lock your bike to something solid at night.

If you travel there this way, then getting there and back is as much part of your holiday as being in Majorca. Personally I'd take the 4 days both there and back. Do some decent roads, see some sights, and enjoy your trip. There's some fantastic roads in France, and particularly for the southern half http://www.bestbikingroads.com/motor...nce-__804.html is a great website for route planning. It really will be worth an extra couple of days off work. If you are going to do any significant bits of motorway to munch up the miles, do it on the first day and get yourself at least half way down France, taking the next 2-3 days to enjoy the south of France and Spain.

Finally, don't underestimate the cost. You will want to have european breakdown cover, for instance getting recovered off a toll motorway in France costs a bomb! Will you need a new tyre before you go? Will need to service the bike before you go, you'll do 3000 miles minimum. You need anything else for the bike in the next 3000? Brakes pads, chain & sprockets, etc. Will you have to buy panniers, or tank bags, or a luggage rack for your bike? You can spend a fortune just getting ready to go on a trip like this. I'm going to France with Specialone in April, and already I've spend £100 quid on a charging RAM mount for my sat nav and a second hand luggage rack off ebay.

Last edited by -Ralph-; 24-01-12 at 09:34 AM.
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Old 24-01-12, 09:51 AM   #5
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Default Re: France to Spain to Mallorca and back again!

PS: living in Cardiff, a cheap Dover-Calais crossing would be a false economy by the time you factor in an extra days riding, the petrol, the hotel stay, etc. Portsmouth - Le Havre is a pretty cheap crossing on a motorbike and much easier to get to from Cardiff. Earplugs in, jacket over your head and get your head down on a sofa in the bar overnight, and arrive in France at 8am ready for days riding, having saved yourself a hotel bill somewhere else on the trip. The ferry is with LD Lines and leaves at 11pm at night, so getting there doesn't mean a day off work. You can start the first of your days off already in France, having let the boat do the work overnight.

Last edited by -Ralph-; 24-01-12 at 09:58 AM.
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Old 24-01-12, 10:15 AM   #6
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Default Re: France to Spain to Mallorca and back again!

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Originally Posted by -Ralph- View Post
PS: living in Cardiff, a cheap Dover-Calais crossing would be a false economy by the time you factor in an extra days riding, the petrol, the hotel stay, etc. Portsmouth - Le Havre is a pretty cheap crossing on a motorbike and much easier to get to from Cardiff.
The last hundred miles back to Calais is the most spirit-crushing road on earth. Especially when you know all that's waiting for you when you get there is a ferry full of pikeys and the A20.
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Old 24-01-12, 10:20 AM   #7
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Default Re: France to Spain to Mallorca and back again!

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The last hundred miles back to Calais is the most spirit-crushing road on earth
My wife comes from Laon, about 100 miles South of Calais on the A26. For me it's usually the most spirit lifting road on earth, it means I've just left the in-laws behind

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ferry full of pikeys and the A20.
...and in his case, then half of the M25 and the full length of the M4!

Last edited by -Ralph-; 24-01-12 at 10:23 AM.
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Old 24-01-12, 12:04 PM   #8
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Default Re: France to Spain to Mallorca and back again!

Quote:
Originally Posted by -Ralph- View Post
My wife comes from Laon, about 100 miles South of Calais on the A26. For me it's usually the most spirit lifting road on earth, it means I've just left the in-laws behind


Thanks for all the advice so far which is brilliant. Taking a few of your suggestions on board.

Ralph - Portsmouth to Le Havre it is. You're right, it will save both time and money (doh) and I don't mind kipping on a seat, its all part of the fun! Plus I get the chance to ride that big Bridge coming out of Le Havre.

Ogden - Thank you for giving me some perspective. I will take the extra day or two as that kind of a distance is unrealistic considering I've never done it before.

I've also decided to get a tailpack so you've convinced me. I'm used to a rucksack but would only take very light stuff in it and emergency supplies like snacks and chocolate bars Gonna have a little read of your blog now.

If I have to do Motorway (and it looks like i do) how much will it cost? Also what kind of petrol costs am I looking at from Le Havre to Barcelona (just a rough figure)?

Thanks guys, looking forward to more of your comments. I'm starting to get a bit excited

Last edited by Luckypants; 24-01-12 at 12:58 PM. Reason: fixed quote
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Old 24-01-12, 12:19 PM   #9
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Default Re: France to Spain to Mallorca and back again!

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Originally Posted by Runako View Post
I've also decided to get a tailpack so you've convinced me. I'm used to a rucksack but would only take very light stuff in it and emergency supplies like snacks and chocolate bars Gonna have a little read of your blog now.

If I have to do Motorway (and it looks like i do) how much will it cost? Also what kind of petrol costs am I looking at from Le Havre to Barcelona (just a rough figure)?
Use the tankbag for the stuff you want to hand - gloves, maps, camera, bag of crisps, chocolate bar, etc. You can reload at services when you stop for fuel. The less you're carrying the better, especially when you're lugging it between bike and hotel room twice a day.

For tolls, plug your route into viamichelin.com, that'll give you a cost.

For fuel, it's basic maths. If you know the rough distance, and roughly how much a tank of fuel will cost, you can come up with a rough number.

I might write up another trip soon, one we did to the Alps in 2009. Hopefully I can remember it in enough detail because it was very, very silly.
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Old 24-01-12, 01:07 PM   #10
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Default Re: France to Spain to Mallorca and back again!

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If I have to do Motorway (and it looks like i do) how much will it cost?
To do a round trip to Pyrenees last year in a car was just shy of £100. We were staying a good way from from Barcelona though but it's a good guide for the French tolls for a return trip all on motorway. Remember that bikes are charged lower than cars so it should be less than that all in. IIRC Spanish motorways do not have tolls.
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