France to Spain to Mallorca and back again!

Originally Posted by Runako

I don't mind kipping on a seat, its all part of the fun!

I can't sleep in a seat myself. I either take a camping mattress on board and go find a quiet bit of floor space, or I drink until the bar closes then flat out on one of the long cushioned benches or sofa's if they have them. The restaurant usually has them too, and that's usually closed, empty and the staff have buggered off by 10pm. If there's a cinema, after the last film showing, that's a quiet dark room where you can go put a camping mat. A bit of a recce usually finds you a good spot. The trouble with the bar & restaurant is you get woken at 6am by the staff opening the bar, and clinking glasses and coffee cups.

(Other tip if it's secluded enough that no-one will walk past, take umbrage and kick you out, and they have one, is the kiddies play area is usually deserted after 9pm, and it often has a soft play area with a foam floor or a ball pit. They are dead comfy places for a nights kip. But shussshh! That one's a secret! )

PS: Another tip, you'll probably take your valuables on board in a tank bag, passport, wallet, camera, etc. I also take some basic toiletries and a hand towel for the morning. Wrap your tank bag in the towel and use it as a pillow, it'll stop your stuff getting nicked.

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

... A bit of a recce usually finds you a good spot. The trouble with the bar & restaurant is you get woken at 6am by the staff opening the bar, and clinking glasses and coffee cups.

(Other tip if it's secluded enough that no-one will walk past, take umbrage and kick you out, and they have one, is the kiddies play area is usually deserted after 9pm, and it often has a soft play area with a foam floor or a ball pit. They are dead comfy places for a nights kip. But shussshh! That one's a secret! )

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

PS: Another tip, you'll probably take your valuables on board in a tank bag, passport, wallet, camera, etc. I also take some basic toiletries and a hand towel for the morning. Wrap your tank bag in the towel and use it as a pillow, it'll stop your stuff getting nicked.

Genius, all of it!

OMG! That viamechelin.com website is amazing, just what I needed to help me visualise a route. For a Newbie tourer like me this kind of info is invaluable. I'll update my preparation plans as time goes on cause I'm sure I'll need some more advice on a few things (such as Leathers v Textiles etc).

Thanks again.

[ogden]

Originally Posted by Runako

OMG! That viamechelin.com website is amazing, just what I needed to help me visualise a route.

It's good for some stuff, but not quite as fluid as Google Maps.

I tend to start with Google Maps to get a rough route, then lay a load of paper maps out across the floor to look for interesting wiggly roads, then go back to Google Maps to get distances and times. And then plot the routes in Mapsource to feed them in to my Garmin.

http://twitpic.com/5vdd6d

http://twitpic.com/5vtimh

And then once on the road all the plans go out the window and it was all a waste of time. But I do like faffing about with maps. Speaking of which, my regional ones covering the south of France have just arrived. Hurrah!

Hi mate.

I live in Mallorca, have done for around eight years. So if you need any advice PM me. Some great rides on the Island up in the mountains if you're interested. Just don't try and keep up with the locals they're MENTAL!

For routes through spain I use the Michelin Spain/portugal map, pick the green squiggly roads and yr usually golden. I've done a couple of trips the past two summers in August and had a blast.

I've posted up map links and pics here:
2010 link
2011 link (tip, let all the pics load on the page before clicking for the pop-ups to work)
Here's a link to a bimble through the mountains for a taste of mallorca scuse the cr@ppy video...

Originally Posted by chilli

Hi mate.

I live in Mallorca, have done for around eight years. So if you need any advice PM me. Some great rides on the Island up in the mountains if you're interested. Just don't try and keep up with the locals they're MENTAL!

For routes through spain I use the Michelin Spain/portugal map, pick the green squiggly roads and yr usually golden. I've done a couple of trips the past two summers in August and had a blast.

Hey, thanks for that Chilli. Just reading through your blog now. The two blogs linked in this thread are excellent and are a pleasure to read through.

Chilli, I had a look at the Ferry crossing from Mallorca but couldn't book that far in advance. Prices for now are like E170 (wow)! Is that right, or is it likely to be similar in June?

Lots of planning remains but I've done the following so far:

- Worked out a rough route from Le Havre to Barca (but not stops and accommodation);
- Getting a pair of PR3's to transport me;
- Tailpack ordered;
- Insurance sorted.

Still a lot to do yet ...

Originally Posted by Runako

Worked out a rough route from Le Havre to Barca (but not stops and accommodation)

Let's see it then.

Originally Posted by Runako

Hey, thanks for that Chilli. Just reading through your blog now. The two blogs linked in this thread are excellent and are a pleasure to read through.

Chilli, I had a look at the Ferry crossing from Mallorca but couldn't book that far in advance. Prices for now are like E170 (wow)! Is that right, or is it likely to be similar in June?

Lots of planning remains but I've done the following so far:

- Worked out a rough route from Le Havre to Barca (but not stops and accommodation);
- Getting a pair of PR3's to transport me;
- Tailpack ordered;
- Insurance sorted.

Still a lot to do yet ...

Hi mate glad you're enjoying the read/pics. Making me want to start planning another trip! I did the first one (3000kms) a year after my DAS. Got round to doing it late in life! I pretty much always ride alone but love it.

Yeah the ferry prices aren't cheap I think I paid around 120E with resident's discount (we get a BIG discount on flights/ferries to the mainland)

If you're looking for cheap luggage take a look at www.louis.de they have some cheap options and their shipping is 10E. I bought their moto detail panniers and they've held up to some abuse. I bought the big tank bag but needed to do some DIY to make it work - the base zip was cr@p.

On the accommodation front, when I've been travelling I've used roadside 'Hostals'. they're generally cheap 20-25E a night with bathroom sometimes with a basic brekkie (coffee and pastry), TV etc. I've yet to find a way of searching for them on the web but if yr on the road keep your eyes open, some are a bit rough but generally they're bloody good for teh money.

ALso when you plan your route be aware that there are a lot of toll motorways, especially around barcelona (use google maps route thingy with "avoid toll roads" switched on to find a route). Roads in spain are generally pretty good so decide how much time saving you want over decent A roads and scenery.

Hope that helps

[ogden]

If you need more inspiration, I've been writing up the Alps trip from a couple of years ago...

http://eldaifo.blogspot.com/2012/01/...le-part-1.html
http://eldaifo.blogspot.com/2012/01/...le-part-2.html

Plenty more to come.