Day 1 - Heading South
Sunday 30th August 2015
Last year Mick and I made a 60 day and 8,000 mile tour following the arc of the Carpathian Mountains through Romania and Slovakia. This year's motorcycle tour is a much more modest affair. Quite a few touring bikers we have met over the years have raved about the roads and welcoming atmosphere to be found in the Picos de Europa mountains in northern Spain. We've never been there so that is where we are headed to see what all the fuss is about.
We leave Doncaster at 8am on a cool and windy Sunday morning for the run down to Plymouth on the south coast of England where a ferry will whisk us past France through the Bay of Biscay to the port of Santander on the north coast of Spain.
So first we have 300 miles of rather boring motorway driving from our base in Yorkshire to the far south west. It is cloudy as we set out, but we get down past Gloucester before the rain starts. Then we have around 2 hours of moderate rain, enough to get the spray working well on the M5.
The rain lets up before we arrive in Plymouth and by the time we are in the queue for boarding the roads are dry again. The boarding process is slow, looks like the ferry will have a full load. There must be 50 other bikes along with the usual compliment of cars, vans, caravans and a few high end cars. A few boats on trailers too.
Brittany Ferries' Pont Aven is a lovely ship. New and well designed with the usual bars, restaurants and shops. There is a helipad near the stern and an indoor swimming pool on the middle of one of the bar areas. We have an internal 2-berth cabin, functional and cramped.
We have a couple of beers as the ferry heads out into the channel and slips past the north east corner of France. Then an early night ready for the start of the Spanish adventure tomorrow.
Last year Mick and I made a 60 day and 8,000 mile tour following the arc of the Carpathian Mountains through Romania and Slovakia. This year's motorcycle tour is a much more modest affair. Quite a few touring bikers we have met over the years have raved about the roads and welcoming atmosphere to be found in the Picos de Europa mountains in northern Spain. We've never been there so that is where we are headed to see what all the fuss is about.
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| Outside Mick's house - ready for the off |
We leave Doncaster at 8am on a cool and windy Sunday morning for the run down to Plymouth on the south coast of England where a ferry will whisk us past France through the Bay of Biscay to the port of Santander on the north coast of Spain.
So first we have 300 miles of rather boring motorway driving from our base in Yorkshire to the far south west. It is cloudy as we set out, but we get down past Gloucester before the rain starts. Then we have around 2 hours of moderate rain, enough to get the spray working well on the M5.
The rain lets up before we arrive in Plymouth and by the time we are in the queue for boarding the roads are dry again. The boarding process is slow, looks like the ferry will have a full load. There must be 50 other bikes along with the usual compliment of cars, vans, caravans and a few high end cars. A few boats on trailers too.
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| Steaming out of Plymouth harbour |
Brittany Ferries' Pont Aven is a lovely ship. New and well designed with the usual bars, restaurants and shops. There is a helipad near the stern and an indoor swimming pool on the middle of one of the bar areas. We have an internal 2-berth cabin, functional and cramped.
 |
| Mick enjoying the first beer of the trip |
We have a couple of beers as the ferry heads out into the channel and slips past the north east corner of France. Then an early night ready for the start of the Spanish adventure tomorrow.
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