Spanish trip 2023
Re: Spanish trip 2023
Day 4 Ainsa to Ainsa 240 miles
Another blue sky day with temperatures hitting 30+ was the forecast as we got ready for our first day in the Pyrenees with unloaded bikes.
We were a bit slow starting after a night drinking and a good sleep, so after some ham based products with coffee (decaf for Tony, so we had to find out the Spanish word for that) we were on the move by 10am.
The N260 started easy, fast flowing curves on the side of a wide gorge to help us to recalibrate to riding without the heavy bags, but after taking a left turn and through a village (with a speed trap that Tony was alert to) we started a climb into a much narrower gorge that was basically a vertical slot in the rocks with the river that caused it at the bottom. The roads were supported on a man made shelf on the side of the rock face and about a UK B road in width, but we were stuck behind 2 trucks with solid white lines to prevent any thought of trying an overtake. … then we realised why there were trucks, this whole section is a 30 miles roadworks as they combine maintenance of the existing road and the excavation of tunnels to try and make a faster future option (which will be good as it will leave the twisty old road open for playing ;)). We used every set of traffic lights to get to the front of the traffic, but it was still 40kph limits and in some places gravel.
Once out of roadwork gorge, we are back out in the sun and faced with a never ending combinations of sweepers and hairpins up to the top of the mountain and then back down the other side……. In most cases it was easy to read the vanishing point and work out if it was sweeper or hairpin, but occasionally you get caught out, so over the comms Tony would hear my voice go up an octave as I trailbraked harder and forced the bars into more countersteer, warning him of an impending tight one!
This was great fun and as a result we didn’t even stop for any photos
The road kept getting better and at one point it was now up to full A road width and surfaced better than a racetrack (good to see EU money being spent well) as we climbed up to a Ski resort on fast sweepers and then down the other side on an endless series of hairpins. The only hazard we faced here was the horse sh1t on the racing line from the wild horses that were roaming this side of the mountain.
About 2pm we stop for a coffee and Tony is thinking he needs to get new boots pronto, so is asking if we can divert to Andora as there are big accessory shops there. Looking at the map we are less than 50 miles from Andora, but that is as the crow flys!!!! To ride there would be an extra 120miles on top of our already planned 200+ mile day, so we scrap that idea, and get back to riding the fast sweepers through scenery that looks like it should be in Arizona.
Then the N260 brings us a new challenge, it climbs back into a narrow gorge, drops to B road width, and clinging to the rock face it takes us on a roller coaster ride where looking at the scenery is not a wise option.
Once spat out the other side the road widens and we are riding beside a another huge, and unfeasably blue, reservoir (very low as were the others), but we are now having to get past trucks and buses on the few sections that are not solid white line. This is a huge contrast to the rest of our route where there was hardly any other vehicles to spoil our enjoyment of the motorbike playground.
We make OK progress, but it would have been big fun on those curves with no obsticles.
Once out of the gorge we get more gas and stop for a coffee and water before making the last right turn onto A-138 to take us back to Ainsa and beer.
Once out of our sweaty gear and washed, we decided to explore the old town, not the best idea as it was up about 500 steps in the afternoon heat….. was a waste of time having a shower!
Very pretty up there but the Pizza we had up there was expensive and less than average.
A few more beers and an earlyish night back to the apartment where Tony was now googling where to find a largish motorbike accessory shop to buy new boots. Tomorrow we were going past a bigger town called Lleida, so perhaps that would be an option as long as we got there before siesta at 1pm.
We sorted our luggage out as we had to checkout tomorrow and head off to Martys.
Based on the heat today, I decided to swap from leather jacket to the ventilated “teabag” jacket I had in my bag, not as much abrasion protection as leather, but it was so fecking hot my jacket was open most of the time, so not going to do its job anyway.
Alarm set and off to bed before midnight.
- Route
We were a bit slow starting after a night drinking and a good sleep, so after some ham based products with coffee (decaf for Tony, so we had to find out the Spanish word for that) we were on the move by 10am.
The N260 started easy, fast flowing curves on the side of a wide gorge to help us to recalibrate to riding without the heavy bags, but after taking a left turn and through a village (with a speed trap that Tony was alert to) we started a climb into a much narrower gorge that was basically a vertical slot in the rocks with the river that caused it at the bottom. The roads were supported on a man made shelf on the side of the rock face and about a UK B road in width, but we were stuck behind 2 trucks with solid white lines to prevent any thought of trying an overtake. … then we realised why there were trucks, this whole section is a 30 miles roadworks as they combine maintenance of the existing road and the excavation of tunnels to try and make a faster future option (which will be good as it will leave the twisty old road open for playing ;)). We used every set of traffic lights to get to the front of the traffic, but it was still 40kph limits and in some places gravel.
Once out of roadwork gorge, we are back out in the sun and faced with a never ending combinations of sweepers and hairpins up to the top of the mountain and then back down the other side……. In most cases it was easy to read the vanishing point and work out if it was sweeper or hairpin, but occasionally you get caught out, so over the comms Tony would hear my voice go up an octave as I trailbraked harder and forced the bars into more countersteer, warning him of an impending tight one!
This was great fun and as a result we didn’t even stop for any photos
The road kept getting better and at one point it was now up to full A road width and surfaced better than a racetrack (good to see EU money being spent well) as we climbed up to a Ski resort on fast sweepers and then down the other side on an endless series of hairpins. The only hazard we faced here was the horse sh1t on the racing line from the wild horses that were roaming this side of the mountain.
- Near the ski resort
- Tuono in the hills
- Route close up
- The C28
- Ktm wants coffee too
- Is it Arizona
Once spat out the other side the road widens and we are riding beside a another huge, and unfeasably blue, reservoir (very low as were the others), but we are now having to get past trucks and buses on the few sections that are not solid white line. This is a huge contrast to the rest of our route where there was hardly any other vehicles to spoil our enjoyment of the motorbike playground.
We make OK progress, but it would have been big fun on those curves with no obsticles.
Once out of the gorge we get more gas and stop for a coffee and water before making the last right turn onto A-138 to take us back to Ainsa and beer.
Once out of our sweaty gear and washed, we decided to explore the old town, not the best idea as it was up about 500 steps in the afternoon heat….. was a waste of time having a shower!
Very pretty up there but the Pizza we had up there was expensive and less than average.
- Old town pizza
We sorted our luggage out as we had to checkout tomorrow and head off to Martys.
Based on the heat today, I decided to swap from leather jacket to the ventilated “teabag” jacket I had in my bag, not as much abrasion protection as leather, but it was so fecking hot my jacket was open most of the time, so not going to do its job anyway.
Alarm set and off to bed before midnight.
AMcQ
-
Pete.L
- Forum Health And Safety Officer
- Posts: 7217
- Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:09 pm
- Location: Bristol
Re: Spanish trip 2023
"Horse Shite Hair Pins"
Made me chuckle Al. I don't think there has ever been a write-up that descriptive before. I take it the Spanish Ponies have a bigger turn over than our English farmers and their cows. Or was it the consistency and slippiness that got you worried
Sounds like a blast regardless
Pete.l
My new ride is a bit of a Howler and I love to make her Squeal
Re: Spanish trip 2023
It was a good day, but had its challenges. The intercoms had about 500 metres range line-of-sight but of course big lumps of rock reduced the range, so a lot of the time our riding was to the tune of "rider A reconnecting"....
This was a plane contrail almost in line with the tip of a hill.
Little villages nestling far below in the valley side became a common site. Mostly they were off the "main" road that we were on, so we didn't see many up close.
Here's the rocky outcrop we could see from our hotel, but from a different angle and further away. Still impressive, though.
After climbing the 500 sweaty steps we could see our hotel, it's the other side of the road at the left hand end of the buildings.
The old town was a bit of culture that we felt we ought to insert into our busy riding schedule!
Shame about the pineapple-infested pizza....
This was a plane contrail almost in line with the tip of a hill.
Little villages nestling far below in the valley side became a common site. Mostly they were off the "main" road that we were on, so we didn't see many up close.
Here's the rocky outcrop we could see from our hotel, but from a different angle and further away. Still impressive, though.
After climbing the 500 sweaty steps we could see our hotel, it's the other side of the road at the left hand end of the buildings.
The old town was a bit of culture that we felt we ought to insert into our busy riding schedule!
Shame about the pineapple-infested pizza....
It's not falling off, it's an upgrade opportunity.
Re: Spanish trip 2023
Day 5, Ainsa to Martys via France and the C13. 240 miles
Direct to Martys was about 120miles, but I wanted to do some more of the Pyrenees before we left the area, so now fully loaded again, the dynamic duo headed north towards France not south towards Martys. Tony is beginning to see how McQueen Tours works …. We never go anywhere via the obvious route 
.
For the boot saga….
We had concluded that Lleida might not work, as we would not get there before 1pm siesta closing, and there wasnt any on the internet that looked like they would have they type of sports boots that Tony wanted to spend his cash on. So we went for the bodgers solution and ran a big cable tie from the instep of the sole and hooked it behind a ridge in the armour at the back of the heal.
Bloodyhell that was perfect, we should have done that yesterday.
We head out of Ainsa on the only one of the 4 roads we haven’t done yet and start the 44mile climb up the A-138 towards the French border. Again this is a cracking road up a river valley with fast, constant radius, sweepers to help us back into the dynamics of riding the bikes with the tail weights back in place, then into a long tunnel before popping out into France.
The Spanish side of the mountain was pure blue sky, but when we pop out on the French side the we are looking down on the valley filled with cloud. It makes a great photo cut from the GoPro footage, but not so fun when you have driven down into it as it’s a bit chilly compared to what we were used to.
Good news, it soon clears and we are in french hairpins going through lots of little Ski resorts.
At this point Tony says he is much happier as his french is much better than his Spanish, so if needed he could now talk to the locals………. But we didn’t need it.
We are only in France for about 40 miles, but this time we cross the border without the use of pesky tunnels, we are going to do it the old fashioned way, with hairpins taking us from the quaint french town of Bagneres-de-Luchon to the Spanish town of Bossost, stopping for a few photos on the way up
And the way down
We have a coffee and petrol stop and we are already buzzing from the fun these roads are bringing.
We are now on a fast and flowing section on the N-230 to el Pont De Suert, till we turn left, back onto a section of the N-260 that we did yesterday. This was the narrow mountain pass where it wasnt wise to look at the scenery. We are going the opposite way so it’s like a new road, but it’s still not wise to take your eyes off the road. :0
Once off the mountain, the road widens and flows easily to give us a rest till we join the C13.
Marty had told us that this road south of Tremp is the best he has ridden and we must ride it. To start with I cant see why he was so excited, but after about 8 miles it all becomes clear.
We are beside a dammed river valley, and the hills are forcing the road to twist, but the road is wide and the surface is perfect, so for the 1st time on the KTM, I am getting my knee and foot peg down on every right hander at about 70 mph ;). I am attacking these turns at close to 100% (for a loaded bike) as there is no traffic and perfect visibility of any hazards and as a result Tony has dropped out of range of the intercom, but I am so happy I keep talking anyway.
We stop at the bottom where the road goes over the dam and through a tunnel into a different landscape. That was a 10/10 moment for roads and views, thanks Marty.
After the highs of that canyon, the next part is almost depressing, it is straight, industrial, more traffic, flat lands for about 20 miles.
We get past Lleida and fill up with Gas and water before starting the last leg to Martys.
At this point I should mention that because of his mums death last month (RIP), Marty wont be there, we will be hosted by his brother Andy and sister-in-law Sharon.
Marty had to be back in the UK to sort out all the legalities & paperwork that makes the sadness of loosing a loved one so much more stressful… our thoughts were with him even though we never saw him.
When we had found out that Martys mum was very ill, we had told Marty that we would find alternative accommodation as they didn’t need a couple of random strangers getting under their feet when they had more important things to focus on. Marty told us that the had discussed it and we MUST still come, the accommodation is separate from their house and we would be no hassle.
Tony had been in WhatsApp discussion with Sharon and he had the exact location in his phone, so breaking with tradition I let Tony lead the last 20 mile segment.
Tony had already talked about it, but now following I can see it for myself where our cornering styles differ.
I am all about entry and mid corner speed, trusting and abusing the front tyre, I also accelerate out, as the KTM needs to be under either braking or power load to sit stable in its long legs, but nowhere as hard as Tony accelerates out of bends.
Tony looks for the traction control light on the top end of the V4 on the way out of the corner and down the next straight, but is much more considered going into the bends.
These last roads are fun and fast sweepers getting us up to 200kph at one point before we turn off the main road onto the country roads leading to Marty’s. We take another right over a bridge and both our satnavs say we have arrived….. but we can’t see anything except a dirt track to our right.
We try the dirt track for about 200 yds and still no houses, so Tony calls Sharon. She says they could hear our bikes before we went off road, so get back to the tar and they would be waiting on the roadside.
Their place is hidden on the left side of the road, but with Andy standing there waving it was easy to find…. Thanks Andy.
The afternoon heat is about 32C now and when you stop moving the lack of cooling breeze makes bike gear a big handicap. We are a sweaty mess when we are greeted by our hosts.
We need beer now, so we get unloaded drink 3 pints of water and head back to the supermarket in town.
At least the supermarket has aircon, but even so walking around there in leathers, I still think I have melted. Beer and food purchased we ride home at about 20 mph…. We have fried our brains and we need to sit and reset.
The night is spent drinking beer, listening to tunes and Tony teaching me to play cards till sleep calls.
- Whole route
.For the boot saga….
We had concluded that Lleida might not work, as we would not get there before 1pm siesta closing, and there wasnt any on the internet that looked like they would have they type of sports boots that Tony wanted to spend his cash on. So we went for the bodgers solution and ran a big cable tie from the instep of the sole and hooked it behind a ridge in the armour at the back of the heal.
Bloodyhell that was perfect, we should have done that yesterday.
We head out of Ainsa on the only one of the 4 roads we haven’t done yet and start the 44mile climb up the A-138 towards the French border. Again this is a cracking road up a river valley with fast, constant radius, sweepers to help us back into the dynamics of riding the bikes with the tail weights back in place, then into a long tunnel before popping out into France.
The Spanish side of the mountain was pure blue sky, but when we pop out on the French side the we are looking down on the valley filled with cloud. It makes a great photo cut from the GoPro footage, but not so fun when you have driven down into it as it’s a bit chilly compared to what we were used to.
- French low cloud
At this point Tony says he is much happier as his french is much better than his Spanish, so if needed he could now talk to the locals………. But we didn’t need it.
We are only in France for about 40 miles, but this time we cross the border without the use of pesky tunnels, we are going to do it the old fashioned way, with hairpins taking us from the quaint french town of Bagneres-de-Luchon to the Spanish town of Bossost, stopping for a few photos on the way up
- Top of route
- Climbing up the french side
- French decent
- Spanish decent
Spanish decent
- The road we were heading for
- The steeds with their load
- Coffee in the valley
Once off the mountain, the road widens and flows easily to give us a rest till we join the C13.
Marty had told us that this road south of Tremp is the best he has ridden and we must ride it. To start with I cant see why he was so excited, but after about 8 miles it all becomes clear.
- Marty’s fave C13 section
We stop at the bottom where the road goes over the dam and through a tunnel into a different landscape. That was a 10/10 moment for roads and views, thanks Marty.
- The end of the best part of C13
We get past Lleida and fill up with Gas and water before starting the last leg to Martys.
At this point I should mention that because of his mums death last month (RIP), Marty wont be there, we will be hosted by his brother Andy and sister-in-law Sharon.
Marty had to be back in the UK to sort out all the legalities & paperwork that makes the sadness of loosing a loved one so much more stressful… our thoughts were with him even though we never saw him.
When we had found out that Martys mum was very ill, we had told Marty that we would find alternative accommodation as they didn’t need a couple of random strangers getting under their feet when they had more important things to focus on. Marty told us that the had discussed it and we MUST still come, the accommodation is separate from their house and we would be no hassle.
Tony had been in WhatsApp discussion with Sharon and he had the exact location in his phone, so breaking with tradition I let Tony lead the last 20 mile segment.
Tony had already talked about it, but now following I can see it for myself where our cornering styles differ.
I am all about entry and mid corner speed, trusting and abusing the front tyre, I also accelerate out, as the KTM needs to be under either braking or power load to sit stable in its long legs, but nowhere as hard as Tony accelerates out of bends.
Tony looks for the traction control light on the top end of the V4 on the way out of the corner and down the next straight, but is much more considered going into the bends.
These last roads are fun and fast sweepers getting us up to 200kph at one point before we turn off the main road onto the country roads leading to Marty’s. We take another right over a bridge and both our satnavs say we have arrived….. but we can’t see anything except a dirt track to our right.
We try the dirt track for about 200 yds and still no houses, so Tony calls Sharon. She says they could hear our bikes before we went off road, so get back to the tar and they would be waiting on the roadside.
Their place is hidden on the left side of the road, but with Andy standing there waving it was easy to find…. Thanks Andy.
The afternoon heat is about 32C now and when you stop moving the lack of cooling breeze makes bike gear a big handicap. We are a sweaty mess when we are greeted by our hosts.
We need beer now, so we get unloaded drink 3 pints of water and head back to the supermarket in town.
At least the supermarket has aircon, but even so walking around there in leathers, I still think I have melted. Beer and food purchased we ride home at about 20 mph…. We have fried our brains and we need to sit and reset.
- Your average shopping trip
AMcQ
Re: Spanish trip 2023
The Spanish horses seamed to have a better understanding of the racing line and target that more accurately than the UK livestock … that and the fact that I was pushing on a bit because the visibility and grip were so goodPete.L wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 12:20 pm
"Horse Shite Hair Pins"
Made me chuckle Al. I don't think there has ever been a write-up that descriptive before. I take it the Spanish Ponies have a bigger turn over than our English farmers and their cows. Or was it the consistency and slippiness that got you worried
Sounds like a blast regardless
Pete.l
AMcQ
Re: Spanish trip 2023
Al, had a smile reading about you loading bike with heavy bags, this is me loading bike for trip. Yours looks to have been a great ride.
redvtr
Re: Spanish trip 2023
Only 6 days away to Shetland, camping so big sleeping bag, air bed, chair, stove, etc, etc
redvtr
Re: Spanish trip 2023
We had the offer of a washing machine at Marty's family farm, so only had to pack half the clothes we needed- and weren't carrying camping gear, which helped enormously.
In the event we just hand-washed clothes and dried the overnight beside a big fan in the living room.
I bought a long sleeved underlayer to try that out (Oxford) as I occasionally get chafing on the insides of my elbows on longer runs, where my jacket is unlined, unless I put the padded cold weather insert in.
This was very effective, working harder at wicking sweat than I was making apex after apex all day.
There wasn't much chance of a rest on the straights for long sections- here's a typical gap between corners:
In the event we just hand-washed clothes and dried the overnight beside a big fan in the living room.
I bought a long sleeved underlayer to try that out (Oxford) as I occasionally get chafing on the insides of my elbows on longer runs, where my jacket is unlined, unless I put the padded cold weather insert in.
This was very effective, working harder at wicking sweat than I was making apex after apex all day.
There wasn't much chance of a rest on the straights for long sections- here's a typical gap between corners:
It's not falling off, it's an upgrade opportunity.
Re: Spanish trip 2023
Reading the road was important but often, there was no forward vision due to the sheer volume of corners in a section. Sometimes you could see what looked like where the road went but it then went in a different direction. With this pic you can see that from a little way back it looked like the road curved gently right following the hillside contour, but as we got closer there was a helpful sign showing that, in fact, it went left into a tunnel.
In some places we could see far enough ahead to know there was no traffic- the roads were much less trafficked than I'm used to near London- and we could use all of the road to ahem, "make progress"...
We frequently found reservoirs, often linked to hydro-electric schemes. Well, with landscape like that to play with, you would, wouldn't you.
All of the water levels were clearly much lower than they should be, here's an example:
In our brief incursion into France we stopped off for a coffee and bottle of water, and I parked under a tree. I don't know why, but this picture looks very French, even though we were still in sight of the border. And what you don't get from the pic is the tinkling of bells round the necks of the sheep or goats in the field opposite.
I could have happily drifted an hour or two away there, but the road was calling, and Marty's farm was waiting.
As Al said, by the time we reached the farm we were knackered - I certainly was - but we unloaded and rode to the supermarket for supplies. I couldn't be bothered to cook so bought a whole chicken and some baton bread and that went down very well indeed. (Along with the first installment of the cans which we selflessly HAD to drink in order to be able to share the "guess the number of empties" competition).
In some places we could see far enough ahead to know there was no traffic- the roads were much less trafficked than I'm used to near London- and we could use all of the road to ahem, "make progress"...
We frequently found reservoirs, often linked to hydro-electric schemes. Well, with landscape like that to play with, you would, wouldn't you.
All of the water levels were clearly much lower than they should be, here's an example:
In our brief incursion into France we stopped off for a coffee and bottle of water, and I parked under a tree. I don't know why, but this picture looks very French, even though we were still in sight of the border. And what you don't get from the pic is the tinkling of bells round the necks of the sheep or goats in the field opposite.
I could have happily drifted an hour or two away there, but the road was calling, and Marty's farm was waiting.
As Al said, by the time we reached the farm we were knackered - I certainly was - but we unloaded and rode to the supermarket for supplies. I couldn't be bothered to cook so bought a whole chicken and some baton bread and that went down very well indeed. (Along with the first installment of the cans which we selflessly HAD to drink in order to be able to share the "guess the number of empties" competition).
It's not falling off, it's an upgrade opportunity.
Re: Spanish trip 2023
Day 6 - rest
This one is an easy one to write up ….. we did feck all!
Last night we both agreed that we needed a bit of down time, so today was a day of gentle drinking (more water than beer), book reading, route planning, sun bathing, steak cooking and chilling.
Not much of interest happened, Well except for Tony being bitten by insects and itching all his bites, and Tony cooking up some tasty steaks for us
Day 7, Martys to mountains back to Martys, 165miles
Before we set off on this trip, I had a 200 mile route planned, but based on previous days when the last hr in the heat was a killer, I rejigged it to 160miles.
Marty had sent us some good roads to consider and places where there were good cafes, so I tried to factor some of those in, although some were already there.
We hit the road at 9am to get out before the heat built up and went out through Flix and past the hydro dam. In less than 10 mins we were climbing technical switchbacks on a B road, again with a great road surface even though there was nobody using it. A lot of money spent building and maintaining mountain roads just for us.
Most of the morning was like this with the odd wider road in the valley for us to have a relax. Then after passing through the little town of Bot, we took the road signposted to Prat…….. bloody hell that was the most technical mountain pass we had been on, this was truly single track, if we meet anything we have to be able to stop, and half the corners are blind. The views were fantastic and we were enjoying the challenge.
As it was we only met one car, and that was on a slightly wider section on the way back down the other side, but even then i gave Tony a shock when I shouted FUUUUK over the intercom as I braked and breathed in to pass.
Once down the other side and looking back up at the sheer sided mountain we just came down, it was crazy to think that somebody decided that they would make a road up there!
Fast, flowing, wide roads next as we follow a river through a fertile valley, that was a complete change of riding, and we were laughing that we had now managed to get out of 3rd gear for the first time.
A coffee stop in the town of Ginestar, sitting with the locals in the town square watching the workmen refresh the block paving in the fountain in the middle of the road..
Tony had been promising to check his oil for the last 2 days and he eventually got round to it now. He reckoned it needed 1/2L so now we have to add a stop at a bike shop so he can get the precious liquid gold that his bike needs. So we jumped on the bikes and headed to the bigger town of Falset, got a 1L bottle and topped off the Aprilia.
All happy we headed off again on the ultra fast bends on main N420, Tony was working overtime on radar watch, and we spotted the trend to put the radars on the few straights where you would be going for the fast overtakes to get past the trucks and slower traffic.
At least like the UK, they have to put a “radar” warning sign before the speed trap, and both my garmin and Tony’s phone app were pinging warnings to show where they were, so we just had to remind each other what the correct limit was for the section of road, was it 70kph, 90kph, 120kph?
A couple of other observations on Spanish roads:
They are very keen on solid white lines to prevent overtaking even on sections that would be easy to overtake on a motorbike, even some very narrow roads have solid and dashed white line sections …. Very prescriptive.
As well as the road markings to say OK / NOT OK to overtake, they also have signs on the roadside (on both sides) marking the point where the dashed or solid lines change. At first I thought this was crazy to have 2 ways of saying the same thing… what a waste of time and money.. but by day 3 I was a big fan of the “OK to overtake” lollipop signs, as you could see them from a distance and get ready to attack the car in front of you when you would not yet have been able to see the change in the lines on the road.
We then took a left turn onto the C242, and now we are back into fast 4th & 5th gear roads and heading back up into the hills. Once in the hills its now 3rd and 4th gear work with each corner being different to the one before.
At one point on a right hand bend, the road is cut so deep into the hillside that there is a rocky outcrop sticking out just about where I want my head to be as I am leaning into the corner, I shout a warning to Tony to wind his neck in and we are both laughing at this new hazard.
Then a quick off-road detour up to an ancient monastry where Tony took photos.
The last 40 miles back to Martys are like this and although it is huge fun, it is also mentally and physically draining. I am cheating as I have a camelbak bladder in my tankbag and I am drinking water from that any time the road is straight enough for me to take my left hand off the bars, Tony on the other hand hasn’t had a drink for a while and is starting to feel the effects. We try and find a cafe or a shop, but it’s siesta time ….. we are nearly home now so we just continue through the arid hills back to Marty’s where water is waiting
Once thirst is sorted, we realise we wont have enough beer so it’s back to the supermarket for another 24 can slab of cervesa and sausage & mash for supper.
This one is an easy one to write up ….. we did feck all!
Last night we both agreed that we needed a bit of down time, so today was a day of gentle drinking (more water than beer), book reading, route planning, sun bathing, steak cooking and chilling.
Not much of interest happened, Well except for Tony being bitten by insects and itching all his bites, and Tony cooking up some tasty steaks for us
Day 7, Martys to mountains back to Martys, 165miles
- Full route
Marty had sent us some good roads to consider and places where there were good cafes, so I tried to factor some of those in, although some were already there.
We hit the road at 9am to get out before the heat built up and went out through Flix and past the hydro dam. In less than 10 mins we were climbing technical switchbacks on a B road, again with a great road surface even though there was nobody using it. A lot of money spent building and maintaining mountain roads just for us
.- Straight into twisty roads
- The wild ride from Bot to Prat
Once down the other side and looking back up at the sheer sided mountain we just came down, it was crazy to think that somebody decided that they would make a road up there!
- We came down that hill
- Bot this way
A coffee stop in the town of Ginestar, sitting with the locals in the town square watching the workmen refresh the block paving in the fountain in the middle of the road..
Tony had been promising to check his oil for the last 2 days and he eventually got round to it now. He reckoned it needed 1/2L so now we have to add a stop at a bike shop so he can get the precious liquid gold that his bike needs. So we jumped on the bikes and headed to the bigger town of Falset, got a 1L bottle and topped off the Aprilia.
All happy we headed off again on the ultra fast bends on main N420, Tony was working overtime on radar watch, and we spotted the trend to put the radars on the few straights where you would be going for the fast overtakes to get past the trucks and slower traffic.
At least like the UK, they have to put a “radar” warning sign before the speed trap, and both my garmin and Tony’s phone app were pinging warnings to show where they were, so we just had to remind each other what the correct limit was for the section of road, was it 70kph, 90kph, 120kph?
A couple of other observations on Spanish roads:
They are very keen on solid white lines to prevent overtaking even on sections that would be easy to overtake on a motorbike, even some very narrow roads have solid and dashed white line sections …. Very prescriptive.
As well as the road markings to say OK / NOT OK to overtake, they also have signs on the roadside (on both sides) marking the point where the dashed or solid lines change. At first I thought this was crazy to have 2 ways of saying the same thing… what a waste of time and money.. but by day 3 I was a big fan of the “OK to overtake” lollipop signs, as you could see them from a distance and get ready to attack the car in front of you when you would not yet have been able to see the change in the lines on the road.
We then took a left turn onto the C242, and now we are back into fast 4th & 5th gear roads and heading back up into the hills. Once in the hills its now 3rd and 4th gear work with each corner being different to the one before.
At one point on a right hand bend, the road is cut so deep into the hillside that there is a rocky outcrop sticking out just about where I want my head to be as I am leaning into the corner, I shout a warning to Tony to wind his neck in and we are both laughing at this new hazard.
Then a quick off-road detour up to an ancient monastry where Tony took photos.
The last 40 miles back to Martys are like this and although it is huge fun, it is also mentally and physically draining. I am cheating as I have a camelbak bladder in my tankbag and I am drinking water from that any time the road is straight enough for me to take my left hand off the bars, Tony on the other hand hasn’t had a drink for a while and is starting to feel the effects. We try and find a cafe or a shop, but it’s siesta time ….. we are nearly home now so we just continue through the arid hills back to Marty’s where water is waiting
Once thirst is sorted, we realise we wont have enough beer so it’s back to the supermarket for another 24 can slab of cervesa and sausage & mash for supper.
AMcQ
Re: Spanish trip 2023
Day six rest day steaks:
Day 7 was another full-on day, but as Al says, a bit more of a mixture of roads. I clicked a couple of 220kph plus sections playing catch-up, but on one occasion that coincided with when Alastair had slowed down to wait for me, so our closing speed was a little surprising- good job I fitted new GPFax pads before we left!
We had learned by then that the most pleasant part of the day was the early mornings temperature-wise, and in top of the mountains it was nice to feel chilly for a short while on the side of the hills where the sun hadn't reached yet.
Looking down on clouds was beginning to feel less surprising.
Here's Alastair taking the credit for all of the natural beauty around us:
We followed a sign that indicated that we might find a restaurant for lunch, but all we found at the top of a gravel track was what they called a car park.
So we had a p1ss and slithered back down the gravelly trail to the road.
We found yet another spectacular view from a pull-in.
I don't know whether the EU has a "blue" mountain like their butter mountain and wine lake, but every picture seems to have been taken through a filter that adds more blue. It was obvious to the eye as well, so it's not my Pixel 6 enhancing the results.
Day 7 was another full-on day, but as Al says, a bit more of a mixture of roads. I clicked a couple of 220kph plus sections playing catch-up, but on one occasion that coincided with when Alastair had slowed down to wait for me, so our closing speed was a little surprising- good job I fitted new GPFax pads before we left!
We had learned by then that the most pleasant part of the day was the early mornings temperature-wise, and in top of the mountains it was nice to feel chilly for a short while on the side of the hills where the sun hadn't reached yet.
Looking down on clouds was beginning to feel less surprising.
Here's Alastair taking the credit for all of the natural beauty around us:
We followed a sign that indicated that we might find a restaurant for lunch, but all we found at the top of a gravel track was what they called a car park.
So we had a p1ss and slithered back down the gravelly trail to the road.
We found yet another spectacular view from a pull-in.
I don't know whether the EU has a "blue" mountain like their butter mountain and wine lake, but every picture seems to have been taken through a filter that adds more blue. It was obvious to the eye as well, so it's not my Pixel 6 enhancing the results.
It's not falling off, it's an upgrade opportunity.
Re: Spanish trip 2023
Oh, and those insect bites- more than 50 in total- if you're squeamish, look away now.
I broke a fingernail scratching the scabs off.
Turns out the Spanish word for "antihistamines" is antihistamines, according to the nice lady in the pharmacia.
I broke a fingernail scratching the scabs off.
Turns out the Spanish word for "antihistamines" is antihistamines, according to the nice lady in the pharmacia.
It's not falling off, it's an upgrade opportunity.
Re: Spanish trip 2023
Great write up guys, looks like the roads were awesome. Nice to hear you kept your fluids up and had a great trip. 
Sad to hear about Marty’s Mum. R.I.P
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sad to hear about Marty’s Mum. R.I.P
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Duffy1964
Yellow 1997 Storm R.I.P. Orange 2000 Streetfighter (Rufus), Red & Silver 1968 Triumph Trophy 650, Blue 2003 Storm Project, Red 2007 Montesa Cota Trials 250 & 1959 BSA D7 175cc Bantam Trials Project
Yellow 1997 Storm R.I.P. Orange 2000 Streetfighter (Rufus), Red & Silver 1968 Triumph Trophy 650, Blue 2003 Storm Project, Red 2007 Montesa Cota Trials 250 & 1959 BSA D7 175cc Bantam Trials Project