i would like to propose for next year  2013

start boat to hook of holland, ride down through to belgium, france, into spain and down all the way to the south

taking in (and these are not in the right order)

Narbonne, toulouse, bordeaux, (ferry here not sure if it takes bikes but think it does)  cognac, valencia, barcelona, zaragoza, granada, madrid, marbella

err to add more as I work it all out

along the n routes of france if anyone wants to start adding places on this trip we can zig zag (and maybe this can be for two weeks at least maybe three ) plenty of time to organise it though :)  let me know what you think

bl**dy ell that's a fair distance!!  I would say 2 weeks JUST to do North to South of Spain as there's some absolutely fantastic roads there - we did Bilbau to Malaga last year - took us 3 days to get down there (not using  the Motorways & taking some nice scenic routes in) & we weren't hanging around (we had an apartment in the South booked for 9 days so HAD to get there by a certain date) BUT we would have loved to stay & play on the roads more - they are sooo smooth & EMPTY & FUN     We had been looking at doing Spain again, but just sticking to the North(ish) for 2 weeks.   If you're going to be doing Belgium to South of Spain you're gonna do doing some serious riding each day & in the heat it'll be knackering ...not to mention numb  bumb syndrome (winces at the memory of it  )                                                                                                                                                                             

lol

And thanks for your post that why i thought i would post it now because i am a novice and don't know how realisitic I am being lol

i haven't calculated the miles maybe it might be better two trips one down and one up across sort of thing what do you think maybe its a three week :)


:)
                                                                                                                                                                             

I have to agree with Holmfirthgirl, that's a long hard slog to get to the really fun roads (midi pyranees) personally I would rather catch the ferry to Santander, 20 minutes off the boat and your into some fantastic biking roads/scenery.  what you save in fuel (neary) pays for the ferry                                                                                                                                                                              

ok that sounds liks a good idea i will have to thikn about all this and its good to know, i hitchhiked this route many years ago so wanted to re do it

maybe I can do it in stages

I  will begin by buying a big paper map and put it up and work my way through it  work out total miles times etc see what is  viable i knew i would need a lot of time  but I will enjoy the planning

The planning is part of the fun                                                                                                                                                                               

well as a starter, we did 2500 miles in total from Brum to Portsmouth, then from Bilbau to Malaga & back again.. included in that was a ride out whilst in the south of about 250 miles. If you want to take in scenery & stop offs & detours etc, then if you really want to do North to South of Spain (JUST Spain) I would deffo say 2 - 3 weeks...probably 3 weeks to allow for days off from riding etc.                                                                                                                                                                              

Back in the 70s I co-piloted a minibus to the south of Spain. It was a charge to get there ASAP, leaving London late afternoon, driving through the first night and spending the second near Bordeaux.
The third night was at Aranda de Duero, about 100 miles north of Madrid, and the fourth somewhere near Cadiz.
Knackering journeys of 500-odd miles a day, but at least it gives you an idea of the basics before you take time off for sightseeing, chilling out etc.
Our eventual destination was Marrakech, but that's another story!                                                                                                                                                                             

A couple of years back I did Stevenage via Calais to La Calla de Mijas (not far from Malaga), I took as near as pos to a straight line and went through Le Mans, Bordeaux, Pau (Trekkie - I HAD to go through there ), then over the Pyrenees, (Did that at dawn - Unbelievable !), Saragossa, Madrid, (Hit Madrid at the evening rush hour - very biker friendly), then Granada to Malaga. I did it in 3 days which was much too fast, but it was a big learning experience that I will never forget.
The main thing is keep off the Peage in France, very fast clear smooth roads but more expensive than an airplane when you total it all up. 

I think I might be up for a more leisurely run at it - and certainly interested if there is a group going.

Dave                                                                                                                                                                             

BTW - Once down to the south of Spain, the road from Marbella to Ronda is an absolute MUST !! It has to rate as one of the best ever roads for a motorbike.  And I've got a mate who has a bar in Ronda :)

                                                                                                                                                                             

ooo Dave - that's exactly where we stayed & yep we did the road to Ronda. We bypassed Madrid to the East on lthe way down & to the West on the way back. I could list the route we took & bore you to death with ALL the fantastic roads that we took, but I'd be here all day typing it out                                                                                                                                                                              

I don't ever get bored by hearing about good roads that I might ride :)
But what about that Ronda road ... motorcycle heaven or what :D

                                                                                                                                                                             

I have not done this sort of trip. But looking into it it seems that the boat from Portsmouth to Santander or Bilbao would be a good option. A night on the boat can be part of the holiday and save a lot of miles through northern europe. Off setting money on toll roads, fuel and accomodation. Also a chance to rest after your ride to Portsmouth, as for some this may be a few hundred miles before you have even started. Off the boat onto good riding roads as mentioned above. I think then, that in 2 weeks, a lot of Spain could be seen. Current ferry prices for 2012 (2013 not displaid yet) with 4 berth cabin approx £508 for one person. Obviously cheaper if 4 sharing.                                                                                                                                                                             

I came back via the Santander route, (wanted an extra day or 2 riding/sunbathing), even sailing on a lounger it was expensive.

Hence why I did the outward trip through Calais. I would have done Calais both ways if not for the time factor. The costs are about the same - what it cost me extra on the boat I saved on the fuel etc.

For a group, I think it would be a better option, perhaps even cheaper.
A group always goes at the speed of the slowest rider and although I did it in just over 3 days, they were 16 hour days at quite high speeds, I wouldn't expect a group of variable ability riders to be able to do anything close to that and stick together.

At a guess, riding in a group down through France as I did would take a week at least to get to Marbella - possibly a few days more. 
Whereas top to bottom of Spain can be done comfortably in 4 days by most riders.                                                                                                                                                                             

I have done Northern Spain a number of times.  First time I did ferry to Santander then back via St Malo.  The only problem I had with this route was that after the pyranees the French side was rather flat & straight & "comparatively" boring.  Having said that the roads were blissfully quiet compared to over here. Since that first trip I have always done Santander both ways, much longer crossing of course but the holiday starts as soon as you hit the port, especially if their is a group of you  + the ferry arrives at a very convenient time the next morning.  Below is a route I planned a while ago ready for my next foray over there. 

  EW said:  will begin by buying a big paper map and put it up and work my way through it   Maybe you should take a guide with ya EW, remember you got lost trying to find Rivi Barn?  lol   I know touring is something you've had your heart set on for a long time E W, so I hope you manage to sort something out.                                                                                                                                                                               

Having just caught up on this thread, my tuppence worth...
Did hull to Gibraltar and back via norther alps in 2 weeks
500 miles plus EVERY day (some 900 days) of very hard riding, plus trying
To navigate/ find accommodation!
Also done Portsmouth- St malo, back Bilbao- Portsmouth
To Gibraltar 12 days, and even though it's half the milage it's still
4000 plus miles, quite hard days for lots of folk?
That said, go for it, rewards out-weigh the pain.

brilliant thanks for your posts :) and yes sandi its true i got lost going to rivvy  more times than i care to remeber, im ok on long journeys its that last bit that totally screws me up  hahaha

but yes been a plan to do this for a number of years now so bout time i did it 

the trip to brittany is a first abroad on my bike so I  am thinking that ,maybe a trip through spain alone which is beautiful might be a first option and I agree you travel at the speed of the slowest and i would prefer this trip to be a meander than a race, because I beielve in stopping for coffee lots of times 

donde esta
un Coffe con lache

ou et
un cafe aul lait,

war ist
een cofee austeblieft

been practising :)

map will be purchased tomorrow

good to go the bottom of spain passed marbella cueto I think bit one way done and a second on the way back definitely but the tip of Africa use to be Spanish as well

be good to go see art galleries, and stuff along the way some anyway

:)

The only problem with lots of coffee stops is that leads to lots of other stops as well - to get rid of the coffee. 
Depending on when you go, it can get quite hot, especially when you are past Madrid. 
One problem I had was dehydration, because the airflow is evaporating the sweat and keeping you cool as you ride, you don't realise, (or i didn't anyway), just how in the way of much body fluids you are losing by just riding.  I bumped into a German guy, south of Madrid who put me right, I thought I was just tired from the ride but once I started drinking less coffee and more water, I felt a lot better. Coffee is a diuretic which is apparently not a good thing if you are not drinking enough water :(

                                                                                                                                                                             

I agree there Dave. If you have ever been to Greece and similar places. The old guys drinking at the old coffee shops always drink water as well.