Trip to Pyrenees 5th June - 14th June 2013

[julian]

Hi everyone,

Bruce Fielding, Steve Gibson and myself have put together the following trip.

Wednesday 5th June 1200 depart Portsmouth to Bilbao arriving following day at 1245.

Thursday Bilbao to Pamploma staying at the Parador Olite.

Friday / Saturday / Sunday. Pamplona to Andorra staying at Hotel Nordic. Explore the region with possibility of driving to Barcelona.

Monday / Tuesday Andorra to Loudres staying Grand Hotel Gallia & Londres.

Wednesday Lourdes to Biarritz, Hotel Best Western Kemaris.

Thursday Bilbao to Portsmouth departing 1530, arriving Friday 14th June at 1415 in Blighty.

I am sure this trip will equal any others we have put together including Swiss, French Alps, Monaco to name a few.

Anyone fancy this then get booking, any questions then please ask. Wives, girlfriends, sons, daughters all welcome.

So far we are 3 cars, I appreciate this is quite a long trip but this is due to the distance to get there in an attempt to find some sun after that dreadful winter we have had, plus a bit late in finalizing it, hence late post.

Anyway, kind regards

Julian 

[Bruce Fielding]

We'll be staying the weekend in Andorra, so if anyone wants to come on the whole trip and have their partner join them for the weekend, this will be perfectly possible with a flight to Barcelona or Toulouse and a hire car. We've done this on tours before and it works quite well...

The Nordic looks very nice:

http://www.grupnordic.com/pages/centro-de-relajacion-y-masajes

We have calculated the cost of this trip as approximately £2000 for two including hotels, ferry and some meals.

[FlyingTrotter]

Looks a good if quite long - might have been up for it but it abuts the Spa trip so will have to pass - I'm sure you'l have fun - £2k sounds a bit optimistic inc all fluids !!!

[Bruce Fielding]

[quote="FlyingTrotter"]
Looks a good if quite long - might have been up for it but it abuts the Spa trip so will have to pass - I'm sure you'l have fun - £2k sounds a bit optimistic inc all fluids !!!
[/quote]

Doesn't include fluids... not the way I drink them...

...or a 300 at full chat for that matter!

[wattie]

Looks like a great trip fellas and not too long away!
Make sure you post some pics,
Cheers Wattie

[Steve Gibson]

In case anyone hadn't noticed...you get a 'cruise' on this trip, too. 24 hours boat to Bilbao and the same back. We'll be blowing our pensions on the roulette table and wearing socks with sandals up on deck.

[Richard Marler]

Don't gamble on that boat Steve. I did, before I realised that they had special boat rules, which turn the odds much more in their favour.

Hope you guys have a great trip. Having done one very similar on a motorbike, I know that if you get the right roads it can be spectacular.

[Steve Gibson]

Don't worry, Rich. Horses and roulette wheels have never turned me on.

I half wish I was doing it on a bike, too. We're going to choose our roads very carefully to make sure we make the most of the trip. We'll miss the Atom Cup Brands Hatch races, which I'd planned to go to, but hopefully you'll understand if we're not there. 

[julian]

Hi Richard,

I have been meaning to drop you a line to wish you luck for the race series. I desperately want to come and watch you race but seem to have things on like this trip. Anyway good luck for the rest of the season. Shame you haven't got a road car as it would be great to have you along.

Hope all is well, see you soon.

Julian

[benyeats]

[quote="Steve Gibson"]
Don't worry, Rich. Horses and roulette wheels have never turned me on.

[/quote]

I am not sure they have horse racing on the ferry.

I wonder how practical roulette is on a boat, I suppose waves could add to the randomness......

[Steve Gibson]

We will also be taking part in the bull run through Pamplona. Three Atoms trying to outrun a thousand tonnes of pissed-off cow meat.

[Steve Gibson]

New tour attractions confirmed! 

- Part of the snaking Tour de France ride up to Arcalis.
- One of Europe's highest observatories, at La Mongie, used by NASA for pre-Apollo-landing photography.
- The National Automobile Museum at Encamp in Andorra.
- And the wiggliest wiggly roads we could find across the Pyrenees.

[julian]

Nice one Steve, can't wait now.

Julian

[Welshman]

The Parador at Olite is lovely.

I expect you'll be incorporating the N260 into the route from Olite to Andorra. There are many great bits to that road but one section I wouldn't miss for anything is the section from Sort to Adrall. I'd also recommend the road from Puente ce Montanama to Vielha and from Vielha over the Port de Bonaigua to Sort.

[Steve Gibson]

Yes, the N260 is part of the eastward journey. Day 3 (Friday) is a long day to Andorra using that road. Then we've planned a few day trips for the weekend and a mountain pass route back west to Lourdes on the Monday.

S