Ferries are full to Bilbao or Santander, what is the alternative?

EVskij

EVskij

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Wife and I are looking to go to the Pyrenees for a week before late May bank holiday but our plans are becoming scrapped before we even started. Wife has requested her holiday for approval but this hasn't happened yet and god knows when it'll happen as HR is out of house (in a different part of the country). So as such we are now looking at the proposed (May 20th out - May 28th return) dates to travel, but brittany ferries are fully booked unless we were to travel a day earlier and a day later. Which means she will need to book another day or two of holiday (chances are slim as it is a big firm she's working for) We can get a channel tunnel train to Calais and spend best part of three days riding south and another three days back leaving only two days in the mountains which kind of defeats the point of having a trip in the first place.

Has anybody got any better suggestions?

Kind regards

EV
 
Send the bikes in a van, fly out and meet the van at the airport?
 
What he said
you can easily get the bike flown out to e.g. Malaga and have a great ride up the Spanish/Portuguese border through the Picos and on to Pyrenees. Big miles would then have you riding back up to Calais.
 
Interesting......

How much would such pleasure cost and how bloody safe is it? will my bike end up in Kirgystan instead of Spain?

Florence said:
Send the bikes in a van, fly out and meet the van at the airport?
Click to expand...
 
Overnight to St Malo. From there you can get to the Pyrenees in a day. I have noticed over the past few years that the crossings to Spain tend to book up really early, though peoples plans changes and we were lucky to pick up a cancellation once.
We booked our Crossings for October 17 back in July.
 
I went in July this year, had to book well early and still had to adjust the dates to get on a ferry. You can always book an alternative and then keep your eye out for cancellations which do happen and keep giving them a call.


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Looked at the St. Malo crossing but for the price it still leaves over 450 miles to the base camp. I can get £34 tickets each way on the train to and from calais and for the difference in price between ferry stain in the hotels but rake up 1300 miles instead meaning service will be that much more sooner. Roscoff crossing seem pointless, as sailing is further away from home and further north from St. Malo.

AberdeenAngus said:
One or two alternatives but maybe too long a ride.
Click to expand...
 
If I was on my own, I probably could do it in a day an arrive there late and fall asleep on a stack of hay bales. But with my better half coming along, I think it'll end up in tears before we even had a holiday.

Baz said:
Overnight to St Malo. From there you can get to the Pyrenees in a day. I have noticed over the past few years that the crossings to Spain tend to book up really early, though peoples plans changes and we were lucky to pick up a cancellation once.
We booked our Crossings for October 17 back in July.
Click to expand...
 
Unless you really want to do the Pyrenees in 2017, why not look at somewhere in France or Germany which are closer? Pyrenees will always be there in 2018.
 
Feeling brave you try one of these options
 

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wife want a beach and a descent weather for once. But I am quite happy to go to France only. Somewhere by the river........

Baz said:
Unless you really want to do the Pyrenees in 2017, why not look at somewhere in France or Germany which are closer? Pyrenees will always be there in 2018.
Click to expand...
 
EVskij said:
Wife and I are looking to go to the Pyrenees for a week before late May bank holiday but our plans are becoming scrapped before we even started. Wife has requested her holiday for approval but this hasn't happened yet and god knows when it'll happen as HR is out of house (in a different part of the country). So as such we are now looking at the proposed (May 20th out - May 28th return) dates to travel, but brittany ferries are fully booked unless we were to travel a day earlier and a day later. Which means she will need to book another day or two of holiday (chances are slim as it is a big firm she's working for) We can get a channel tunnel train to Calais and spend best part of three days riding south and another three days back leaving only two days in the mountains which kind of defeats the point of having a trip in the first place.

Has anybody got any better suggestions?

Kind regards

EV
Click to expand...

Well given the length of the ferry crossing to spain its actually quicker and cheaper to drive/ride through france.
Portsmouth - Caen overnight arrivers 7am france, we were in Biarritz having a beer in a restaurant on the sea front by 1800 same day and that was not pushing it, about 12 hours sooner than if we had caught a ferry to spain!!! Ok extra fuel but offset by cost of ferry and not having to buy food and drink on board at ferry company prices.
Easy trip, ok motorway almost all the way but quick, Caen - Le Mans - Poitiers - Bordeaux - Biarritz its only about 500 miles, easy in 10 hours including stops, you can do it in a lot less if you have the tank range and push it. But even if you take longer you are still at your destination before the ferry even dock.

If your other half is not up for the whole trip in a day, then stop and you only loose a bit of your holiday each end and there is some good stuff to see, Bordeaux is nice and the Ibis Budget Le Lac had rooms for less than £30 with secure parking, you have Futurescope at Poitiers, motor racing museum at Le Mans on the circuit.

Or if you go down from Poitiers through Limoges then Toulouse is same distance as Biarritz and you are right in the area you want to be.
 
I think we will end up traveling via Portsmouth - St. Malo on the 19th of May, arriving at 8:15am and going to book a hotel for a return journey so that there wouldn't be any mad rush to get to the port on Sunday morning. So from St. Malo travel to western Spanish coast and from there go to the east coast (do a road or 1000 turns), then head in to France on the east coast, then start heading back via French side of the Pyrenees towards West coast of France and on to St. Malo. I think that is doable. What is camping like in the Pyrenees during late May? Wife will be complaining if it is to cold (10c). So I am thinking whether just stick with B&B/Hotels.


bowser said:
Well given the length of the ferry crossing to spain its actually quicker and cheaper to drive/ride through france.
Portsmouth - Caen overnight arrivers 7am france, we were in Biarritz having a beer in a restaurant on the sea front by 1800 same day and that was not pushing it, about 12 hours sooner than if we had caught a ferry to spain!!! Ok extra fuel but offset by cost of ferry and not having to buy food and drink on board at ferry company prices.
Easy trip, ok motorway almost all the way but quick, Caen - Le Mans - Poitiers - Boardeaux - Biarritz its only about 500 miles, easy in 10 hours including stops, you can do it in a lot less if you have the tank range and push it. But even if you take longer you are still at your destination before the ferry even dock.
Click to expand...
 
Hotels are cheap enough, use booking.com as you go...I go every year, either in May or September.... Portsmouth St Malo... Pyranees in less then 500 miles, roads are easy and traffic (ish) free... A few tolls.. Always in our Hotel by 1900 - scrub up and out for dinner... I always head for St Jean Pied Du Port, as I like it there and it's a great road over to Pamplona...

evenings can be chilly in May - oh and it can really piss downif it wants too...
 
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