First time trip. Ideas/advice on where to go ?

lukethedrifter

Registered user
Joined
Sep 16, 2016
Messages
19
Reaction score
0
Location
manchester
Hi, looking for ideas/advice on where to go for a first time bike ride.
I have two weeks off work beginning in November. Never been outside UK and not what you would call an "experienced rider".
Years driving hgv and cars, but only a few on the bike. Mostly commuting.
But.......I would love to have a little taste of Europe on my bike. And then maybe go further afield next year with a bit more planning.
Any suggestions of routes to take, places to go etc...would be appreciated.
I was going to just look on the map of France for example and pick a spot, book a hotel and then next day pick another spot and so on.
Problem is I have no idea if I'm picking the right spots :(
So thought better to ask people who have experience for some guidance :)
Remember I'm new to all this ...........so be gentle :comfort
Cheers
 
Get on the ferry to Santander, point your bike at Asturias, ride any road beginning with an "N". Seriously, there's not a bad one out there. People are really friendly, accommodation is great and affordable, and it is beautiful. Food is good, plenty of cider available should you want it. The ferry is great decompression from daily life, gets you relaxed before hitting the roads, and helps reduce the first and last couple of days grind on the motorway to get you somewhere interesting.
 
It doesn't matter where.
Put a big map of Europe on the table and have a big glass of whisky, spin round 3 times and put a pin in the map, there's your destination and just take the back roads.
:beerjug:
 
It doesn't matter where.
Put a big map of Europe on the table and have a big glass of whisky, spin round 3 times and put a pin in the map, there's your destination and just take the back roads.
:beerjug:
That's the spirit...

Sent from a U11
 
How about the NEC for the bike show?:p
 
Have a look on ride.co.uk loads of great rides on there, just download the GPX...
 
I agree - November = Spain.
It’s going to be a bit chilly in the morning and evening in the mountains: Alps, Pyrenees, Picos and there will be a chance of rain.

Not much bike experience and never abroad I would head for some sunshine - leave the hairpins for a summer trip in the future.

My trip would be: Return ferry to Northern Spain then Pick a nice spot on the Med - Costa Blanca/Del Sol and work out a scenic circular route with a few days off in between. I assume your hotelling it, be aware that inland Spain can be very mountainous so many campsites close in September due to the cold - take adequate clothing.

Hope you have a great trip
 
Excellent, there’s nothing better than a first jaunt anywhere. The first thing to realise is that there have been lots of first time punters on this site, all with the same questions and concerns. The second and most important, is they all come back and report they had a great time, irrespective of what they thought before hand and no matter where they went.

Now to the basics. Early November is into the autumn and the clocks have changed, so there’s less light (the days are shorter) and it’s cooler. Winter has all but descended onto the main Alp passes and maybe into the Pyrenees. That being said, much of France, Belgium and Germany is not so very different to the middle half of the UK. So, if you’d ride a bike here, the chances are you can ride one there. Spain, being further south, is generally warmer but further away so you might well think about taking a boat there and back.

So, where to....

Now it’s your turn....

What do you think you fancy? What sort of daily mileages do you want to do? Do you want days off or to ride everyday? Do you want N roads or goat tracks? Remember that if you think 100 miles in a day is as much as you fancy, it’s no less far just because you cross the Channel. Lots of fellows ask for great roads, no motorways. Before you do, imagine that you want to ride from Manchester to London in November, which roads would you take to do the 200 miles? Goat tracks? Or motorway? Or ‘sensible’ A and B roads?

RiDE magazine do some great, easy to do, suggestions on tours in France and even Spain. All easily downloadable from their website. If nothing else, they are a decent start and may well answer your question, “Are these the right towns?”
 
d.
I was going to just look on the map of France for example and pick a spot, book a hotel and then next day pick another spot and so on.
Problem is I have no idea if I'm picking the right spots :(

Do that.
Good on you for wanting and thinking of just going.
Just go...if you don't like somewhere, move on.

What the fuck are the "right spots" ?
Right for what ?
Right for whom ?
Wrong for what ?
Wrong for whom ?

Don't ask or think too much mate, just get on your bike and go and explore....enjoy finding out for yourself.
 
The genuine fun and good memory making stuff starts approximately one second after the carefully made plan fails.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Get on the ferry to Santander, point your bike at Asturias, ride any road beginning with an "N". Seriously, there's not a bad one out there. People are really friendly, accommodation is great and affordable, and it is beautiful. Food is good, plenty of cider available should you want it. The ferry is great decompression from daily life, gets you relaxed before hitting the roads, and helps reduce the first and last couple of days grind on the motorway to get you somewhere interesting.

what's wrong with the AS, NV & VY roads?

otherwise, for November, I agree Spain/Portugal/S France via ferry would probably give you the best weather - just decide where to go on a day to day basis depending on where the weather looks best

Get the Michelin maps 1:400,000 or better for each area you might visit - uses these to get an overview of routes and stick a few waypoints into the satnav.
 
Wow. Just returned from work and surprised (pleasantly) to see that so many people have given up some of their time to offer some good advice. Thanks one and all.
Weekend will be spent planning where I want to go. My preference is probably Spain/Portugal, but may save that one for next year around July/August.
Most likely go with Timolgra's suggestion, only because it's just more me. Not the most sensible, I'm a terrible planner/organiser but something about throw some shit in your bag, jump on your bike and go appeals to me.
If I was going to Africa/Asia I would be more cautious.
So my plan is to find my first stop (google what's on offer) and head there. Spend a night, sample beer/bars and whatnot, and then next day do the same thing and just follow my nose.
I will take some breakdown cover as security, but other than that it's a duffle bag, me and the bike.
I know for most of you it's a bit of a lame trip, but I can't wait ha ha . Seriously excited.
Thanks again for your replies.
 
How about wait until a weeek before your November holidays, and check the weather in Scotland, you might get a surprise, and if it is crap, just jump on a boat and go south.
 
How about wait until a weeek before your November holidays, and check the weather in Scotland, you might get a surprise, and if it is crap, just jump on a boat and go south.

Good call. Definitely worth considering. Scotland appeals to me from what I've heard about it. Probably best earlier in the year though. And I can get up there easily on a long weekend.
Cheers.
 
Spain was plenty hot enough in Sept/Oct for riding. I don't think I would want to holiday there in July/Aug.

I certainly would not want to be in Portugal - I was there for 4 days at the end of September and at times it was 36C. Going deep into a port lodge in Porto (technically Gaia) was essential...
 
Personally if I had only five days I’d still be tempted to go to Asturias/Picos, the roads are as good as anywhere in Europe an£ much better than the UK. There ere are virtually no other vehicles on the road. Stop at any cafe/bar to eat and drink for next to nothing.

The only downside is the time on the ferry that you could be riding, but the weather in France is just too iffy to be confident of riding down to th3 South without a good soaking.
 
First trip :
Forget all that stuff about just throwing some t shirts in a bag and riding wherever you fancy.
As wapping says there are endless trip routes already available in Ride magazine. They still can be done very loose regards miles per day and hotel bookings on the fly etc and dont have to be followed exactly
Have a read through others trip reports on here and other sites and in which month they went.
Have a couple of routes in mind . Check the weather forecast.
A bit of foreward planning will ensure your first trip wont be your last. :)
 
....Problem is I have no idea if I'm picking the right spots .... So thought better to ask people who have experience for some guidance

...I'm a terrible planner/organiser but something about throw some shit in your bag, jump on your bike and go appeals to me.....

You could have come to that simple realisation without coming here for help. That you’d also spare yourself worrying whether you’ll find yourself in ‘the right spot’ or ‘wrong spot’ is obvious.

If your real and only intent was to tell the world that you are off on your first overseas jaunt, in early November. Job done.

Enjoy your holiday on your motorcycle, wherever and however you go.
 
Thanks for that, I have a couple of simple questions though.
In regards to spending, do you all just pay for petrol,drinks, etc.. by using your credit/debit cards and let the bank convert the amount to £ ?
Or exchange £ into cash in the currency you will be needing ?
Also I'm not very technical, so how important is it to forkout £ on a satnav, or will maps do ? Can I use my phone with google maps ? ( I know.....I'm way behind the times lol )
I don't have panniers (too expensive for me :( ) but may look at buying a cheap tank bag, seems most riders have them with a map on top for easy visibility.
 


Back
Top Bottom