Carcassonne, Pyrenees, down to Madrid and across to Santiago de Compostelo

That's a nice looking tour for folks who also like cities! As noted above Madrid is a great place to visit 8a crap place to live though!) but no place for bikes IMHO.

If it were me I'd ride up the Pyrenees zig-zagging into France and avoiding the N-260 as much as possible - also all of the horrible N-240 Jaca to Pamplona! Donistia/San Sebastian is a must do but I'd by-pass Bilbao unless I specifically wanted to visit the city. Skirting Madrid is easy and the roads and scenery can be great but by heading west through Avila and Salamanca you're missing following the 'Sistema Central' mountain range that runs right the way into Portugal and instead riding across immense and immensely boring plains of the Meseta - I wonder if these aren't the trail sections? - the downside if that is that you get a lot of Portugal to ride up before you enter Galicia. Portugal is a matter of taste, of course, but in my (limited) expereince the riding is spoiled by endless straggly villages where after just a few kms of open road you're back in a 50 kph zone for miles and miles ...

Just saying like :)
 
I have a week's leave with nothing else to do, so I may just do that.

Here's a brief summary:

Ferry Portsmouth-Bilbao
One night Parador de Santo Domingo de la Calzada
Two nights Parador de Cuenca
One night Parador de Alarcon
Two nights parador de Cazorla
Two nights Parador de Jaen
Two nights Parador de Ronda
One night Parador de Caceres
One night Parador de Plasencia
Two nights Parador de Zamora
One night Parador de Leon
One night Parado de Corias
One night Parador de Limpias
Ferry Bilbao-Portsmouth

This is by far the most extravagant (and expensive) bike trip I've ever planned. A combination of (a) using the money we saved from 2020's cancelled holidays and (b) partial retirement celebration jaunt and (c) I'm not sure how many more long 2-up trips on a big bike I'll have left in me before the temptation of car trips becomes tempting!

The Amigos de Paradores loyalty card provides some savings and we'll rack up enough points on this trip to pay for future jaunts. Have used Paradores for years and the worst experience we've ever had was "merely very good." Several I would rate as "out-bloody-standing." I expect to come back suntanned and at least a stone heavier.

Nice, but you’ve missed out Parador de Lerma, Parador de Ferrol and Parador de Santo Estevo !!!!
 
I know I said avoid Madrid but if you want to break your journey then it’s a wonderful city to visit with great culture, restaurants and folk music bars and the Spanish people are more hospitable than a lot of other major cities in Europe. Give me Madrid over Paris any day.
 
That looks an absolute cracker that.

Quinten, that's quite some way to do it.. I would pack a fair amount of Rennies :D
 
I know I said avoid Madrid but if you want to break your journey then it’s a wonderful city to visit with great culture, restaurants and folk music bars and the Spanish people are more hospitable than a lot of other major cities in Europe. Give me Madrid over Paris any day.

+ 1 for that!
 
Most big cities are great, I live in the middle of one.

You don’t have to ride through them all day. Just find a hotel, park up and buy a rover ticket for the public transport, exploring on foot. I really like the Green Michelin guides for days like these, not least as they often have easy to follow walks. I should do more of it really. I think bods often think Michelin is just for maps and guides to restaurants and hotels (from the pre-internet days) but it is so much more.
 
I'd also say for a city, Madrid is pretty straight forward to get in and out of, certainly wouldn't be afraid of it on the bike.
 
Nice, but you’ve missed out Parador de Lerma, Parador de Ferrol and Parador de Santo Estevo !!!!

Parador la seu d'urgell never seems to get a mention either.

Have stayed there a few times and a lovely building, underground parking and close to some very good roads.
 
Very disappointing that the Millau bridge does not get a mention. It is a ‘must do’ for every jaunt on a motorcycle, even when going to Tesco.
 
That looks an absolute cracker that.

Quinten, that's quite some way to do it.. I would pack a fair amount of Rennies :D

Thanks. Rennies, Omeprazole and Fybogel are on the packing list. It's the six months' dieting to get my BMI back under control when we get back that I'm not looking forward to!

Still keeping fingers crossed we'll be able to go.
 
Very disappointing that the Millau bridge does not get a mention. It is a ‘must do’ for every jaunt on a motorcycle, even when going to Tesco.

For all the hype, I'd still recommend anyone going anywhere near to see the bridge. Ride beneath it, then ride over it (ideally riding South to North, at twilight).
 
Thanks. Rennies, Omeprazole and Fybogel are on the packing list. It's the six months' dieting to get my BMI back under control when we get back that I'm not looking forward to!

Still keeping fingers crossed we'll be able to go.

Picolax, too.
 
For all the hype, I'd still recommend anyone going anywhere near to see the bridge. Ride beneath it, then ride over it (ideally riding South to North, at twilight).

I stayed at a stunning place in Millau about 10 years ago.
Château de Cresseils

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