looking to vist France at the end of this month, I am thinking about heading to Nice, then down to Spain and back from Santander. I want to stick on B roads and see the best of France as I head south. Need April weather reports, also the best route with all the road information. I know Spain well, no need for help on Spain.

Thanks Tourman

Either on the way down, or on the way over to Spain, I'd try to include the Volcanos of the Auvergne, the Gorge du Tarn and the Millau Bridge.

Some of the smaller roads between Clermont Ferrand and Aurillac are brilliant.

Tim

__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Tourman:

Pack warm clothes, and most especially, pack good raingear. You can sometimes encounter very sunny, pleasant days in April, but the odds are greater that you will encounter cooler, wet days.

I can tell you from personal experience it is no fun at all being soaking wet in rural France in the early spring when the air temperature is about +7°. But, having said that, there are lots of benefits to touring at that time of year - it is off-season, things are just starting to grow, etc.

I think as long as you are mentally prepared to have to write off a few days due to weather - in other words, you get up in the morning, look outside, and just say "Forget it, I'm not going anywhere today"... then you will have a good tour. But if you work on the assumption that every day will be or could be a riding day, you will be frustrated.

Michael

Tim Cullis's comments are spot on, IMO.

Hi tourman,

I just did Burgundy to Barcelona - Pamplona - Biarritz - Burgundy from the 9th to the 15, You might be in luck about the weather but the nights will be chilly, I froze my nuts off in spanish pyrennees. I went on the A20 from Chateauroux to Cahors and then D653 and N21 to Auch then Departemental roads to oriental pyrennes.

Google maps, itinerary : type in your waypoints, selection roads without toll gate and you'll get all the roads that dont cost anything.

On the way back I took the autoroute to limoges via bordeau angouleme, limoges, it cost about 14 euros all in all for the toll.

Clermond at this time of the year is humid. I'd stick to the coast if I was you but thats a toll road all the way from north to south

Your best bet is to get onto the A20 its starts as the A10 - E5 south west of Paris just after Ramouillet It becomes the A71 - E9
Orleans, Vierzon, Chateauroux All the way south for nothing.

Becomes the A20 - E9

All the way past Toulouse, your first toll will be just after Perpignan or Just after Toulouse depending on which way you go around the Pyrennes.

If you've got time and money, then riding towards Nice Grenoble,Gap would be awesome, but The alps are very cold at this time, so you'll be staying in a Gite as apposed to camping.

Nice is a long way from Spain. Maybe you'd like to give us more of an indication of what you want to do and how much time you have. Easier to know what you're looking for.

If you need somewhere to Crash for the night in the Burgundy, don't hesitate, I've got a garage too, I could put your bike in for the night.

later

Thanks for all the help and information, I am flying to The Algarve for 6 days, I am hiring a Yam 6ooxt for 3 days, I plan to do some light offroad in the area. I know the Algarve area well, went down there in Oct 2008. I got rtn flts and car for 6 days and bike for 3 days for £300. I think the weather will be better than France at this time of year. Thanks again.

Tourman