France/Spain trip - bike safe stop overs
 

Hi everyone.

My question is can any of you seasoned travellers tell me of places I can stay in France and Spain without worrying about my bike getting pinced or as my mum says me "getting kidnapped"!

My route is:

On way:
Day one stay over in Bordeaux
Day two stay in Lloret De Mar
3 and 4 with nan
On way back
Day 5 stay somewhere near Lourdes (Fr)
Day 6 stay in La Rochelle

Any bike safe places to recommend?

My first trip abroad so any hints/tips most welcome, in particular places to stay in these areas slatned towards bike security.

Ta very much

You could try the Villages Hotels group, if within your budget, and I'm sure it would give yourself and mother peace of mind.
Most, if not all, have secure overnight parking, you can check-in at any time using credit card (good if you arrive late).
Rooms are generally clean, private facilities and you can get breakfast.
There is a website so you can plan, and/or prebook your accommodation.

http://www.villages-hotel.com/
You might also find some usefull links here:
www.4x4-travel.co.uk
Go to the links page.
Kevin

La rochelle

We were three nights here - a bit out of town -10 mins walking - has a car park at the side with a gate that is closed at night.

Francis EYBERG [savary-hotel@wanadoo.fr]

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.. no gods .. precious few heroes.

[This message has been edited by XRM (edited 14 March 2006).]

thank you for the recommendations....most appreciated...

My wife and I run a BnB near Parthenay ( about 60 miles from La Rochelle, we have undercover parking ( its a farm ) We are on a D road (D938) which is much used as a shortcut avoing the peages http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif to Samur/le Mans. contact me if you ( or anyone else is interested)

[This message has been edited by oldbmw (edited 15 March 2006).]

Any time I was in France on the bike I just turned up at 2 star hotels without booking, always got accomodtaion and they were always willing to bend over backwards to look after the bike as well. God I miss the place think I'll go and book something now...!!

Electric Monk - sounds good. What was the latest you could just turn up?!

I just rode through france staying at Formule 1 hotels. They're cheap and clean, but hardly memorable holiday venues! Good if you're just passing through though.
In terms of security many have a gate that's locked at night, the little booklet you can pick up in them tells you which ones.
From a security point of view I always feel safest camping as the bike is only ever 2 feet away!
Matt

Hey Meeks

Most times would have tried to find somewhere at around 4 or 5 in the afternoon, the only time we had a problem finding somewhere the people who were turning us away were always trying to find us somewhere to stay and in the end we stayed in a litle country guesthouse which turned out to be the best place we stayed.
The french attitude to motorcyclists is "I wish that was me, good luck to you".
my advice is to stay away from the beaten track and tenjoy the hospitality.

------------------
The electric monk always has faith.

If you feel more secure by planning your route and stops beforehand, then use the internet to plan your stops. Most chains in France such as Campanile or Ibis give enough info as to whether they have secure parking or not. If you are a bit more adventurous then take a chance and start looking from around 5pm. Most French cities have large billboards on their approach advertising their hotels and most chains like this are around 30 to 40 euros for a double room. Preferably stick to the back roads or route nationale (N roads) and look out for the Chambre d'hote (bed and breakfast) signs. They will be more friendly, cheaper and being out of the towns more secure for your bike, plus you will feel you have enjoyed more of the "real" France. If I were you I would certainly think about booking a stop at La Rochelle as posted above. You can also go to the tourist information place when you arrive in a town and ask them to organize or recommend accomodation.
When we are travelling in France as a group we usually book in advance at somewhere like a Campanile, but on our own we drift where we fancy and start looking from around 4 or 5pm. Not been let down yet and I know which I prefer.
Enjoy your trip.

[This message has been edited by harleyrider (edited 17 March 2006).]

Thanks to everyone for the advice and tips so far, most appreciated.

That's been my experience as well, over the last 5 years of riding in France every summer. Just look for simple lodging (a 2 or 3 star hotel, a B & B, or a gîte) that appears to have either a fenced compound or a garage / barn attached to it. The operators will - without exception - be willing to store your bike either in the building or around the back of the house, in a fairly secure area.

Security is much more easily looked after in small and medium sized towns than in big cities. If you decide to overnight in a big city, then you pretty much have to find lodging that has either a locked up compound (rare) or an underground garage (which is usually attached to an expensive hotel).

As long as you avoid overnighting in the big cities, you will have no shortage of pleasant and inexpensive lodging available, all with satisfactory security for your moto. Don't worry about it a bit.

Michael

Michael thanks for that. Got some great information and advice on France. Thanks to all.

Can anyone add anything further on Spain please in terms of safe bike places to stay etc?

Many thanks.

Meeks.

I have found that exactly the same advice applies to Spain. As Michael stated above keep to the smaller towns.

safest would be to stay at home with your mother..

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regards...
-=airhead=-
http://www.euroheads.org
http://le-chais.de.vu

or not ride a bike at all!

Any tips airhead?

if you are afraid to scratch or loose your bike, purchase a ratbike for travelling and leave your shiny one in your living room... http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif

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regards...
-=airhead=-
http://www.euroheads.org
http://le-chais.de.vu

Why do you have to answer a question stupidly?

Can't see the problem myself about asking for safe parking?If you can avoid trouble why not do so? If you don't have anything to say, just keep your mouth shut, thanks!

take it easy guys!

If it's a joke make it clear, if not, no need to make nasty comments - we all started out from the same spot - completely clueless!

And no, that's not a comment on anyone!

I with you fcasado, seemed perfectly sensible enquiry to me.... a bike is much more vulnerable than a car.

Meeks:

Just a further thought for you, to make your trip more enjoyable and to reduce stress, etc...

I suggest that you don't book your overnight stops in advance. There's really not much to be gained from doing that, unless you are traveling at a very busy time of year and need to book in advance in order to have any hope at all of getting a room.

Instead, just head down the road in the direction you want to go, and when you decide it's time to stop for the day, start looking around. Without any doubt you will find something quite satisfactory (price, location, security offered for your moto) within 30 to 60 minutes. By not booking ahead, you avoid all the grief and worry associated with wondering if the place will be OK, wondering if the bike security will be OK, having to ride late into the day if you are a bit behind schedlue, stuff like that.

I'm on the road in Europe at least 60 nights a year, riding recreationally, and I never, ever book ahead unless (for example) I need a roome in Cannes in the middle of the film festival or in Basel the week of the horological exhibition, etc. I have never found anything to be gained by booking ahead at locations that I have not visited before.

Michael

Meeks,

Another thing I'll be using when we set off in June is a Bike cover, you can get them pretty cheap and they work quite well I think.

Michael,

That's really valuable information, my girlfriend and I will be touring Europe for 4 months and we were wondering about the need of booking acom. in advance (which can be annoying).

How about the north part of Norway?Can you get accom easily (the hyttes, sorry about the spelling)?

Thanks all

Fernando Casado

Oldbmw

Do you have the lat&long of your B&B?

Thanks very much

Thanks Michael and everyone else. Appreciate the info.

I'll take a casual approach to the acom but will try and hook up with Simon near nantes possibly!

The community function worked really well more useful information.

Cheers guys, safe riding.

I second the opinion of not booking ahead. If you rather do a B&B or hotel option then stop in at Tourist Information in a town and they are always very helpful and will help you find a bed that suites your budget. Otherwise just ride around for a while; you will always find somewhere to stay. Don't compare it to UK as it tends to be pretty booked up in advance and caravan/camping grounds are NEVER prepared to just squeeze you in somewhere (Health and Safety gone mad).

Oldbmw we will be passing Nantes during last week of June on our way to Spain. Might come and beg for shelter. Co-ords please ;-)

Thanks Bossies, what's your route if you dont mind me asking? I have no exact route planned yet, plan to let the GPS take me on roads away from the tolls on and off....

you can find us here, use the zoom function..
basically take the rn249 to cholet ( follow the green signs for Poitiers) and stay there until you hit the roundabout on the Parthenay ring road. Turn left, atthe next roundabout (50 metres) turn left for samur/thouars on teh d938. a mile after Viennay ( 3km) you will see the white post on the roads that mark the entrance to the farm on the left. please send me email for further info.
http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichel...=19&image2.y=6

Meeks

As Oldbmw implied. What we do on all our trips is just buy a michelin map and follow the highlighted "Green" routes. (If you don't know, the green indicates scenic routes). So from Cherbourg to Spain we will just link up the green roads as we go along. Never fails.

Going down the west coast sticking to D roads.

Cool, cheers Bossies, sounds like a plan.

It is my plan to also tour France during June / July I am hoping to camp as often as I can, is it possible/ Also, I do not speak the french language at the moment is that a problem today? John Daley Australia

[This message has been edited by jdaley (edited 04 April 2006).]

You will have no problem camping in France during the summer - I presume you are intending to use campsites. I think "camping sauvage" is not recommended or even allowed. You will manage without speaking French, although making the effort to learn a few everyday words, such as bonjour, merci and s'il vous plait, would be appreciated.

That's a great suggestion, it is exactly what I have done for the past 5 years.

About the only thing I can add is that there are different classifications of roads in France - motorways, 'national' roads, and 'departmental' roads. Departmental roads are the tertiary roads, they tend to be nice, pokey, two-lane windy roads that go through all sorts of interesting places. Even if I have to cross from one side of France to another, I will preferentially choose the departmental roads because the trip is so much nicer, more interesting, more relaxing on these D roads. When you are looking at a map, just look for road numbers that start with a D.

Michael

Travelling in France
 

:euro: Having lived in the Limousin south western France for 2 years I feel its a safe place for travelling and parking your bikes but watch out for speed traps and obey the 110km restrictions ok
We are about to open a B & B catering for bikers travelling down france
Parking inside and secure a self-catering appartment or B & B and are situated 2 minutes from the A20 one of the main auto routes through France. Would be nice to see some bike travellers
Also a great place for off-roading here the thing is you just get on your bike and go where you want !! maybe worth a trip to have a non-restricted play off road !

Hello John:

It likely won't be a logistical problem, but you might find that people in France are a bit more sensitive about switching over to English from their own mother language than people in other countries. It's hard to express the nuance of this well - I guess what I am trying to say is that if you visit (for example) Poland, and you don't speak Polish, no-one there will really expect you to speak Polish, so they will not be offended by that. They'll go out of their way to communicate with you as best they can.

People in France can sometimes have an expectation that because you are in France, you should be able to communicate with them in their own language. If you are suitably diplomatic about things (for example, learn how to say "I'm sorry, I'm from Australia, I don't speak French well" in the French language, and use this comment frequently), then folks will do the best they can to communicate with you in your own language, or via pantomime, or whatever.

It is interesting to note that I speak Canadian French (a dialect of French) well, but people in France don't speak or understand this dialect. So, if I start up a conversation by speaking Canadian French, more often than not the person I am speaking to will reply to me in English (this because they know Canada has two languages). However - If I was to start off the same conversation with the same person using English, they might reply to me in French.

Hope you understand what I am trying to say... I think it all boils down to people being a little bit more sensitive about language in France than in other countries.

Michael

security etc
 

Hi Meeks

You seem a bit insecure about travelling. And are you taking the piss about your mother? Is your post & your name a wind-up? I think it is.

My advice is to chain your mother to the bike at night. If you hear her scream you can shout for help and phone the cops from under your bed while she fights the thieves.

Naughty boy!

nonsense
 

You seem a bit timid about camping. You say its "not allowed" and "not recommended". With respect, you really should stay at home and wait for permission from the local authority before going out.

Wind up....
 

Denis,

My user name is a lifelond nickname I have had from friends for a loooooooooong time.

The thread is not a wind up, and I must say, it has been most helpful.

Not timid about travelling or doing big miles, but to be honest, I have never ridden abroad before, and as I value my life and bike, wanted any tips I could possibly get. Which I have, thanks to all.

Wind up.....lol- my mum is really worried though, er, and my nan, and girlfriend, etc.

ps. good point about the old dear.

nice stop for bikers! Barcelona repair shop!
 

Hi guys,

a nice stop for bikers is the casa holly, clos to exit nr: 2 or 3 highway to barcelona, a old finca only for motorcyclists, with swimming pool and a lot of facilities for motos. Germanowned. I think they have their own website. Spanish side of the border.

Good repair shop for any kind of motorcycles is Moto Transfer in Barcelona,Street Bolivar, close to Parque Guell, I met the owner Sergio a long time ago in Argentina on a bike trip, he fixes everything: Tel 0034-93 219 8179(I think).

Have fun in Spain, perhaps the best country for riding bikes!

El Aleman - Jens

Thanks for that El Aleman - I'll bear that in mind....

You mean this one?
 

Have found the french willing to speak English every time I've visited, some times after having made a very poor atempt in French first :blushing: .
It seems to be in places like calais and boulogne where they not as forthcoming with english, most likley due to the number of us they go over on a 'boose cruise' and asume every one speaks english .
French Canadians on the other hand can be a damn funny bunch, had problems in a shop last time I was there as i dont speak French. Not that I expect every one to speak english, but at least an effort to communicate would be nice. Its easy to see why a lot of canadians dont like the french!

BTW the reason Meeks's family are worried is that he has a knack of getting knocked off every few months and has an appalling sense of direction :biggrin:

Do we really have to put up with idiots like this who feel the need to launch an unprovoked attack on someone who is only trying to give a sensible response to someone elses's question?

Respect????
 

It seems we do Harleyrider. Best not to respond.
It was good to meet you the other week. Can you manage to get to Yorkshire this weekend?

It was good to meet you too - and the others. Unfortunately we can't make it this weekend, we'd already arranged to got to the Stafford bike show. (and I'm a bit worried about camping out at this time of year without my hot water bottle!)
Are you going to the main meet in Derbyshire? and how are your plans coming along for the Spanish trip?

(and I'm a bit worried about camping out at this time of year without my hot water bottle!)
rofl
there could be one of two solutions to this..
one, cut a lot of braken or grass and stack it thickly under where you want to pitch your tent. as it composts it will keep you warm. ( use a polythene sheet beween the compost and the tent)
two dig out a trench, and light a fire in it. put stones over the fire, and when it is nearly finished, cover with sand/soil/turf. then pitch your tent over it.
It will stay warm for about two days, whereas the compost will last a week.

Denis, you seem a bit tetchy? You say people should stay at home? With respect you should probably chill out a little, everyone seems pretty helpful on this site....it is after all a site for everyone to access for help, tips, advice etc? Isn't that one of the sole reasons this site exists?

I bet you have been riding for years, know everything about anything, get cornflakes stuck in your beard, and ride without gloves on in winter.

Meeks, firmed up on your tavel plans yet? Dates? Ferry/chunnel? Route?


(You can't teach old dogs new trick; you can only ignore them...or kick them)

Hello,
There seems to be a lot of concern about parking bikes overnight in France / Continental Europe. Is it really the case that bikes are big theft targets there (compared to the UK)? Are we just talking big cities or everywhere?
I plan to go in June, staying at campsites and b&b's in villages. Would you say that parking outside a secure spot is inviting trouble?
Thanks,
Charles

I think 'inviting trouble' is a bit strong but unless you are in a country where a non-local bike would stick out like a sore thumb, it can happen anywhere; even if you use security such as decent chains or alarms.

I have just lost mine and two security chains in the relatively crime-free UAE. It’s the risk we take for leaving them outside. Always get it indoors or inside a wall of some kind whenever possible. Failing that, paid guarded parking is worth the investment especially in cities.
Stephan

Any city is the same and generally requires the same level of security which you are comfortable with. Smaller towns are not really an issue although where ever I stayed for the night I always chained my bike to a lamp post in a visible area. Most Hotels and B&B's have secure parking (although some charge for the use of it)

Well Meek

I'm not tetchy at all - but I was disappointed that you asked all these good people to help you when it seems to me that your request wasnt serious. Are you so without humour that you couldnt see that I was trying to gently tease you about your spoof letter when I said chain your mother to your bike as an alarm? Lighten up! And I didnt say people should stay at home - I suggested that you reconsider travelling given your fears of being kidnapped in France and Spain. Is it any wonder I still think your letter is a deliberate joke! Look - no hard feelings - if you get kidnapped in Calais then I'll give up to 50 pence towards your release. I may be the only contributor....

Your last comments are simply silly and wildly inaccurate. You are clearly confusing me with Bernd Tesch.

Come on! laugh!

Camping permit
 

Dear Harleyrider

I can heartily recommend "camping sauvage " to you. It is "even allowed."

Bonne route

Are you sure?
 

Hi Bossie

Are you quite sure when you say that "any city is the same"? Are you really really sure? I dont quite understand your comments that "smaller towns are not really an issue" . It's difficult to see what you mean but maybe you mean that theft is not an issue? I hope not! You could be in for a big surprise.

Can you really assert that "most Hotels and B&Bs have secure parking? -most? I have to disagree here, if that's ok!
XX
The old dog

[1] London, Paris, Lyan, Berlin, Cape town, Warsaw.....CITY....big noisy; higher crime rate than smaller towns and villages FACT proven in any society!!!!
[2] About security.....just like the couple of posts before mine.
[3] France, my experiance of touring, MOST have secure parking. Secure does not necessarily mean lock-up garage but secure enough to give you peace of mind.
[4] Obviously it's ok to contribute productively to any discussion no matter how critical; especially if it's done respectfully and considerately recognising that people have differing views and experiences.

CAMPING
La France dispose de quelque 9000 terrains de camping, classés en 1- à 4 étoiles et 2300 sites de camping à la ferme. Le camping sauvage est permis sous réserve de l'accord du propriétaire du terrain. Le camping est interdit sur les plages, en bordure de route, sur certains sites recensés ainsi que dans les réserves et parcs naturels (sauf dans les endroits spécialement prévus à cet effet). Avant d'installer votre camp, prenez la précaution d'en parler à l'office de tourisme local. De plus en plus de terrains de camping aménagés proposent des locations de tentes, de caravanes ou de bungalows.

Would you like me to translate it for you? That's not to say I wouldn't do it myself but I wouldn't recomend it to someone who has to ask the question!

Genuine
 

Denis, fair play, I was having a bit of fun and yes probably inaccurate. No beard? Serious post though, I wouldn't waste anyone's time.

Bossies - my target date for leaving is the 24th July, Sunday. Im going on the Channel Tunnel and will go to Calais. From there I hope to put in some big miles to get me as near to Nantes as I can, so that later in the trip I can do less miles, or more, on some of D roads that have been mentioned in France.

Return date is 4th August. Exact route not set, but leave on 24th July, return on 4th August. Just trying to put the cash aside each month, should be on target. If I aint back from Alicante by the 4th then I may well just keep on going as the missus wont have me back.

If you haven't already planned a route, I suggest that you go west of Paris, via Rouen (well, bypassing it). Then down via Evreux to Chartres, picking up the autoroute about 40kms south of Chartres, bringnging you to the autoroute to Orleans, down to Clermont Ferrand; then keep going down in the Montpellier direction. This is a mix of pay road, free autoroute and lesser roads. There is an escape exit to avoid paying the toll near Clermont, but I cant reveal it here.

You can camp on the autoroute, using the aire de repos -they are about every 20-30kms. If you are careful, you can find a corner or spot invisible to the world. I use them all the time, as they have toilets, water, etc. They are nicely wooded too. Very pleasant, very free. There are some with restaurants and you can camp there too.

The French are very civilised and wont bother you in the least.

Ooops! PS I see that you want to go by Nantes -so forget all this...

Bonne route!

hah so you have found the escape exit to denis have you .very good route that 1 denis we use it a lot .

Cheers Dennis. That mix sounds like good variety with some good opps to make up ground. As the route is not set, could always come home via Nantes.

bad spam boy
 

Hi Boss
Dont spam those you dont agree with. It's unacceptable.

Good roads

One last point. When travelling around luchtime, go into a town which has signposted Casino restaurant, or Flunch. These are attached to the big supermarkets and you eat very well for not much dosh. Additionally, you can park the bike outside the plate glass windows to watch it.

Bonne route!

Cheers Denis, I'll remember that. Glass windows good, but cant park inside? No good, not safe.

Q to you and others, what are the rozza like in France and Spain? Only my pipes might attract attention....must get some baffles.

re rozzers
 

You would be well advised to keep to the speed limits.. also note if using peage they time journey times bythe distance to check your speed. ( on your ticket) so might be wise to stop off for a break if you above the limit.

Les flics
 

The cops are OK if you're nice. I've been let off with a couple of things like this.
I speak some French, though.

BUT always carry your original docs, not photocopies or they can impound your bike till you get them. I keep mine inside the armour in the back of my jacket in a poly bag.

They also hide on the side of the autoroute looking for speeders (near Calais is a favourite) . Just stick to the limits, especially in villages and towns , which is perfectly reasonable.

Youre supposed to ride on dip beam - I often dont.

Bonne route

No need to translate-I can do that. It doesnt seem to have penetrated, that I was recommending that you camp wild, not some authority. Please dont regurgitate some sad little rulebook you found. My first comment to you is more suitable than ever. You just dont get it do you? Never let anyone tell you that you have an IQ of shoe size -it's not true, is it?

Now I'm saying, dont camp wild, as you havent got permission. No-one authorised you. It's not in the rulebook. It's forbidden. You havent got a permit. C'est interdit. Go to your official campsite - give me peace...

No denis it's you that doesn't get it. I was responding to a post by someone who was clearly naive in their knowledge of France and the language. To recommend they are all right doing things which are against the law is irresponsible. Whether you or I would do it is irrelevant. Do you really want to be responsible for some poor traveller being woken at 3am by a jobsworth gendarme! If they want to do it off their own back then fair enough the chances are they won't have any problems but recomend them to do it - no!

Denis,

Talking about camping and not to detract too far from the topic at hand...are you going to the UK 2006 meeting?

Ca c'est le dernier mot a toi
 

Why dont you set up a website suited to your needs - you can call it HorizonsLimited...

Chill out, go out on your bike. Go somewhere nice, and dare to do something not approved by authority.

Your claim that I am naive about France and its language has no basis in fact. You do not know one way or the other about this.

Foutez le camp, laisse-moi tranquille....
Bonne route!

Dank u wel
 

Why, do you want to thank me for helping you, or do you want to give me money?

Tot ziens