New user, long time lurker.

I don't know where to start with this one, so I will begin and hopefully end before I get RSI.

Right!

There's me, I have just decided to cash out of my crappy job after being asked to reduce my hours and essentially work for less. It was only 17k a year and was 40 solid hrs a week, often anti social and weekends etc. So, no thanks!

I have .. however .. bereft of any enthusiasm to seek out new civilizations and new crappy jobs, decided to get on my bike and do something 'else'. The rent has lapsed, I am in debt up to my nipples with everyone under the sun, so since I am homeless as of the first of January, its time to hit the tarmac I reckon!

I have about £400 in cash after flogging all my consumer crap on fleabay and scroting a few JSA payments (to convert into Euros), a UK bank account in good standing but with a crappy ATM/foreign transaction fee rate so I aim to use cash mainly, a bike I own thats relatively new (CG125, 08) with a good screen (givi A603), new rubber, a well tuned and maintained battery/engine and a 12v hook up, a good tool kit, tent, my old army issue kit (bivvy, bag, thermals etc etc) and supportive friends/parents/family.

I have decided to head off to Malaga from my base here in the East Midlands. Why Malaga? Why not. Good place to be in winter I hear and the ex pats are pretty thick on the ground so I might have a good prospect of some work, even if its ESOL etc.

So, first long distance trip on a motorcycle ..

Planning!

To begin, the route. Since I am now officially skint, jobless and directionless and bizarrely deleriously happy for the first time in years, I picked a scenic route. Well as scenic as I could having no prior experience of the 'continent' and given its going to be freezing and/or shit in France next month!

Here we go: Derby, UK to Malaga, Spain - Google Maps

Could any veterans or locals please recommend 'must see' additions to the route? As I guestimate it runs to around 2000 miles. At today's petrol prices and my bikes 80+ mpg thats ~£130.

Given that it is winter I am keen to get to the relative 'swelter' of 18 degree Costas ASAP, I am soliciting 'must sees' in Spain, central and southern mainly given the temps this time of year.

The bike is nippy enough and capable of cruising at 60mph all day long fully loaded and returning a good 90 mpg on the highway, but I prefer to avoid major roads and toll roads. I told tom tom to plot my route avoiding autoroutes/motorways, but I will likely go directly down through France on theirs I think and start the 'real trip' at the Pyrenees?

Bike will have a full service (I know it like the back of my hand thankfully), fresh set of tyres, full european breakdown recovery etc and I will have an ipaq with Tom Tom and a Europe map to plan in detail.

I'll stop yabbering ..

Suggestions? Not going is not an option. I am homeless and have a bike and have no ties here, and its time to strike out for somewhere warmer.

I plan to keep a blog/trip diary and take lots of photos of any amusing fungal infections I cultivate etc. I'm also on/off the blower to a magazine editor about some articles.

Any help advice, tips suggestions re: jobs, free camping spots, manly hugs, clean under wear etc you can throw my way would be greatly appreciated.

- Harry