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Pyranees in late May....good idea? Pyranees in late May....good idea?
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  #1  
Old 29 Oct 2017
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Pyranees in late May....good idea?
About to book ferry tickets from the UK to Bilbao for the last week of May. The plan is, between now and then, to obtain a good loop through the mountains to do off-road over 6 days.

Just wondering.....will late May be ok for weather or still snow up high?

And the ferry sails at midday and arrives the next day at 1pm......I’m 3hrs ride from the port in the UK.....I figure if I’m in Bilbao at 1pm I can get a few hours in that day and be on good fun tracks the following day?

So I leave the UK Wed morning, ferry that day......Bilbao Thu 1pm......Friday morning I’m off road having fun......the following Thu I sail from Bilbao at 1pm so a good weeks riding? Time enough for a good chunk of riding?

Most of this I can plan over the next few months......just want to get tickets sorted - all sound ok?


Or.....sudden thought.....is it best to head West to the Picos? Ferry to Santander.
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  #2  
Old 29 Oct 2017
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This was late March in Luodenville and there was no snow on any of the route of the tour de France but right up high where the ski resorts were still had plenty of snow and several of the up and over routes from Spain were still closed by snow
so by May you will be pretty clear depending how off-road you want to go
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Old 29 Oct 2017
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I'm no expert on the Pyrenees but where we are in the Alps late May would usually be a bit early for any of the high routes - on or off road - to be open. The ski season doesn't finish until the end of April and unless you get a heatwave year three weeks isn't usually enough to melt the rest of the snow. In any case May is probably my least favourite month in the mountains; everything just looks miserable after being covered up for four or five months.
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Old 18 Nov 2017
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I was at the Pyrenees & sourroundings May 29 - June 4. It was overcast most days with daily (medium to heavy)showers and extreme cold. .. And a few mountains still have snow.
great ride though. Do pack a raingear & Enjoy your ride!
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  #5  
Old 6 Jan 2018
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No serious problems in the Spanish Pyrenees in late May as almost all of the trails are under 2,000 metres and the snow only lingers above 2,500 on north facing slopes. Although there can be freak snow storms these melt the following day.

There aren't many trails in Cantabria so the Pyrenees are your best bet. It's also worth getting clear of The Basque Country and Navarre, i.e. beyond Pamplona, before looking for trails.

Regs

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Old 1 Apr 2018
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Hi
Last edited by bengtstefanp; 1 Apr 2018 at 16:11.
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Old 1 Apr 2018
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In May 22 2013 I was riding from Lourdes in France to Zaragoza in Spain and on the road I took, only some of the mountainpasses were opened and some were closed for traffic because of the snow.
The weather was cold and wet on the French side of the mountains but sunny and dry on the Spanish side.
https://jkrijt.home.xs4all.nl/trips/...rg/page9.shtml
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Old 1 Apr 2018
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Hi.
A late replay but here it comes.
I was in the Pyrenees last year and I arived i may 26 via Bayonne and traveld from there east towords Carrcasonne.
All the time I was there it was perfekt. For three weeks.
A bitt cold but perfekt. 95% of the time it was sunny all day, fantastic.
I traveld over a few passes around 2500 meter the highest so there it was cold
but as soon I got down on the other side, nice again.
Lots of border crossings...france...spain...france...spain...ando rra and so on.
You will arrive alittle bit later then me but I am shure that it will be great.

Best regards and have a nice trip

StefanP
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Old 1 Apr 2018
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Hi.
A late replay but here it comes.
I was in the Pyrenees last year and I arived i may 26 via Bayonne and traveld from there east towords Carrcasonne.
All the time I was there it was perfekt. For three weeks.
A bitt cold but perfekt. 95% of the time it was sunny all day, fantastic.
I traveld over a few passes around 2500 meter the highest so there it was cold
but as soon I got down on the other side, nice again.
Lots of border crossings...france...spain...france...spain...ando rra and so on.
You will arrive alittle bit later then me but I am shure that it will be great.

Best regards and have a nice trip

StefanP
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  #10  
Old 1 Apr 2018
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bengtstefanp View Post
Hi.
A late replay but here it comes.
I was in the Pyrenees last year and I arived i may 26 via Bayonne and traveld from there east towords Carrcasonne.
All the time I was there it was perfekt. For three weeks.
A bitt cold but perfekt. 95% of the time it was sunny all day, fantastic.
I traveld over a few passes around 2500 meter the highest so there it was cold
but as soon I got down on the other side, nice again.
Lots of border crossings...france...spain...france...spain...ando rra and so on.
You will arrive alittle bit later then me but I am shure that it will be great.

Best regards and have a nice trip

StefanP
Yup, that sums it up nicely, late May is about the best time to be here. But this winter has been weird here, relatively mild and very wet. Over the past twenty-odd years I've experienced a few winters like these and I have a rather unscientific theory that it presages a wet spring and summer. So pack your waterproofs ...

Simon
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  #11  
Old 1 Apr 2018
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Originally Posted by Simon_100 View Post
Yup, that sums it up nicely, late May is about the best time to be here. But this winter has been weird here, relatively mild and very wet. Over the past twenty-odd years I've experienced a few winters like these and I have a rather unscientific theory that it presages a wet spring and summer. So pack your waterproofs ...

Simon
Simon. Question about the pyrenees.
Next time I go there I will go west from Bayonne and look at that part.
Is the mountain range look the same or is there a differens?

StefanP
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Old 2 Apr 2018
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I take it you're talking about the Basque Country and Navarre? If so then yes, the mountains are less high, but still BIG, the range is more narrow, it's much more green - take the hint and pack your waterproofs! - there are many more passes between France and Spain, the vernacular architecture is totally different, i.e. half timbered houses, and the food and people are great.

So go, go, go. My favourite place to base myself to explore is Ochagavia but if you fancy a city break go to San Sebastian. Be careful of the Roncevalles pass, especially in the morning when it's clogged up with pilgrims on the Way of St James to Santiago.

Enjoy

Simon
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