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**Walkabout** · #1 9 Mar 2013

I like the theme and the effort you are putting into the tour, but the dates suck, as the Americans tend to say.
Right around that time there are:-

1. the BMW Motorrad weekend in Garmisch Partenkischen which pulls in 1000s of riders from just about everywhere.

2. The Stella Alpina sunday ride which has run for the past 40+ years and is always on the second Sunday in July. Again, loads of riders from all over Europe turn out for this.

Just letting you know for future reference.

**Simon_100** · #2 11 Mar 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walkabout

I like the theme and the effort you are putting into the tour, but the dates suck, as the Americans tend to say.
Right around that time there are:-

1. the BMW Motorrad weekend in Garmisch Partenkischen which pulls in 1000s of riders from just about everywhere.

2. The Stella Alpina sunday ride which has run for the past 40+ years and is always on the second Sunday in July. Again, loads of riders from all over Europe turn out for this.

Just letting you know for future reference.

Hi Dave,

Thanks for this - hadn't really taken these bigger events into consideration partly because whatever date you chose there's always something going on - including my own HISS rallies

I take your point but I'm not at all sure that the same folks who go to the Stella would be keen on my little tour - there's also the anniversary of the Ebro Battle on the last weekend of July, when the whole area is full of folks and later in August the camp sites are full.

As it stands the dates are still up for grabs as no-one has made a definite comitment

Meanwhile, I've been plodding around on the terrain finding lots of interesting sites, this was yesterday, March 10th:

The view from fortified positions overlooking the Ebro

One of numerous monuments dotted around the landscape - this one is unusual in that it's post-democracy and honours the dead on both sides.

Regs

Simon

**Simon_100** · #3 11 Mar 2013

While I'm at it, just a couple more from the Pyrenean region:

This Romanesque hermitage became the scene of fierce fighting on Christmas Eve, 1937, when it changed hands several times during the night with terrible loss of life. If you zoom in you'll see that the façade is literally riddled with bullet holes! (hint - first look at the cut stone archway to get your eye in to the damage, then look at how the fire was concentrated on the window above - where there's room for just one or two rifles or perhaps a light machine gun to fire from!)

A Republican bunker - unrestored and ready for action again, perhaps! This is located overlooking one of Motorrad's regular Pyrenean tour routes. From the road it is totally invisible, but from the machine gunner's view inside the bunker the vista is 100% deadly as it s just 50 metres from a 200 metre stretch of road backed by cliffs - if only they knew

Regs

Simon

**Simon_100** · #4 13 Mar 2013

Hi,

I've decided to change the dates for the tour as a) I'm busy doing something else, b) I've found that there's so much material available I need more time to research and c) it'll be too bloomin' hot in July to ride any trails

Regs

Simon

**jim lovell** · #5 13 Mar 2013

Hi Simon, hope you're well! I may well be up for this but won't know for sure till later in the year. Is there a date to be signed up by? Love to Polly! Regards Jim.

**Simon_100** · #6 14 Mar 2013

Hi Jim,

Great to hear from you and better still to know your keen on the tour!

There's no cut off date as I'm not having guides, etc. printed like the HISS, but I'm setting a limit of a dozen bikes as otherwise we could run into legal difficulties as bigger groups need all sorts of permissions, indemnities, etc.

I'm still deciding which forum to use for the mother thread, with up to date attendees, etc. but in any event I'll keep your place pencilled in until you can confirm either way.

The limit is to bikes, so if Tress is riding pillion that's no problem. You both know the Camping Collegats and based on how you liked that I'm certain you'll love the Camping Poboleda

Love to Tress and Tommy

Simon

**Walkabout** · #7 14 Mar 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSpanishBiker

Hi,

I've decided to change the dates for the tour as a) I'm busy doing something else, b) I've found that there's so much material available I need more time to research and c) it'll be too bloomin' hot in July to ride any trails

Regs

Simon

Simon,
I'll take that to mean that the dates are going back, rather than forward, but you have carefully avoided committing to a particular month - do you have one in mind?

**Simon_100** · #8 15 Mar 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walkabout

Simon,
I'll take that to mean that the dates are going back, rather than forward, but you have carefully avoided committing to a particular month - do you have one in mind?

Hi Dave,

Sorry about this - I changed the topic heading but forgot to add the details in my post - silly boy!

So, the new dates are: September 8th to 13th, 2013.

Regs

Simon