Hello! I am new here and new to touring. Although I have held a bike license for 5 years now, and don't own a car, I recently decided I had seen everything I needed to see in the United Kingdom and the time had come to seek pastures new ..

I'm a struggling writer and although I generally manage to negotiate work-for-food contracts with sympathetic friends and the occasional sexually depraved news editor, I'm not rich. Or moneyed or indeed well endowed in any fiscal sense.

With that firmly in mind, I decided to sell my ZZR 1100 and buy something far smaller and more economical.

Ladies and gentleman I give you - the CG125-8. 85-110 mpg, 65 mph, 120kg load capacity, £1799 otr and fully comp in the UK and Europe (with breakdown and recovery cover) for £126!

I'm not going to go on about the bike too much, needless to say I can do over 1000 miles for £40 of petrol, which is fine by me.

Regarding my route ..

I do intend to relocate to Andalucia in the near future, hopefully as soon as this fall. So I wanted to go and have a look see, try it out, do a recce etc.

I managed to get a great deal on a ferry (Norfolk) £45 on a month's return to Dunkerque. So from there, I had planned to take the atlantic coast down to Bordeaux and cut across the Parc Gascogne, turning back on myself into the Pyrenees and take in Pamplona and possibly historical Burgos to see that rather fine bronze of Rodrigo Diaz.

At this point I have no idea where to go.

Follow the Catalan coast to Valencia and beyond?

Or cut across country and head straight through the heart of Castilla (toward Cordoba) and soak up the Moorish cultural heritage and the various sites - something I am especially interested in!

Or take the Atlantic coast, through Madrid and right up to Galicia and then down through Porto, Lisbon, Seville?

What do you recommend?

Please bear in mind I am limited to a top speed of around 50 mph (for economy and to account for the weight of my luggage) so autoroutes - and all manner of gelatinous seafood nasty - are off the menu!

I do have a Tom Tom, loads of maps of Spain and France and a month. So should be fine for navigating and sight seeing.

Maybe you might like british history..? La Corunna has the grave of 'Sir John Moore' the father of British Infantry and the guy who made the british military look the way it is now, ie, camoflage uniforms and infantry tactics. As your going to be in the northern part of spain then go over to North Portugal and look in to the British (Napoleonic wars) history there? Amazing country to look at and even to go further south and 'Bag' another country?
Don't know whether this is your thing but an idea anyways.

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Geoffshing

'Security is a product of one's own imagination, it does not exist in nature as a rule, life is either a daring adventure or nothing.'

You really can't go wrong in Spain. I've hit most areas over a two month period of riding there and thoroughly enjoyed all of it. However I was there in the early spring and the weather was perfect, not sure how it will be for your trip. I would look into that, because for me weather plays a large role in how I enjoy my riding days.

Andalucia was by far my favorite parts of Spain. Beautiful, empty beaches down in the Cadiz region, amazing mountain ranges with the Sierra Nevadas and the Sierra Los Nieves and countless others.

As far as cities go, Madrid was wonderful. The area to the west of Madrid is worth a look as well, specifically around Salamanca. Wonderful small mountain villages with twisty turny roads.

Costa Blanca was difficult to find many places places that aren't too touristy, but the mountain roads around Valencia were noteworthy. And how can I forget Cabo de Gata! One of the highlights of my trip. Huge natural park right on the Mediterranean, that doesn't have much for riding roads, but the hiking and beaches make up for it.

If you're going to be up in the Basques country anyway (Bordeaux is an amazing city, give yourself some time there), check out San Sebastian and Bilbao. Not far from Pamplona and worthy of a visit.

The French Pyrenees were a blast to ride in. Not sure how far you're planning on going in France, but the coastline between San Tropez and Monaco is some of the most beautiful I've seen. Touristy and crowded, but stunning anyway. And can't mention the South of France without the French Alps! Even in the heavy rain and dropping my bike halfway through, I still have fond memories of those rides.

Good luck and have fun. No matter what route you take, you won't go wrong. My advice would be to keep a loose schedule and let the locals tell you of the places you need to see. Those were the major highlights of my trip.

The hubby and I are from the Midlands - Nottingham & Newark - and have been living in Andalucia for the past 5 years. When you get down here, give us a shout - there's always coffee in the pot and a cold in the fridge.

just south of bordeaux, arcachon has a fab sand dune worth a night watching the sun go down from with some plonko vino . campsites just on or behind it.
then d918/ d618 top to bottom thru the french pyrennes, via camping in gavernie! fab