Hi Darren,
I did a solo trip from the UK to Barcelona in September, & rode over the pyrenees at Andorra. I also thought about whether or not I should get the ferry straight to Spain. In the end I decided to ride the whole length of France, & I'm glad I did.
It was 2 long days of riding to get down France (I avoided toll roads), but I loved every minute of it - the French countryside / scenery was amazing.

I also camped most nights, but occassionally stayed in an 'F1' hotel - these are very cheap / no-frills hotels (but very comfortable) in France & the cost is often not much different to the cost of camping for the night (I spent approx 30 euros for 1 night) - see hotelf1.com: 260 budget hotels throughout France

For camping, if you have a satnav, download the 'Archies camping' POI for it (free). I use this a lot when I'm riding in Europe; whenever I get tired of riding I just tell it to take me to the nearest campsite.

I took the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre (LD Lines), only £35 for me & the bike. Arrived about 7am in Le Havre. Highly recommended.

I stayed in Poitiers first night. On the second night, I was intending to stay in Toulouse, but I just kept riding & managed to get to Andorra before sunset. Stayed at Valira campsite, which is a good location, close to the centre of Andorra la Vella.

Sorry don't know anything about the pyrenees apart from Andorra.
Have fun!

John