Hi folks

New to this site and would be interested in contacting anyone who may wish to join me all/part of the way to the Malaga area January/February for a few weeks maybe more TBC. I can leave via Ireland or South of England too.

Some things about me and advice/info if possible:

• Bike - Honda Deauville 07 model. As it's relatively new don't expect any mechanical trouble but I have 14K miles and am due a service at 16k if anyone can recommend a good honda bike shop a long the route?
• Route - Probably central/western France avoiding Pyrenees as it's winter. I've used the AA & Via Michelin websites before but if there are any routes to be recommended I'll take note.
• Accomodation - With tent but would really appreciate any cheap hostels/pensions etc. Very tight budget!
• Food - I'm veggie so any economical food shops/cafes/restaurant suggestions will be welcome.

Thanks to all who can help.

Regards

Dave

Tents and January/February don't really mix although I'm sure you already know that.
I don't know, but suspect that most, if not all, campsites will be closed at that time of year.
Formule1 are probably the cheapest chain hotels Hotel Formule 1
France isn't big on vegetarians I'm afraid.
Spring would certainly be better for camping if you could delay things a little, the temperature has been in the minuses in France over the last few days.
Good luck and welcome.

I'm not sure I'd fancy camping in France in Jan/Feb, but more power to you!

My suggestions..

- Do the 16k service before you leave. You don't want to find the problems on the side of a road if can be found and fixed in the comfort of someones garage.
- Think about carrying a few obvious spares too, like bulbs, fuses, etc. This stuff is mandatory in France anyway, for example.
- good raingear. Some of the worst rain I've biked in happened in France (yes, that includes the years of rain I've suffered in Ireland!)
- know (or find out) the range of the bike, loaded, at the speed you'll be travelling, and plan around that.


Colm

[quote=galaxyzero;164472]Hi myself and my wife did a trip to europe, holland germany italy spain france in sept/oct and had a great time we loved spain and found getting fual/ accomadation very easy maybe you should look at hostels as they are very reasonable ,barcellona is well worth a visit also we drove non toll roads and found it better for sightseening have a great time and keep us up to date

Hi folks

My buddy and I flew to Madrid in Oct 2004 with the view to hitch around Andalucia for a month (Back from Malaga) but discovered no one seems to pickup hikers in Spain! So we had to use bus and trains, ate in to our money but a great trip none the less. The problem was hostels (in Ireland & UK plentiful with cooking facilities) it seemed to be 'Pensions' which meant eating out all the time or else make your own salads/rolls when out. Just hoping that there may be knowledge of similar type hostels that I could visit?

I stayed at then newly opened hostel in Toledo actually the castle which was previously used by the Municipal Authority and probably one of the best hostels in Europe I've used to date. However there is no cooking facility but fantastic view looking across the ravine at the old city and picnic tables to assemble your feast.

With regard to daily distance - I find about 200/250kms on the twisty roads of Ireland & Scotland the max before fatigue sets in. Maybe further on better sections of road - often travel 400kms Belfast/Cork. Veggie food is often a case of 'pick-n-mix' and supermarkets for rolls/sandwiches. Just wondering how many veggie bikers there are out there who've found little gems of cafe/restaurants along this proposed route?

I've just had new Michelin Pilot2's so hope to be able to reach at least another 7/8K miles on these. The bike is averaging 65mpg with all my kit so happy with that.

Thanks for the help so far

Dave

Cheers

Dave

You may well know this but in case you don't, shops in France normally shut for lunch between 12 and 2 ish and Sundays and Mondays can be shut all day.
Large supermarkets are often open through lunchtime and all day Monday but unlikely to be open on Sunday.

Give me a mail if you are going through Nantes, west France. I can help in lots of ways.

Simon

__________________
Simon Kennedy
Around the world 2000-2004, on a 1993 Honda Transalp

Thanks for the offer Simon. I'll be in touch as and when I get things sorted closer to the time.

Regards

Dave

Dave i will be riding from Israel home to Ireland in april so if you find yourself down around there still give me a shout.
welcome to the HUBB

Gary

__________________
Life is for Living - so Live

One thing and one thing only.... in france especially, sundays or after 5pm weekdays many petrol stations are closed and the french credit card pumps do NOT accept non-france cards. (Chip n pin not widely used) Just how many times did I have to beg other french motorists to pay on their cards in exchange for a few euros more. (not all accepted our pleas) and it was always at night, always in the rain and usually in the middle of nowhere after 12 heurs in the saddle.
Have fun and if you did wait until spring you could take in the Picos De Europe just a few hours from Santander and well worth the visit.
sticky side down....

Thanks everyone for the info so far. I've been in touch with relatives in the Andalucia region to see what they're plans are and it seems it may be best to visit them come Spring. This may fit in better with my necessity to let/sell my house too.

I'm interested in maybe working in Spain if anyone knows of anything going even for a few weeks/months which would help finance my trip and extend my stay into the summer?

Don't have regular internet access thus the delay in responding but I wish everyone all the best and safe biking for the new year.

Bye

Dave