London to Barcelona (and "chicken" via Bilbao option)

[Ferdie]

Hello all,

Complete beginner to touring here.

End of last year I gathered a group of guys who seemed excited to cycle to Barcelona from London to attend the Primavera Festival. Predictably one by one they dropped out leaving me to contemplate this task on my own .

So far I have 'prepared' for this in a slapdash fashion by riding with loaded rear panniers from London to Portsmouth any weekend I have free. I haven't done back to back yet, just stayed over at my brother's and going back on the Mondays. In addition to this its simply my 12 mile daily commute. From next week I'll start doing back to back London-Portsmouth roundtrips.

As I haven't got long to go before I travel I am really thinking of doing cutting my trip to Bilbao to Barcelona, but I might hate myself for doing that. I'm leaving my job in April and with the redundancy pay I think this is the only chance I'll get to do something long distance for a while!

I know the Pyrenees will be a slog and preparing for it as much as I can in the South Downs (not quitet the same thing but hey), but I was wondering if anyone's done this route before and would you advice against this kind of trip for a first tour? As I'm going solo now, with no one for morale and with hazy memories of GCSE French I think I might struggle with the coutnry ing general on top of the actual physical torture!

I've been doing my Lon-portsmouth runs on my crusty hybrid but hoping to get something like an LHT or Condor Heritage for the actual trip.

Would a coastal route be more easy going than cutting through the centre of France?

Thanks!

 

[doog]

I did Gerona, Spain to St Malo last June which I guess is roughly your route but the other way round and not quite as far. You wont have to worry about the Pyrenees as you will have your touring legs by the time you reach them. However you need to decide where you will cross, if you decide to cross on the East of the border close to the Med your options will be limited, the roads are very busy and you wont get that proper mountain experience.

I went up through the middle of France and cut over to The Vendee in search of a flatter route but never quite found it, so I guess for flat you would have to hug the West coast and head south to Bordeaux, down to Toulouse, Narbonne then cross the Pyrenees north of Figueras.

 

[Brains]

I'd say if have been made redundant and are therefore not only time rich but also (relatively) cash rich at the same time, this is a once in a life time opportunity.

The fun bit is going to be the run through France, forget the Bilbao ferry, not only is it expensive it will take out the best bit of the trip.

I'd start by looking at your route through France, Left or Right or Central ? - mate of mine did it as follows.
Ferry Newhaven/le Havre
'Route Verte' (a disused railway line) le Havre to Paris
Paris they headed south join up with the river Rhone
Follow the Rhone to the Med.
I joined them, and we pootled along the south coast,
Canal du Midi (your tun off to Spain)
And we then went up the (flat) west coast of France to the Loire
Has we had the time it would have been follow the Loire to Orleans and then onto Paris and le Havre
You could do the same route in reverse.

The place the cross the Pyrenees is on the east coast. Otherwise you will have a very bumpy route across Spain

For route planning we looked at two things, the route of rivers and rail. As they both take the flattest option.
You will meet people en-route, we were a group 6 blokes, but still met lots of singles and couples touring cyclists, on your own you meet lots more.

Note: In France (and much of the rest of the continent) the tourist season starts after Acension day (mid May) and ends after Assumption day (mid August).
Campsites are often only open 2-4 weeks before and after these dates and tourist type stuff tends to close, so early April you may run into closed camp sites.

 

[Ferdie]

Thanks for your replies!

I think a ferry to St.Malo and then the coast via Bordeaux, then Tolouse and follow the canal Midi. After this I gues it depends on how 'hard' i want to push myself. I'm still agonising about the Pyrenees entry point. I have an inclanation to go via Andorra as the descriptions of this Ballardian dystopia really has me intrigued! Also I've read a few blogs that describe routes via Andorra. However I realise even after the cols I'll be following rolligns hills all the way to Barcelona. I see that further east north of Figueras might be easier but less fun? Which route would be best to push myself up and then find that sweetspot downhill all the way to Barcelona? I have read this in a blog somewhere but cannot find it or that route anymore .

I will be leaving early May to get to Barca in time for the 28th so this should be an ideal time?

Also I'm warming to the Long Haul Trucekr for this trip. Would this be suitable?

 

[srw]

Take a look at the links in my signature for a flat(tish) route from Northern France to Spain - it follows the Canal du Midi as suggested by some here, and cuts through Corbieres rather than the Pyrenees proper. That level of hill was quite "fun" enough for us.

 

[Ferdie]

This is the google map walking map that kind of adheres to some of the routes I have seen on the internet. I'll just probably head more east before turning into Spain. I've read that there is NO biek friendly route between St Malo and Nantes even though the map shows no highways so that's the bit I'm unsure about.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr...BA&vpsrc=0&dirflg=h&doflg=ptm&mra=luc&t=m&z=6

 

[doog]

A LHT would be ideal.

This was my route http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/fullscreen/37742612/ which was quite testing at times to tell the truth. I did however make a decision to keep off the main roads and well away from any towns or cities.

The crossing you suggest via Andorra sounds fantastic, the planning is one of the best bits. I used this site to plan my route http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx its gives a decent idea of elevation. There are probably better sites but it did me fine!

 

[rollinstok]

Best of luck whichever way you choose. Touring solo is the best way to go IMHO.. planning goes out of the window and you can stop wherever and whenever you want. Language wont be a problem, If you take a phrase book and attempt French or even show them the phrase, most people will be helpful.

 

[andy_spacey]

your be ok. I did Coventry to santander on my own last year and that was my first. i am doing it again in a few months times. your be ok. your love it, The pyrenees are hard but so worth it.

 

[mcr]

I've read that there is NO biek friendly route between St Malo and Nantes even though the map shows no highways so that's the bit I'm unsure about.

That seems rather a generalised statement, given that in France most minor roads can be described as 'bike-friendly' and there are as many of them between St Malo and Nantes as anywhere else in the country - Rennes is ISTR one of the beacons of French urban bike-friendliness. There may be no voies vertes or canal paths in the exact direction you need, but there are some there too for anyone insisting to be off-road. Just get a cheap Michelin 1:200,000 road atlas and tear out the pages you need to take with you. Signposting is excellent on French roads, so as long as you keep tabs on the sequence of villages you're wanting to pass through you won't, er, get lost...

 

[Ferdie]

Thanks for all your replies.

mcr: I think I've found a doable route; I got this from general reading. But beig used to close calls on the A3 on my London-Portsmouth weekend training rides I doubt anywhere in France is going to be as scary