the Fridays Tour 2014

[theclaud]

I like Spain. I like boats and trains. I like hills and mountains. I don't much like camping. I like The Fridays. Count me in.

If we go through Pamplona we can meet up with my mum doing her Camino stuff. The most important things for me are that the holiday as a whole is not expensive and that it doesn't oblige me to fly. I don't like coaches as much as trains or boats, but I warm to them whenever they are cheap and convenient and full of my favourite bicyclists.

 

[dellzeqq]

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Irun, Spain&daddr=43.0291099,-1.6282867 to:42.7791366,-1.4526079 to:Lumbier, Navarre, Spain to:42.6272929,-1.3166741 to:42.617158,-1.275128 to:42.6229809,-1.267461 to:42.6179396,-1.1857973 to:42.5570857,-0.4904631 to:42.5468641,-0.422688 to:42.5185025,-0.3678049 to:42.5081979,-0.3534187 to:42.4844561,-0.2971248 to:42.480989,-0.278922 to:42.4744087,-0.2598672 to:42.4689101,-0.1909004 to:Fiscal, Spain to:El Pont de Suert, Spain to:La Seu d'Urgell, Spain to:Olot, Spain to:42.1341383,2.6588246 to:42.010323,2.8170614 to:Girona, Spain to:41.8897768,2.8727919 to:Tossa de Mar, Spain&hl=en&ll=41.868538,2.833099&spn=0.427981,0.617294&sll=41.863169,2.91069&sspn=0.212986,0.308647&geocode=FZFPlQIdcKjk_ykXSGeoiwhRDTG4S9GAkZ__hg;FXWSkAIdgifn_ykDkS-StuVQDTFJQCGsSn5D5g;FQDCjAIdwdXp_ykJAM44pr5QDTFopIYz6_c4pA;Fa3TigId5APs_yn7B8lrjK5QDTFbVftO_TuneQ;FdxwigIdvujr_ynzVUx-zq5QDTE8hyv_oD9goA;FUZJ igIdCIvs_ylNZlxT8atQDTHqkbPW6sVuFg%3BFQRgigId-6js_yk3LUx6daxQDTGSxAuZgdKi_w%3BFVNMigId--ft_ykXH273m1RXDTGrAHBHstnM1g%3BFZ1eiQIdIYT4_ynd-ktxhIdXDTFNTJ6lVTS63g%3BFbA2iQId4Iz5_ykngATtiCdYDTGWG7hZ8TcsHQ%3BFebHiAIdRGP6_ymnhkem0SBYDTF6cw0pofuBbA%3BFaWfiAIddpv6_yn7uc2GHiFYDTHoV7q1xQ5fjA%3BFehCiAIdXHf7_ylLxnw4RR9YDTFYIiK3Jamhkw%3BFV01iAIddr77_yktuiItLh9YDTG8fnHHLgJlXw%3BFagbiAId5Qj8_yk7dG3H1R5YDTFrKoqkbNWJwg%3BFS4GiAIdTBb9_ynJ_qqgixtYDTHm_qwrWehF8g%3BFUZxiAId-Sf-_ymtfXzIDQNYDTHheRwWQgC5Kg%3BFW4YhwIdxk0LACmPQ11V7C-mEjEXPRpmCsr-jA%3BFUFZhgId5UMWACl74m6Wxe2lEjHtntEPPtn_2g%3BFUCmgwId2PYlACk3aLxr38q6EjF7O9P_HARpnw%3BFXrqggIdCJIoACmP0ySdfMa6EjE51fBm_WgRNA%3BFdMGgQIdJfwqACl17pnarOe6EjEGX7qeV1CNug%3BFfBxgAIdIwcrACmr_ciYJ-e6EjFvaimltkU4rw%3BFfAvfwId19UrACn9v8q_DuK6EjHppDde4N7Myw%3BFYOifAIdwLYsACmhqhGspxq7EjHNNIPsSk9hog&oq=Tossa&doflg=ptm&mra=dpe&mrsp=23&sz=12&via=1,2,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,20,21,23&t=m&z=11
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Train/coach to Hendaye. Ride from Irun to Lumbier, Fiscal, Le Pont de Suert, La Seu d'Urgell, Olot, Girona and then, for those that wants, on to Tossa. Train/coach home.

Am speaking to vastly experienced cycling chef.

 

[StuAff]

Huge unwieldly linky worky. Me likey

My preference would still be for the Berlin option, both in terms of destination and climate, but Spain would be good (suffice to say the options for the psychoclimbingnutters to go col-bagging appeal), as would pootling/racing through France again.

On price: Normandy might have worked out pricier than LonJOG (I haven't done personal costings for either, nor do I intend to, frankly), but then we were obliged, nay, forced, to consume vast quantities of high-quality grub and drinks at ridiculously low prices. Michelin-starred lunch for €15? Outrageous!

 

[dellzeqq]

http://www.hotelirubide.com/
http://www.hostalrioara.com/Contenido/Inicio.aspx
http://www.hotelcotori.com/EN/hotel.html
http://www.parador.es/es/parador-de-la-seu-d-urgell/fotos
http://bellmirall.eu/

 

[PaulRide]

This is all very exciting. My ability to focus on the drafting of a fiddly deed of variation this afternoon is fading fast. I must remind myself that we are discussing something 12 months off and that in the meantime it would be good to hang on to gainful employment.

 

[ianmac62]

What is this "gainful employment" of which you speak?

 

[martint235]

What is this "gainful employment" of which you speak?

Generally rescuing people from A&E depts is gainful employment on these jaunts.

 

[redfalo]

Train/coach to Hendaye. Ride from Irun to Lumbier, Fiscal, Le Pont de Suert, La Seu d'Urgell, Olot, Girona and then, for those that wants, on to Tossa. Train/coach home.

Wow, this sounds good. One can get on the Eurostar at 17:31 and get on a night train in Paris, which arrives in Hendaye on 8.31am. Depending on dates, I'm in.

 

[theclaud]

A tantalizing screenshot from His Nibs!

 

[Flying Dodo]

I hope that's a one way road. Wouldn't want to meet a giant Spanish lorry heading for me..............

 

[StuartG]

I'm beginning to see the point about helmets ...

 

[PaulRide]

What is this "gainful employment" of which you speak?

erm, it's where I ride my bike for about 40 minutes, then spend about 8 or 9 hours dreaming of being somewhere else, rounded off with another 40 minute bike ride

repeat 5 times a week for a whole month, and money magically appears in my bank account, only to disappear again shortly before I get a chance to take any of it to a bike shop

 

[Tim Hall]

Train/coach to Hendaye. Ride from Irun to Lumbier, Fiscal, Le Pont de Suert, La Seu d'Urgell, Olot, Girona and then, for those that wants, on to Tossa. Train/coach home.

Am speaking to vastly experienced cycling chef.

Wikipedia says about Hendaye:

In October 23, 1940, Ramón Serrano Súñer, Francisco Franco, Adolf Hitler and Joachim von Ribbentrop met in the Hendaye railway station (then in German-occupied France) to discuss Spain's participation in World War II as part of the Axis.

.

Wow. Just wow.

I went there on a school trip to Spain. Night train from Calais, then unreliable coach from Hendaye to Madrid. Spanish trains beat to a different drum run on a different gauge to the rest of Europe. I once asked a Spanish colleague why. "Teem, it ees to prevent invasions."

 

[ianmac62]

Wow. Just wow."

+1

 

[mistral]

If you're considering an island tour, I'd prefer Tenerife.

Madagascar, somewhere I've always wanted to go