Autumn at the HISS: the Sierras of Teruel - the 'Official' Ride Report!

[Simon_100]

Catalonia HISS, based at Camping Collegats near la Pobla de Segur is pretty much the same as ever, apart form having some new and very challenging trails that need special permits to ride

Manageable by a old and bad rider on an old Honda 400 Simon, or real lightweights only??

Out of interest (only) how far between the two sites?

Thinking of going Steve??
The distance between the two sites is 385km about 5 hours on a small bike taking the scenic route.
Would be great to meet up again.
Bikes are lightweight 250 but the riders !! not sure :whistle:
Looks interesting (thumbs)

Good to see you're still alive and vaguely kicking Steve!

Will's right, there are several nice back roads routes and it takes about five hours actual riding. The way we did it to Terriente on the big bikes a few years ago was somewhat arduous ...

Some of the trails are very arduous but there are plenty others - and the tough bits tend to be short!

@ WillS that new trail in the Pyrenees has slopes of about 1 in 4 that are 'surfaced' with boulders about the size and shape of grapefruit. Speighty put some video footage of this on his Facebook page but I can't seem to find these now ... basically the ladies had to get off and walk, up and down hills, while the chaps heroically rode - and fell off! - their bikes for them, several times! I waited at the top in the NIVA for over two hours for them to catch up over a stitch of about four kms!

Regs

Simon

You never said it was a race :S

You can call me 'Dick Dastardly' if you like but whatever you do don't call Balto 'Mutley' (thumbs)

Regs

Simon

[Simon_100]

Can't seem to load the video s , but the trail Simon described was up to the permit only part me Tremp , a long challenging hill prior to view point and described by Micksea as like 4D2 but longer , a bit of a challenge for the little Crf but it did it , a lot of planning has been done for the new routes which once put together provided some great riding and views , a long trip from the north east but worth it , if we can make Sept will make sure we hang about a bit longer , speighty

Glad to know you're back John.

Meanwhile here are the two in all their glory:



2K in the Pyrenees. You'll see that I've marked the summit where I waited for you all, after that it's a roller-coaster ride along a ridge - which none of us finished as there's an 'escape route' half way along!



4D2 in Teruel. I've marked the really touch section where instead of zig-zagging up the mountainside the trail just goes straight up, crossing the contours on the topographical map ...



And a similar image - note how much better the maps are in Catalonia! - of the hill that your video was John, the one where Lesley swore the air blue and I think Phil came off Jaynes' bike. I could not only see you from the top but hear you too! :whistle:



As well as the 'babies' heads' surface and the incline I think the really unnerving bit about this hill is the way the mountain just drops away into the abyss on either side. And for me, exploring it alone for the first time, not being able to see what happens to the trail as it reaches the top and disappears from view - no place to find yourself with no room to turn around ...



... luckily there was and here's the view over into the valley to the east from the little ridge were the pointer is - I even wandered up onto the 'knoll' at 1,522 m to enjoy the view :whistle:

Regs

Simon

PS, a reassuring word for the HISS 'Virgins', we're not all nutters, some of us us have - had! - responsible jobs in a caring society, even borne children ....



PPS and here's that little bit coming down where I had a 'Titanic' moment in the Niva - I'm just waiting for the day when one of those guys with a blinged-out Discovery, Landcruiser, etc. with a roof tent or, as I saw during the HISS, about 100 litres of fuel on the roof rack, takes the piss. I'll 'challenge' them with the only pieces of special equipment required, a swag back to stash their valuables that I will have rifled form the wreckage and a box of matches for torching the evidence ...

[Spadger]

Hi Simon all great stuff , I do sometimes wonder if you should be out on your own tho ( even at your age on some of the trails ) , for the record it was Trevor on the deck , Phil was exemplary, unless you know differently, it'll be a clean sheet next time I'm sure

[Simon_100]

Hi Simon all great stuff , I do sometimes wonder if you should be out on your own tho ( even at your age on some of the trails ) , for the record it was Trevor on the deck , Phil was exemplary, unless you know differently, it'll be a clean sheet next time I'm sure

Too true, but it beats doing it all on my lonesome by bike!!!

Anyway, I've just 'recruited' my great Spanish mate Miguel for a week at the end July to go back for more exploration on our bikes. We've been through a lot together over the years...











He really hates it when I ride up to a precipice for a photo...



... but maybe we could get the 'gang' back together again!

Including ageing ten years in a matter of hours at an FIM 289 kms rally a few years ago ...





Regs

Simon

PS F*** F*** F*** when will this form ever ever ever get the f**ing you tube bug fixed!!!!!

https://www.

youtube.com/

watch?

v=nSgEe4f9kXw

[Motostrail]

(thumbs)

[micksea]

4D2 is only 700 metres from the campsite so it's convenient for casualty recovery and easy to drag ktm's back to the van

[Simon_100]

Looks really good, may try and get down there next year. A bit of a journey to come from Norway, 2600km each way from the ferry terminal in Denmark
Have signed up to the facebook page. (thumbs)

I'm sorting dates out for 2018 now as we have a commercial pilot who has to book his leave up to 18 months in advance!!!

Should have these by the weekend ...

Regs

Simon

PS you might 'steal' the distance record from Claus too - he's from Denmark. 'Skippy' doesn't count as although he's Austrralian . now how did yo guess :whistle: he a actually lives in France, sensible fellow that he is!

[Simon_100]

@ WIBO. I saw a comment on one of the HISS posts about a Spanish friend of yours and could I translate the guide into Spanish for his/her.

Sorry, it's just not feasible, as it is the guides take about four weeks of spare time - at least! - and a proper translation would take about the same if done properly and not just Goggle. And in fact all s/he'd have to do is join another group and I'd help them decide their routes for the day in both Spanish and English, and s/he could always phone me if there is any problem while they are out there.

It's also worth pointing out that the social aspect is a very important part of the HISS 'magic' and I now from attending Spanish speaking events that it's an awful lot of hard work for everyone - and that with my relatively good Spanish, and indeed Catalan.

It's a generalisation I know but I guess that your friend would also like to enjoy the social sire but I think that with all the will in the world they'd begin to feel a bit on the sidelines, so to speak. Meanwhile I could ask a good Spanish friend along, who likewise doesn't speak English but manages OK, albeit for a little while - he came to a Catalonia HISS a few years ago when Spud - who doesn't speak any Spanish either but has visited enough foreign sea ports during his time in the Navy to communicate in a sort of 'esperanto' took him under his wing ...



My Spanish vocabulary doesn't extent to a very precise or subtle translation of the term -. e.g. 'tonto' just means 'fool' in Spanish, etc. so Spud and I have to illustrate with anecdotes what the term 'prat' really means in English - no shortage of example either: Do you remember the bloke who shut the Thames crossing for about four hours - the Blackwell tunnel back in my day - for about four hours with an oversize van? I loved the BBC Today quote from a spokeswoman form the AA describing the drivers as,2A complete and utter prat!" Oh how we laughed ...

Regs

Simon

[Simon_100]

Looks really good, may try and get down there next year. A bit of a journey to come from Norway, 2600km each way from the ferry terminal in Denmark
Have signed up to the facebook page. (thumbs)

I'm sorting dates out for 2018 now as we have a commercial pilot who has to book his leave up to 18 months in advance!!!

Should have these by the weekend ...

Regs

Simon

PS you might 'steal' the distance record from Claus too - he's from Denmark. 'Skippy' doesn't count as although he's Australian . now how did yo guess :whistle: he a actually lives in France, sensible fellow that he is!

OK, that's the Aragon week booked - September 17th to 21st. I'll talk to Camping Collegats for the Pyrenees this evening and conform the week before.

Here's looking forward to 2018 - there won't be a HISS at all in the Spring, long story ...

Regs

Simon

[Simon_100]

Two steps forward, on back ...

It looks like there's only Steve R and another 'vet' coming to Catalonia, and in fact Steve hasn't confirmed. So I think it's not really worth doing.

We'll probably be driving down to camping Casa Fausto in convoy on Saturday the 9th so as to be ready to 'meet and greet' on the Sunday. I can also do a briefing on the Sunday evening depending on availability of the HQ room, which is normally rented out along with the bungalows hence may be in use at least until the Sunday evening or longer - in which case they put up a small marquee.

Meanwhile, please welcome newbies from Will S's apparently limitless number of friends and acquaintances over on the [strike]soggy[/strike] French side of the Pyrenees. Introuce yourselves t the parry chaps ...

Finally the dates for next year are now fixed:

Catalonia/Pyrenees: September 10th - 14th, 2018
Aragon/Teruel: September 17th - 21st, 2018

I'll ne starting a special topic for these dates and discussing the future as as of 19th March 2019 'The Spanish Biker' might not exist!

OK. More news as and when.

Regs

Simon