EDC Asson- Bielsa-Ainsa-Alquézar-Jaca-Gourette-Asson French/Spanish Pyrénées

[WIBO]

My friend of thirty odd years called to visit to decompress, last week.


After we waited for a couple of days to see if the weather would lift any, we found a weather window on Wednesday and decided to brave the odd shower that had been present, on and off for almost 4 weeks, It gave sunshine in Spain albeit sporadic but ti was better than nothing.

We checked www.viewsurf.com for any webcam to give us an indication of the weather, my wife kept and eye on the teenage idiots so they would not do anything daft when if left alone and off we rode.


Some of you will be familiar with this route I suspect.

First route was to Arreau over Col d'Aspin for lunch. Of course just as we were arriving it started to rain.




You park up in the Main Street just off the Route National. Theres parking on the LHS and a walk back of about 20m you'll find a great restaurant. For anything quick I'd reccomend 'Galette's....a big, flat pancake thing with an egg and ham and cheese served hot. Cheap an very filling and on the menu here in most places. I know they're great as I feed my teenage idiots these almost constantly.


Finish off and head on after a couple of snaps........





Quaint old town for a walkabout....if it's sunny.....

[WIBO]

We head up through the Bielsa Tunnel into Spain, in the cold and wet.....not too far down the other side there'll be a fuel station where we top up and get a coffee or two to warm up. We cruise into Aínsa and it's main street crossroads and we take a right to park up at a pub just around the corner. We sit tin the sun and have a two glasses of ice cold beer whilst we wing it as usual and go onto booking dot com.









200m away we find the Hotel Sanchez. Great hotel with underground parking and a pub that you have to walk through to escape to get outside.


http://www.hotelsanchez.com/en/



As you can see the beds have a middle leg which made it ideal for both of us to stub our toe on.





We book in and on our way up to the old town for food later, we have two half litre cold beers each in outside in the hotel bar.


We dander on up to the village square.....






















Food is not being served yet but we'll go here for a pizza later as it has a wood burning oven........so another two beers each are ordered whist waiting, chatting and visiting the odd wee shop.








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[chunky butt]

Ainsa is a lovely place, great restaurant opposite side of square from pizzeria, great paella as I recall. Weather is still crap here btw

[WIBO]

The pizzeria opens and we go on a more of a bender...another two half litres of beer each and two bottles of red see us saunter back to the hotel.

The next morning we're up for a buffet breakfast then we heard south for what sun we can see, riding the route national to in the direction of Barbastro.

The lake is rather large......bordered by sweeping roads of good quality tarmac.








Before arriving for lunch in Barbastro well take an easy ride to Olvena.




You go as far as you can and hen dander up to a view point to look down into the gorge that the road parallels.


There's a picnic table at the top.

[Tonibe63]

Have you let your hair grow Keith

[WIBO]

Just after the turn off to go to Olvena, if you ride on through the short tunnels then stop at a lay by at here....

N 42 06 332
E 000 15 843

Here you'll park the moto up and walk un a small bank back towards the tunnel. Keep following the stone trail ( 50m ) to find a little known scenic gem...a small bridge spanning a gorge with about a 50 m drop below into green coloured water. Ideal to picnic too.














The bridge is narrow, cobbled and with walls of about just about knee height







Very scenic and not very well known.

[WIBO]

After the viewpoint at Olvena we head to Barbastro for lunch, before heading on to the medieval village of Alquézar.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alqu%C3%A9zar






We park up on the main narrow street and have a beer. We wing it as usual and open up the phone app to book whilst we relax taking in the view.














We find an hotel slap bang in the middle of the small village with parking included. Great. We book in, get changed than go for a dander around the ancient village taking random pictures.























































After a circuit of the small village Joanne sheepishly asks should we.......erm........?







erm......yes ......it would be rude not to.










After this jug was drunk we had to drink another one over our meal and then a beer or two before tuning in for the night.















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[WIBO]

Next morning we'd head back to Aínsa for a centre village coffee stop then on to Escalona for lunch. We'd head by back roads for a spell to and on to jaca.

















Joanne is giggling..........I raise an eyebrow.....







She tells me to check the menu.......I know what one not to chose.........google translate is not kind.








We finish coffee and head to Escalona for a small lunch and where we ride over the mountains by backroads before hitting the main N260 to Jaca.






We arrive in Jaca after only encountering about twenty minutes of rain and where we wing it, open the hotel app over two beers and book an hotel.

[WIBO]

A dander into the town centre to a restaurant called the Biarritz provided a great meal. Stopping for a beer in the bustling centre of jaca en route helps






I of course make a juvenile comment as to how she is holding her beer glass........







At least she's not scowling!!!!







We dander on past the scenic Romanesque cathedral to find our restaurant....like most Spanish towns there's a great ambience ....



















Look!!! Another door........

[WIBO]

The next morning we head to Hoz de Jaca for coffee before heading back over the border in to France. It's dull again but at least it's not raining....




We'll take in some scenic views before France.....the dam at Hoz de jaca is drained at full bore after the rains.








I fill the moto up at Formigal...400kms or so sinceI last filled....and we;; bimble on over into France to head to Col d'Aubisque. We'll stop for a coffee over looking the ski station of Gourette and watch lots of moto groups ride by in between watching vultures ride the thermals.













We ride on over Col d'Aubisque for another stop at Col du Soulour.....






We have a couple of beers, cheese and bread over about three hors just chatting and watching the world go by......groups of motos and a super car club........these are the horses you can eat.





Didier, a friend, rides by...he's out taking a few snaps...we have a coffee with him before leaving bound for home and to carry on with a herd of those goofy teenagers.





At 93,000kms the wee XT is still doing OK
















If any one needs route ideas, within Dept 64 France and Aragon/Navarre regions in Spain by all means just ask. I can also direct you to the free trails to ride in Spain


Ride safe












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