Calais to Barcelona Trip..HELP Req

[sonic]

Hi all, I am travelling down to Barcelona, leaving England on the Friday afternoon getting to Barcelona on the Monday afternoon.
Anyone got any roads on route or at the last bit in the pyrennes that are a must do?

Many thanks in advance, can't wait now, less than two weeks to go...bring it on

[Dick Dastardly]

You are going to get a thousand of reply's as to the route.

For the French part speak to Nomad.

For the Spanish part speak to Spanish biker.

They both live and play in their respective areas.

For me, I would avoide the Auto routes as much as possible.

[Jim Lovell]

Welcome Sonic

Do a search for a thread called never been to the Pyrenees, may be of some help mate.

[Lairyskippy]

Try the coast road from Tossa de Mar to lloret de Mar.....not fast but hairpin after hairpin, great views etc

[scouse]

Just send a message to Barcelona Pat... he knows all the routes

[sidestand]

Coast road from Perpignan to Bay of Roses in Spain - Awesome views, loadsa twisties, hundreds of seafood restaurants, and it's always WARM B)

And don't forget to to visit Cadaques to see the Dali museum

[dash]

For me, I would avoide the Auto routes as much as possible.

Agree, but I'd probably still use them to get from Calais to somewhere around the Loire Valley.

We did UK-Pyrenees over a similar timescale to the OP last year - through the tunnel and camped near Calais on Friday night. It took us all day to get to Blois avoiding the Autoroute, and we ended up doing some Autoroute miles further south the next day to make up time. IMO that was the wrong way round, because the minor roads are far more interesting once you get south of the Loire.

[2 wheeled tourist]

Here’s somewhere a friend told me about only this month, it’s on the way:


http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?rls=com.m ... CDUQ8gEwAA

http://pixdaus.com/single.php?id=103414

[sonic]

Cheers for the response fellas, maps and highlighter out as we speak...

[Simon_100]

Hi Sonic et al,

I seem to have missed this one but calculate that you're still there with the 'maps and highlighter' no SatNaff - sensible fellow!

Take a look at my Pyrenean crossings map, at least for the blue route that I suggest riders avoid.

To be honest the best way to get to Barcelona itself, from, say sixty-odd kilomtres way, is by train. So unless you want to look cool and cruise up and down the Moll de la Fuster or on the Monjuic circuit, you coud leave your bike at somewhere like Blanes, i.e. on the suburban rail network.

But I gues you don't want to do that so here goes: Sidestand is right about the Perpignan-Roses run, ditto onwards to Blanes in fact. But the caravans and camper snails will drive you crazy unless you get there before nine am! So from Roses head inland through Banyoles and on to Olot through the amazing Garrotxa region - full of extinct volcanoe cones - and onward to Vic. From there take the BV-6301 through the Montseny natural park region, stunning!

From there you're probabaly wiser to catch the AP-7 autoroute and cruise into the city centre, but if you're a romantic carry on over the last coastal sierra on the C-61 to the twin townships of Arenys de Munt and Arenys de Mar: one on the hilltop and one on the seaside. From here you have to follow the coast road which is pretty horrible, but you have a better sense or 'arriving' in Barcelona. From here on her's a little 'tour'!

Either way you reach the city itself look out for signs to Estacio de França, which is the old railway station for France (although it heads the other way now!) From here you're on the wide boulevarde (the Moll de Fuster) that runs along the old harbour front (the Port Vell)to the Columbus Monument, at the foot of Las Ramblas with the Montjuic beyond. If you head up Las Ramblas you end up at Plaça de Catalunya (equivalent to Picadilly Circus), which is pretty horrifying. So as you go around this look oiy for the Passieg de Grácia - a huge boulevarde which takes you north into the Eixemple distict. After a kilomtre or so the Passeig narrows as it approaches and in fact enters the former village of Grácia. Stop here and catch you breath, there's plenty of bikes parked on the sidewalks - Enjoy!

Simon