European Motorcycle trip (November) - any suggestions?

[IronGiant]

Hello all

I finally got my unrestricted bike licence a month ago, having been pottering around on my 125 for about a year. I've recently purchased a bonnie and am eager to get as much riding done as possible before the weather turns bad.

Me and a mate really want to go on a 7 day trip in Europe in early November (granted it's not a great time to travel but it's the earliest we can do given work commitments and I have to use my annual leave by the end of the year, so there's not much flexibility). Obviously weather isn't going to be great so we were thinking of putting the bikes on a ferry down to south of France or Spain, somewhere a bit warmer for a trip where it wouldn't be freezing and wet, then getting a ferry back from a different spot.

Can anyone suggest any good trips around here or just any decent trips in November is Europe generally? We have generally ruled out further North due to weather concerns but very interested to see if anyone has any good experiences of travelling around this time and/or this region?

As always, all advice much appreciated .

IG

[yorbandit]

Personally i would go across on tunnel from where you are, then ride down towards Spain all main road with a toll but well worth it as you get some where quickly, go across the milau bridge then head for Spain, get a map pick out all the wiggly bits and ride them, if their is only 2 of you i would not bother booking any where just have a sat nav that tells you where the b and b are, also check the latest stuff you got to carry in France hi viz, GB plate on bike, breathalyzer and what ever new rules they have come up with.

[Guest]

no need for a breathalyser. what you do need is a red (roadside warning) triangle and hiviz (which you must wear while standing on or near the 'hard shoulder'.) plus the certainty that your euro rescue will come for you on the Toll Motorway.

but all that aside... the biggest problem with touring in November.. aside from the high risk of bad weather - is, the length of the day. by mid november thats 5pm - so by 5:30 its fully dark. to my mind thats by far the biggest limitation. the short days. Also because its 'off season' you might have problems finding rooms, if it were me I would have that sorted before the off. by looking at the areas that you're likely to want to stop off at.. and see whats available. Otherwise you're going to be looking for rooms earlier than necessary which will cut into your daily riding - which is already limited by the shorter days.

proper gear is obviously of the utmost importance. totally waterproof and warm clothing. a sun shade to combat the low sun - the bane of winter winter riding.

good luck.

[Ali in Austria]

The weather can be considerably colder in central Europe that time of year compared to the UK which benefits from the sea keeping temps up. I've driven from home to Calais in a blizzard all the way to Calais in mid November. Even Spain can often be colder than you think it will be. The Ferry direct to a Spanish Port though might be the best option. It is quite likely that the mountain regions such as Pyrenees and Picos will be affected by snow at altitude.

[IronGiant]

Thanks for the replies. Really helpful to speak to some people that have some experience.

Ferry doesn’t look great as when you break down the timeframe:

1) We’ve looked at Ferries to Bilbao and it takes 24 hours each way.

2) That leaves you with 5 days riding. If you take in to account that we might have 1 day rest, 4 days riding.

3) That allows you to go just 2 days worth of riding from Bilbao (as you need to take 2 days to get back there for the ferry). It’s not exactly the ride we were hoping for…

May well take up the idea of driving through France and braving the weather and pre-booking the places. I totally agree with the not wanting to spend time searching for a place to stay. Not booking somewhere always sounds like some care-free option but it just turns in to an absolute misery (IMHO) traipsing around town inevitably finding out that everywhere is either a) booked or b) crap.

Will let you know what we come up with when have done some more research.

IG

[yorbandit]

http://www.motorbikeeurope.com/en/route ... ory/top100 HAVE A LOOK AT THAT PAGE might give you some ideas