Have a great time Nick!

I love Portugal! - If you can, try and ride some of the roads around Castello Branco in the north - awesome biking roads!

Good luck!

xxx

ps. it's too late now of course, but for anyone else, I'd really recommend taking a set of cush-driver rubbers (not expensive) as part of your spares collection if you are going on an extended trip... likewise a spare clutch lever - trying to ride with no clutch is not fun!

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"Where we're going, we don't need roads..."

JennyDakar.com

If you left home at 6am I am too late with this post but Good Luck Nick!
Have a GRREAT time and give us more pics.

Barry.

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All the best with the trip Nick.

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..........not trying to p!ss up lot off, but...........I've just been sitting in front of the beach, watching the waves crash on the sand, with a cold beer in my hand and the warm sun on my face..........

I'm in Zarautz and what a beautiful little town it is...

http://maps.google.es/maps?f=q&sourc...,0.219727&z=12


Arrived here about 16.30, stayed inArnage, just south of Le Mans last night.

Stopping in front of the Le Mans circuit for a photo (sorry, no pic's, no SD card slot on this PC). Took a road around the back of the circuit and there were about 5 bike shops in a row, all with 20-30 bikers outside. Thinks there been some sort of bikers demonstration this weekend in France, not sure what for.......

Did 495 miles yesterday and 434 today, boy French Autoroutes are boring.....but certainly been able to put the miles, km behind, sitting at a stead 130-135kph (80 on the GPS). Bike has been fine, oil breather tube is full to busting, so need to find somewhere to emply that. My ass is a little on the delicate side, but not too bad.

I'm hitting the north Spain backroads tomorrow and planning to stop somewhere around Leon.


Take it easy.....I know I am......just off to find a nice fish restaurant......mmmmmm.


Nick.

That area is lovely - I took that route through the mountains to Leon from Bilbao - very Alpinesque! There is a corking road over the fonte de cova (I think that's how it's spelt)...

You are on track for the ride of your life down there!

xxx

__________________
"Where we're going, we don't need roads..."

JennyDakar.com

Your not wrong!!

WOW!!! What a fantastic place to ride. I stuck to tarmac, but with all the tracks I could see I could have done the 250miles all off-road and there were no shortage of camping spots!!

I wore flats on my tyres on the Autoroutes through France, but I certainly wore the edges down the last two days!! I was glad of a straight road for a rest...... well almost!

I had to bail out and hit the motorway for the last 60-70 miles as the day was going fast in the mountains. I stopped for lunch here:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=pt-...,0.054932&z=14

And met with three welsh blokes who where on their way to get the ferry in Santander after a ride through Burgos and Madrid.

Spent the night close to Leon.....pushed the boat out a bit and found a hotel for 20euros......

Yesterday I passed over three small mountain ranges and into Portugal via Braganza.

Arrived in Aveiro, Portugal yesterday, 1503 miles in total.

Few days rest and I get to do it all again for the ride home, although as I have been a lucky, lucky b�stard with four days of glorious sun shine I think I`ll be paying for that on the way back.......waterproofs at the ready.



Nick.

Just had a few days in the Alentejo region, just south of a town called Beja. Pity we both had the chitts ffom some dodgy pork !!

Setting off home tomorrow, decided to head back through northern Spain and not Andorra as there are some parts I want to pass through that I didn't have time for on the way down.

Here's a photo of the sort of place I passed through on the way down...




The weather dont look to bad either for the trip home, looks like I'll be getting a bit wet around the French border.....oh errr missus.........




Nick.


PS. can you lot stop posting so much, theres pages of new threads to get thru !!

Sounds like you've had an awesome trip mate an I'll be visiting Portugal in October. Our plan is to take the ferry from Portsmouth to Santander, spend 3 days riding the trails southwards and then turn around and head back north for a further 3 days.

Thought about riding through France but the addtional costs of hotels/fuel/tyres seemed to be more expensive than a return ferry crossing..........and of course, as was pointed out earlier, there are always the hen parties to look forward to

Gonna be a few of us, 2 Ktm 690 enduros, 1 KTM 990 Adventure and of course a couple of Teneres. There's 10 others doing the same crossing but they are heading way south for the Moto GP at Estoril..........couldn't possibly get their pretty road bikes too dirty

cheers
Skippy

Just got back, 3700miles 'ish....... dont think my ar$e will be the same again...

Will post some piccies later.....


Nick.