Old Gits European Motorcycle Tours
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Old Gits European Motorcycle Tours |
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2015 Write-up Trip Notes by Paul H --- Friday
June 19th. I
arrived at the Hotel Carlton in Folkestone early evening and
passed away some time looking at the peeling woodchip paper in my room, Ah the
memories. I
soon received a call from Mark W saying that
he was outside the hotel and was looking for the car park. He couldn’t switch the
engine off in case it wouldn’t start again as had happened to him on the journey to
Folkestone. Signs of things to come ! Food
and drink was consumed and we turned in for the
night ready for the next day’s journey. Saturday
20th June: We
met Richard, Barry and Gary at Dover and boarded the ferry along with the rest of the UK,
surely the busiest day of the year so far. We were last on the boat, and consequently last
in the queue for breakfast. The
weather was good and got better as the day went on. We avoided Motorways for the most part
and arrived at our hotel outside Le Mans (Chartre sur Loire)
early evening. It was a superb boutique type hotel, typically French. A good meal
followed, washed down by welcome beer and wine. Sunday
21st June. Weather
still good and in the low 20s. Not too early a start, but 300 miles or so to do. We were
warned that a late arrival would mean no food available. How true, by the time we arrived
early evening in Vaissac,
Mid Pyrenees, they had also shut the bar. We
were directed to a small town about 5k away where we had a Greek meal ( I think) .Chicken
stew was not on my most desired food list in hot sunshine, but it was food. Wine was
included in the menu but as we were on the bikes we requested that they filled up our 1
litre water bottle with the wine for consumption at the hotel when we got back. It
was then we heard the news of Alain’s accident, which gave us food for thought. Monday
22nd June. Again
glorious weather, I even had time for an early morning swim in the Hotel pool before
breakfast. Plan
A was to visit the 2 Solar Furnaces in the Pyrenees en route
to the hotel. The day got off to a dodgy start when we encountered loose gravel on the
roads the Sat Navs took us on. We travelled for miles on this
surface, with Barry’s Ducati constantly overheating and stalling. We finally caught
up with the cause of the gravel, the council were re surfacing the road ( ie chucking gravel everywhere and letting the heat and cars bed it
in !) We waited patiently and every so often were directed to go over the gravel to catch
up with the gravel spreader !!!! At
last we got free and realised that time would not permit us to see the 2 Furnaces, so we
opted to just visit the main one. We arrived at around 5pm and took the tour of the
Furnace, which was quite interesting. We were told that the hundreds of mirrors are
cleaned naturally by the elements, which seemed strange, as it was now in the 30s with
clear skies. This
suddenly changed as we were about to go back to the bikes. The temperature dropped about
15c skies blackened, hailstones and rain arrived, thunder and lightning too. It appears
that was a daily occurrence in this season. At
this point we discovered that Mark’s Futura would not
start. We tried bumping the bike and even Mark’s impressive collection of tools
failed to spark life into the bike. Fortunately we were able to shelter under the trees to
stay reasonably dry. Many phone calls, and
hours later the rescue people arrived and took Mark and the bike to a local hotel for
fixing. ( he re joined us on the following Thursday, all fixed
( allegedly !) We
still had another 50 miles or so to go before we reached the hotel. Probably the worst
weather we had ridden in for many a year. Not having eaten since breakfast we were happy
to come across a roadside Pizza place where we dined like (very wet) Kings. Finally
reached the hotel in Alas, Spain, at gone 11pm
where the hosts were obliging in sorting out some beers, which we enjoyed on
Richard’s balcony. Fortunately our
bathrooms were very warm, and most of our gear dried out before the morning. Tuesday
23rd June. Had
quite a few miles to do to join the main party in Irutzun, we
arrived early evening, and after a quick meal we joined the locals in some local festival
involving bonfires, kids jumping over the bonfires, and the obligatory beers. It
was good to meet up with the rest of the OGs. Wednesday
24th June. Again
another glorious day, and a day where we didn’t have to ride fully laden. We lunched
in a recommended restaurant up in the Hills/mountains, where we ordered (per English
translation) a prawn salad dish that also contained “Guidlines”
Curiosity overcame us and Cliff & I ordered this dish. It looked like a salad covered
in spaghetti, but we found out that the spaghetti was in fact baby EELs !!!! Quite a
delicacy in the Basque region it appears, still we are
here to tell the tale. All in all a shorter day for us having only ridden 160 miles
or so compared to the usual 300 ish. Thursday
25th June. Barry
needed a new tyre and tracked one down to San Sebastian, a seaside resort on the north
coast. We
arrived there, left the bike with a local Ducati dealer and made our way to the beach for
a drink. Having forgotten to pack our budgie smugglers, we sat on the beach and had a most
welcome cold drink whilst wearing our bike gear, the rest of the population were in swim
gear ! On the way back to the bikes we met a guy in a small garage who had an interesting
old car at the back. Sensing we were petrolheads, he took us
up the road to a small lock up where he showed us a most impressive collection of vintage
cars, a couple of motorbikes and model cars
etc. It turned out he was the mechanic to a
guy who owned this impressive collection of cars. Time
was getting on so we took to the motorway and headed to the next hotel in France where we
all enjoyed a lovely outdoor meal in a typical French hotel in Saint Giron.
Mark W re joined us having had his bike fixed. Friday
26th June. On
our way to Millau, extremely hot, but an enjoyable ride, arrived at the hotel early
evening as seemed to be the norm. Although we have seen the Millau Bridge on previous
trips, we took the opportunity of actually riding over it this time. Had
a good meal with everyone outside. Saturday
27th June. On
our way to Bourges being our last stop before blighty. Nothing
starting there, again arrived late on in the day a quick shower and on to the Buffalo
Grill next door. More cold welcome beers ! Sunday
28th June: Last
dash to Calais, where we seemed to miss all the problems going on there and boarded the
ferry for the last leg of our journey home. Summary: Speaking
for myself, I am glad I did the “Long Way Round” trip, but I would not do it
again, as it meant riding all the time fully loaded apart from one day in Irutzun. It would have been good as with most of the previous trips
to have a “day off” maybe its an age thing J Still it was a great experience, great company (as
always) and once again a big thank you to David for such brilliant organisation. Trip
Notes by David Mc --- Miles
travelled: 2670 Before
the trip This
trip was going to be big! By September there was already a lot of interest and with it
being the Old Gits 18th year, I felt a “coming of age” celebration was required.
Initial planning had a mix of suggested locations, some Old Gits keen to go to Northern
Spain and other Old Gits keen to have a multi-location touring trip, so a combination of
those ideas was agreed upon.
Not
long before “the off” Patrick was involved in an incident with a cyclist, making
his bike very doubtful for the trip but things were sorted (just) in time for him to make
it to the Friday ferry. Saturday
20th June Another
early start as is traditional for Old Gits trips. With the bike packed the night before,
the alarm went off at 04:00 and I was on the road to meet Mark R, David Y and Chris A at
South Mimms Services at 05:30. A quick coffee and then a blast
around the M25 and down the A3 had us at meeting the rest of the Main Group at the port at
around 07:30. Some of the group had already tried to check in but because it was a group
booking we all had to check in together. (I’m not sure how that would have worked if
one or more of the group, especially the organiser, needed to pull out at the last
minute!) Checked
in and onto the ferry where the bikes were secured with the usual strap over the seat. The
bikes were packed in tight with little space between them but there was a good deal more
bike space on the deck. Those who had planned ahead simply took their tank bag with them
as it contained everything they needed for the boat trip. Mark R unloaded all of his
luggage! The
crossing was dead calm, with some pretty dense fog on Saturday night, but the cabins were
comfortable, the food was acceptable and a deck of cards kept Mark R, James, David Y and I
entertained for most of the afternoon. We each had a 4 berth cabin to ourselves which
helped in getting a good night’s sleep. The
cabins would have coped with 2 people easily, 3 at a squeeze but 4 bikers with helmets,
leathers, boots etc. would really struggle in one cabin. If you every plan to use the
ferry to get to Spain, and want to keep costs down, don’t plan on 4 in a cabin! Sunday
21st June Sunday
dawned dry and bright. A good omen for the rest of the week. We had breakfast and then
watched as the coast of Spain gradually became visible. Eventually, we docked, unstrapped
the bikes and rode down the ramp into the sunshine and warmth. We’d made it! We
separated into groups with Brian C, Roger, Mark R and me having a little ride around the
outskirts of Santander looking for petrol before heading off on the motorway. A few miles
on the motorway allowed us to settle into riding on the other side of the road before we
turned off and headed for Potes. A
lunch/drink stop at Potes was then followed by a run along the
wonderful N-621. This is a great road and exactly the sort of road that makes an Old Gits
trip worthwhile. At a stop for some pictures a local biker recommended that we try the
N-625 so we headed off towards Riano Shorly
after we turned onto the N-625 we were flashed by an on-coming car so we slowed down and
as we came around a bend saw various bikes parked on the side of the road and another, on
its side, in the ditch. Obviously there had been an accident. It then dawned on us that
the crashed biker being helped was Alain so we stopped to help. Luckily he was up and
moving with a few aches and pains but nothing appeared too serious. While we waited for
the ambulance and police, Alain was looked after by a very good looking Dutch lady who had
been pillion on a passing bike so the rest of us got his bike pout of the ditch and gave
it a check over. It was pretty badly scratched but other than a broken indicator, screen
and rack, there was nothing fundamentally wrong with it. It started and ran without issue
and was not leaking anything. The
ambulance and police turned up and Alain was taken into Raino
to see a Doctor. James stayed with Alain’s bike waiting for the recovery truck while
the rest of us were sent to Raino by the police. At Raino Alain was checked out but then sent on to a hospital in Leon
(it turned out he had some broken/cracked ribs and needed a couple of stiches in a finger
but other than that was nothing more than bruised and sore). The rest of us then made our
way to Oviedo where we checked into the hotel and met up with the Advanced Guard. Various
groups then formed with some heading off in search of the Old Town and its restaurants
while others, me included, stayed and had dinner at the hotel. Monday
22nd June The
breakfast conversation was the usual “what shall we do today” with the odd sat. nav conversation thrown in. We had pre-prepared some routes and it
was agreed to follow one of these north west to the coast then south down into the
mountains. After breakfast we all set off, supposedly in separate groups bit it
wasn’t long before a good number of us were bunched into one group. A stop for petrol
then had James and I heading out of town when a VW Passat raced up behind us and sat right
on James’s tail. We were still in a 90kmh limit and were waiting for some of the
other to catch us up and not pushing along so after a very short while we pulled over and
let the Passat speed off into the middle distance. The others arrived in view before we
lost sight of the Passat and we set off again just as it pulled into a side road and did a
U-turn to stop and watch the main road. As we rode past we could see it had two police
officers in it! Just as well we didn’t rise to the earlier provocation and decide to
speed up! The
ride along the N634 was pretty boring to start with but after about half an hour the road
started to improve and got better and better. Eventually, after lots of fun we arrived at
the town of Navia where we stopped for a coffee. Again, even
though we had all started in small groups, within 10 minutes all 14 Old Gits were sitting
in the same café chatting and enjoying the lovely weather. After
the coffee we headed down the AS-12. What a great road. This is a must ride road if you
are ever in the area. We enjoyed mile after mile of good surface as it snaked through the
hills. The pace separated some of the groups and the need to stop for lunch separated
others but James, David Y, Roger Mark R and I pushed on stopping only for petrol and an
ice cream. After this, we changed road to the LU530. Different to the AS-15, it was like a
mini B500, only better. It went on for mile after mile, with wide open 3rd gear bends,
climbing up and down the hills and with little traffic. Arrival
at O Cadavo had James and David Y heading off to Leon to visit
Alain and Mark R, Roger and heading back up the LU-530 before heading back to Oviedo via
the AS-15, another stunning bit of road. Back
at the hotel we all grouped up to go for something to eat. Chris A spoke some Spanish so
ordered tapas for 12 which worked out really well as the food just kept coming. Eventually
James and David Y returned reporting that Alain was OK if a little (a lot!) bored. Tuesday
23rd June The
morning was overcast and grey, looking very much like it was going to rain – a lot!
We checked out and decided that, as it was a long run today, we’d use the motorway
leaving us fresh for a ride out the next day. Brian M, Roger, Mark R, James, David Y and I
headed off along the motorway, with the occasional spot of rain hitting the visor but not
enough to stop and put the waterproofs on. We had fun finding a petrol station but by
early afternoon, the sun was out and we were heading towards the Pyrenees. We
arrived at Irutzun and checked into the hotel. This was a
“one horse town” and the one horse was our hotel but it was clean and efficient
with helpful staff and comfortable beds. At just £28 per night B&B it was excellent
value. We wandered into town and found the only other bar which was by the town square. We
then enjoyed a beer and some tapas while we watched the locals prepare for a celebration
gathering that evening. The
Overland group arrived at the hotel, minus Mark W, who had suffered at the mercy of
Italian electrics. All 18 of us had dinner at the hotel although we had to shout to be
heard over the Spanish coach party that descended like a plague of locusts into the
restaurant. Wednesday
24th June Breakfast
was another battle with the coach trip locusts but we managed to agree that we’d
follow the route already loaded into the sat. nav., heading for France then back into
Spain. After a scramble to get us all through the patrol station (and waiting for Mark R,
a common theme on the trip) we headed out of town in smaller groups and were straight onto
good roads. We climbed up into the hills, over into France then back into Spain before
deciding to lunch in Bera, as recommended by the man on
reception in our hotel before we left. The approach to Bera
looked like a great bit of road but as I came around a left hander, the bike had a big
“moment” but I caught it and carried on. I noticed that the two lanes of tarmac,
had been laid but at different levels, with a near 2 inch drop as you moved from one to
the other. This was just to the side of the white lines and “falling off the
lip” had been what had unsettled the bike. We stopped for lunch with James looking
quite shaken. He had found the tarmac step too, as had all the others, but his
“moment” had been more dramatic (or he’s just a bigger girl!!!!) and it had
shaken him up. During
lunch we were joined by another of the groups, who had also found the challenging bit of
tarmac a little way up the hill. The
return to the hotel was uneventful and the again the evening meal was had in the hotel. Thursday
25th June After
breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and split into groups. Mark R, Roger, Brian M,
James, David Y and I decided to do the first 50 miles on the motorway before heading
across the Pyrenees and into France. The motorway was boring but efficient and it
wasn’t too long before we were stopping for a coffee just outside Jacca. As the coffee
was being served, the waiter hadn’t put the tray safely on the table, and it started
to fall. James tried to catch it, spilling hot coffee over his hand and causing his chair
to fall off the raised platform it was on, breaking two of its legs. James got hot coffee all over his hand but a rush to
the bathroom to run it under the cold tap stopped it scalding. The
afternoon involved a ride across the Pyrenees and into France. The roads were great and I regreat not stopping and photographing the sign warning of bends
with 43km underneath. Brian M and I swapped bikes so he could try the K1300S to see if it
was that much better than his K1200S meaning I got to ride his K1200S with the Sargent
seat fitted. This was a great opportunity as I’ve often considered the move to a
Sargent seat. The ride on the K1200S was a trip down memory lane, reminding me of the all
the things that had been improved on the K1300S. The K1200S is a good bike but the wooden,
off-on, brick wall, servo assisted brakes and the off-on throttle make it a hard bike to
ride smoothly. After
about an hour, the Sargent seat had moved from being a little harder than the standard
seat to being a serious torture device. An hour and a half after that and I was really
glad we needed petrol and I could get me K1300S, with its standard seat, back. The Sargent
seat most definitely does not fit my bum! The K1300S had, however, so impressed Brian M
that he was expecting to be spending some serious money when he returned home! We
arrived at the hotel in St. Girons and checked into our rooms.
It appeared to be a “lucky dip” as some of us were given rooms big enough to be
called a large suit while others had small rooms with no air conditioning and lots of
noise. Mark W was already at the hotel having sorted (he hoped) the electrical issues with
his Aprilia Futura. We
all decided on a group meal at the hotel after the beer had started to flow (and we’d
seen the waitresses) so ate outside in the hotel garden, enjoying the evening sun. Friday
26th June With
breakfast sorted, we again broke into groups and headed for Millau, stopping for petrol
before we left St. Girons. Brian M, Roger, James, Mark R,
David Y and I formed into a group and enjoyed the spectacular roads as the sun climbed
higher into the clear blue sky. The temperature increased and so did the smiles on the Old
Gits faces. We encountered some of the other Old Gits along the route and rode together as
a large group for a few miles but differing petrol stop requirements had our groups
stopping while the others pushed on. Shortly
after a lunch stop, with temperatures in the low 30s, we managed to get split up while
riding through a town. A phone call or two later and we had an agreed meet up point about
15 miles further on at yet another petrol station. We all managed to avoid getting caught
by the police speed trap, having been warned by the bikes coming the other way. The final
approach to Millau had us riding on roads undergoing some significant repairs. For that,
read no tarmac at all, and potholes almost big enough to hide a bike in! (Well they seemed
big when trying to avoid them!). We
arrived at the hotel and met up with a number of other Old Gits, including Patrick M who
was looking to unload hi panniers quickly so he could go back and help Gary pick up his
luggage from the road side. Apparently Gary’s tail pack had worked loose and then
dropped onto his exhaust, melting it and dropping a trail of clothes. All of this was
unobserved by Gary who continued to enjoy a spirited ride along a great road and through
some stunning scenery. Back
at the hotel, most of us again opted for a meal in the hotel and a few beers before
retiring for the night. Saturday
27th June We
said our farewells to James, David Y, Tom and Ron as they all made off for extended
holidays. Roger, Mark R and I ignored the route plan and plugged in the fastest route
avoiding motorways to Bourges. As it happens, most of our route followed the same route as
the original plan. We left the mountains after the first 150 miles and were onto long
straight roads through the French countryside. These were pretty boring but allowed us to
cover the near 300 miles from Millau to Bourges in a little over 5 hours. Very different
to the mountain roads of the previous days where 250 miles was at least an 8 hour day. Arrival
at the hotel in Bourges had me arguing with the hotel receptionist about the number of
rooms booked. Despite me showing her the booking on the booking.com app on my tablet she
still insisted that I had booked two rooms for myself! I backed off at that point, called
booking.com direct and, to their credit, they sorted it and phoned me back within 20
minutes. We
all wandered next door to the Buffalo Grill for the evening meal (We couldn’t have an
Old Gits trip without a visit to a Buffalo Grill!) and a few beers before returning to the
hotel for a good night’s sleep. The 300 miles to Bourges may not have been as intense
as previous days but the long days in the saddle were starting to sap the stamina of the
Old Gits a little. Sunday
28th June We
were all up pretty early, keen to get to Calais and catch an early ferry. Mark W decided
to join Mark R, Roger and I on the run up the motorway, keeping his fingers crossed that
he had no problems with the electrics on his Aprilia Futura.
Sure enough, it started first attempt, which is more than can be said for Barrys Ducati. It needed a jump start from Richards GS but the
operation to do this was very slick, obviously having been done a number of times before! We
all opted for the motorway option, riding up to Paris then around the Peripherique.
Finally, we arrived at the ferry terminal and got put on to an early ferry. The final meal
was eaten on the ferry before the usual run home on the overcrowded, pot hole filled UK
roads. The
biggest Old Gits trip ever was finished. 19 people, 8 hotels, one accident, one breakdown
and some of the best roads ever had made for a memorable trip. 5 new Old Gits had joined
the trip and had fitted straight in. I very much hope they decide to come on future trips.
The large numbers had provided a challenge in the planning but had worked remarkably well
throughout the trip. There was always someone else to ride with or someone else to talk
to. There was lots of friendly banter and some great funny and fascinating stories over
the evening meals and beers. For
the first time in a very long time, we ended an Old Gits trip knowing what would be
happening next year. The multi-location trip was fun and different to normal Old Gits
trips, but we were all reminded how much hard work it is packing and unpacking the bike
every day, riding with luggage on fast twisty roads and having to cover a certain number
of miles each day. Next year will be a single location (or two at most) trip. We will be
heading back to the Picos, to the Hotel Silken in Oviedo to be
precise, for a whole week exploring the wonderful roads. I can’t wait!
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