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Los Picos de Europa


Lehaut
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Booked the ferry from St Nazaire to Gijon next week and accommodation. Could not stand the thought of running all the way down there and back on my bike, comfortable as it is! Intention is to tour round the Picos and any other interesting routes on the coast and mountains. If anyone has any tips, gratefully received. Spanish I have not!
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No Spanish either, or biking experience (although I have just done my 7hrs in France for my 125cc bit of paper [:D])

We've just got back from 5 days doing Galicia (we got as far as Fisterra)...awesome place. If you get a chance go to Playa de las Catredales and associated beaches...beautiful with a capital B (it's around 140km west of Gijon)

 

 

edit: when I say 7hrs I actually mean 1hr constantly stalling the bike and driving around some cones and an hour bricking it driving around town.

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Yes all done in France. For 125cc you don't do a test if you already have a driving license. All 3 kids and wife are doing it as well. No1 son has done his code and passed his driving test, so he can do a 600cc test after 20hrs riding. No2 is doing the 125cc, but he has to do the code as well as he doesn't have a driving licence and has to do 20hrs riding. No3 son is doing the simple scooter formation as he's 14, 8hrs of riding. We only have 1 bike between is all but it would be nice sometime in the future to all go out together.
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Very brave, I would not let my wife or two boys near a bike! She has only tried once on the beach in Scotland - just one throttle opening, flat out. Nearly threw me off the back. Have met just one brit here who did the full bike test in France. What impressed the tester most is that he turned up wearing all the right gear. The examiner was used to (almost) shorts, T shirts and no gloves. Just cause the sun is shining does not mean you won't leave your skin on the road.

Good luck with the tests, plural!
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[quote user="Lehaut"] Just cause the sun is shining does not mean you won't leave your skin on the road[/quote]

 

quite....

We're all kitted out, boots, gloves, helmets that fit. In fact, our instructor took us to task for not fitting the sticky-on-reflector-thingies to the chin bar on the helmet.

When we moved here I thought all scooters were sold with a 17yr old girl on the pillion fitted as standard...flip flops, shorts and strappy top. Sets my teeth on edge when I see them riding round like that. Of course, their argument is that they will never come off.

Be careful on the Spanish roads, the further south in Europe you travel, the more dangerous it becomes. They are still trying to complete the auto-route along the Galicia coast, so there are stretches where it drops from dual carriage way to single track full of trucks. And the Spanish do like their Russian roulette overtaking maneuvers

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Thanks for the heads up, hopefully driving on the the French country roads will have given me a bit of practise in collision avoidance! I am also hoping that the holiday season will have finished, so traffic will be lighter?

Its not just the scooters. When I went along the med coast in 2011 I was cooked in my gear, even a breather jacket. I was reqularly overtaken by bikes doing 130 plus with the female passenger dressed just as you describe.
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  • 2 weeks later...
Well went there, did over 1500kms on some of the most fantastic roads, had all sorts of weather, all sorts of roads (when good as good as the Alps here, minus the snow, when bad quite scary!) Saw Spanish road kill (two dead cows in the gutter by the side of the road). Highly recommend the area for those who enjoy biking. Would post pictures if knew how to!
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