Pyrenees 2006

Monday - It's going to be a long day...

Sun - Mon - Tue - Wed - Thu - Fri - Sat - Sun - Mon - Tue

That cute lighthouse we'd spotted the previous evening across from our hotel drove Dave and I nuts last night, every few seconds it would double flash pause double flash, lighting up the whole room. Dave (who is in charge of all windows & ventilation) was ordered to lower the louver blind...

Breakfast at the Hotel Leku Eder with views across the Bay, very nice

After breakfast, it was just a matter of packing for the last time and head for Santander.

Taking a coastal route to start with, we stopped near Zarautz to take pictures of the huge waves breaking on the rocks, something had gotten them all riled up!

N43.29262 W2.18172 (map)

The ride back to Santander was finished off with quite a scenic stretch of motorway (just spoiled by around four stops to pay tolls) we were all looking forward to lounging on deck of the Pont Avon with a cool beer...

12:25 Arriving at Brittany Ferries port gates we were greeted by a girl with a sheaf of papers, she handed me one and said 'Can you go to reception please, your ferry's cancelled' What!!!

N43.45954 W3.80571 (map)

Unbelieving, we rode in and parked up, John stayed with the bikes to look after them, and we walked in. There was a huge queue inside, we walked to the end and waited our turn. As we waited the story came out as it passed up and down the queue. The high wind of last night was our part of a force 9 gale that had damaged the Pont Avon ferry some time just before midnight last night. Waves had crashed in through a couple of those nice big portholes, swamping rooms and a few people got hurt. The boat had limped in to Roscoff, France where the passengers had disembarked.

Now, I have to give it to the British, who all waited so patiently to be sorted out in reception, I didn't see one person lose their cool, in fact there was a lot of good natured banter back and forth. After waiting an hour and a half it was our turn, we were told the Pont Avon would not be running the rest of the week due to it needing repairs. Our return fair was refunded and we were offered free passage on the P&O Bilbao-Portsmouth ferry leaving Friday (this being Monday!) or ride up through France and use what-ever Brittany ferry you fancy. It was Dave J who wisely suggested the overnight Caen-Portsmouth ferry Tuesday night, all we had to do was ride there... around 700 miles.

Just as our bookings were being made, John came in to say it had started raining, I don't believe it, that's all we needed! but that Dutch guy had been right hadn't he...

14:17 While I rang home on the port's landline, telling the wife I'd be a little late getting home, I noticed the queue for reception was longer now than when we'd arrived. Oh well, here we go, we rode off into the rain and Santander's heavy traffic. As we joined the A8 again the rain got heavier and it got colder. I suddenly found the big GS definitely didn't like raised wet road markings as it squirmed horribly over them. 700 miles, cold, rain and raised road markings, it was a bloody nightmare!

16:39 After over two hours of heavy rain it finally stopped. We pulled in to services just past Elgoibar, for fuel, coffee and a change out of wet clothes.

N43.28458 W2.32888 (map)

18:14 Just before the border in to France we hit very heavy traffic, the lorries were backed up several miles before the customs post, we dodged between them while they were stood and made it to customs without hardly stopping. With Passports briefly checked, we were off again. We'd travelled 144 miles since leaving Santander by now, We'd agreed to get as far as we could by the end of today. As we rode on I modified that to 'we'd ride on until one hour before sunset, then come off the motorway and find somewhere to stop for the night'

20:04 It was just getting dusk when we came off the N10 in to Labouheyre, those last 80 miles since the border had been almost pleasant, at least we were dry. But, I can honestly say I've never been any place quite like Labouheyre. My friends agreed, it was like a British Army camp in layout, it didn't seem to have a centre and sort of spread out, very odd. As we rode through we saw a sign for a hotel and Bar, the Le Dahut. We stopped and I went in to see if there were any rooms. The barman quickly grasped what was wanted, despite having no English at all, and we were fixed up with three rooms.

N44.21277 W0.91641 (map)

Mine and Dave's room, not sure about the bidet!

Next problem, food, and this was a pantomime, but he got it in the end and was straight on to his mobile phone, rustling up a cook for us.

Half an hour after our arrival, two more British refugees arrived from the Santander ferry failure.

Nine o'clock, feeding time, the cook had appeared and our host showed us in to the dinning room. After some while trying to understand the menu the cook came out to help, he had pretty good English and we were soon sorted out.

The evening meal was €10.50/£7.00 for three courses, I have no idea how much the room was, not a lot...

Today's route in yellow, we've travelled 340 miles today, San Sebastian to Santander then back again passed San Sebastian over the boarder and on to Labouheyre. The most frustrating thing was, had we known the ferry was cancelled when we were in San Sebastian this morning, we'd be well on our way to Caen by now, instead we have 500 miles to ride tomorrow to meet the ferry home :(

Today's temperature graph

Next page

Sun - Mon - Tue - Wed - Thu - Fri - Sat - Mon - Tue

If you wish to contact me, please click Here

Please feel free to sign the guest book if you like what you have read: Guest Book

Thank you