Pico's & Pyrenees 2023

[Trinity765]

I'm starting to get very excited!

I'll be setting off on my adventure a week Sunday. I'm meeting my northern friend at Tescos, Chosham to fill up on snacks before jumping on the ferry to Bilboa - a two night journey arriving Tuesday morning.

Yesterday I changed my oil & filter and put new front pads in. Next Monday I'm getting some sporty rubber.

I've got some new summer gloves arriving in the post from Sportsbikeshop and I can't think of any gear or luggage that I need.

Passport - Check
Travel Insurance - not got that yet but will probably go with the Post Office as I've always done in the past.
Cash - Not sure how much money to exchange as I'll be using my card. Does anyone know if I'm better off taking cash?

[Noggin]

I'm starting to get very excited!

I'll be setting off on my adventure a week Sunday. I'm meeting my northern friend at Tescos, Chosham to fill up on snacks before jumping on the ferry to Bilboa - a two night journey arriving Tuesday morning.

Yesterday I changed my oil & filter and put new front pads in. Next Monday I'm getting some sporty rubber.

I've got some new summer gloves arriving in the post from Sportsbikeshop and I can't think of any gear or luggage that I need.

Passport - Check
Travel Insurance - not got that yet but will probably go with the Post Office as I've always done in the past.
Cash - Not sure how much money to exchange as I'll be using my card. Does anyone know if I'm better off taking cash?

Do you use your UK bank card? If so, have a look at Revolut. You can easily transfer sterling to it and convert it at a better rate than your bank will. (Also then works in any currency! so handy for the future if you do more travelling! )

Most people seem to use cards but for small 'local' places I do try and pay cash - not the supermarket or an obvious 'chain', but at a local restaurant or small shop/market stall. They have to pay to accept cards, and the bigger groups are more able to deal with that. Smaller places it's much better for them if you pay cash.

For that, Revolut is handy as you can use it at a cash point without extra charges as you will have money in Euros in the account, so it won't charge 'again' to withdraw in cash.

(Not a totally self-less post - if you don't have Revolut I can send you a link that will benefit us both! But you can just get the app and get the card - shouldn't take more than a few days, hopefully!!)

Very envious of your trip

[Trinity765]

I'm starting to get very excited!

I'll be setting off on my adventure a week Sunday. I'm meeting my northern friend at Tescos, Chosham to fill up on snacks before jumping on the ferry to Bilboa - a two night journey arriving Tuesday morning.

Yesterday I changed my oil & filter and put new front pads in. Next Monday I'm getting some sporty rubber.

I've got some new summer gloves arriving in the post from Sportsbikeshop and I can't think of any gear or luggage that I need.

Passport - Check
Travel Insurance - not got that yet but will probably go with the Post Office as I've always done in the past.
Cash - Not sure how much money to exchange as I'll be using my card. Does anyone know if I'm better off taking cash?

Do you use your UK bank card? If so, have a look at Revolut. You can easily transfer sterling to it and convert it at a better rate than your bank will. (Also then works in any currency! so handy for the future if you do more travelling! )

Most people seem to use cards but for small 'local' places I do try and pay cash - not the supermarket or an obvious 'chain', but at a local restaurant or small shop/market stall. They have to pay to accept cards, and the bigger groups are more able to deal with that. Smaller places it's much better for them if you pay cash.

For that, Revolut is handy as you can use it at a cash point without extra charges as you will have money in Euros in the account, so it won't charge 'again' to withdraw in cash.

(Not a totally self-less post - if you don't have Revolut I can send you a link that will benefit us both! But you can just get the app and get the card - shouldn't take more than a few days, hopefully!!)

Very envious of your trip

Thanks for the tips! I will look at Revolut tonight

[Noggin]

I'm starting to get very excited!

I'll be setting off on my adventure a week Sunday. I'm meeting my northern friend at Tescos, Chosham to fill up on snacks before jumping on the ferry to Bilboa - a two night journey arriving Tuesday morning.

Yesterday I changed my oil & filter and put new front pads in. Next Monday I'm getting some sporty rubber.

I've got some new summer gloves arriving in the post from Sportsbikeshop and I can't think of any gear or luggage that I need.

Passport - Check
Travel Insurance - not got that yet but will probably go with the Post Office as I've always done in the past.
Cash - Not sure how much money to exchange as I'll be using my card. Does anyone know if I'm better off taking cash?

Do you use your UK bank card? If so, have a look at Revolut. You can easily transfer sterling to it and convert it at a better rate than your bank will. (Also then works in any currency! so handy for the future if you do more travelling! )

Most people seem to use cards but for small 'local' places I do try and pay cash - not the supermarket or an obvious 'chain', but at a local restaurant or small shop/market stall. They have to pay to accept cards, and the bigger groups are more able to deal with that. Smaller places it's much better for them if you pay cash.

For that, Revolut is handy as you can use it at a cash point without extra charges as you will have money in Euros in the account, so it won't charge 'again' to withdraw in cash.

(Not a totally self-less post - if you don't have Revolut I can send you a link that will benefit us both! But you can just get the app and get the card - shouldn't take more than a few days, hopefully!!)

Very envious of your trip

Thanks for the tips! I will look at Revolut tonight

It's similar to Wise, but for the moment I think it's quite a lot better!

[Dodgy69]

https://www.voyagertravelinsurance.co.u ... insurance/

[Bustaspoke]

Travel Insurance - not got that yet but will probably go with the Post Office as I've always done in the past.

Have a close look at the small print on your travel insurance,a lot of policies don't cover you on a bike over 125cc.
My bike's are insured with McKenzie Hodgson,but I used Carole Nash Travel insurance for our recent Ireland trip.
Easy to sort online

https://www.carolenash.com/other-insura ... -insurance

[Trinity765]

Travel Insurance - not got that yet but will probably go with the Post Office as I've always done in the past.

Have a close look at the small print on your travel insurance,a lot of policies don't cover you on a bike over 125cc.
My bike's are insured with McKenzie Hodgson,but I used Carole Nash Travel insurance for our recent Ireland trip.
Easy to sort online

https://www.carolenash.com/other-insura ... -insurance

The last time I used the Post Office for a bike trip it did cover bikes over 125cc but as that was a while ago, I'll double check and I'll see what Carol Nash has. My bike is insured with them but I doubt that give me a discount - worth a look.

[Trinity765]

@Noggin I have a Revolut account/app, the cards on it's way. Very good exchange rate - thank you.

[Noggin]

@Noggin I have a Revolut account/app, the cards on it's way. Very good exchange rate - thank you.

Perfect. Much easier and much better exchange rates But definitely try and use cash for the smaller 'local' places

[Trinity765]

I've done some preliminary routing - ferry to hotel one, hotel one to hotel two, hotel two to hotel three and a couple of days out. I've bought a map book so the rest can be done on the fly. Here's all the routes together.

Off to see Triumph in a couple of hours to get my leaky fork seal sorted.

[ChrisW]

That looks superb! It's a lovely part of the world and it'll be a great way to experience it. I've not been around there for 15 years or so and I'm very envious

[Trinity765]

I don't know how many of you will read this but Lourdes - I'm staying an hour away so could pop there for a meander - anyone been? Is there anything to see if you're not there as a pilgrimage?

[weeksy]

I don't know how many of you will read this but Lourdes - I'm staying an hour away so could pop there for a meander - anyone been? Is there anything to see if you're not there as a pilgrimage?

Plenty of us will... There's a MTB DH race track there

[Trinity765]

I don't know how many of you will read this but Lourdes - I'm staying an hour away so could pop there for a meander - anyone been? Is there anything to see if you're not there as a pilgrimage?

Plenty of us will... There's a MTB DH race track there

Is it good for a wander around - like a proper tourist?

[Count Steer]

I don't know how many of you will read this but Lourdes - I'm staying an hour away so could pop there for a meander - anyone been? Is there anything to see if you're not there as a pilgrimage?

Plenty of us will... There's a MTB DH race track there

Is it good for a wander around - like a proper tourist?

It's worth having a walk around, in a rather masochistic way. It's like a miracle theme park with more tat per yard for sale than Skeggy. Bus loads of old tourists etc etc. It's all a bit cheesy and

Pau is better.

[Trinity765]

Plenty of us will... There's a MTB DH race track there

Is it good for a wander around - like a proper tourist?

It's worth having a walk around, in a rather masochistic way. It's like a miracle theme park with more tat per yard for sale than Skeggy. Bus loads of old tourists etc etc. It's all a bit cheesy and

Pau is better.

Pau it is. There's a few motorcycle shops in Pau and would rather walk around them by the sounds of it.

[Count Steer]

PS Under all the tat Lourdes is quite a nice place really. Just hard to experience it behind the layers of tourist stuff.

[Trinity765]

PS Under all the tat Lourdes is quite a nice place really. Just hard to experience it behind the layers of tourist stuff.

I will decide with my travelling companion. We're staying in Laruns which looks really cute so may be happy hanging out there drinking beer and eating crepes

[Count Steer]

Pau it is. There's a few motorcycle shops in Pau and would rather walk around them by the sounds of it.

Pau has a v old street circuit that it might be quite nice to have a bimble round, not sure how much is readily accessible under normal traffic rules though.

Are you staying at Argelès Gazoste? If you have a day off there you can get the cable car up the hill and play 'spot the marmot'

[Count Steer]

Pau it is. There's a few motorcycle shops in Pau and would rather walk around them by the sounds of it.

Pau has a v old street circuit that it might be quite nice to have a bimble round, not sure how much is readily accessible under normal traffic rules though.

Are you staying at Argelès Gazoste? If you have a day off there you can get the cable car up the hill and play 'spot the marmot' Or ride up to the track to the refuge by the lake for a spot of lunch.