My 1st full self guided motorcycle tour of the Pyrenees is based on both my guided tours and my own explorations over my 12 years living in Spain/France and works in exactly the same format as my .gpx motorcycle routes for Ireland.
 

 
The Border Hop Pyrenees Motorcycle Tour is a 7-8 day full on, border hopping biketastic blast covering all the high points, 45 cols to be exact.

Price: €45.00 (EUR)

Each pack contains 4 folders:

• Folder 1. Routes, either in GPX or GDB (Garmin) format.
• Folder 2. All POI’s and routes in Google Earth .kml format so you can familiarise yourself with the tour routes in Street View or load into your “My Maps account in Google Maps.
• Folder 3. Extra POI’s in either .gpx or .gdb format that are not used as route shaping points. Use these additional Photo/POI’s to amend my routes to visit what interests you most, or the Lodging/Camping POI’s to find alternative accommodation near the daily start/end points.
• Folder 4. This tour ideally starts/ends in either the port of Bilbao or Santander (Day 1) Within this folder you will find alternative routes to/from the ports of Roscoff or Cherbourg to/from the main tour staging point at the first cols on the Atlantic side of the Pyrenees near Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.

All the .gpx/.gdb routes are supplied as separate day routes, so Day 1, Day 2 etc. Each Route begins and ends at a suggested 3 star hotel accommodation that generally has safe parking, wifi, restaurant, bar etc and if booked early enough can cater for groups. For the most part these hotels are places I’ve stayed in myself, often multiple times. You of course don’t have to use them as the hotels main purpose is a route shaping point. Other nearby accommodation options (camping, hostels etc) are supplied in the POI folder, so if you choose another accommodation option you just need to simply amend the day route start/end points to reflect your amended route. Fuel and photo stops are incorporated into the routes as shaping points.

For the most part all the day routes cover between 240km and a max 340km per day and take aprox 5-6 hours in the saddle. So, by the time you take in photo/coffee/food stops factor in roughly 8 hours per day travel time between accommodations. Obviously those times are approximate as riding experience, weather, traffic and knackered prostates may slow you down.

How to get the routes. Email me at denis [dot] smyth [at] roadtrooper [dot] com with the route pack you’re looking for and I’ll email you back with the routes within a zipped file once payment is made. Payment can be made using either PayPal (preferable) or Wise (If you have a WISE acc) or N26. Let me know which you prefer and I’ll send you the acc details.

Note: Once you load these .gpx or .gdb files onto your satnav or routing smartphone app it’s important to check the loaded route against the corresponding .kml file in Google Earth/Maps. Certain apps or satnavs have avoidance/preference options like “avoid motorways”, “ferries”, “small lanes/link roads”, “choose shortest/quickest route” etc. If you have these options checked on your device they may easily override my intended route and change the route to cater for your checked preferences. If you notice your device changing the routes it’s best to clear the preference/avoid options on your device and re-load the routes. If you’ve any questions just email me and I’ll get back to you asap. For the longer SGT routes I’m happy to arrange a call to talk you through the routes, answer any questions etc.

Currently most of these routes are intended for motorcycles which can easily access the smaller roads and/or mountain passes, some of the roads are not suited for larger vehicles, especially in the Basque Pyrenees where there are many very narrow, single lane roads. If you need a custom tour or need me to amend the SGT’s to cater for larger cars, campervans etc just drop me an email.

All my routes were created in the latest version of Garmin Basecamp with the latest European Map install 2004.1

This Pyrenees motorcycle tour contains within the route pack 326 Waypoints/POI’s, inc: 31 coffee stops/restaurants, 16 Campsites, 48 Hotels, 65+ Photo Stops, 7 Cathar Castles, 87 col’s, and depending on your entry point, 8-10 border crossings

 

The Tour

 

Day 1

 

 
Bilbao/Santander – Pyrénées Atlantiques 340/376km. 3 Cols.

If entering Spain via Bilbao (Preferable) the first part of the route takes you along the magnificent coast road with a few fuel and coffee stop options on the way. The coastal route runs to just south of San Sabastian before an unfortunate but necessary motorway section before peeling off to the good stuff south east of Bayonne.

If entering Spain via Santander it’s motorway for the 1st 40km before pealing off onto the coast road north of Bilbao then following a similar route as above.

 

Day 2 – has 2 options:

 

 
Opt 1 Pyrénées Atlantiques – Tourmalet 275km via Cirque de Tromouse.
This route also takes in 4 brilliant cols and Cirque de Troumouse. If you have time, stop just the other side of Tourmelet to take the cable car to the Observatory on Pic du Midi which is something you’ll never forget.
 

 
The ride up to Cirque de Troumouse is absolutely amazing and the Cirque views are incomparable to anything I know of. Unfortunately some twat, possibly me, shared photos of it and now it’s as popular as Cirque Gravine. So now the last section from Maillet Refuge up to the Cirque itself on the really narrow road with the mad hairpins is closed to traffic in high season (aprox 1st week of June to 1st week in Sept. and you have to park at the refuge and take the train. If you want to ride all the way up you got to do this in May or after the train stops in early Sept. More info - Tramouse Train Timetable
 

 
Opt 2 – Pyrénées Atlantiques – Tourmalet 250km and Route du Lac.
If doing this trip in high season you might want to avoid the crowds around Cirque’s Gavarnie and Troumouse. This route also takes in 4 brilliant cols, bypassing Troumouse and takes in the stunning Route du Lac instead.
 

 
This is one of the most spectacular climbs that you will ever do on two wheels.
 

 
Bordering the Pyrenees National Park, the top of the climb is surrounded by several stunning lakes under the high mountain peaks which surround them.
 

 
If you have time, stop just the other side of Tourmelet to take the cable car to the Observatory on Pic du Midi (https://picdumidi.com) which is, as mentioned, something you’ll never forget.

I’d rate both options almost equally and you’ll not be able to do it all in one day anyway. Either route is an adrenaline rush with your camera having a meltdown so you can’t lose either way.

 

Day 3

 
Tourmalet to Ax-les-Thermes in Occitanie just south of Andorra – 300km.

This will be another unforgettable ride that takes in 12 cols and crosses the border twice. Option to stay here 2 nights and do one of 2 Cathar Castle Loop tours.

 

Day 4 – (Optional)

 
Cathar Castle Loop – 225km.

If you stay a 2nd night here this route is still a great ride with 1-4 cols, but it’s more for the historically curious as it also takes in stops at (potentially if time allows) 7 mountain top Cathar castles. These places, especially the Château de Montségur, can attract a fair few tourists and possibly thieving twats. So if you go walk-about you probably don’t want to keep a fully loaded motorbike with all your luggage etc unattended for too long. Best to leave your gear safe at the hotel and just take what you need for the day which is why I got this set up as an optional, 2 night stay in Ax-les-Thermes. There’s 2 route options here depending on what you want to see.

Opt 1 – 240km, 4 cols, 7 Cathar Castles
Opt 2 – 180km, 1 col, 6 castles inc the biggest one of Holy Grail fame, Château de Montségur.
 

 

Day 5

 
Viva Espania. Ax-les-Thermes to the Benasque Valley in Huesca. Spain. 325km.

There’s 2 route options here as well. Both routes are fantastic, I can’t make a call on which I prefer, the distance you want to travel will likely make the decision for you.
 

 
But what I can say is that the destination for both, the Benasque Valley, is a gem, as is the village of Benasque which is surrounded by the highest concentration of peaks higher than 3000 metres in the entire Pyrenees. It really is quite spectacular. The village itself is full of restaurants, bars etc and it’s busy year round with a few ski stations nearby. So, if you want to stay in the village itself you need to plan and book well ahead.
 

 
Opt 1 – 324km, 5 Cols, 12 POI’s/Photo stops, 2 coffee/restaurant options.
Opt 2 – 280km, 4 Cols,10 POI/photo stops, 1 coffee/food stop option

 

Day 6

 
Huesca to Arragon – 250km.

Another one of my favourite routes, I never get tired of riding through Arragon for it’s vistas and beautiful roads. There are 3 cols in this one and some really interesting places to stop along today’s shorter route. Not least of which is the Monasterio de Santa María de Obarra.
 

 
You’d not know this gem is here at all being hidden from this lonely road. It’s quite bizarre wandering around the magnificent but abandoned monastery in the middle of nowhere with vultures soaring around the surrounding peaks. I have it set as a POI/Photo stop on the route. You need to park at the roadside on this less travelled route and walk 4mins down to it, but it’s worth it, the idyllic setting for this mystic place is jaw dropping. I only found it by accident years ago.
 

 
This route is an easy 250km which will give you time to explore the end point, a masterpiece hewn from uneven stone, the beautiful mediaeval hilltop village of Ainsa is another one of Aragón’s gem.
 

 

Day 7

 
Ainsa, Arragon to Pyrénées Atlantiques – 6 Cols, 3 border crossings, one canyon, 270km.
 

 
You won’t be disappointed with these 6 cols, 2 of them are some of my favourites, the Col du Pierre St Martin possibly my all time favourite as it is one of the few cols where you can let loose the throttle.
 

 
There’s 2 or 3 videos on this one on my YouTube channel, along with most of the others. Also on this route is one of my favourite canyons in Ordesa National Park

 

Day 8

 
For those heading home via Bilbao or Santander. 220km.

The route winds its way through the unique Basque Pyrenean Cols, 8 of them.
 

 
From here the route works its way through the Basque Country’s hills and valleys for the last night on the Basque coast in a mediaeval fishing village where you can wind down in charming bars, restaurants or head to the beach. Before catching the ferry you can enjoy an easy morning before a quick 100km motorway run to the ferry in Bilbao, or 180km to Santander.

How to get my Self Guided GPX motorcycle tour of the Pyrenees. Email me at denis.smyth@roadtrooper.com with the route pack you’re looking for and I’ll email you back with the routes within a zipped file once payment is made. Payment can be made using either PayPal (preferable) or Wise (If you have a WISE acc) or N26. Let me know which you prefer and I’ll send you the acc details.

This price of this 7-8 day Border Hop Pyrenees Motorcycle Tour is €45.00 (EUR)

If by chance you find yourself in need of a “been there” sticker or tee of the Pyrenees or your favorite col you can find them along with 100′s of other touring sticker designs in my online store. The proceeds of which go towards keeping this site on-line, independent, and ad free – www.RoadTrooperStore.com
 

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