18:13 hours in the saddle
623 miles ridden in Spain*
Average speed 34.2 mph**
* According to Microsoft it should have been 601 but I had a couple of detours.
** That may not seem much, but when you have a pillion and the bike is carrying everything but the kitchen sink and you are negotiating Spanish mountain roads in indifferent weather, believe me, it is enough!
The ups and downs of touring Spain by motorcycle
or
How to stay married when your promises do not quite live up to the other party's expectations.
Following my tour last year with Alan, my Pan-riding friend, I resolved to re-visit Spain. On that trip, my first introduction to the country, I was impressed with the quality of the roads, the lack of traffic, the hospitality of the people, the excellence of the wine and the ideal biking climate.
Therefore, I prevailed upon my wife, Susie, to indulge me by joining me on a trip in northern Spain and promised comfortable accommodation, excellent scenery and warm weather to secure her approval. It was no easy task, Susie had no previous experience as a pillion prior to my purchase of my Sprint and her only significant pillion ride (other than a quick trip to Padstow for fish and chips) had been one long weekend trip to the Loire back at the beginning of October last year when we returned through some severe gales and monsoon rain. Thus she viewed my plans with considerable trepidation only mollified slightly by my purchase of a new dress for her which would not crease when scrunched up into a pannier.
This was not to be a low budget venture, although transporting the bike by ferry is significantly cheaper than taking a car - taking a car is at least three times as expensive and not half as much fun. However, tactics dictated that an introduction to the rigors of bike touring should have certain compensations for the delectable ballast. The opportunity for "slumming it" can come later once she has warmed to idea (somehow I cannot envisage that - "slumming it" I mean, not that she will not warm to the idea of bike touring). Nevertheless, Spanish hotels are significantly cheaper than their equivalent English counterparts and the most we paid was 130 Euros per head, dinner bed and breakfast in some fairly luxurious accommodation (5-star), with excellent meals and wines to complement the cuisine.
On slight disadvantage was that, having not previously aspired to tour Spain, we had no knowledge of the language other than that gained from watching Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns. I can just about rustle up a "Gracias" and "Dé la cuenta a mi amigo, por favor". This deficiency proved challenging throughout the trip - not in the large hotels as there was always one member of staff who could speak English, but in the small cafes en route. It is a matter that will be rectified should we decide to do more touring in Spain (which is likely but I am not going to give away the entire plot here) by evening classes in the winter months.
Having read and re-read this tale and received some comments on the first draft I have to say that it does at times appear that there is a bias towards the negative side or shall I say the "tricky bits" of our holiday. This is not intended, it's just that the adversities make "better copy" as the tabloids would say. It was a great holiday, one that I would undoubtedly repeat (with modifications). It is, however, as one reader put it, a "warts'n'all" story. It should be remembered, of course, that a motorcycle is, after all, essentially a "one-person" mode of transport. There are some which are better suited to carry a pillion, even designed with that purpose in mind - the Honda GoldWing, for example. The Sprint ST is an excellent compromise between the out-and-out Sports Bike where the pillion position is a total afterthought and the "proper" Tourer. Nevertheless, carrying a pillion carries with it the extra weight (luggage, fuel and pillion add about 100kg (220lb) to the bike's 233kg (515lb) dry weight); limitation of rider comfort; slower response and manoeuverability; and most important, the responsibility for their safety. The purpose in taking one's "significant half" is so that you can share the enjoyment of the trip and not just tell her/him about it when you get back. In an ideal world of course she/he would have her own bike (and thus carry her/his own luggage) but few of us live in that ideal world. Susie is actually content to be a pillion and has little desire, despite various underhand ploys of mine, to ride her own bike The roads we travelled would have been, in general, a total dream when riding solo. Most of them were pretty good 2-up, just a bit harder work that's all.
The entire route
As the departure date approached I monitored the weather with increasing concern. My hopes of a repetition of the temperatures (80-90°F) Alan and I experienced the year before faded, but, I thought, it might creep up to the mid 70s in Spain. Since luggage space was limited packing for two on the bike there would be no capacity for unwanted cool weather clothing. I duly removed the linings from our IXS suits, fitted tinted visors (BS approved), and decided on summer boots and gloves. The night before the departure there were gale warnings in Plymouth and Biscay sea areas together with unseasonably low temperatures and warnings of heavy rain so I laid out my heated waistcoat and Susie's heated fleece accepting that they would take up luggage space when they were consigned to the bottom of the top-box once we reached Spain..........this turned out to be my best decision of the whole trip!
As we left home for the 45 mile trip to Plymouth it was raining and blowing a hooligan, my tinted visor was consigned to the top-box and replaced with my "Fog-city"-fitted clear one. Electric gear was plugged in, heated grips switched on. Within a couple of miles my gleaming, recently polished steed, was now rendered to a dull mud-splattered colour by waterlogged Devon roads - why did I bother!
Crossing the high parts of the moor was exciting - unforeseen gusts causing squeaks from my passenger. Fortunately, the rain abated by the time we reached Plymouth and queued for the ferry - the wind, however, did not.
Going on board at Plymouth
Boarding was a repetition of the previous year - that ramp again - only this time I had more luggage and a pillion. "Never mind." I thought, "I have faced this challenge before." So up we went. Disaster nearly struck at this point as the bike in front of me stopped at the crest of the ramp and I was forced to stop just below the point it leveled out.
Once on the deck we were arranged in the normal two rows. Luggage was unpacked and I tied my bike down with my own straps. There was a scarcity of rope for those who hadn't brought their own ties although the Pan rider next to me did find one piece of string to secure his bike. After he left I put one of my straps over his bike to ensure it did not fall on mine (I saw him later on board and told him that I had done this - we also met up with him and his wife in Spain, but more of that later). The remainder just left their bikes unsecured and walked away from them!!!
Off we went to find our cabin - Commodore class - another incentive to get Susie to accompany me and, with a view to the weather we were about to experience, one Stugeron each was washed down with the complimentary Champagne (not medically recommended but it works).
We left the sanctuary of Plymouth breakwater behind which the the whole of the Royal Navy was sheltering (2 frigates, a couple of patrol boats and an RFA - well that's about all we have left, I think) and ventured towards the Channel.
The restaurant was, unsurprisingly, nearly empty for lunch and as we left they were announcing the afternoon film. Susie said "Probably the Cruel Sea", to which I replied "No - The Perfect Storm". This earned me my first bruise since Susie is not only wary of riding bikes but is also a nervous passenger on ferries in rough weather and even the visual image of George Clooney did little to assuage her fear.
Rough weather
The afternoon was spent contemplating the inside of my eyelids whilst I visualised carnage on the decks below with the unsecured bikes abandoned by their owners.
Contents - click on the text to go to the relevant page
Day 1 - Santander to Santo Domingo de la Calzada, La Rioja - 120 miles
Day 2 - To Carillon de los Condes, Castilla-León - 160 miles
Day 3 - To Fuente Dé, Picos de Europa - 121 miles
Day 4 - To Cangas de Onís, Asturias - 89 miles
Day 5 - To Selores, Cantabria - 76 miles