I was just thinkėng.....

[1675]

A couple of ex work colleagues are moving on and having a joint leaving "do" in a couple of weeks. I always thought a couple of pints at a pub local to most would suffice, but they are flying to Benidorm, Spain for a long weekend. Such are the youth of today. I was invited, but have decided to go on the bike and take a fortnight about it. Over from dover to calais, just because I have a free crossing to be used, then down to Orador Sur Glan ( bet I've spelt it wrong) which was the site of an attrocity during ww2. Then to benidorm for a few nights. I was intending to head for the east coast of portugal and north to the nw corner of spain, then across the green coast, calling at bilbao to see their transporter bridge,  then up the westcoast of france to home. Then I got to thinking. I might just get the ferry to morocco for a week or so. I've not been since 1982 when I was a lad of 21 on my moto guzzi spada. I was by myself and found it a bit overwhelming to be honest. Has anyone been recently?
I have run the spain part past the perfumed one,  as well as my mother and both say go ( dad is in a home with advanced dementia so things are "difficult" at the minute) .  I always work on the basis that it is sometimes easier to gain forgiveness, than permission in the first place, but I think late october would be nice in north africa. Any thoughts?

[GavJ]

Sounds awesome, sitting here watching the rain run down my window...... my next break is October, goodness knows what the weather will be like. Go for it I say

[ikkieman]

Ah yeah! Awesome trip, mate. I'd love to go with you, but october has a ton of stuff lined up for me. Including work.
Go, mate. Go!
As a friend of mine in Turkey always says: "evde kalanlar erken ölür." Those who stay at home die early.

[1675]

Thats a good saying! I'm in turkey at the minute and going to show it to the hotel staff. I was at the same hotel 3 years ago on my trophy and the staff know what im like!

[Mongoose]

Fair play to you, that sounds like a great trip. Looking at some of the trip reports on other bike forums I lurk on, the roads in North Africa seem to be more suited to adventure bikes with knobblies, rather than a big tourer perhaps?

I'm hoping to do Portugal next May or June, ferry to Bilbao then down through the centre of Portugal, taking ten days to reach the Algarve. Done some of it by car over the past few years and can highly recommend it for great roads, cheap food and accommodation..................and great medical care should the worst happen!

[1675]

Well, I'm back. Ended up revising the route a bit and did it in reverse. Plymouth to St Malo and down to Dax in France on the first day. Into northern Spain and across the worlds first transporter bridge in Bilbao, then into the Picos D'Europa mountains. The run of 5000 curves was assembling around Colombres so saw some interesting old bikes. Further west to Santiago de Compostella, then south into Portugal. Diagonally across Spain, taking in as many scenic roads rather than motorway or newer dual carriageways. Got to Benidorm which is Spains equivalent to our own Blackpool and not really my cup of tea, but each to their own. After 3 days of full English breakfast offers and being ticed into the Red Lion, I was off again. Before I had left the apartment that morning, the guys I had been with contacted me to say they were in Newcastle airport. North to Huesca and into the Pyrennes, then to Oradour sur Glane, where 642 villagers were shot by the Germans in 1944. (It would have been nice if the French schoolchildren and their teachers could read their own language and not take selfies, talk and point and laugh at the pictures of those who died, but maybe that's just me)
Mainly route national back to Calais, where I happened upon a local run of 10 Solex mopeds ( I also have a moped, great fun) then into Sangatte cemetery to see the grave of Joseph Leng, 7yrs who died by drowning whilst visiting his soldier father at the end of WW1.
Great weather, never got to Morocco and only problem was losing the oil from the rear shock which made for a bouncy ride home.
4255 miles, 90hrs riiding, 47.7mph, 54mpg, 78.8 galls af fuel used. Never saw another UK registered bike in 2 weeks

[Mongoose]

Booooooooo! Where's the pictures?! 

[1675]

Ahhh. Always failed on that one Im afraid. More of a spanners and riding man! Will try though