Each day of the festival San Fermin at 8am in the morning a group of Bulls are released from a compound to charge up the streets to the bull ring, and anyone wishing to take part can run with them.
Ian(see India and South Africa trips) and I spoke about it as a possible trip on the bikes.
Owen (BMW R1150GS Adv) and Ian (Honda 1000 Varadeo)
So here we go:
Great train journey, chatting bikes with another beemer man.off to Paris no problem, found our way to the champes elysee, saw the Arc du Triomphe, took a wrong turn and took over 1.5HRS to get back on track.
Ice cream at the Eiffle tower then off to find a hotel south off the city, another bit of back tracking, Paris is a disater area!! Found a motel in Arapjon at 9pm
Total 334miles
Started well, got on to the N20 and took of like rockets, French drivers are very nice to bikers and seem mostly to pull to the side to allow you to overtake.Then the French roadsigns get the better of me again and into detour mode(I'm permanatley in detour on the bike, ask Ian) best wrong turn I ever made, fantastic twisty back road, little to no traffic and great surface.Cost around 50miles and 1 hr but grin factor off the scale.
Back on route at about 11am and a gruelling 8 hrs to Millau. Into town, hotel, unpack shower and off to a great restuaraurant.
Total 463miles
A spot of sightseeing first to get photos of the bridge the back track to pay the toll to cross it!!!
In andorra we went for what started of as a quiet meal but ended up in a totaly mad drunken night out. We met a scouse guy, Jay and his girlfriend Lorraine, who had set out on a booze cruise. They decided to follow us to Pamplona.
Ian asleep in the bar, a lift home from the Andorran Police and waking the hotel owners were amongst the higlights of a very drunken night.
Total 290 miles
We set off late, as the hangovers were pretty grim. Jay followed us ,driving like a madman but managing to keep up, at a fuel stop we managed to lose Ian but phoned him and sorted it out.We cut it short and stopped at a campsite in Fraga.Having managed to sort out a pitch we set about putting up the tent but the wind was so strong and the ground so hard it was impossible, so back to reception and a cabin.
A quiet night in, we asked for a menu in the campsite bar/restaurant and the owner "hablo no anglaise" drew a picture much merriment and we decided on a picture of a chop, which turned out to be a very good mixed grill.
Total 150 miles
Arrived at hotel on the outskirts of Pamplona, checked in then back on the bikes and into town a quick walk around and we got tickets from a tout for the bullfight. I hadn't been before and won't go again but another experience.
Total 221miles
The best website .sanfermin.com/2007
Unfortunately by the time we got to town it was packed so we ended up in the bull ring, plenty of fun watching the runners getting chased around the ring by young bulls let in to the ring after the run had finished. This went on for an hour and lots of the runners managed to get knocked off their feet.One up for the Bulls Hurrah!!
A 2 hr run to Vitoria, a chance to get to the bank for some more euros and quick tour of the City(Ian didn't want to stay) Then another 2 hours to San Sebastian a pretty border town and old port.
Total 212miles
On to Le Verdon all on minor roads through the Vinyards of the Bordeaux District, lots of other fruit trees as well.Le Verdon is a sleepy little west coast resort with nothing much going on so we got the ferry across to Rayon which was much livlier
Spent the afternoon on the beach with a few chilled beers and time to reflect on the Journey.No photos didn't want to seem pervy, lots of topless french women;-)
Total 271 miles
A 270 mile final leg sees us in St Malo with a few hours to spare before the ferry home, so a visit to the 39-45 war memorial, and a ride around the old walled city. I think we could have spent a couple of days here, lots of history from WW2.
Total 273 miles
