hi, give me a shout when you will be coming through norway, i live on the west coast between stavanger and bergen and know a few great roads around here, i live not too far from trolltunga, which is like a must see for people on this side of the country... also, petrol is like super expensive here, so is beer, and pretty much everything in fact

Hello,
Allways welcome here.
Just send me an email.
Greetings,
Jurgen

Hi scubabiker/ Jurgen.. Thanks guys .. Will do.. Yes am prepared for the shock of fuel etc.. All part of the deal I guess.. Cheers guys..

Hi Simo.
How's your planning going for your trip.
We're in Melbourne and planning a trip through Western Europe either 2016 or 2017 so very interested in what you're doing.

Hi, yes planning going well, airfare sorted yesterday, have information overload at the moment but in a good way. Been busy linking a few routes / POI!s, changing a few routes as well... I guess trying to make the most of a route ,ie:: great ridiing/ scenery etc...I am really not overly worried about getting accommodation as it's just me. Although I am looking at types of accom/ costs lots of good apps in regards to this... Have you got a basic idea of what area you are wanting to explore....cheers Phil

Hi Simo,

It's your trip of course but it would be a shame to miss a run along the Pyrenees seeing that you will be so close?

I could devise a short tour on the Spanish side to take in some of the best bits in just one day if you like :)

Regs

Simon

Hey Simon,

That would be very much appreciated....I wasn't sure how I would be going for time, but I would love to see the area albeit briefly. I was planning on spending a little time in the Valence area so I could detour south after that before heading north to my next POI.... Oradour-sur-.Glane ( the town untouched since WW11)..a route along the Pyrenees would be great mate ....

Cheers Phil

Just a short thought.

Have you considered going Pejë/Pec (Kosovo), Plav (Monte), Shkodër (Alba) instead of going through Greece?

I never went through Greece so I cant say anything about that option. But the route I mentioned was really amazing in terms of nature. Do mind that the road was sometimes a little rough. Like no real road but just a lot of rocks. I just got my license before my trip and did it two-up. Sometimes my passenger walked a few yards. Road construction was going on so maybe now there is even less "offroad" available.

Also looks like you will be passing by Plitvička in Croatia. Its a little touristy, you pay for entrance etc. But although I dont like touristy stuff, it was very nice (again nature, but this is more spectacular post card-ish. The route I mentioned first is more wild.


Regarding Norway. I was there this summer and did a similar trip as youre planning. I see youre planning to take the "lots of boats" path from Stavanger and north. I got some advise to go there but I opted to go a little more inland and I really liked it. The difference is that you get not only fjords but also some of the mountains/highlands or whatever it might be called. Not sure what you prefer but might be worth checking out. Two examples of nice places are Hardangervidda National Park (I went through north part) and Jotunheimen.

One last thing. The road you picked for crossing Sweden... Maybe its because Im from here, but it is not special at all. Just road and trees. I dont have a better suggestion but just a heads-up :)

Good luck!

Hi FS,

" my apologies" The route I posted is a basic outline of my direction and it isn't loaded to my Gps. I have no doubt my route will vary with the advise of valuable local knowledge such as yours...thank you...
I have many POI marked and my route can vary between them. So far I have loaded the routes from Bikers Britain..... all of John Hermanns routes from the "Alps & Beyond.. All of Toby Ballentine's motorcycle journeys through Western Europe To my GPS... As well as routes suggested by fellow HU community.... Basically I am starting my journey from South east England , anti clockwise through Scotland ' nc500' etc over To Ireland , back through Wales and down to catch ferry to Normandy, then a history tour of WW1& WW11 sites before cutting east to the Mid Rhine & follow the Rhine north viewing most of the castles to Koblenz , cutting North East through Nat Parks ,,, etc winding my Way to Hirtshals.
Yes as you said some good inland roads... I have taken note thank you again.....FS....from there I have a few routes loaded, but my aim is to ride the Atlantic road...and cut east to Stockholm...nothing really in concrete from there .. I have a really good app I can call on Best Biking Roads ... To help out if I get caught out....so I am basically winging it through to my POI's from there ?..Hitlers Wolf lair in Northern Poland, Stalag luft 111...the place where the real ' great escape ' took place in Zagan , western Poland... Auschwitz.....southern Poland , then across to ride the Transfagarasan, in Romania....nothing special planned from there to Gallipoli,, Turkey...and open to suggestions.... As well nothing special planned from Turkey to Austria....have you any ideas on a nice route from Montenegro to Eastern Austria.... So your suggestions are a definate possibility FS.....From Austria I have an endless supply of routes right accross to Valence .....just an outline of my trip thank you ... And any suggestions are valued & appreciated greatly....

You obviously know yourself best and what you like to do. Personally I prefer one main route that is planned ahead. There is always the option of changing it ofc. But personally I dont like having to spend time staring on a map/gps when I could enjoy nature, the city Im in or whatever.

My route through Albania/Kosovo was actually a de-tour based on stories/photos from a guy I met in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Easier to change "the grand plan" than to have many grand plans and try to choose one, imho :)

Good luck with the planning. Sounds like youre in for a sweet ride!

I guess historically more routes than I can think of I have changed here in Australia on the run., either because of the weather, which can turn to shit in the blink of an eye and in the out back you have to ride to the weather as the roads become impassable ,, also talking to local riders at Cafes who know there specific area have suggested a better way.. This
is why I usually go with a general route.. I guess old habits die hard ..!i rode New Zealand last year and had my route all sorted, on the plane on the way I looked at the weather and it was raining and forecasted bad weather where I was travelling.. I changed the entire route on the plane according to the forecast and I never got one day of rain,..I have been busy sorting a route and have one now .. No doubt I will edit it as the time gets near, and better options play a role.. Either way yes it will be an amazing ride.. Cheers

OK, here's a whistle stop tour in the Pyrenees - I nearly said 'of' the Pyrenees but that would take at least a week!

If you started and ended in the villages I suggest you would have a very long - I mean very long! - ride. So I suggest a two day ride starting and ending further in France at the places you mentioned - i don't 'do' France as such - with an overnight break in Spain - where you can eat properly at last! :D

Most people choose Ainsa and that's a good choice as there's loads of accommodation there and it's a nice place. It's a bit 'touristy' but not in a bad way.

So:

Day 1: Axat (France) - D118 to Puigcerda (Spain) - N260 to Sort - C13 to Esterri d'Aneu - C28 to Vielha - N230 to Bossost - N141/D618a to Bagneres de Luchon (France) - D618 to Arreau - D929/A128 to Ainsa (Spain)

Day 2: N260 to Boltaña - A1604/N330 to Sabiñánigo (NB - don't let your satnav/route finder just keep you on the N260! from Ainsa to Sabiñanigo) - N260/A136/D9345 to Laruns (France) - D918 to Argelés-Gasost -

Finally - phew! - continue on the D918 to Arreau for the Col du Tourmalet, which is best approached from the west. Note that you can leave the D918 before you get to Arreau and head for Tarbes on the D935 if that suits your plans better.

Regs

Simon

The route looks sensational.mate... I will definitely do this on the tail end of my trip...probably mid September
the 260,1604 look amazing rides...have transferred routes to my sat Nav & offline smartphone app...really appreciate the information...bier

:funmeteryes:UCheers

No worries. Mid-september will be ideal. I have a rally at La Pobla de Segur - fifteen minutes south of Sort - from September 12 - 16th so drop by for a cuppa along your way!

Put a note to yourself to beware of cattle, e.g. horses, sheep and even geese! - on the A1604!

Regs

Simon