Euro riding

I'm going to Spain in June for the MotoGP at Catalunya. Unfortunately the
ferry to Santander has no available space for motorcycles on the day I
wanted to travel and the ferry to Bilbao doesn't go when I want to go.

Any advice on which of the multitude of ports on the north coast of France
are best for the start of my journey?

Any advice on luggage? I have a hi-level can so no side panniers, couldn't
bring myself to fit a top box, so I guess that leaves a tank bag. Any where
I can go and view before I purchase?

Also I need a licence plate made up with a GB sign on the left, preferably
no bigger then 7"x5"

If anyone has done this journey could they please suggest a nice route that
can get me there in 24 hours?

Thanks

 

Don't tow a trailer, the Spaniards don't like them.

 

In 24 hours you can be in just about any location within 1700 miles of
Calais. Just pick a road, stop asking questions, and ride.

 

Champ wrote in

as Champ implies: pick a port closest to your home. Dullest part of the
journey is in UK not France. I like Portsmouth-Le Havre on P&O. Sensible
10.30pm departure time. Much drinking. 150 miles before breakfast. Stop
overnight somewhere near Bordeaux.

and/or a well strapped seat bag like the 20 quid Oxford Pro-sport

only time it saved hassle was coming into EU from Slovenia. Austrian
border guards just waved us through after clocking the GB plate. On your
trip it matters not, as Champ says.

Wise words. On returning from Italy I rode 700 miles on the last day.
Not a problem for me. However, my less travelled friend was a gibbering
wreck and needed a lot of encouragement to get to Calais for the ferry.
Reiteration: don't underestimate the amount of concentration needed to
cover 500+ miles in a day.

 

Similar experience in Soviet era eastern Europe. The GB plate was pretty
helpful. I appreciate that isn't going to be a problem for you ...

As a child I used to really enjoy seeing cars and bikes with foreign
nationality plates, especially those from far away. The cars always
looked so, ermm, foreign.

Try Mal plates http://www.malplates.co.uk/ they may be able to make one
up for you. Other than that its a small plastic one (you can get them
from most car accessory shops) stuck to the bottom part of your mudguard
or existing numberplate.

 

We do like, but they're simply illegal.

 

Domenex wrote:bored us all completely to death with wittery prose along
the lines of:

Not completely, I thought. The law's been changed, hasn't it? They're
legal, but have some stupid constraints attached to them (like riding
in daylight only, or some such thing)

--
Cab :^) - Ormiga Atomica
GSX 1400 - 'Tarts Handbag' (tm) Bike, dead 550/4 Rat
UKRMMA#10 (KoTL), IbW#015, Bob#4, POTM#3

P.S. Remove your_head from the cab. ICQ: 83023471

 

I don't know exactly. A trailer maker announced a camping trailer for
bikes and I called them asking whether it was finally legal. They
replied they were still working on it and have received no further
information.