Featured Off To Spain

Ferry to France booked for this weekend - and a week off work - super !!

The idea is to go down to Spain to buy an El Gordo lottery ticket, for our office Christmas Lottery Syndicate.

We figured we could get one online - each full ticket costs €200 - but there are concerns over scams and who really knows if you would get the cash if you actually won the thing.

So I will ride down on the bike - a nice end of season trip before winter - and buy a full ticket in a lottery shop somewhere in Spain.

Bike is ready to go. Just figure out whether to go over the Somport crossing - near Jaca - or down the coast to St Jean-de-Luz , Hendaye route.

 

Thank you for your comments and suggestions. And @Andrew46 - 60 miles to Bakewell to buy a pudding is an extravagance but all right for a - Tart

Anyway It might be a chance to stay in the San Sabastian area, couple of days around there. Don't really know that area, so might have a look around there. Also probably the easiest route - and nice in its own right, the big beaches and coastline of France's Atlantic coast.

Agreed, maybe a bit late in the year for the Somport crossing. All kinds of bad weather can happen in the mountains. It could end up being a dead end if roads are blocked.

When we win the lottery this will be first thing on the shopping list

 

Well, the deed is done. We have our syndicate ticket for the Spanish Loteria National de Navidad, 22 December 2025 draw. I bought it in a hole in the wall State Lottery vendor - however pokey looking this place - they sell legit lottery tickets and we would rather that than an online purchase that could be a scam. While I was there got a few more decimos (1/10) tickets, for various friends and close family.




The trip down through France was okay - not too late in the season. But still, the mornings were a little cool and misty and I did not really want to get on the road before 10.00 am (9.00 am UK time) - there was no rush. Days also shorter than in the summer, twice on the way home arrived at my Hotel after dark - which never happens in the long days of summer.

The bike was fine, but the sat-nav continues to play up. There is an issue with intermittent charging - I think it is the cradle end that is the problem as the power is now direct to the battery - wired in properly. So it must be the other end where there is the problem.

I knew from the summer trip this could be an issue so I took a decent sized power bank, just in case. Actually used this all the time, the power bank in my jacket pocket - plugged into the charging port of the sat-nav. It ran all day at full power and drained about 50% of the power bank - easily charged up again in the Hotel overnight.

The other issue was the tyre pressure monitoring unit in the rear wheel is not there, so I keep getting tyre pressure warnings coming up. When the Conti TA3 were fitted they busted the sensor. I know this because the Triumph dealer - that fitted the new Pirelli Scorpions - told me the sensor was missing completely. I asked them to look at it thinking it was a battery issue, but no. The whole thing was busted and decided to keep quiet about it. So that will have to be fixed before the next trip.

A bit of bimbling along, all very nice but not really making much progress, so headed for the Autoroute and Bordeaux. Busy all year really. Lots of trucks using that route. But at least all the traffic was moving - just busy lots od traffic and lots of lorry traffic heading to Spain and Portugal.

Near Bordeaux two motorcycle Gendermes appeared on my tail - out of nowhere. Touch and go whether I was speeding, but they were interested in my number plate most likely. They stayed on my tail for a bit, likely calling it in to see if it is a legit plate. After a few minutes I gave them a wave as they speed off, weaving through the traffic. French motorcycle Gendarmes can really ride their bikes, they really can.

Decided to go to Pamplona. Nice ride through the twisty roads - some autumn colour. Very nice in the sun, warm and dry. Stayed in a Hotel, with no parking. So I checked into an underground car park. Quite expensive, but at least the bike was safe, was the thinking. Great hotel, but no breakfast. A cafe on the corner serves "bocadillos" so I sat there with my coffee and roll, like many working Spanish people start their day in such a way. I noticed one old guy was having a small glass of wine with his - probably not going to work ! All kinds of people in those kinds of cafes, all over Spain.

Got some sort of warning notice put on my bike, about leaving it overnight in the underground car park. It seems it belongs to a department store and closes at the same time as the store. Paid about €80 and moved the bike out into the street. I noticed that none of the bikes and scooters - parked in the street - had had chains or locks on them, not a single one was locked. I figured it safe to leave my bike out on the street overnight. Among the bikes next to mine - unlocked - was a Ducati Multistrada V4S. So parked the bike on the street for free with no worries.

Pay here in the underground parking price was €0.055 per minute. Quite happy to pay it, just not necessary it seemed to me.





Street parking - not a single lock in sight



Spent the day at the Cathedral de Santa Maria, passing the old town where the run the bulls through the street at the festival in July each year. The Cathedral is amazing - in particular some of the museum / artifacts that they have on display. They have some history. amazing.




Some amazing things in there, and the place itself.

Time to head home. Set the sat-nav to avoid toll roads and motorways, which was great. Trundled my way out of Spain, to St Jean de Luz, Bayonne and the flat roads through the pine forests south of Bordeaux. Great, but busy in those coastal seaside resort towns that are probably bust all year round. Nice and warm, sunny. Put the coordinates for the hotel into the sat-nav, forgetting to reset "allow motorways and toll roads" - sat-nav took me straight through the centre of Bordeaux - rush hour and getting dark. That was a slow grind through the slow moving busy traffic - by this time completely dark. Roadworks, not as confident to weave through this in the dark, easy to end up on the floor. Scooters were appearing out of nowhere - just had to get through it. At least the sat- nav was working and it wasn't raining ! Lovely hotel , at the end of it as well - by the side of a lake.

Next day to St Malo in one go. Then a day of rest - but could not resist a fabulous Eustache pocket knife, from their shop in St Malo. Sadly limited to buying one that suits UK regs, but still a beautiful object.

So that is it. Now our little syndicate will wait with millions of other people - including most of the adult population of Spain - to see what will happen on the lottery draw day.

 

Thank you for the nice write-up of your trip. I'm happy you enjoyed what is a very nice part of the country I was born.
I wish you luck for the Christmas lottery, mind you I also wish it for my dozens of relatives in Spain...[/QUOTE]

Thank you - and best wishes to you, your family and relatives.

 

Thank you that is very kind.

Got lucky with the weather, only a few spots of rain and quite mild - just lucky with that. But something a bit different as usually bike tours are in late spring or summer.

I hope to read your travel reports again - and see a few pictures. This forum format works well for that.

Thanks for confirming the problem with the XT sat-nav. Connecting it to a power bank in my pocket solved the problem this time, but not sure how that would work in the heavy rain - this trip it was dry. But exposing the charging socket on the back of the sat-nav to rain might cause issues.

So it would be better if the problem could be solved - was yours replaced under warranty or did you buy a new cable ?

Might have to get another Tomtom !