speed limit is 130km / h , we hadn ’ t anticipated the likelihood of losing sight of some riders and assumed when we went through the toll gates that everyone was ready . It wasn ’ t the case ... But that is another story .
TRANS PYRÉNÉES TOUR We had booked the Trans Pyrénées guided tour through Ride-in-Tours , led by Laurent as a private tour for the 10 of us originally , but were joined by a French couple who had ridden with us in 2023 and a Belgium couple who spoke extremely good English . So , the 15 of us , named ‘ Les 15 Motards - Pyrénées ’ headed off from this elegant seaside resort surrounded by sandy beaches ; sumptuous buildings and villas in eclectic architectural styles on a seven day , seven night tour through this magical mountain range which straddles the border of France and Spain . As we weaved in and out of Spain and France , we had a night in the microstate of Andorra which is sandwiched in between . Our tour finished in Roses where , after a final dinner , we said our goodbyes to our French and Belgium friends who headed home for their own summer holidays and we were back to 10-11 Kiwis and our French guide Laurent . After two days returning back to Irun , south of Biarritz , we commenced our third tour . There were so many highlights on this guided tour through the Pyrénées , each deserving of a story of their own , but it will need to wait for another time .
PICOS EUROPA AND ASTURIES TOUR The accommodation throughout both of these guided tours was in hotels and lodges selected by our tour guide for their amazing locations and settings , where we could enjoy the delicious breakfasts ( excited about what the day had in store for us ) and evening meals , sharing stories of the delights of that day . The highlights for me on this trip which took us mainly into northern Spain was the visit to Bilbao where the Guggenheim museum is located ; the Picos National Park ; riding through a cave in Cuevona de Cuevas del Aqua ; the Picos de Europa National Park ; Burgos home of the 3rd largest cathedral in Spain ; Sad Hill Cemetery where Clint Eastwood filmed the final scene of ‘ The Good , The Bad and The Ugly ’. You will need to ask one of the fellow travellers about whether the trip got better or not ; but my guess will be that they will say that instead of getting better , that each day was full of amazing rides , amazing scenery , amazing experiences , amazing people . We have already started planning on our trip next year , returning to the Dolomites , Italian Lakes , Tuscany and Cinque Terre and , of course , it will be back on the Stelvio . CAROLYN ROOD
Carolyn and Kel Rood run the Riders Rest motorcycle friendly accommodation ( www . ridersrest . co . nz ) and you can see more photos on their Instagram at theroods2upineurope .
76 KIWI RIDER