What drought?

Enjoyable crossing on the ferry - a chance to cach up with John, a decent meal, a good nights rest and then watching the boat approach the Spanish coast. Alas as we disembark it is clear we are in for some seriously wet weather. A 3 hour run along the north coast through torrential rain and standing water was not the plan! Stop for a quick bite and to warm up in Irun and then what we came for - up into the mountains including our first mountain pass as we cross from Spain into France. Still wet and windy, which makes the exposed bends a bit hairy and not quite the view you'd get in the dry, but great none the less. The weather is supposed to get better from here on in.

Best laid plans.....

10 minutes from the end of a 5 hour meeting on Friday my client mentions he needs me to attend a board meeting in the middle of my trip! Offers of a substitute and protestations of my holiday failed to avert the inevitable so it looks like the itinerary will have to be extended by a day to incorporate a flight from Toulouse back to London for this meeting, then back to Toulouse and back into the mountains. Looks the best of a bad bunch of options and means that John will have a day to kill in Toulouse and I will not be back in time to do my triathlon on Sunday 27th. It also means I have to change half the hotel bookings and the ferry crossing.

Pyrenees, May 2012

Route and accomodation all booked for a trip to the Pyrenees with John Proctor at the end of May. The basic plan is to get the ferry from Plymouth to Santander, ride west to east on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees (the N260 is supposed to be an iconic motorcycling road) and then follow to 'Route of the Pyrenees' (traditional cycling route) east to west on the French side. From there we'll turn north riding through France to Cherbourg, getting a ferry to Plymouth and then home to Bristol. Here's the route