PYRENEES (ATLANTIC TO MEDITERRANEAN) TOUR

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THIS TOUR WILL BE REPEATED IN 2011 AND WILL INCORPORATE THE PAU HISTORIC GRAND PRIX, FULL DETAILS WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THIS SITE IN OCTOBER

Dates:	May 31st-June 7th 2010 7 days/ 7 nights
Cost:	1,485 € per person fixed in euros £1,350 per person( based on £1= 1.10€

Description

7-day tour starting with a ferry crossing to North-West Spain. Our scenic route takes us from Santander on Spain's Atlantic coast right across the Pyrenees to the Mediterranean on wonderful quiet roads amidst spectacular scenery through timeless villages crossing mountain passes and driving through scenic gorges arriving on Spain's Mediterranean north-east coast.

Itinerary

Sunday May 30th,Ferry from Plymouth to Santander leaves Plymouth at 16.00,( alternatively participants can join the tour in Santander tomorrow)

Day 1 - Monday, May 31st

Ferry arrives in Santander on Spain's north west coast at 12.30pm.(participants making their own way down to Santander join the tour here).Our afternoon route takes us into the Spanish countryside in Cantabria and soon we are climbing mountain passes heading towards the Pyrenees. In the afternoon we stop for coffee at Lake Ullibari just north east of Vitoria Gasteiz and then arrve at our nearby hotel.

Day 2 - Tuesday, June 1st

We continue east towards Pamplona Iruna where we head north into the foothills of the Spanish Pyrenees.We drive deeper into the Pyrenees along picturesque gorges and over mountain passes through villages where time has stood still. Our route then takes us up more mountain passes to our lunch stop, a charming hotel in a sleepy village nestling in the Pyrenees. We then continue across scenic peaks back into France and drop down from the Pyrenees to our hotel in Oloron-Ste-Marie.

Day 3 - Wednesday, June 2nd

We drive back into the Pyrenees through valleys and gorges and over more mountain passes to Laruns. From here we climb the Col d'Aubisque to our coffee stop. We then drive through another valley to our optional lunchstop at Argeles-Gazost. We then continue through more valleys and gorges to Esquiez. Here there is an option to visit Europe's longest waterfall; see below:

Optional visit to Europe's longest waterfall
The waterfall is located in the Cirque de Gavarnie, a ring of six 3000-metre peaks 12 miles south of our route at Gavarnie. However the trip on foot to see the magnificent 835 ft waterfall takes three hours return which means an early start from our hotel in Oloron, no coffee stop and a picnic lunch at the waterfall rather than a lunch stop in Argeles. Despite the deviation it is still possible to arrive at our hotel in Vielha this evening in time for dinner.

After Esquiez our route takes us over the Col de Tourmalet, a favourite on the Tour de France cycle race, through the Louron valley and then over the Col St. Pierre and the Col du Portillon where we re-enter Spain. From here we continue on to Vielha where our Parador hotel awaits us.

Day 4 - Thursday, June 3rd

Leaving Vielha we drive though Arties before we climb the Port de la Bonaijua then down the Valley de la Noguera to Tremp. We then climb the Coll de Faidella, the Coll de Boixols and the Coll de Nargo. From here we head north to Seo de Surgell, (La Seu d' Urgell) and our hotel overlooking the medieval town with its amazing 12th century cathedral. There will be time in the afternoon to explore the old town or to visit nearby Andorra and the National Motor Museum just north of the town.

 

Day 5 - Friday, June 4th

We drive south for a few miles before turning onto the L401, a scenic road which passes through a gorge before climbing up the Coll de Jou to Berga. We then take the E9C16 south for 6kms and then turn off onto the C154 to Vic . Here we take the ring road clockwise north of the town before turning onto a minor road which leads us to Lake de Sau where our Parador hotel overlooks the Lake.

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Views in the Pyrenees - click for a larger view

Day 6 - Saturday, June 5th

After 5 days of demanding driving we have a reasonably easy morning with the option to relax at the hotel overlooking the lake or to visit on foot a nearby monastery. In the afternoon we have arranged an excursion to some nearby pretty villages, one with stunning views across a gorge. We then return to our Parador hotel at Vic Sau overlooking the lake.

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Views in the Pyrenees - click for a larger view

Day 7 - Sunday 6th June

We leave Tavernoles and drive south-east towards Vic where we join the C25 south-east to Sant Sadurni d'Osormort and then over the Col de Revell. We then drive to Arlucies where we turn north to Angles. From here we drive to Bescano just south of Girona. We then continue east to Sant Sadurn de l'Heura and La Bisbol. Here we take a scenic back road to the Cap de Begur and our Parador hotel, on the final night of the tour,overlooking the Mediterranean on a stunning peninsula at Aguablava, ( see photo below view from hotel).

Day 8-Monday, 7th June

After breakfast participants are free to make their own way home.It is approximately 700 miles to Caen, (550 miles of which are motorway if you need to get back in a hurry), alternatively, we can suggest a more leisurely return route for you avoiding motorways.

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