[Closed] How long to motorbike to Barcelona and back?

Sounds like a marvelous trip and great on a 990 too! I'm jealous

I'm seriously looking forward to it. The trip was a condition of persuading my B-I-L to keep his GSXR750. My heart wants a 990 Superduke but I don't think that kind of distance on that kind of bike would be kind to my weary bones, and I reckon I'd get more normal usage out of the SMT anyway.

990sd more compromised than the SMT

Did it a few times years ago. To be honest the drive through France is boring (motorways are monotonous, back roads choc a block with lorries avoiding motorway tolls) , expensive (tolls and petrol), time consuming (2-3 days to drive through France) and weather, especially in northern France frequently bad.

One year we got the ferry from Portsmouth directly to Santander, avoiding France. Far better option IMHO. Spend the saved time driving in sunny cheaper Spain.

<< Ignore me: Reread your post and realized you'd planned this for the return, personally I'd do it both ways >>

10 days?? Easily. I did Marseille/Bologna in less time that that, from Edinburgh, via Dover.

I went from Edinburgh to barcelona via the chunnel and a side trip to Eindhoven on my BMW R1100rs

IIRC around 24+ hrs riding and ferry time. Edinburgh to Eindhoven around 10 -12 hours. 4-6 hrs eindhoven to Troyes. 5 -6 hrs to somewhere in the Alps, 5-6 hrs to Barcelona. ( thats more than 24 hrs!) some of it was a bit slow as I did part of it in convoy with guys on choppers. ( troyes to alps)

going direct on my own I reckon I could have done it in two days total one way

Being a BMW tho I could do 200 miles in 2 hrs ( once out of blighty), refill and then do another 200. Most of it I did on motorways which was rather a waste.

Full fairing and big tank for the win

I’ve done the route back from barcelona to Newcastle over two days having abandoned a tour as it started pi$$ing down. We stopped once outside Tours. Never, ever, again. The length of France on Peage in the rain on a 950sm must rank as the worst motorcycling experience of my life. I adore that bike, I truly do, but I would have given anything to be bimbling along the same road in an 850cc mini with a heater and BL’s woeful excuse for wipers.

My trip was about 15 years ago. I think nowadays those speeds would get you into trouble!

Years back on one of my Eurotours I rode back from Barcelona to Lancashire,I think it was 2 days to cross France,1 day in northern Spain & another from Newhaven to home.
You have to factor the Ferry times into it all,that's a long day St Andrews - Pompey,doable on a sunny summer day, not so good in the pouring rain..

One year we got the ferry from Portsmouth directly to Santander, avoiding France. Far better option IMHO.

^^^ THIS ^^^
The last time we went that way we got the Plymouth - Santander ferry,it's also what I'll do next time I'm in that part of the world.

I'm planning a similar trip, really only pencilled in at the moment though. My thoughts were ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam, into Germany and head south. Skirt along the south of France and into northern Spain. The remit was to enjoy the riding and scenery. By all accounts France is not the greatest for riding and the police are particularly stiff on bikers. Germany meanwhile is meant to be a joy. Mind you this is all picked up from mags/forums etc, not real world experience so make of it what you will.
I was at the Barca GP last year too, fantastic experience, I'd really recommend trying to get a couple of days at least.

I'm more than happy to bin France for the sake of cheapness and sanity.
So, 1 day to Portsmouth. Overnight ferry and next day will get us halfway to Circuit de Catalunya. Set off early on race day to make the race. Day from there to Murcia. Day from there to Logroño. Then back to Santander for overnight to Plymouth. Day back home. That's 6 days riding by my reckoning.

YoKaiser - IME German bikers are very law abiding and do not speed ( also pretty poor riders bar a few very fast ones). French bikers do speed - all the time! Hence the different reactions you get with regards to cops.

@yokaiser may I suggest heading to Hull and taking the Zeebrugge or Rotterdam crossing? DFDS’ ships are old, the crossing, food and drink expensive and it takes an absolute bloody age to unload bikes. They get stashed away on deck 6, via a series of ramps that can’t be moved until absolutely everything else is disembarked. You can spend up to an hour trapped in the sweltering car deck after docking in ijmuiden. In contrast you’re off pride of hull/York/zeebrugge/Rotterdam and onto decent motorways within 20 minutes of arrival

I'd go for the ferry option as well, the new faster ones make it a no brainer. Lovely ride across the Rioja region and down the Ebro valley. Don't forget to call in after the race, we're 10 minutes off the coast road to Murcia and 2 hrs south of Barcelona. We do b&b and can sort out a bike freindly route for you. This is our website
Casa Tomillo
Edit. More good news, if you want to get quick miles in, the AP7 motorway between Tarragona and Alicante has been de-tolled so it's free, you still have to pay around Barca but every litte helps.

hot_fiat, thanks for the tip, I'll keep it in mind👍.

I'm interested, pistonbroke. You booked up on 7th June? 2 hoursb ride is doable after the race I think.

Bugger,I'm in Logrono riding L'Eroica Hispania, we're making a long weekend of it so coming back Monday. Sorry, should have checked the GP date. You'll have to come back in Sept for the Aragon race which is 30 miles away in Motoland Alcaniz. I can give you details of an alternative place in our local village of El Perello if you want to stop over here anyway.