So, a step forward today. We booked our ferries - Portsmouth to Caen and then Bilbao to Portsmouth - and have booked our hotels for the route, in Cognac, Argeles-Gazost, Pamplona and Bilbao. The current route (too complex for Google Maps to link) is 1,850 miles, excluding ferries but including going from and to Ipswich at either end. We're not aiming for hostels or camping standards, but have still managed to average just over £50 a night for accommodation. Parking will be extra in some places though, notably in Spain as our hotels are in relatively cramped old town locations.
Fingers crossed that the snow in the Pyrenees recedes fairly early this year! Planning an entertaining all day route from Pamplona to Bilbao has been fun, and has just gone to show how many good rides there are in that area, especially west of Bilbao. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, but given more time next year I can see us going direct from Portsmouth to Bilbao and making the most of those roads before heading straight back on the return ferry. I'm still looking forward to a good experience riding down through France though, especially cutting in to hit the Atlantic coast near the end before heading to Argeles along the foot of the Pyrenees.
