Haute Moture Tour  – Overview 

Knockin’ on heaven’s door? By transiting roughly 40 alpine passes in the gorgeous Pyrenees we will certainly be in the right neighbourhood. This all-new, one-off, 10 ½ day tour will take us in looping arcs along the stunning boundary region between France and Spain. Unlike our more recent trips, loaded with UNESCO World Heritage sites, this tour is slanted towards breathing in glorious alpine vistas.

All about the scenery then? No way Josephine. There are scads of historic, interesting, or unusual sites for us to visit along the way, and we’re packing them in wherever possible.

Culture? Gastronomy? One of the wonderful things about Europe is that a unique culture is just the other side of a nearby border. In this case it’s the Basque Region, France, and Spain. Given the tour leader’s fondness for bakeries, a stop at Le Musée du Gâteau Basque seems like a must-do. In France, a nation which excels at producing exquisite cheese, a locally sourced warm chèvre salad is a proper treat. Spanish tapas? Si, ¿por qué no?!

Our tour, a typical celebration of Peak Rider bonhomie, is composed of two groups, those using their own bikes and travelling via ferry from the UK, and those arriving by aeroplane from North America. Tour pricing, below, reflects the difference.

For many of the North Americans the trip is likely to begin on Saturday, 30 August with an overnight flight to the Spanish capital of Madrid. While details of travel will be discussed on an individual basis, it’s probable that Sunday the 31^st will be a day of acclimatising to the time zone, before picking up hire bikes on Monday 1 September.

For the UK contingent the trip begins in Portsmouth, on Monday 1 September, by boarding a cruise ferry to Santander in Spain. This route to Spain has worked well for us on previous trips. Return will be via a Bilbao to Portsmouth sailing.

On the morning of Wednesday 3 September those from Blighty will storm the beaches in Santander, as the New Worldians sweep north across the plains of Spain. Later that afternoon we’ll join forces in the Basque Region at our first night hotel in Donostia-San Sebastion. We expect beers to be quaffed and heroic tales of the road to be swapped. That, or an early night.

Our route through the Pyrenees is essentially a big looping double figure eight. From Donostia we’ll head east, into France’s Pyrénées Atlantiques and on towards the Haute Pyrénées. Road goats are a certainty and with luck we’ll come across a Dolmen. A quaint village in the Parc national des Pyrénées will be our home for two nights. While there you will have a day with multiple options. These include a ride/hike to a stunning cirque (and maybe a chamois sighting), taking a cable car to a mountaintop aerie, or visiting Lourdes to commune with the faithful.

Like many MotoGP pilotes, we’ll put our feet down in the principality of Andorra, the sixth smallest state in Europe, and a noted tax haven. We’ll be there for two nights so you’ll have a rest day, as you wish. If you struggle to remain still, you can enjoy some duty-free shopping (Andorra is renowned for its motorbike accessory shops), go wobbly at the knees on a Tibetan cable bridge, or take a half-day ride into Spain to experience a couple of unique sites.

On the road again (did we ever really stop?) we’ll loop north and west, then south, then west, and north again, before making our way west. We’ll visit an enclave, pass many cols, and generally poke our heads into as many interesting and/or historic sites as we can muster along the path.

On our second last night, Thursday 11 September, we’ll reach Pamplona, famous for its annual Running of the Bulls, which takes place every year in mid-July. This tradition dates to the 13^th century, when cattle herders moved their animals from the countryside to the city center for sale or bullfights. Fun fact! Each year somewhere between 50 and 100 people, mostly men we reckon, are injured during this madcap event.

Upon leaving Pamplona it’s likely that the North American contingent will head towards Madrid, to return their hire bikes, and prepare for their flights home. The Brits will carry on up the Nervión to Bilbao, spending their final evening on land, before boarding the overnight ferry home on Saturday the 13^th.

Some tour highlights:

Cols & Pasos – Subject to revision, we’ll be topping about 40.
Chemin de la Mâture – The unrideable road.
Canfranc – The train from France will not arrive today. Or tomorrow.
Col de Pourtalet – Site of the highest cheese shop in the Pyrenees
Cirque de Troumouse, or Cirque de Gavarnie – Wow, just wow.

 Included:

• Cruise ferry, with cabin & meal credits, between UK and Spain (see pricing)
• 10 hotel nights (middle range hotels), with breakfast
• Five evening meals
• English-speaking tour leader (not so good in Basque)
• GPX route file with hotel destinations and key waypoints

Not included:

• Motorcycle purchase or hire
• Chase/cargo vehicle
• Meals other than noted above
• Drinks
• Fuel
• Liability or personal insurance coverage
• Gratuities, road tolls, fines, and items of a personal nature.

Pricing (with ferry):

• One person, one bike, single room occupancy – £3495 (GBP)
• One person, one bike, sharing a room (two beds) – £2695 (GBP) per person
• Two persons, one bike, sharing a room (matrimonial) – £ 4265 (GBP) per couple
• Deposit – £750 per person, balance due 1 July 2025

Pricing (without ferry):

• One person, one bike, single room occupancy – £2575 (GBP)
• One person, one bike, sharing a room (two beds) – £1895 (GBP) per person
• Two persons, one bike, sharing a room (matrimonial) – £ 3225 (GBP) per couple
• Deposit – £750 per person, balance due 1 July 2025

In the Included list, above, we refer to middle range hotels. Some are superb, some will do just fine. We’re certain you will like them all.

Notes: This tour is designed for seasoned touring riders. The length of the tour and sometimes challenging roads require good physical and mental stamina, and well-developed road riding skills. As is the case for all Peak Rider tours there is no chase or luggage van, nor a designated sweep rider.

Note: this tour is sold out (in one day!) Oh well, on to next year then.