Helpful, usable advice

Part 1 If you are trying to choose where to ride in Spain and Portugal, do not just follow the obvious headline routes. Yes, do the famous places if you have not seen them. But leave room for the roads between them, the empty valleys, the odd little villages, the viewpoints, and the unexpected detours that become the bit you remember.

Finding the best camping gear on tour can open a proper can of worms. There are thousands of choices, plenty of clever marketing claims and a lot of kit that sounds brilliant until it has to fit on a motorcycle and be packed away before breakfast.

Auxiliary lights can be illegal in Spain and that catches a lot of riders out. Many touring bikes arrive fitted with LED spotlights or fog lights on crash bars and plenty of people assume that if the bike is road legal at home, it will be fine abroad too. That is not always the case. In Spain, those extra lights can lead to a roadside fine if they are switched on in the wrong conditions. Is this situation illegal in Spain? The short answer is “Yes”. To clear up the confusion,

GHIC stands for Global Health Insurance Card. Before Brexit, UK travellers used the EHIC, which was the European Health Insurance Card. The GHIC replaced it for UK citizens. The purpose is simple. It helps you access medically necessary state healthcare during a temporary stay in countries such as Spain, as well as other participating European countries.

Motorcycle Breakdown Insurance for Europe Sounds straightforward until you actually need it. Most riders assume that if the bike becomes unrideable abroad that help is included; that is not always the case. The catch is simple; some policies cover breakdowns only, others also cover accidents. If your bike has a mechanical fault, you may be fine. If you drop it in a car park, snap a clutch lever, bend the gear shift and suddenly cannot ride, your policy might not help at

Riding a bike to Spain is a dream for many, but the trip through France can be a slog. You can spend days on boring highways or potentially get lost on back roads, eating up your actual holiday time. For us, the Plymouth to Santander ferry changes that. It turns a tiring transit into a relaxing break where you can eat, sleep, and watch for whales while your bike hitches a ride.

This advice is our own opinion