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After seeing the Vibraction roadbook report in ABR issue 5 I researched a trip that we could do in a week and settled on Roadbook 10 Aragon and Navarra Pyrenees and Bardenas Desert.
Over the next few frantic months that soon became weeks and days away the bike was fettled to move the Zumo so that a roadbook holder could be fitted, spare wheels with TKC80s fitted etc
Also on the to do list was packing and loading the bike. A good lesson in “what do I actually need and use” saw me reduce the kit by 8kgs and be able to fit everything from tent, tarp, rollmat, sleeping bag, tools, spares, clothes, cooking and cutlery, food, milk for 4 days etc and water. Managed to fit all in 2 x 29ltr panniers and a 33 ltr topbox, plus some essentials in a 12 ltr tank bag
Tested it all out with a slight offroad jolly to Scotland and rode the routes fully laden
Travelled down on Friday am to meet up with Stanbloke and then onto Portsmouth for the late sailing to Bilbao that would arrive 5.30 pm on Saturday evening. We needed to get 270 miles across to where the start of the route was at Ainsa so opted to stay at Olzati in a truck stop en route. A couple of nice lads on sport tourers joined us for these sections
The next morning we set off and travelled over to Ainsa, where we left the two lads and headed off to begin Day 1 and do our first trail in the afternoon on the Sierra de Guarra
Before we left England, we had some difficulty in setting up waypoints but with the aid of Tramp and his excellent instructions posted on the forum Stanbloke was able to get his Montana working. That was until we got to the trails !! The vibration was knocking the Monatana off power so it was shutting down. We relied on the roadbook for navigating
The first section was a baptism of fire due to the rocky climbs and descents that we were not expecting more like the Peaks rough roads. This was shortly followed by our first river crossing and more rocky trails and finished off with miles of forestry single track almost like riding in a long tunnel
I suggested that we ride till 5pm each day and then start looking for somewhere to camp. This worked well and most times we were set up and showered and fed by 8pm. We got to Nocito by the end of day 1 and a much needed shower to relax with
Day 2 saw us cross several Sierras and the tracks were much better, fire road type tracks with some rocky climbs and a few sections that looked like they had not been travelled on for a while. All the climbs were long and some quite arduous but the bikes were coping well and surprisingly so were we. It was a great sight seeing day. Sierra de la Pena, Los Mallos de Riglos, Mirador de los Buites, Ermitage Marcuello, then onto Sierra de Loarre to see the Chateau de Loarre. The day ended at Aguero and as the campsite was shut we had to use a hostel
Day 3 – after a long sleep (went to bed at 9.15pm and did not wake up until the church bells right next to us rang 9.00 am !) – today we would do ravines and the Bardenas Reales Desert
Aguero is at the end of a small road and the trails started straight away with some steep rocky descents followed but equally steep rocky climbs zig zagging up and down the mountain. After a while the rocks ended to be replaced by deep rutted mud, several river crossings, some dry ones. The trails at the top were sandy and then we would drop into another ravine to have a muddy rutted climb out of the other side. We got lost a couple of times and travelled almost 79 kms before we got to stony dry track shortly followed by tarmac again. From here we missed out a section that went through some farms and tracks to get to the same point being a road taking us to Bardenas Reales Desert
After riding round the desert and being sand blasted by the strong wind we headed for Carcastillio, which had a castle but no camping and looked very shut. Went on to the next town but more of the same so headed up to Olite where we found a campsite after several attemps. Finally showered and fed followed by a beer
Day 4 – this was mostly single track and some bigger tarmac routes. There was an offroad section that took us up to the electricity windmills and back down to road again. Decided to miss this bit out and add some hairpins and twisties in. The route took us over to St Jean Pied de Port (officially the end of the roadbook) in France and back again. After 278 kms of hairpins and twisties without any straights covered in 4 ½ hours we ended a fantastic days riding with a leisurely 136 mile ride back towards Olzati and another night in the truckstop en route to Santander for the ferry the day after
Day 5 – sad day as we are going home
Arrived at the ferry port in Santander to a myriad of shiny bikes some wearing the contents of a Tourtatech catalogue and we roll up with very dirty ones!
We soon became the topic of conversation with a lot of people
This was a fantastic trip and I had a great partner that I could not have wanted better as a co rider
We had a laugh a minute and the last day’s intense on the pace ride will keep me grinning for many years to come
The route supplied gave us every type of terrain possible from rocks, mud, sand, river crossings, fire roads, some small twisty roads in the hills to connect, country side, forestry singletrack, desert, breath taking views and sights, all finished off with a fast road ride on some of the best roads I have ever ridden
We did not see anyone at all on the trails over the 4 days riding. What an excellent route
Thanks to Vibraction and thanks to ABR for publishing the initial write up in issue 5
Total mileage over the 5 days was just short of 1200 miles with 500+ on the offroad route supplied
Now for some pictures……………
Start of trail
Trail Check - you know the "Don't put your vehicle where your brain hasn't been first"
Rocks !
Navigation check
Small river crossing - the first of many, some deeper and longer, some dry higher up
Bigger rock steps to get up. The first part of this route was the hardest - after this the rest was a breeze
Oh, and a very nice RD04 HRC coloured Marathon Replica
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Originally Posted by j
Just had a look at that Vibraction link you mentioned,bit late to get the maps now but I'll print off your ride report and see if I can get some of your destinations covered.........Mate ! you had the weather for it, the weather next week looks pretty grim. 
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