Barcelona to England by Motorbike | Andorra, the Pyrenees and a Bad Wild Camping Decision
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- I headed off back to England after four days in Barcelona.
Still wild camping, no toll roads and no breakdown cover, but this time a different route. I aimed for the tiny country of
Andorra and into the Pyrenees mountain range.
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Locations:
Starting point: Barcelona, Spain
The Pyrenees mountain range (Spain, Andorra, France)
France
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Gear for the Trip:
AGV X3000 Helmet
Ride and Sons Arrow Jacket, Desert
-Carhartt WIP Classic Vest
Hood Jeans SK11 Jeans
Furygan Melbourne Boots
Indian Motorcycle Strap Olive Deerskin Gloves
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Timeline:
0:00: Intro
and the Stolen Laptop
3:27: Riding Through Spain and to Andorra
8:50: Andorra
10:48: A Bad Wild Camping Decision
17:40: Into the Pyrenees
22:28: An Industrial Estate in Toulous and a Lot of Rain
25:23: Wrap Up
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My personal motorcycle: 2010 Triumph Bonneville 865cc (the base version)
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Find me on:
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GEAR AND EVERYTHING ELSE: www.freddiedob...
PODCAST: Freedom Machines With Freddie Dobbs
FACEBOOK: / freddiecmdobbs
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Filming and editing: @monikameraki (Instagram)
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Music:
Cody Francis: Mountain Air
Dusty Decks: Cut Corners
Chris Shoorooi: Matt Large: A Much Needed Vacation
Ooyy: Leaving Serengeti
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#motorcycletouring #eurotrip #roadtrip
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I really don't think victims of theft should shoulder the blame. Scumbags get away with this sort of thing too easily.
It’s always the gypos who half inch your stuff.
Cant escape pykies even in Spain!
This encapsulates what freedom on a bike is about. Most bikers can relate to it ,but not many can show it like this vlog.
It's not always roses, but we wouldn't swap it for anything.
Superb viewing with my first caffeine injection.
Happy, safe travels 👍
Thank you so much! Happy Sunday🙂
This is an excellent series of videos Freddie. You have an infectious enthusiasm and a presentation style that will make most subjects entertaining.
I enjoy the fact you do so much on your one bike. I’m a recent returnee to motorcycling after 30 years and of course I’ve wondered about upgrading my bike already. But I think I’m realising that once you have a valid motorcycle, the joy is about the mental freedom it gives you to travel and enjoy the journey. The actual model of bike probably makes little difference.
Freddie dobbs is about the only person that makes me wish i was posh. Go on Freddie lad
🤣🤣
Another cracking film Freddie. And fantastic editing. I really appreciate the time you take to film yourself on the bike, it's a lot of faff. The other thing is how much your riding skills have improved since you lived in Tenerife. I've always bike toured in a tent. The ups outway the downs & are all part of the experience. Stay safe & switched on 👍🏻
That’s very kind of you to say so re my riding skills, thank you David🙂
You’re right; the downs are just as much part of the experience and when you look back, they’re really quite insignificant🙂👌🏻
A great video, Freddie and very nicely edited. Also, kudos for faffing around with cameras which surely slows you down, especially when travelling solo.
Had a camping holiday in 1995 and took time out to visit Barcelona. Amazing place, then also took the train to Puigcerdà. Walked from there to the Pyrenees at the border of Andorra, Spain, France. Slept under the stars on the side of the mountain amongst wild flowers and butterflies. Still one of my greatest memories.
This sounds fantastic!
💗from NZ mate!! Yep..been there done that looking for free camps in Europe. Brave to try mate cos when I did it, it was 40 years ago on my Moto Guzzi!! Oddly....same problems. Mind you I was on no time constraint and discovered the joys of European campsites that had (other than loos and showers!!) ..bars and food 😃!! Thanks for the memories mate and good luck and safe rides always.
I've really enjoyed these last 2 videos of your Barcelona trip .. what an awesome ride!! Thanks Freddie!! It's been very inspiring. Sucks that your laptop was pinched though, light fingered people are everywhere unfortunately and you can never be too careful.
So true- I became way too complacent (I’m more angry at myself than anything😆)
Great content but the amount of adverts is putting me off to be honest, it’s ridiculous
@@scrunchy72 Install adblocker, i never see ads.
@@scrunchy72 You can upgrade to TH-cam Premium and NEVER see another ad again ANYWHERE! I absolutely love it and it's totally worth getting hours and hours of my life back waiting for commercials. Another trick/hack is that when the video pauses and goes to commercial, do NOT press play at all. After about 5-10 secs it will then go to another ad (if there's others) and do the same thing. After about 15-20 secs, it will eventually go back to the video and you won't have to actually watch any of the ads (other than 20 secs of ad timers). At least this way you don't have to sit through and watch the annoying ads. I have YT Premium so I don't have this problem but if I open a video in a private/incognito tab/window, then I do have to sit through the ads and this is how I get around it - I refuse to be brainwashed by all the propaganda and advertising (if anything I'd much rather just sit and wait 20-30 secs total of all the advertisement thumbnails). When you do this, do NOT press play until the thumbnail for the video you're watching reappears on the screen.
Edit: Just realized I have the "TH-cam Autoplay Blocker" Chrome Extension (there's a comparable one for Firefox too or just disable video autoplay in the permissions) installed so this may be required in conjunction to the hack above for it to work correctly. The extension will block the commercial videos from playing automatically and instead of clicking through the ads and/or clicking the "Skip Ad" button, each ad will automatically skip if they're never started in the first place.
It’s 7.15am here in sunny Stoke…I’m eating scrambled eggs and bacon, drinking coffee and watching Freddie on yet another road trip/adventure lol. These videos really have given me the urge to load the car and set off on a foreign road trip next summer 😎 It will have to be in my car because I’ve never ridden a motor bike in my life…but…an adventure is an adventure yeah ? Cheers Freddie excellent viewing yet again 👍🇬🇧😎
Can recommend northern Spain....Picos Mountains.... overnight ferry Plymouth to Santander !..😎
Completely agree Alan- adventure’s adventure and it doesn’t matter one bit if it’s in a car or bike!🙂
Delighted you enjoyed the video with your hearty breakfast🙂👌🏻
Me too! Hey I passed my test at age 60 a few months ago so give it a go. Took me just 3 months over the winter. I'm hoping to just go camping in this country to be honest, I haven't got the bottle yet to do what Freddie does! Now for another coffee....
Do it this year 🙂
@@simoncook7456 unable to do road trip this year…going to Turkey in July and Cornwall in August but it won’t be a road trip…just a nice guest house and pottering around…next year ‘tho 😎👍
Holy cow, what a cliffhanger! Great video! Actually kind of nice to see when things don't go so great. But sorry you had to go through some crap times there.
Just watched your video and nearly fell off my seat. As I see myself and my riding buddy on it. Thanks for the surprise.
Coffe, sunshine, breakfast and watching Freddie, what more could you want on a Sunday?
20:30 the legendary Blackbird 😍
Brilliant viewing Freddie.. you’re a natural at your chosen subject! The ride, facts and experiences so well shared.
Este video me recordó un viaje que hice en moto en el cual visité parte de los Pirineos y Andorra. Estuve en esa cafetería tomando un café después de haber ido a una tienda a comprar un casco para mi cuñada, aunque los precios no eran mejores que los de las tiendas en Tenerife.
Disfruta del viaje Freddie!!
Andres comment translated through Google :-)
“This video reminded me of a trip that I made on a motorcycle in which I visited part of the Pyrenees and Andorra. I was in that cafeteria drinking coffee after having gone to a store to buy a helmet for my sister -in -law, although prices were not better than those of the stores in Tenerife.
Enjoy the trip Freddie !!”
Loving the trip! I'm doing my own moto-camping trip in August using soft luggage. My main concern is lack of security for this luggage during rest stops. I'm taking a one litre fuel bottle; as you've noticed, rural France isn't known for the convenience of fuel stops. I've pre-booked camp sites to give me a reason to crack on. There are so many reasons to stop and record and I felt this was a way of keeping me moving. Safe journey!
Soft luggage is fine .
A lock will only keep out a honest Man .
Most hard luggage can be opened with a screw driver.
Rural France is full of self-service petrol stations and wonderful municipal campsites which are cheap and don’t need to be pre-booked. I did it all with a north face duffel bag and no locks - just avoid big town centres!
@@davidforsdike4343 I use a 120 litre wire mesh Pacsafe Rucksack Protector cost around £70- 80.00 on line; British Made. It stops would be thieves from accessing my tent & 40 liter bag on my tail rack and my 20 litre side panniers all together on my CB 500.
This must rate as one of your very best videos Freddie. Thoroughly enjoyable to watch. As already mentioned thanks for the brilliant editing and time taken. Being a protege of Monica we expect nothing but the best!
SW France
Morning Freddie, loving this trip and the videos, Sorry about the laptop. 💪
In Ipswich hospital with broken hip.
On plus side have caught up on your channel. Is great that you show how motorcycling is not about having the latest fastest bike .
Is about the people and places it can take you to.
After 30 years of motorcycle travel broken first bone on push bike !
Good one Freddie. I know how it can feel being miles from home, wet and cold while looking for a place to free camp. The good part is that its always nice to look back on those times in the comfort of home.
This is so true. Now I’m back, nothing but good memories🙂
Once you get off the tourist bits, Spain has some beautiful little towns topped off with a castle. What better way to explore than on a bike finding these places by accident. Thanks for taking the time to put this together.
Great film Freddie. You wanted an adventure and think you got one. Beautiful scenic views. Shame about the laptop. Sods!!
You’ve touched on one of the big problems about avoiding the main roads when your trying to push on, the lack of “out of hours” petrol stations or even places to get something to eat. Great content 👍
Worth it though. Always a better more interesting experience to get away from the maddening crowd if you have time. Rural France is amazing for food and pace of life.
You've kept my full attention! Great adventure, good luck for the rest of your ride.
I did a 2 week wild camping trip in Scotland last month and the trick to not getting fatigued is to not stick religiously to it! If you're soaked, get a B&B for the night. If you're tired and happen to pass a decent camping site, pay for the night.
Thanks!
I was there 2 years ago to, I put it on my to go to list, I loved it and want to go back, the roads are just amazing, views to die for, riding heaven is so true.
I really really hate to come off as smart ass but I do believe you should consider a tank bag for this kind of trips, they come in all sizes and they're very useful to keep all your valuables at hand and take them with you when you leave the bike. Gas stations are a hot spot for robberies, people and specially bikers tend to lower their guard and they have easy escape routes. Take the bag always with you and try to park where one or more surveillance cameras "watch" your bike while you're gone.
Hey Freddie, what an amazing video! I love the honesty. So good. Can’t wait for the next instalment! Chris
Viena (10,01), BTW is a truly great fast food chain. No longer particularly cheap, but always good.
Great film , you’ve had a tough time, but the adversity has brought out the best in you. Top chap. The solo filming has been great , wonderful composition and edits. Well done 👍🏽
Never start searching for a good wild camp spot when late. Usually I start looking for one when i start to have enough of riding, like 16.00h. Wild camped hundreds of times and always found a proper one where I cannot be spotted. And always bring a camo net. :)
When in doubt, return to the best spot you found and pitch tent when it gets dark.
Love the highs and lows of this kind of adventure, it so reminds me of my trip to Spain. Its the kind of trip you'll still be talking about in years to come. Brilliant video Freddie!
Great piece of film! Must have been demoralising coming from the Pyrenees into a Toulouse industrial estate. I would have pitched up by that barn watching the beautiful sunset at the end of the film. Respect
Nice video, thanks for sharing the ups and downs Freddie. Your presentation style and positive attitude make the journey a pleasure to watch.
Totally agree about positive attitude. That's a special element to these great vlogs. 👍
It’s so easy to get demoralised…..BUT it’s the resilience and determination that get you through!
Some stunning countryside especially the mountains. Awesome
What a great start to my Sunday morning watching your video. This has to be your best yet. Only some drone footage could have made it better. Awesome.
Really nice adventure Freddie, ❤
You have certainly put yourself through a lot on this one Freddie. Very interesting seeing Andorra. I can see why you have avoided camping in your later videos! ( until the recent Scotland trip)
Wow Andorra looks amazing!
Great as wild camping is staying on French municipal campsites is cheap, often not more than a field and toilet block. I enjoy your video's Freddie, keep them coming.
That little white FIAT 850 sport made from 1963-1974 pure beauty
Another great video.
Just FYI (and I'm sure you know though it might help others too), if your laptop is stolen and even though you have nothing important saved on it, your web browser may store your passwords which are accessible in the browser settings. So it may be worth changing your passwords. Also if your laptop is an Apple machine, if you contact Apple they may be able to disable the machine remotely and render it useless for anyone else.
Thanks Wayne!
Just brilliant Freddie. You're a top bloke
Excellent filming and editing. Do appreciate the effort you take in filming 👌🏻
I've ridden through Andorra quite a few times. The last time was on my Ulysses. Best long-distance bike I've owned. Interesting place. Often very wet and it comes on suddenly. Six and a half hours unterrupted sleep on that surface. Well done. You were lucky with the weather.
Superby put together and edited video, Freddie.
Ulys rule!
@@simond5208 Indeed. Mine is a 2006, registered as new in 2008.
I can totally empathise mate. Wild camping is always a gamble. Sometimes it’s a crappy uncomfortable side of the road experience, sometimes you get moved off at gun point, but sometimes you find yourself in the most remarkable hidden away spot that makes it all worthwild.
Riding soIo in France and Italy i would sometimes ride through the night after leaving it too late to find a camp site. I sat in the rain under a poncho, outside a petrol station from 10pm to when it opened at 07:00, as it was too risky to go further. Bad crash in Pyrenees but still rode to Calais. Happy days. Love all your vids. Better than any TV presenter.
What an experience and adventure for you Freddie! Thanks for all your hard work and taking us along with you on your journey!
Great video again, mr. Dobbs. Have a nice Sunday!
Thank you, and you too🙂🇳🇱
@@FreddieDobbs We've booked a motortrip to the north of Spain (Picos de Europe) in September. Return by boat from Santander to the UK.
Clutch still sounds like a bag of nails 😂. Great vids. Thanks for taking the time to upload. Sheffield England
Great series of videos Freddie, really enjoyed watching. A natural born vlogger and presenter!
Laid up after breaking my leg on my last day of motorcycle camping in France in early August so a nice way to while away some time watching the vids!😊
Watching them reinforced how much I enjoyed my trip and previous tours.
Biking is such a brilliant thing to do alongside the great sense of mental freedom that it gives.
Keep on the great work👍😊
I watched this video about 6 months ago and it’s inspired me to tackle my first long distance bike journey on my own this June. Carlisle>Portsmouth>Bilbao>Andorra>Le Havre>Portsmouth>home. All with a tent strapped to the back of my NC750. Thanks for inspiring me to get out there and do it myself Freddie. Cheers, John.
Well done! I bet you enjoyed it and learned a lot. Camping is the way to go, especially wild camping.
Whenever I travelled France on the motorbike I always took any road except motorways. It's so much nicer to travel. And I know the Dordogne well, it's an amazing spot in France.
Tbh had you down as a bit of a poseur, but I have to concede thats a proper motorcycle trip, respect !
History lessons and biker , who would have thought these two elements mix so well
Another great vid Freddie . A really good watch . You havnt sold wild camping to me though !😄 I prefer wild hotelling !
I also quite like the sound of this wild hoteling😆
I never take a bike chain when touring. Way too bulky. Abus disc lock and a few lightweight cable locks so lose one and it doesn’t matter. Layers of security rather than one bike chain. How do you lose an anchor chain lime that? Trips like this teach you a hell of a lot by your mistakes. Lockable hard luggage a must. One large topbox for a rucksack. Water bottle storage. Basic oxford bike toolkit and cable ties, first aid kit and a few boxes of healthy high energy chewy bars I find essential along with painkillers for my bad back. Spare gloves to allow wet ones to dry out. Usb tender with spare charging ports for phones/satnav. Waterproof inner liner bags and tent/sleeping bag kept in waterproof stuff bags. A few spare luggage straps handy too. You’ll learn! Your next trip will be all the better from what you learned on this one.
This was a pearler of a vid and especially with the number of ride by clips which must be a royal pain in the ass stopping and going back to pick it up, it's amazing the camera didn't get pinched as well
Sorry to hear about the laptop, however biker heaven what a trip, good man!
Freddie I love your spirit of adventure, i have come back into serious biking after many years and would love to do the same thing, but in a more modest manner. your vlogs are always entertaining and you are very lucky to have an understanding partner lol not sure my wife would be so understanding. Keep up the good work looking forward to the next vlog.
andorra its a meca , one of the best places to base a bikeing hollies
just stay in ski resort part for a week , it has everything for any biker
on road offroad , i just blasted down non stop from NW England, slept under the bike in a big supermarket car park and we got all our food fuel ect , no one bothered us just a police check at 2am
we stayed same place on way back !
Those views! Thank you for sharing!! Sorry about the laptop - a cautionary tale, not to be ignored. Stay Safe out there!
Thoroughly enjoying catching up on your back catalogue. Catalonia is my favourite place. Absolutely stunning.
I love catalunya too, I love it so much that I have lived here since 1995. Never, not for a single minute, have I ever considered returning to the UK.
Did that very same trip in 1981 on a honda cx 500 . Went to La Ballena alegre camp site. Met a fantastic girl from Scotland who, to my shame, treated very badly in terms of dumping her, really for no reason. Hope you have a great time, enjoy your ride.👍😉😀
Awesome Freddie, keep smiling bud! Embrace the elements but keep warm!!
I recently found this chanel and absolutely love it's content. I'm a 58 year old biker (Triumph Speed Triple). I had a Bonnie before the Speedy. Loving it....
Well done buh, pyrenees is lovely place to ride
so pleased you went over the pyrenees and not through the tunnel
Great stuff, enjoying with my breakfast coffee. Just been to Belgium, although air BnB for me!
What a superb video and trip - this is exactly what motorcycle touring is all about. With videos this well made you and your channel deserve every success. Keep up the excellent work, Freddie.
I am so glad I have found a TH-camr that isn't all about Rolex watches and free sponsored trips in swanky hotels!
I've done the 0 tolls up and down through France and it does get frustrating sometimes but those small towns to hide some lovely boulangeries and it certainly makes it more memorable, I had my wallet lifted from inside my car whilst I was underneath it Repairing my exhaust in France.. the guy offered to help me then stole my wallet 😒
Luckily there was only €5 in it and a load of useless credit cards that were cancelled straight away, just a shame those kind of people exist 😉
Looking forward to the next installment!
Hi, and your doing it your way , the ups and down of your wild camping trip . Looking just fine from this end , but very tiring from your aspect . magic all the way and your filming is spot on and your self motivation runs in your genes .Thank for the video and lets hope the laptop blows up on start up . Take care .😎
Blinking eck.....I've done every bloody mile with you, I'm knackered & I haven't left my sodding SOFA!!
😮 4:52 Stunning 😮 thanks for filming this ride.🤙
Apart from getting your laptop stolen, and the other stuff that also went missing, you've definitely de-stressed on this ride.
Just hammer on all the bikes 🏍 😎 there.
Never had the chance to visit Andorra 🇦🇩. 9:01 Did not know that about Andorra. 👍
What a fantastic channel. Great work man.
Would really love a quick overview of that tent set up.
Great video Freddie. Amazing scenery. Keep smiling all adds to the fun makes great talking point in the future.⛺🏍
Great vid Freddy … nice edutainment ..
Great film. I used to buy camera equipment in Andorra (back in the 1980s & 90s) because the tax situation made the stuff much cheaper than UK. Weather can be quite fierce there, hailstones like golf-balls, etc. No surprise that a hell of a lot of the cars are 4x4s. You're doing well, but don't overdo it, if you're tired just stop and make camp. Going too far can lead to mistakes and bad decisions - especially after nightfall. I carry some chorizo, cheese, tomatoes bread & water. That way I can I bed down and eat without having to find a shop. Good luck!
Hi Freddie,
Bit of a damp squib going on there at the end but hey rough with the smooth & all that. Rode to south of France on R100GS bumblebee years ago with the wife, one memorable moment was a long slog back and both of us falling asleep at a table in some services, woke up hours later. No one bothered us or stole anything, oh how the times have changed. Looking forward to your coming adventures.
😁👍
Cliffhanger. Hope you made it back OK. You looked pretty knackered at the end of that one.
I have been to Andorra for sky in the winter. Excellent twisty roads, almost no VAT makes it a stop for bikers coming to Iberia or from. This also means there is no better place to buy gear. :D. There is also a museum there dedicated to motorcycles. It is small, but it is very well packed.
I am planing a summer trip to the south of France with my kids and Andorra is the only place I already know I will have to spend one day... maybe two. Safe trip back home!
GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT VIDEO!!!!
What a adventure!
Another great video Freddie. 👌What an adventure it was, Andorra looks really interesting from a biking perspective- shame about the tea leaves in Northern Spain.
It should be noted that the thieves were not Spanish or French.
@@jonathantrice7614 absolutely. Merely mentioning the location.
This was a marvellous little 2 part series. Loved it matey.
Dude! I just did a 1000 mile jaunt around Scotland and I was 350 miles in before I even remembered I had a GoPro with me, you managed to make it look like you have a whole film crew !! 😆 Bravo! 👏 I’ve just sub’d
you putting the smile every time, problems get solved if you calm, sorry but jebiga and idemo dalje
WoW....loved this video. Lots of variety and so much of beauty and interest.
Very good job 👍 wish I was traveling with you through Spain, France, and into England. I'm a amateur WWII historian and since I've never seen Europe I would dearly love to be able to spend several months over there. I thank you for providing me the next best thing to actually being there. Cheers! dp.
Top spot, I was all set to visit Portugal and Spain two years ago, then you know what hit.
Looking towards 2024 now.
Let me rephrase that, “hopefully” 2024.
I love your videos, mate! 👍👍👍
Wow! Freedom! Thank you!
Fantastic Freddie, thanks for all the hard work.
Absolutely brilliant video, Freddie! Really really enjoyed it!
Go for it dude, if it’s easy it’s boring
Great bike and stunning scenery! Didnt expect so many bikers but the location is just amazing👍