Day 1 - Saturday 10th October
The first day is rendezvous day, as flights will be arriving throughout, from various airports across the UK (flights not included in the tour package). Check-in, for our 2-night stay at the Eurostars Grand Marina, is from 3 pm (early check-in may be available but not guaranteed)
On arrival in Barcelona, you have a choice as to what you would like to do. Do you collect your car and head up to Circuit de Catalunya to get involved with a weekend filled with races and activities in equal parts at the 5th edition of the Barcelona Speed Festival that runs for the whole weekend, which means you can dip in and out of the action as you wish so you can also have the chance to sample all of what Barcelona has to offer, both day and night.
The hotel is perfectly located for you to take in the hustle and bustle of La Rambla, arguably Barcelona’s most famous street, as well as the Marina with its fantastic pavement bars and cafes, where you can enjoy a cool beer, wine, or maybe that perfect “Cafe con Leche”.
If like us you love admiring super-yachts then there is always some special boats In the marina. If retail therapy is more your thing, then Barcelona’s chic stores should satisfy the most demanding of shoppers. It’s up to you, we just want you to relax before the excitement of the week ahead, as of course, it’s your holiday.
There will be a welcome evening in the hotel, with tapas and a cool beer or wine, which will give everyone chance to meet up.
Day 2 - Sunday 11th October
Blancpain GT Series Race
General admission tickets for 2 people at the “Circuit de Catalunya” for the Festival de la Velocidad de Barcelona are included in your package, for what will hopefully be an exciting, action-packed weekend of action, that culminates with the main event on Sunday afternoon with the Blancpain GT Series race.
Entrance tickets will be issued during the welcome dinner on Saturday evening.
Sunday evening will give everyone a chance to check out a few local bars and restaurants, or give you time to just relax by the hotel pool under the late evening Catalonian sun, before we get underway and head for the Pyrenees on Monday morning.
Day 3 - Monday 12th October
For the love of driving…
The Pyrenees certainly offers driving nirvana, a chance to immerse yourself on some great roads with fellow petrol heads over the next 3 days.
We will be unloading the cars from the transporters from 8:00am so we can depart from the hotel promptly at 10:00am, to ensure we arrive in Andorra in good time. Monday’s route will be around 320km and should take approx 6 hours to complete (there are various shorter route options available).
The GTTourz route will leave the Mediterranean coast and out through Catalunya on some scenic fast roads up to Ripoll, then head off on the N-260 heading for Mijanes and the Pyrenees, where the roads will get much more interesting, and considerably more technical. We will take in a couple of Cols to give you a taste of what’s to come, including Ax-Les-Thermes and Port d’Envalira on route to Andorra La Vella, and Hotel Plaza.
As with all our tours, you are welcome to follow the lead car, but you are also free to make up your own route, either a more direct one avoiding some of the Cols, or by adding in some extra ones…. there are plenty along the way you can explore!
Day 4 - Tuesday 13th October
There are some fantastic roads on offer today, so enjoy a leisurely breakfast before getting your boot loaded up again, ready for lights out at 9:30am.
Andorra to Pau is 400km and should take approx 7.5 hours. This is a longer day than we would like, but quality hotels in this part of the Pyrenees are few and far between! The lure of Pau, with its rich driving heritage, coupled with a great Spa hotel, will reward both driver and co-driver alike, and make it more than worth it!
The Col de Peyresourde, Port de la Bonaigua, Col du Portillon or the Col du Tourmalet may not be as famous as the Col du Turini or the Stelvio Pass, but they will be much quieter, and the challenges will rival anything the more famous passes of the Alps have to offer.
There will be a mid-week, 3-course group dinner, including a couple of glasses of local French wine, served at 8pm at Hotel Parc Beaumont, in a private dining room for the group.
Day 5 - Wednesday 14th October
There is a choice to make today!
Do you take the long road of adventure and continue your exploration of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, or do you head for the coast via a direct route, one that allows you both the chance for a lie-in, and still be in France’s surf capital Biarritz, and on your surfboard by lunchtime!
GTTourz will, of course, be taking the adventurous less travelled road, taking in some more great passes including the Col du Soulor, the Col d’Aubisque, all before heading on to do the Col du Pourtalet to do in both directions all before lunch!
The final 3 passes on route to the French surf capital Biarritz, will be the Col de la Pierre St.Martin, Port de Larrau and Col de Burdincurutcheta, which will provide a fitting end to the Pyrenees part of the tour before we make for a well deserved chilled beer on the Atlantic coast.
The 5* Sofitel sits on the promenade, where both the surfers and Atlantic sunsets can be admired over that chilled beer or a glass of champagne in one of the many pavement cafés. It will be time to sit back, relax and soak in the chilled vibe, after conquering the Pyrenees.
Day 6 - Thursday 15th October
“Sometimes the best therapy is a long road and some music”
The journey home begins today with a 6.5 hour, 700km drive up through the Aquitaine region of France, where we will have some convoy fun. With the GTTourz Spotify playlist for company, you will soon in Brittany by mid-afternoon and relaxing by the pool.
The journey will be more than worth it as we have saved the best til last with our final night’s choice of hotel, the beautiful 5* Hotel Miramar La Cigale in Arzon. Take time to relax in the panoramic top deck pool before our farewell dinner, where we can all compare notes on the best bits of your Pyrenees Coast to Coast 2020 experience.
Day 7 - Friday 16th October
There will be a chance to have a leisurely breakfast and have a swim or a morning walk around the marina, before leaving at 10:30am for our final 3-hour drive back to the ferry port at Roscoff.
We will follow the scenic route back through Brittany’s Parc Naturel Régional d’Armorique on route to Roscoff, making it in good time for check-in at 3pm, ready for our 4:30pm sailing back to Plymouth.
