France and Spain in January/Feb?

James Latham

Hello guys,

Before I go travelling in Australia and NZ next near I am organising an epic cycle ride for Help for Heroes

I am planning to cycle from Manchester to Morocco (Marrakesh), I will be crossing near Gibraltar and camping when weather permits.

The original plan was to get to Turkey (a similar distance) but the weather in Bulgaria and Romania could be pretty deadly in Jan/Feb with a sub 0 average.

Has anyone ever cycled in France and Spain at this time of year? I need to be in Australia before May when my entry visa runs out else I probably would be setting off in Spring.

Any advice much appreciated!

Italiano

Been to Calpe (between Alicante and Valencia) a couple of times ever in January and weather is usually great.

Between the 2, I'd be much more worried of France's weather.

andymiller

Both are cold and wet.

Check out weatherbase.com foe more specific info.

The Other McHoy

andymiller wrote:

Both are cold and wet.

Check out weatherbase.com foe more specific info.

A sweeping statement indeed! The climate will generally improve the further south you travel. France and North of Spain (including the Pyrenees) would normally be cold and rain and snow are fairly common in January. If you travelled down along the Med coast then by the time you get below Barcelona the weather normally becomes milder. Below Valencia and down into Alicante, Murcia and Malaga then you can expect day time temps around 16 degrees.

Nothing can be guaranteed, but there is a reason that most of the pro teams are in and around these areas from December to March - milld, dry weather.

andymiller

Hmm. Well maybe it was a bit of a sweeping generalisation in the sense that it won't be wet or sniwing all the time but ... When I arrived in Spain at the beginning of May this year there was snow in the Madrid area and temperatures in many areas of central Spain were close to freezing. Andalusia had suffered very heavy rains in March and April. Northern Spain and the Pyrenees throughout May. For most of last winter Bologna was colder than London. Italy had heavy rain throughout June.

It's best to rely on the actual climate data. Brirish people tend to drastically underestimate the effect of the Gulf Stream. In fact you have to go a long way south before you get winter daytime temperatures in the upper-teens. We also tend to think southern Europe is much drier than it actually is - in fact total annual rainfall is pretty much the same as in southern England - but concentrated in the winter months. It's better rely on actual climate data.

Also don't underestimate the effects of altitude: both on temperatures an

andrew@snowrace

Hi James the weather in southern france and northern spain can be very bad in Jan and Feb I drive to northern Spain quite often in these months to ski very often freezing fog and rain lowdown and snow in the mountains. I cycled down from wales to northen spain this year and in 8 days it rained for 5 of them but when the sun did come out it dryied very quickly. I wouldent set off on a bike before March, and April would still be cold. Sorry to put a damper on things but you need to be prepared. Andy

gerrypat

I cycle here (southern France - Languedoc) all year round and have done a couple of multi-day rides in Dec-Jan. I'd say come prepared for anything, but you probably won't get snowed on at least. Temps hover around 10 degrees (a couple higher in Spain) and it could get wet. Stay relatively near the coast and you should be good. If you'd like info on Languedoc I've got a route-finder site with plenty of practical info as well:

http://cyclinglanguedoc.com