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Travel for the Raid Pyrenean June
/ September 2010:
Start: Hotel Campanile, 102
Route de Behobie, 64700 Hendaye
Reservations: 0033 5 59 48 06 48 or email hendaye@campanile.fr
End:
Hotel Le Dorade, Cerbere, France
or - Hotel Masia,
Portbou, Spain.
AIR TRAVEL:
People wanting to fly Easy Jet or British
Airways have the option of flying in / out of Toulouse - for
details of this journey go to the Independent travel from
Toulouse Airport section. Non UK
passengers would be best to look at
this section first.
Flights that tie in with our transfers.
We offer free transfers from Biarritz Airport
to the start hotel to tie in with the Monday flights from Stansted. At the end of the Raid we
offer a transfer to Girona Barcelona Airport for 20.00 on the
Saturday, to tie in with a 22.05 flight to Stansted. We also offer the option of staying an extra night
in Cerbere and transferring to Carcassonne Airport for 1130 on
the Sunday for flights to Stansted, Liverpool or East Midlands. There are limited
places on both transfers so you must let us know on booking
which you are planning so we can ensure that we can get
you there.
The extra night (B&B and transfer) costs £60 twin room or
£85 single room (no discounts
apply).
Listed below are the possible direct flights that tie in with
our transfers. Please note that Ryan Air also offer many
connecting flights from / to other regional airports:
Outward flights on Monday
Ryan Air (FR372) depart Stansted 1215, arrive Biarritz 1505.
Homeward flights on Saturday
Ryan Air (FR9809) depart Girona Barcelona 22.05, arrive Stansted
23.15.
Homeward flights on Sunday
Ryan Air (FR2445) depart Carcassonne 1245, arrive Leeds 1400.
Ryan Air (FR73) depart Carcassonne 1310, arrive Stansted 1405.
Ryan Air (FR9917) depart Carcassonne 1535, arrive Liverpool 1635.
Ryan Air (FR1613) depart Carcassonne 1625, arrive East
Midlands 1725.
AIRPORT TRANSFERS: James or Cathy will meet you in the arrivals hall
by the Baggage reclaim belt;
they will have a Marmot Tours sign.
The transfer from Biarritz Airport to
Hendaye is 30 mins, Cerbere to Girona Barcelona Airport
is 90 mins and
Cerbere to Carcassonne is 130 mins
If you miss your flight or choose to fly after the
arranged meeting time, you will be unable to join the group
transfer and you will be responsible for catching up with the
group (see: Independent travel). Unfortunately, if you do not use the transfer for
any reason, there is no refund available.
Flights with
independent transfers:
If you want to arrive a few days early, or leave a few days
late or fly into different destinations there are many other
flights options available.
BIARRITZ AIRPORT.
There are the following flights on Sundays:
Ryan Air (FR372) depart Stansted 1215, arrive Biarritz 1505.
Ryan Air (FR1982) depart Dublin 1325, arrive Biarritz 1630.
If you take either of these flight you could stay in the
vibrant town of Biarritz (lots of hotels)
and on Monday we could meet you at your hotel (at about
1200) to transfer you to Hendaye (or you could ride to Hendaye
and we could pick up your bags / bike boxes). Alternatively if
you want to go direct to Hendaye you could arrange for a taxi
to meet you at the Airport. We have found TAXI XABI 0609304090
to be very reliable (he has an 8 seater taxi so can take 4
people and 4 bikes) - the 30 mins journey costs about 60 Euros
PERPIGNAN AIRPORT
Ryan Air have unfortunately recently (Jan 2010) cancelled
their 17.25 departure from Perpignan to London Stansted on
Saturdays, meaning that this is no longer an option for
getting home. Alternatives are therefore the Sunday
flight to Stansted from Carcassonne, necessitating staying the
extra night, or for those needing to be back on the Saturday,
the Saturday flight from Girona Barcelona to Stanstead (see
below). This has put us under some pressures in
arranging airport transfers to suit everyone's needs at the
end of the trip. Please do check with us before booking,
that we have space on the transfer you are hoping for.
Thankyou! GIRONA (BARCELONA) AIRPORT
For those of you wanting to return
home on Saturday at the end of your Raid (excluding RFR J24
which finishes on a Friday), the only flight to Stansted is
below: Ryan Air (RF9809) depart Barcelona (Girona)
22.05, arrive Stansted 23.15 This is a late arrival time so
may seem unappealing, however it does mean that you have
plenty of time to relax at the end of the Raid, enjoy a
leisurely lunch and a dip in the Med etc. The transfer
to Girona from Cerbere will leave at 18.30 for check in at
20.00. There are many flights from Barcelona Girona
Airport to other regional UK airports, including the
following:
Ryan Air (FR7037) depart Barcelona (Girona) 2210, arrive Dublin
2340.
Ryan Air (FR9399) depart Barcelona (Girona) 2210, arrive East
Midlands 2325.
There are also various flights available
on the Sunday, if you stay Saturday night in a
Hotel at Girona Airport are as follows (You will need to
book your own accommodation - the
Hotel Vilobi is the closest to the Airport)
BARCELONA AIRPORT (different to Girona!)
This is a major airport with links to most UK regional
airports and connections around the world. We are
normally able to give you a lift to the station in Cerbere on
the Saturday afternoon or early on the Sunday morning (before
0800) otherwise taxis are available (5 mins journey). There
are trains every few hours to Barcelona Sants, some are
direct, but most require a change at Portbou (just through the
tunnel in Spain) [Time: 2hrs 15mins to 4hrs. Cost: 11 to 29
Euros, one way]. See Train Travel
below for details on where to buy tickets etc. From Barcelona
Sants there are then direct trains (Line C2 nord) every 30
mins and the journey takes about 26 mins.
TOULOUSE AIRPORT
Toulouse is not particularly convenient for either the start
or end of the Raid, it does however have good flight
connections to some of the UK regional airports. British
Airways does not currently charge for the carriage of bikes.
If flying in / out of Toulouse you will need to make your own
way to Hendaye / from Cerbere by train. These journeys are
fairly straight forward. See Train Travel
below for details on where to buy tickets etc.
Toulouse Airport to Hendaye: There is a Navette
(airport shuttle bus) that leaves from just outside the arrival hall
of the Airport to the railway station in Toulouse. The bus
departs every 20 mins and takes 20 mins. You pay for your
ticket in the booth opposite the bus stop (5 Euros). The
railway station (Toulouse Matabiau) is the final stop.
There are then trains every couple of hours to Hendaye. [Time:
4 to 5 hrs. Cost: 29 to 45 Euros, one way]. There
are some direct trains, but most (the quickest) require a
change at Bayonne. On arrival in Hendaye it is best to
get a Taxi to the Hotel (5 mins). We have found TAXI XABI
0609304090 to be very reliable (he has an 8 seater taxi so can
take 4 people and 4 bikes).
Cerbere to Toulouse Airport: We are
normally able to give you a lift to the station in Cerbere on
the Saturday afternoon or early on the Sunday Morning (before
0800) otherwise taxis are available (5 mins journey). There
are trains every few hours to Toulouse Matabiau, most are
direct, but some require a change at Narbonne. [Time: 2hrs
45mins to 3hrs 15 mins. Cost: 24 to 33 Euros, one way]. On arrival at
Toulouse you come out of the station main entrance, turn right
and walk 100m to the bus station. The Navette
(airport shuttle bus)
departs every 20 mins and takes 20 mins - it is normally
parked in the first bay. Tickets can be bought in the station
or on the bus (5 Euros).
Non UK based Passengers:
Via London
Fly transcontinental in / out of London and then catch
our group flights listed above.
Via Paris
Fly transcontinental in / out of Paris and then travel by
train or Air France flights from Paris Orly to Biarritz, Perpignian to Paris Orly.
Check with us prior to booking that we are able to get you to
Perpignan. There is a shuttle
bus between Paris Orly and Paris Charles de Gaulle airports
(50mins, every 30 mins from 0600 to 2230, cost €16.) Air
France chage 40 Euros for bike carriage to / from another
European country and 20 Euros for flights within France.
Via Toulouse
Fly transcontinental with in / out of Paris with connecting
flights to Toulouse. You then take the train
as outlined above.
Via Madrid
Fly transcontinental with Ibera in / out of Madrid. There are then connecting flights to
San Sabastian Airport on the Atlantic (10 mins taxi ride from
our hotel). At the end of the trip you would need to travel to
Barcelona by train from where there are many flights back to Madrid.
DRIVING:
Driving down through France can be a great way of extending
your holiday. We have found that hotels listed on the Logis
de France website are of a reliable quality. Cheap
ferry deals can be picked up by visiting ferryprice.com.
If you want help in planning the best route, have a look at
the fantastic AA
European route planner, which even gives you an indication
of how long your journey will take.
Driving to the Start
There is ample parking at the Hotel Campanile in Hendaye and
they are happy for you leave you car there for a week. At the
end of the Raid you take the train back to Hendaye
[Time: 28hrs to 10 hrs Cost: 50 to 70 Euros, one way]. The Railway station in Hendaye is 1.5km from the hotel (taxis are available).
See Rail Travel for info on timetables and
how to buy tickets.
Driving to our house
Our base is in
Les Cabannes, 1hr 30 mins south of Toulouse. You could
make your own way to our base for 0700 on the Monday morning
and we would then give you a lift direct to the hotel in
Hendaye (5 hrs). At the end of the trip you would need to stay
the extra night in Cerbere and we could give you a lift back
to your car (4hrs via Carcassonne) for about 1300 on the
Sunday. There is a charge of £40 for these journeys (+ the £60
for the extra night).
RAIL TRAVEL:
Timetables / tickets etc
Unfortunately rail tickets are only available for purchase 3
months before the travel date. However the timetables do not
change radically, so you can get an idea of the approximate
times / cost of the journey but looking at earlier journeys
for the same day of the week. You can buy tickets
online on the SNCF
or Rail
Europe websites, if you have no joy then we suggest
ringing Rail Europe on 08708 371 371 (UK number). Alternatively,
you can search for timetables on the
DB Rail website, but you will have to ring to purchase
tickets.
Bikes on trains:
Depending on which French train company you are
travelling with, you may have to pay for your bike.
For TER trains: if your bike is boxed then you
are able to travel with it on any train, but if it is
assembled and travelling as a bike, then you will be
restricted to certain trains (marked on individual
timetables).
For other train lines you will need a bike
ticket, available to purchase over the phone from Rail Europe
on 0844 848 5848. There is a flat rate booking fee of £8
(2010 price) regardless of number of bikes or journeys.
Arrival in Hendaye / departure from Cerbere
The Railway station
in Hendaye is 1.5kms from the hotel (taxis are
available). We have found TAXI XABI 0609304090 to be very
reliable (he has an 8 seater taxi so can take 4 people and 4
bikes). At the end of the Raid we are normally able to give
you a lift to the station in Cerbere on the Saturday afternoon
or early on the Sunday Morning (before 0800) otherwise taxis
are available (5 mins journey)
Travel from the UK
Lessen your carbon footprint and take the train! Both Hendaye and Cerbere have
high speed rail links with Paris and Eurostar connections from
Waterloo making this a very viable option. There are both day
and sleeper trains available and both journey can be done in
10 to 15 hrs with changes in Paris. The price is normally
about £160, but promotions fairs are available.
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