basic plan​

• New Zealanders fly to London, bikers ride to the Algarve, family fly to the Algarve arriving same time as the bikers for 9 days. Family fly back to London, bikers head back to London.​

dates​​

• Restricted by October 2026 half term break, which runs between 17-Oct and 1-Nov. possible itinerary:

  • Wed 14-Oct: ride from London to Plymouth, catch overnight ferry to Santander

  • Thu 15-Oct: - Tue 20-Oct: ride through Spain and Portugal

  • Tue 20-Oct: family fly from London to Faro, Portugal (2 hour direct flight)

  • Tue 20-Oct to Thu 29-Oct: family holiday in Ferragudo, Portugal

  • ​Thu 29-Oct: family fly from Faro, Portugal to London (2 hour flight)

  • Thu 29-Oct - Sat 1-Nov: ride through Portugal and Spain, overnight ferry to England

  • Mon 2-Nov: return to London​​

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flights

• Flights from London to Faro are common, direct and relatively cheap.

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accommodation for family holiday

• Staying in Ferragudo as we were there in October 2025 and we found it a great location.​

• We have booked a villa called Casa Da Praia with a swimming pool near the beach, 30 minute walk from Ferragudo centre, located here.

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considerations

• The ride will be a road based trip, not planning any off-road. October isn't the best weather in England or northern Spain so be prepared for cold and wet; but once in the Algarve temperatures should be 20C-25C.

• There are quite a few mosquitoes in Portugal; pay to pre-load on vitamin B12 and bring some sort of repellent.

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bikes

• David will take his MV Agusta Turismo Veloce.

• For the others, I think rental will be prohibitive due to cost based on length of trip.  I'd recommend buying and selling at the end of the trip, or storing for a year and come back in 2027 for another trip. Bikes can be stored at David's and you can use his address for registration etc.

  • Insurance is legally required for riding in Europe.​

  • You will need to take the registration papers with you; these can take six weeks to come through from DVLA, so bikes will need to be purchased before you arrive.

  • Superbike Factory have the largest stock of secondhand bikes in the country. They will buy back the bike and you should be able to get an indicated value based on adding the time an milage when dealing with them; but they won't do a guaranteed price.  They will also deliver and pickup bikes and offer a warrantee.

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ferries

• The ferries from England to Spain and back are all operated by Brittany Ferries, but the last ferry to leave Spain for the season is on Sunday 1st November. To ride through France would add an extra 900 miles each way, with very little of interest along the way (other than Le Mans).​

• ​Following ferries have been booked for Mark and David:

  • 20-Oct Plymouth to Santander, takes 21 hours

  • 1-Nov: Santander to Portsmouth, takes 33 hours

• This includes the first night's accommodation in Spain, as this then qualified for a 30% discount of the ferry price. Private cabin included.

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