Has anyone any good tips for this, either in this country or abroad. ie which ferries to use, what essentials to take, breakdown cover. Thinking of maybe having a short jaunt before weather gets too bad as a try out for next year.
Are there many bikers on the forum?

you might find www.bikechatforums.com useful for this sort of info, I know theres usually a few bikers who post on there who are touring around at the time, and of course bikers all over the UK who go touring :)

My dad and brother did a tour round Spain I think it was on the bikes some years ago. Most of the stuff you could buy unless you plan on going somewhere desolate!

You got anywhere in particular in mind? It pays to have a plan!

Shirker - if you're going abroad I recommend reading you insurance policies. It's obvious that some things may not be covered, but maybe less obvious that you can pay for extra cover and waste money by doubling up. Actually it applies here too. We fell off our bike on the Woodhead, and made the mistake of ringing the AA, with whom we had breakdown cover. They classed it as a RTA, and charged for trailering us home. When we rang our insurance company, we found out that we actually had full RAC breakdown and accident cover in with our insurance, so if we'd rung them we wouldn't have had to pay. It also meant we'd been paying AA membershipe fees for nothing!!! We usually let our insurance company know if we're going abroad, and don't buy any extra cover. In some countries you need a translation of your driving licence. I'd also recommend carrying a European Health Insurance Card, which has replaced the old E111 form. You can apply online for it. I think there are a few bikers here, judging from a thread not so long ago about bikes and bus lanes.

If you go on a short trip abroad then the only sensible thing to do is to go by North Sea Ferries. If you take the trip via the channel then you are so sick of riding along British Motorways that is spoils it a bit.

If you are in France on a Sunday then fuel can be hard to come by on the sorts of roads that you will prefer to use. Bikes tend to have smaller tanks and the reserve might not be enough to get you to the next place. Don't ride past somewhere selling petrol on a Sunday is my best tip. I have also tried all my British cards at an automatic petrol station and in the end had to get a French bloke to use his card and give him cash.

Next Sunday a few friends and myself are off for our late in the year jaunt. This year we're off to do Northern Italy, via the south of France and back through the Alps. We don't bother doing the ride down to Dover anymore, it's a right drag, it's much easier to ride across to Hull and get the overnight ferry to Zeebrugge, that way you wake up in the morning already on the continent.

Make sure you take your log book with you, its a requirement to carry it over there, as I discovered when getting done for speeding in the Mont-Blanc Tunnel (12 miles long :shocked: ), the fine for not having it was as much as the speeding fine, (he also tried to fine me for not having my driving license, but I got away with that).

Our last night on the way home from foreign jaunts, is usually spent here :- http://www.grd.be
You ride your bikes into reception, then park them outside your room.
The bar has everything you would expect; pool tables,sofas, long dining tables, more different drinks than you can shake a stick at, bar open 'til the last person is standing, juke box full of rock, live bands, the front of the bar opens like a fire station onto the bbq area/garden, surrounded by fields, I could go on for ages about this place. All this and then you're only a few feet away from your bed and only a few miles from the ferry the next day.
The only drawback with this place is that it smells of Belgium.

Take the plymouth to Santander ferry and head East through Northern Spain to the Pyrenees and across into France that way. The roads there are unbelievable, gorgeous landscape, nice hotels for £20 a night, and hardly any traffic.

Stunning.

Scotland is good for biking. France is dull as dishwater. Ireland is also good, ferry from Holyhead, roads are carp though (We broke our chassis on the bike)

Cheers for the info, i've got a e111 card.
looked at the ferry crossings, I think for a short jaunt, dover-calais is better, 0nly £45 rtn.

SHarper, sounds like a good break, hoping to do something similar next year.

Scotland is good for biking. France is dull as dishwater. Ireland is also good, ferry from Holyhead, roads are carp though (We broke our chassis on the bike)

That is extremely narrow minded. It might be true if you regard France as Calid, but what about the Alps, the Pyrenes, the Massif Centrale ?

Not really, shirker has asked for a short trip abroad. In the areas you can reach within france for a short trip touring then it really isn't too exciting when compared to somewhere like Scotland or Ireland.

The places like the alps and pyrenees require a longer period of stay.

i work in scotland, and it rains too much!! i guess france will be the choice, cheap ferry, prob just do 1 0r 2 nights over a w/end in a couple of weeks. not after anything too taxing to start with!

Cover your tank with foam when boarding a ferry..... they are usually lashed to a post and this avoids scratches. Everyone else has mentioned anything else I can think of.

Have a good trip.

If your alarm is motion sensored then make sure you switch it off on the ferry too.