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Why not Pyrenees?
We've been to Aínsa the two weeks from August BH a few years in a row, until SSUK2019 was announced for Comrie Croft. At that time of year we've encountered no more than 10 other riders in 12 days of riding.
It's about 1000km from Calais so we tend to take a Friday night chunnel out, sleep at Montreuil (vanlife, yo) then take 2 days driving non-toll roads past Rouen, Châterauroux, Cahors, Montauban, then the pass and tunnel from Saint Lary-Soulan to Bielsa, arriving Aínsa Sunday eve. It might be doable in one day on tollroads, but you'd be toast by Montauban.
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I love the Porte du Soleil and have been there about eight times since 2005. Would deffo recommend but it kinda depends what type of riding you prefer.
I'm sure people will disagree but IMO the PDS is mainly downhill trails with tabletops and doubles galore. There is some hidden singletrack but this is either super steep or super sketchy and you need to hunt it out.
The main advantage for me is it's a 12 hour drive which is very doable. Morzine is a great town to stay in with plenty of chalets to rent and shops and restaurants for the evening, lift access easy to get everywhere around the PDS including Les Gets, Chatel, Mossettes, Les Lindarets etc. and it's easy to self-guide.
Some of these other places are arse end of nowhere with one restaurant that you have to go to every night.
If you prefer singletrack descents then I would look elsewhere like say Les Arcs (great riding but not much nightlife and only really one mountain) or Albertville/Areches-Beaufort which is great but not much of a developed lift system and you need guiding.
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Emyr
MTB-Idle
@Dammit
Looking at going to the alps for some mountain biking, potentially second two weeks of August - Morzine/Les Gets the place to go, or would you chaps recommend somewhere else?