Cycling UK Forum

Has anyone cycled from the German border either through Belgium and or The Netherlands to Amsterdam. Looking for recommendations on a preferred route. It can be a mixture or trains and cycling. We have 3.5 days

Thanks in advance

Tiggertoo wrote: ↑23 Oct 2022, 8:27pm I understand the attraction in going to Thailand to see the temples and maybe other ancient structures and relics, but what is the draw to cycle in Thailand?

Cycling in Thailand is one of the best places to ride a bicycle anywhere in the world, especially in the North . Try it you'll soon know what i mean.

We we started our Spain trip it was more humid in the North but one we came over the Austrian mountains it was a dry heat all the way... It was nudging 40 Deg C in Extremadura and around Seville but the real heat didn't start until afternoon time.. we found this ok.

I would think the costal areas in Portugal will be humid but what is the interior like ?

After a very enjoyable Gijon to Cadiz trip we've started to think about next years trip. Definitely want to explore a bit more of Spain and Include Portugal this time.

Was thinking A Coruna would be a good starting point and I've always wanted to go to Santiago de compostela and Porto so it kina makes sense. I've heard to N2 down the middle of Portugal to Faro is great and we would possibly head East through Andalusia from there..

We would start our trip late August like we did this year as the weather was wonderful apart from a few cloudy days and some hot weather around Seville but it was more than manageable.

We loved the flexibility of not planning our exact route and booking hotels either the night before or even on the same day.. Hopefully that would work in Portugal?

So is roughly following the N2 a good option or are their better areas of Portugal to explore?


Thsnks in advance for any recommendations

Yep, particularly the Cadiz info- I’ve driven there before but hoped the ferry would be ok. Feels like it’s not a runner.
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It was a bit windy when we arrived so maybe the cancellation was justified.. The bus worked fine but the train would have been a better option. Just make sure its not one that started in Seville as they seemed to be fully booked for bikes.. Saying that I'd take your chance with the ferry.

So we did it and what a trip it was...Incredible.

We started in Gijon and headed to Oviedo and ended our first Day in the Asturian Mountain Town called Saint Martin. This was on the advice of a local guy from Gijon. The next day we climbed the awesome puerto de ventana. A climb of 25km ranging from 8% to 19%. It was a bit cloudy but when we reached the top it cleared up nicely..I cant recommend this area enough. We then decended into the beautiful Leon.. It was a day to remember.

We then spent the next 2 days cycling towards Salamanca and spent 2 nights in this wonderful City. One of the days we covered 90 miles.

As we headed towards Extremadura we both fell in love with this region with Hervas being our favourite Town. We found an amazing place to spend the night.

As we headed further South we found this beautiful Cortijo just outside Llerena and didnt want to leave. So we didn't and spent 3 glorious days here. It left a big day to Seville through the amazing Extremadura countryside. We took the long way on local advice.It was great advice...Magical day..As the day went on the temperature nudged 40 Deg C so plenty of water stops were required. We arrived into Seville feeling remarkably well so stayed for a few days and even went to the football- Real Betis v Villarreal, which was wonderful.

We then successfully navigated our way out of Seville but the cycling was fairly unspectacular but arrived into Jerez which we really liked, especially the sherry.

This left us an easy day to Cadiz until we arrived just outside. Bikes weren't allowed to cycle into Cadiz according to a local Petrol station so we headed for the ferry at Santa Maria but the ferry wasnt running due to high winds...So bus it was.. Wasn't the way we planned for it to end but what a trip. Cadiz was lovely too and our bike hire picked up our bikes without issues.

Cant recommend this route enough... 10 days cycling in total.

Any questions, fire away

Many thanks Simon. Jerez sound like a good plan. The other Town that looks quite nice is Arcos de la Frontera.

The only bit of the trip that I need to plan is the start and finish , this is so i can arrange for bike to be dropped off and Collected. Saying that with the 3rd week rental being free we do have a decent buffer...

I haven't really looked at our route in to Cadiz yet so thanks for pointing this out. The ferry option sounds like a good idea.
It looks like it's around 100 miles from Seville to Cadiz with hardly any elevation gain. Did think about doing that in one day but thought there might be a nice Town/ Village on the way to spend the night .Also I'm sure a hairdryer like wind will be blowing..Any recommendations are welcome.
I've never been to Cadiz or that part of Andalusia before so unsure where to spend a few nights at the end of the tour, again any recommendations we be most welcome..

Thanks again

Really ? You must be an ' in-between size' ? I've never had a problem that adjusting the saddle wouldn't fix..

We like to take our own bikes too but with 3 flights the risk is huge. Luththansa used to fly from Aberdeen and when they did , the bike policy was for just to turn up at the airport and hand over the bike. No boxes, no taking off pedals and turning the handlebars etc. Pick up your bike at the destination airport and ride. This worked great for me and never had a problem. Saying that , I never tried it on more than 2 flights at a time and always via Frankfurt. Touring bike are made of tough stuff

I was looking at 2 companies that rent bikes in Spain with delivery and collection to and from different locations. Both Portuguese ironically.

I went for the first company as I preferred the bikes

www.cycling-rentals.com

www.bikeiberia.com

Thanks again for some more great Information.

Regarding our bikes getting to Gijon...We decided that hiring bikes over there worked best. We live in the North of Scotland and decided the ferry to Santander and back would eat into nearly 6 days of our holiday..Flying from Aberdeen to Northern Spain would require 3 flights so wasn't willing to risk that. This and the logistics of taking a bike box to one place and returning from another was another factor. The hire bikes will get delivered to our hotel in Gijon and picked up from Cadiz. Rent for 2 weeks and the 3rd week is free gives us a fair bit of flexibility...It was an easy decision to be honest.

Many thanks for all the wonderful tips... I must admit I had no idea about possible frosts...We were even speaking about not taking a long sleeve shirt..

We are spending a 4 days in Bilbao and San Sebastian before taking the bus to Gijon where we will pick up our bikes, stay the night then we'll be on our way.

Will mostly follow the N630 and and the Route De la Plata. Will check Google for hotel and food options on the road and deviate if necessary..

Our bike hire is for 2 weeks but 3rd week is free. We will drop off our bikes in Cadiz after 13 or 14 days but its good to know we have a buffer for delays including liking one particular place so we can stay..We will then visit Seville and Madrid before flying home from Madrid a week later.

So as you can see we have plenty of options and i must say I'm really looking forward to this trip...We both absolutely love Spain and the whole Tapas with beer experience. This will absolutely be all about the food , wine and beer.. This is a huge part of any holiday/ adventure we go on..

I would imagine we will cover around 50 miles per day but obviously we have flexibility to do more or less when required.

Keep the tips coming especially from this particular route..

We have booked our flights and our first nights accommodation in Gijon where we will start the cycle. We will end the trip in Cadiz and would rather not book hotels until we are on the road.. Does anyone have any experience on this and the area at the beginning on September? I don't think my wife would be too pleased if we were searching around for hotels at the end of the day..

First of all , are we mad ?

Secondly , where to start in Northern Spain that isn't going to be extremely hilly ?
Will most likely fly into Madrid and spend the weekend there then get the train to a starting point in the North.

I've heard that Route via de la plata is excellent but we would rather follow quiet roads as apposed to rough tracks. Would this be easy enough to route plan ? We would also like to finish in Cadiz.

Another thing would be whether to carry a tent and stove. Would rather stay in B&B etc and eat in tapas bars. Would we need to pre book ?

Would like to take around 12 days but could add on a few if needed ?

And finally are we mad for attempting this late August early September? (I know I've already said this)

We've previously cycled in India,Sri Lanka and many places in SE Asia...So have had some experience cycling in Heat but always with local people with us.

Many thanks for any advice

Considering going to Arran and Islay instead of Jura..

Thoughts ?