Spanish cycling

django44 · Post by **django44** » 26 Oct 2010, 2:10pm

After doing end to end and side to side earlier in the year, I am thinking of trying somewhere a bit warmer next year probably Spain. Does anybody know anything about cycling in spain.I rarther fancy santander to gibralter, but am a bit worried about the mountainous terain as I am not in the first flush of youth,would it be best to stick to main roads?

Winkeladvokat · Post by **Winkeladvokat** » 26 Oct 2010, 2:55pm

Check out the Ruta de la Plata and the pretty comprehensive route information here:

http://www.rutadelaplata.com/

I've not done it but I have been to a few of the areas before. Would be an absolutely fantastic trip!

Gearoidmuar · Post by **Gearoidmuar** » 26 Oct 2010, 5:38pm

THE tour to do in Spain is the Camino de Santiago. I did it in about 1995 with 2 friends. We cycled from Barcelona into France, back into Spain and all the way to Santiago. Loads of people do it, you will have a great variety of things of historical interest, scenery, wine, music and so on. Also, it's not too hard and east to west is the direction of the prevailing wind in the north of Spain.

Winkeladvokat · Post by **Winkeladvokat** » 26 Oct 2010, 6:12pm

Actually, there are multiple Caminos de Santiago, the a variant of the Ruta de la Plata being one :-)

http://www.caminodesantiago.me.uk/camino-routes/

Of, course, doing the classic northern route would also be great, but the N-S has a lot to commend it, mainly that it's less busy and takes you through some really wild and undervisited parts of spain (e.g. Extremadura). Plus you end up in Andalucia, which I have a minor love affair with, and the route south of Sevilla through the Pueblos Blancos is stunning. Spain's great :-)

7_lives_left · Post by **7_lives_left** » 26 Oct 2010, 6:35pm

Gearoidmuar's route sounds good but that's a serious distance. lejog would be tame by comparison.

I was given a book last Christmas by my sister-in-law who lives in Spain. "Cycle touring in Spain: eight detailed tours" by Harry Dowdell, published by Cicerone, ISBN 10: 1-85284-381-0 . I have never cycled in Spain unfortunately but I have visited both Granada/Sierra Nevada and Sierra de Gredos. The book covers routes in both those areas. I would like to go back with a bike.

Gearoidmuar · Post by **Gearoidmuar** » 27 Oct 2010, 7:02am

7_lives_left wrote:Gearoidmuar's route sounds good but that's a serious distance. lejog would be tame by comparison.

I was given a book last Christmas by my sister-in-law who lives in Spain. "Cycle touring in Spain: eight detailed tours" by Harry Dowdell, published by Cicerone, ISBN 10: 1-85284-381-0 . I have never cycled in Spain unfortunately but I have visited both Granada/Sierra Nevada and Sierra de Gredos. The book covers routes in both those areas. I would like to go back with a bike.

Well you don't have to go into France. If you don't, it's easier than Lejog, at least the CTC Lejog tour which I've done twice. No severe gradients.

EdwardH · Post by **EdwardH** » 28 Oct 2010, 1:07pm

Hello,

I live in Spain (in the mountains just north of Madrid) and do a lot of cycling here and a while ago, as part of an extended tour from England to Morocco, I crossed the the country twice. My route out was: La Jonquera (border with France), Gerona, Barcelona, Ebro Delta, Albacete, Ubeda, Cordoba, Seville, Jerez, Algeciras (across the bay from Gibraltar). Way back was: Algeciras, Seville, Merida, Salamanca, Pamplona and back to France.

Spain's a great country for cycle touring with lots of wonderful, wild scenery. Outside the cities, it's mainly sparsely populated so , if you keep off the main roads, there's little traffic and wild camping is easy. Drivers tend to respect cyclists and normally give plenty of room when overtaking. One piece of advise would be: beware of the heat in summer! Anywhere except the north gets unbearably hot (on the other hand, the interior gets very cold in winter). Also, it's a very mountainous country (apart from the two mesetas). This makes for beautiful landscapes but, at times, strenuous pedalling.

If you have any specific questions, let me know.

bikerpauline · Post by **bikerpauline** » 28 Oct 2010, 4:46pm

Did a similar route in 2002 with my husband. Here is a report: http://www.by-bike.co.uk/spain1.htm

There is also a book by a retired denist about his ride from Santander to Gib. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trans-Iberian-C ... 605&sr=8-1

django44 · Post by **django44** » 29 Oct 2010, 10:02pm

Thanks for your replies on my spanish cycling questions, as usual you guys are a mine of information. I am thinking of going in the spring to avoid summer heat
and didnt know about east to west prevailing winds, so will consider that route. Will check on other info recieved, THANKS AGAIN.

Cycling UK Forum

Spanish cycling

Spanish cycling

Re: Spanish cycling

Re: Spanish cycling

Re: Spanish cycling

Re: Spanish cycling

Re: Spanish cycling

Re: Spanish cycling

Re: Spanish cycling

Re: Spanish cycling