Thinking about doing a North to South Spain late August early September

[Therealsouthstander]

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

[jacobean]

If you start in Santander you could take the N-634 / N-632 westbound towards Gijon. (Santander to Ribadesella) is quite flat. The N-632 to Gijon is hillier but at least you will have the coast breeze. From Gijon, you could head south towards the Via de la Plata. To avoid hills in the first day, the only way I can think of is going coastal. Remember most of Northern Spain is mountainous.

As for timing - Rain will probably be your biggest problem in the North at that time of year! However, once past Madrid, it's going to be hot even in early Sept. You could avoid this be starting really early in the morning, having a siesta between 1pm and 4pm and cycling again for 2 or 3 more hours.

No need for a tent. While I'm sure the pandemic has forced some small hotels / pensions into permanent closure, accommodation is usually easy to find.

As for a stove, there is always going s bar open even in the smallest of villages that will serve you some coffee and tortilla!

[MrsHJ]

There’s a new cicerone guide of the Ruta de la plata. I think they mentioned in the blurb something about alternative routes (I haven’t got it- just had a look so please don’t trust my memory).

https://www.cicerone.co.uk/cycling-the- ... e-la-plata

I’ve done some fabulous cycling in Spain but it does tend towards the seriously hilly. Second most mountainous country in Europe. Famously I thought that sierras meant high grasslands as that’s what they always showed in the cowboy films. So don’t trust my navigation- now a matter of family legend.

My cycle trips in Spain have involved the Pyrenees, the Pyrenees again, the Asturias mountains about 3 times, the Picos de europa at least twice- you get the theme. Then again the steepest part of Iberia and possibly the most humid was the climb out of the Douro valley.

I find the heat thing a very individual one. For me even northern Spain in late august is too hot by 11am. But I’m not you so check the climate/weather and if it’s better for you you can always shift things around by a week or two. I wouldn’t even bother taking a tent unless you find there are gaps in the route with nowhere to stay. I’d plug the route into cycle.travel, select the overnights option and then places to stay to see whether it’s likely to be ok. Dinner can be served very late in Spain but I’d not bother with a stove.

[Therealsouthstander]

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..

[Tiggertoo]

The heat thing is something to give serious thought to, but from my recollection of Spain the heat is quite dry so evaporation is as much a concern as the body not being able to discharge heat. Either way, plenty of liquids all the time is received wisdom.
If your schedule allows morning and evening cycling - there is a good reason Iberians' take (or used to take) siestas in the middle of the day - you will be better off.

By the way, I envy you the trip, Spain is wonderful anytime of the year and not nearly so crowded as Britain away from the overcrowded and commercialized coast packed with barely clothed and usually fat Germans.

As suggested above though, take your food wherever you can, tapas, tapas, tapas for a couple of weeks isn't all bad.

[simonhill]

I've just finished 6 weeks in Southern Spain, ½ Feb and March.

I had no problem getting hotels although obbviiosly lower tourist season. Normally I would investigate the night before, using Google maps, and a couple of booking sites. Sometimes I pre booked, others I just turned up and usually got a better price. You will find when it's better to book (busy area, better hotels, chain hotels, etc) and when to just turn up.

I saw quite a few closed hotels, don't know if this was COVID or out of season. Nonetheless there were still plenty. You may need to do longer or shorter days to fit in with what is available. Also, you may need to phone when you arrive to get someone to book you in.

Re heat, no idea what your tolerance is. I normally cycle in the tropics in winter and like it hot, others on this forum are complaining when the UK hits 20°. You work out what suits you.

The Spanish hours can be a pain, again you will need to adjust. I am a regular user of the supermarkets to buy food to carry and eat when I want. If you can eat midday to early afternoon then no problem with a set menu of the day, but evening dining can be late. You will probably find long distances with no supplies, cafes, etc, so my advice is stock up in supermarket in the morning.

Personally I wouldn't want to live off tapas as it it not particularly healthy food day after day. As an alternative, kebab shops are often open all day and evening and offer cheap filling meals - more fresh salad than many tapas.

Happy to answer any specific questions, but I think others have more experience of Spain than me.

[borisface]

I rode the via de la plata (south to north) in September about 15 years ago and the first few days were extremely hot (35-38) and I was unaccustomed. However, I had a bit of a shock when there was frost on the ground in Salamanca and I had to buy some more cycle clothing such as gloves and a warm jacket. Much of the middle of Spain is a high meseta c. 1000m altitude and so gets pretty chilly over night.

One thing that I found, and this is a Spanish thing, is that meals are served very late, so restaurants might not open for dinner much before 9.30pm. Breakfast is also a pretty late affair, so getting an early start to avoid the heat often entails a DIY breakfast or missing out or getting very hot. One advantage of late Spanish dining is that it's quite acceptable to arrive at a hotel or b&b late in the evening ie. 9pm. However, if like me you travel light and wash your clothes as you go it can be tricky to get things dry. Overall Spain is a great country but has some local/national foibles which take some adjusting to or can lead to inconvenience.

[Tiggertoo]

Given the peculiarities of the Spanish way of life, and the hit and miss nature of their food outlets, I wonder if there is perhaps a corollary with backpacking where one posts supplies ahead to post offices - post restante (sp!)- or other convenient en-route locations rather than hunting for 'supermarkets' in towns where one has no idea of such facilities actually exist.

[eileithyia]

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..

Things may have changed post covid etc., but last time I cycle toured in Spain, I just headed to the nearest reasonable sized town for the end of the day and always found there was a hotel. My other half who had never holidayed like this was a bit alarmed to do so and usually had his phone out at some point of the day checking that there was some sort of hotel...

[MrsHJ]

We generally followed our noses in the mornings and found a bakery, mostly not featuring any signs- but looking almost like someone’s house (we were not raiding peoples home for food- it’s just that everyone in the village knew where the bakery was and there was no need to advertise). I definitely remember a major festa one night with lots of fireworks at midnight and cycling out the next morning many people heading home rather the worse for wear, anyway in the next town the follow your noses thing operated and we ended up actually in the operational end of the bakery getting our bread. Love Spain, agree there are some foibles- I can deal with the food ones but find the climate pretty tough.

As for supermarket grazing- I thought every touring cyclist has learnt the hard way that missed meals are not fun and so regular supermarket forays to make sure you have emergency snacks and picnics are always part of the day! I often have a picnic in my hotel room in the evening when travelling too. It’s a mixture of all the exercise suppressing my appetite a bit, not really interested in eating in restaurants by myself and keen to get some healthy food in. I don’t always do that but I’m not desperate to eat out every night especially on a budget and with a lot of covid around. Having said that my best meals of the year last year were in France when cycle touring- so I clearly managed to get some highlights in. For other people (my husband is in this category) eating out and trying out new restaurants is an important part of the holiday.

[simonhill]

Given the peculiarities of the Spanish way of life, and the hit and miss nature of their food outlets, I wonder if there is perhaps a corollary with backpacking where one posts supplies ahead to post offices - post restante (sp!)- or other convenient en-route locations rather than hunting for 'supermarkets' in towns where one has no idea of such facilities actually exist.

Locating supermarkets, mini markets or anything else, eg bike shops, hotels, etc can be done by a simple search on Google maps.

Most small towns have mini markets and often a supermarket on the outskirts. I rarely had problems finding them and often passed one on the way out of town.

[HarryD]

Having recent experience of Spain and having cycled there extensively here are some of my experiences:

Rural areas, towns and villages are still largely self sufficient in terms of cafes, bars, places to eat and accommodation. This is generally not seasonal. This compares to France where such things have disappeared in all but the larger villages

Accommodation. September is low season so expect lots of good value accommodation. Search Google for 'accommodation' in your planned overnight stop. You will be surprised by the amount of choice. Also try Booking.com or similar with your town and date so you will know which has availability. You can also book there and then

Eating. Although some restaurants don't open till late most will serve from 19:30 and sometimes earlier. Hotel restaurants usually fit in with the earlier time. If you are the only guests in a family run place, which is quite possible in remoter areas, you may be asked what time you want to eat. The Spanish are very hospitable

Breakfasts. These can be too late to be convenient. Again, some will serve breakfast when you want if you want earlier. You will find some bars open early and these can often do something to eat. A Google search can be used to find opening times. The Spanish are very hospitable

Starting in Gijon it can be warm or even hot in September but expect rain. It is Green Spain for a reason. As you move south expect it to get warmer and even very hot (40C) near Sevilla. However, as has been said the high mesas can get frost overnight and bake during the day. Not a problem if starting early but something to be aware of

Please try not to over plan or over think. Go, set off south, wander off route, explore some out of the way places and enjoy it all

[jacobean]

The Spanish are very hospitable

I wholeheartedly agree.Typical example.

Arrive at a cafe bar in France, after food serving time, and even asking in French if they can serve a snack you'll be met with a stern "non".

Arrive at a cafe bar in Spain after food serving time, and asking if food is still served you might be told "terminado". However, a bocadillo or racion de tapas will magically appear on your table a few minutes later.

Sometimes, this sort of hospitality can make the difference between a good trip and an excellent one.

[MrsHJ]

On the booking ahead thing whatever works for you but I work a day or two ahead and use booking .com on my phone. I used to do the whole figure it out when you get there thing but these days I usually have a clear plan- especially the afternoon before when I’m relaxing after a shower post cycle I know the weather and my plans for tomorrow so why not book ahead so it’s all sorted. Having said that nothing wrong with serendipity- whatever works for the two of you best.

I usually using booking.com via cycle.travel so Richard gets a little bit of a kick back towards funding cycle.travel- it’s also a great way to check the location of hotels against the route.

[Therealsouthstander]

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..