Cycling UK Forum

Does any one know if you can take bikes through the 'Ruta Del Cares' in the Picos de Europa

Planning on taking two families through on tandems and solos.
This looks like a walk with the bikes as it's just too dangerous to ride.

My question is... Do the Spanish allow cyclists to walk through with their bicycles?

Best regards

Phil Cunningham

I did this walk in 2009 and bikes were not allowed on the trail, plenty of "no cycles", not "no cycling", signs. Don't know if the situation has changed but I can't imagine so, it's just too dangerous (at times) to walk with a bicycle.

I was in a party that took bikes through in 1996 or thereabouts. There were a couple of no bikes signs, but it was midweek in May and there was nobody official about.
The main part of the track is a service road following a water conduit that serves a small hydroelectric generator. It's about 2m wide and has a good level surface, but with a large and completely unprotected drop off the side. The problem from a cyclist's point of view is that the track doesn't go all the way through. When the water is diverted straight down to the HEP plant, the track turns into a footpath over fairly rocky terrain (to the right of the chap's head in the photo). I was OK, but some of the others had to take their luggage off at a few points and take that separately from the bike. I would expect a tandem to be difficult.

I was in the Picos in June, earlier this year. It was not possible to walk this route from one end to the other (nevermind cycle!) owing to a major landslip about half way along. It was not a case of health and safety dictating the path closed - it nolonger existed and there was absolutely no way of getting through nomatter how determined you might be. There were major works being undertaken to restore the route, being carried out by workmen suspended high up the cliff face. Hopefully their efforts have been successful. Even if they have, personally I would prefer an enjoyable walk in spectacular scenery rather than a nerve-wracking cycle ride/push. It is possibly the most popular hiking route in all the Picos and it is not a path suitable for cyclists to share very easily.

Thanks for your advice. I was leaning towards using it as a day hike in and back. It's a shame as would made a good route for our circular tour of the Picos.
Many thanks for your replies
Phil Cunningham

I visited the Cares Gorge on my first solo tour in 1993. My route was from the north via Arenas. I found a small hotel at Poncebos and used it as a base for walks for a few days.

The main track, as shown in Andrew's photos was quite substantial but gradually petered out across what I took to be landslips. A poor track descended to water level. I found myself walking along the river using rocks as stepping stones. Returning towards Poncebos I saw that a very steep alternative route climbed up the hillside. I tried it and would say that it was impressive as a mountain walk. It had a sign saying that it was dangerous. I saw no cycle signs or people who might have enforced them. My notes say that I saw three people. Like me they were investigating.

Judging by my experience and that of Burroc the route may be prone to rock falls.
The region is marvellous well worth a visit by bike.

I hope the route does get restored. It would be a great pity if it was lost, as have been two of the best "vertigo routes" in the Vercors (the Grands Goulets and the Route des Ecouges are now bypassed by tunnels, with no access to the old road).

The route I took was from the Cain end, with the track turning into a path some 200m higher than the river. It drops down steeply to the road/track along the bottom of the lower part of the gorge half a mile or a bit less upstream of the bridge where the road goes up to Sotres.
JJF's steep alternative route will be the through track/path. Looking on Google maps satellite view, it is a lot better defined than it used to be. It would also appear that the HEP utility isn't there any more

Although the Ruta del Cares has long been closed to cyclists,* there are some good tracks that can be used in the Picos which are useful for linking places which are otherwise far apart by road, but only in the eastern half of the Picos park. In particular, there is a network of tracks to the S and SW of Fuente De which enables one to get out of that dead-end road and onto the top of the pass above the Valdeón Valley (which leads down to the Cares gorge). You can get a detailed map of that area, which is probably desirable as it is a bit of a maze, though the road route is probably more spectacular. There is also a land rover track leading (edit) north out of the Fuente De Valley from Espinama, about 5km from Fuente De, though the climb out of Espinama itself is ferociously steep. This is a very beautiful route. But you won't find any cyclable through-routes off-road in the park to the west of those.

Be aware that from the main village in the Valdeón valley it is a fairly steep 400-500m descent down to the entrance to the Cares gorge. And if you are camping at the campsite at Santa Marina de Valdeón, that is a steep 250-300m climb up from the village. A day trip from the campsite down to the gorge for a bit of a walk, with infant on back of bike, on a hot day, proved rather a tougher assignment than I realised before I set off.

*and was always what Mrs Cunningham would call "mad rough-stuff"

Work was complete and the path reopened in July.
The Spanish make it very clear that they don't want bikes on the Cares Gorge track. Please respect that.
There are plenty of other tracks in the area that are suitable (though some are challenging) and that are open to bikes.

A friend and I rode through the gorge in October of 1984. Apart from a man leading a steer in the opposite direction we saw nobody else. It was the most extraordinary day's ride of my entire life. We started the day from Posada de Valdeon where we had been advised that the other routes out were closed due to snow. Towards the North Eastern end of the 12km ride the path had slipped away and we were obliged to lug our fully laden bikes up a steep track and down again in order to bypass the missing section. Photos of that day are included here (with captions) at http://tinyurl.com/9wafjy5 .

If cycling is now prohibited it would mostly be because we would be a menace to walkers so as mentioned in a previous post we should respect the prohibition. There are numerous other breathtaking rides in the Picos such as the route up through Covadonga to the lakes Enol and Ercina, and the route from Sotres to Espinama.

by ianb
The Spanish make it very clear that they don't want bikes on the Cares Gorge track. Please respect that.

This video shows riders leaving in the dark and cycling at dawn. Obviously to avoid the many walkers who use this route later in the day. The comment under the video states there is a 500 euro fine for cycling on the route.