Cycling UK Forum

hi
thinking of doing the circuit of the sierras that harry dowdell recommends in cycle touring of spain book
starting and ending in madrid.......hopefully in 10 days. beginning of july
anyone done this.....am i mad and its too hot?
dont know yet either camping or hostels....leaning toward hostels or b&b to save weight
cheers

Can't give specific advice in terms of your route or the weather (my Spanish trips have been in the north and northeast of the country, always in September) but based on my own experiences I would say: 1) It is still possible to find good quality, reasonably priced accommodation and 2) It is easy to get caught out by restaurant opening times - away from tourist areas they often do not start serving food until 9:30pm......at the earliest.

I skirted these in June last year, wish I'd known more about the area, I would have diverted into them, a guy Bejar tried to pursuade me but I didn't go for it.

Heat 30+, but surprisingly it's no big deal as long as you are pedalling and just about every village has water fountains. I'd definitely use rooms and save weight, I found camp sites are hardly any cheaper than rooms in Spain. Hostal/room above bar 15-20 Euros, 3 star hotel 25+ Euros. Sometimes the latter works out cheaper, I'd look for a 3* that offered a buffet breakfast, stuff my face and also pilfer enough food to last me all day, the comforts of a 3* were a bonus.

Re: sierras de gredos
by MarkF » Sun Jan 27, 2013 7:03 pm

I skirted these in June last year, wish I'd known more about the area, I would have diverted into them, a guy Bejar tried to pursuade me but I didn't go for it.

Heat 30+, but surprisingly it's no big deal as long as you are pedalling and just about every village has water fountains. I'd definitely use rooms and save weight, I found camp sites are hardly any cheaper than rooms in Spain. Hostal/room above bar 15-20 Euros, 3 star hotel 25+ Euros. Sometimes the latter works out cheaper, I'd look for a 3* that offered a buffet breakfast, stuff my face and also pilfer enough food to last me all day, the comforts of a 3* were a bonus.
MarkF

superb!
did you book hostals in advance or turn up as you arrived?

Mark

If you have the 2003 edition or the 2006 update get onto the Cicerone website and download the update relating to this route. If you can't find it I should have a copy somewhere. The 2012 update includes the changes which are critical. The revisions relate to leaving and returning to Madrid and are an improvement on the original route.

Doable in early July as long as you can cope cope with the heat. Can always set off early. Generally wouldn't book hotels in advance but if you have a fixed itinerary they can often be cheaper if booked online

Yours

HarryD

Hello Henrik,

We did this ride a few years back and can echo Harry's comments about the updates relating to access around Madrid. On the way back we got so confused by changes to the road layout between the centre of Alcobendas and Barajas Airport that we ended up on a new stretch of motorway hard shoulder for about 3 miles. Luckily the road was deserted and a passing police car paid us no attention.

By flying in at a weekend we were able to take our bikes on the Metro into the centre of Madrid. We spent 2 nights at the Sercotel Suites Viena next to the Plaza Espana and a few minutes from the Casa de Campo. The hotel was cheap, smart and comfortable with loads of storage space for bikes. The staff were really helpful and booked our accommodation forward for a couple of nights.

B&B/Hotel Accommodation shouldn't be a problem in places like Avila and Segovia but it was a bit sparse elsewhere and in the end we stayed at the place mentioned in the book at the end of each day (with the exception of Navas del Rey where Sercotel Madrid found us a somewhere different ).

Stage 5 over the Collado de Seranillos is superb but remote, Segovia and Avila both deserve a stopover.

The hotel breakfast may sometimes be little more than a bun and a small cup of strong coffee so be prepared to top up. We also took a small travel kettle and some teabags for the essential end of ride "brew".

HTH

Andrew

henrik wrote:superb!
did you book hostals in advance or turn up as you arrived?

Hi Henrik,
I never book as I never know where I am going to end up, my plans consisted of a start point and an end point, Bilbao/Malaga. I always, without fail, found a room, if I couldn't see one then I'd ask in a bar. I've never booked a room in Spain and have toured in Asturias, Catalonia, and Andalucia, I don't think that you will have a problem.

Going back to the heat, I didn't notice it as long as I was moving, it was enjoyable. But take care, I used factor 50 sun cream but forgot my upper hands, ouch!