Good routes or places in Northern Spain...

carbonbasedlifeform
carbonbasedlifeform Posts: 20
edited July 2007 in Tour & expedition
Hi

Going to be in northern spain this summer and was wondering if anyone knows any good areas/routes or even just sources of these on the internet somewhere?!

I was thinking of Picos de Europa...but will be crossing the border from France and am open to any great ideas or recommendations...Anyone got experience of this area?

Cheers,
CBLF

Comments

  • danieldwashere
    danieldwashere Posts: 13
    Hi,

    Im getting a ferry to bilbao mid august and peddling around norht spain for a few months.

    got my maps for asturias, basque country, rioja and barcalona areas today. havnt done any real route planning yet.

    feel free to email me with any tips or good places you find and ill do the same if you want. this applys to anyone else reading who is doing similar...

    have fun, i might see you on the road sometime! 8)
  • Eurostar
    Eurostar Posts: 1,806
    Have done a bit of Northern Spain, mostly along the coast.

    My tip - stay away from the coast! It's all been ruined by development. Laredo is disgusting. Santillana del Mar is ridiculously twee and clogged with coach parties. The Picos are beautiful but there are too many tourists on some of the roads in the summer. Tho if you can cycle along paths and tracks you can get away from them and have some incredible landscapes to yourself.

    The Basque country is interesting but you have to like climbing! There aren't any flat bits, and you end up doing tons of up and down stuff without ever seeming to get anywhere!

    If I was going again I think I would work my way along the Pyrenees with a tent and check out some national parks and stuff, e.g. the Ordesa Canyon.
    <hr>
    <h6>What\'s the point of going out? We\'re just going to end up back here anyway</h6>
  • carbonbasedlifeform
    carbonbasedlifeform Posts: 20
    Thanks for the tips...

    Will be on the road, not tracks or trails, that's for certain, but climbing is no bad thing, at least once I've been out there a few days and got my legs on.

    DanielD: do you know where's a good source of maps?
  • danieldwashere
    danieldwashere Posts: 13
    www.mapstore.co.uk

    if your in london there on caxton st near victoria station, unfortunately yesterday was a maptacular 20% off everything!!!

    i got some good 1:250000 maps there, i wanted a bit more detailed but these show the roads i want and are more compact than there brothers.... if i need better ill get them there these are to help me plan now...

    and i was planning on hitting the coast west from bilbao... hmmmm
  • andymiller
    andymiller Posts: 2,856
    Fnac Spain would be a good bet for guidebooks and maps.

    http://www.fnac.es/dsp/?servlet=tree.Ho ... 5&scType=0
    Italy Cycling Guide
  • blorg
    blorg Posts: 1,169
    I've done all of the northern coast excepting the bit between A Coruna and the Galician border.

    Camped and loved it personally. It's nice to be close to the coast and able to go to the beach/swimming. Best bit would have been the Costa da Morte in Galicia but I enjoyed the rest also. Picos are beautiful. For me the only downer would have been the western side of Bilbao which is very industrialised. We were in Bilbao during La Semana Grande which was a great time to see the city though, great fun altogether.

    Santillana del Mar is overrated for what it is, sure, but fine. I wouldn't be setting out on a pilgrimage to it but if you are passing it by... Laredo had a nice beach IIRC. I did this tour in 1999 so don't know if certain bits may be worse now. When I was there the tourists were all Spanish, from the south.

    Going back tomorrow to do the traditional Camino route and got the Rough Guide Map to Northern Spain which covers the entire northern coast at a scale of 1:350,000 and seems at least as good as the 1:400,000 Michelins (of which you would need three for the same area.) Plastic paper and double sided too.
  • Johnny Ergo
    Johnny Ergo Posts: 40
    I must agree with Eurostar - especially about Laredo and Santillana Del Mar. Los Picos are worth going to especially if you go a bit off-peak season. Avoid towns such as Oviedo and Torrelavega.
    Having said all that, there are some nice climbs on quietish roads and I don't want to dis another country because it's not a cycle tourists paradise. People live and work here and these 'ugly' towns are part of the real Spain. This IMO is all part of the beauty of touring.
  • Max Weber
    Max Weber Posts: 183
    Obvious, admittedly, but hasn't been mentioned... San Sebastian is a wonderful city. Well worth a stop. Great food - amazing tapas bars in the old town, great fun to wander between them, sipping txakoli (or whatever it's called) and munching on the particular bar's speciality. Learn a few Basque phrases and the locals will be even more welcoming!

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