Cycle routes in Andalusia

dangergirl

In May this year I am planning a trip with a friend and my mum (yup strange combination) from Seville to Cordoba to Granada. I really want to do the trip on my own (like not with a touring company). Here are some problems I am facing that I would be really grateful if anyone has tips to help me solve:

1. Two of us would prefer to rent bikes as ours are mountain bikes and not road bikes and we don't want to bring our bikes on planes and so on. I wanted a company in Seville ideally so that we could do the cycle trip then take our bikes back on the train from Granada to Seville. I can't seem to find a company who (a) picks up their phone (b) answers their email or (c) rents the right kind of bikes. Any ideas?

2. I have a couple of Spanish books on bike routes but they don't cover the exact places we wanted to visit - is there a way to get my hands on bike paths in the area? Or is it just roads? How does one go about finding this stuff out?

Thanks for any help - i really appreciate it. Turns out just practicing on my bike every day isn't enough - i actually need to be organized too!

Any route recommendations?

At the moment i am thinking: Train out of Seville to Carmona (as I heardcyclin out of Seville is dreadful), then bikes only : on to Palma Del Rio, the cordoba then Baena, monte frio, alhama, granada? OR... from cordoba: Baena - as above - Zaheros through Sierra Subetica Natural Park to Cabra Priego de Cordoba to Loja - Granada...?

Thanks all!
Amanda

dangergirl

Thanks for that - I just spent a good time looking through. Nothing quite matching what I need but i feel like this information is well hidden because a lot of bike companies do the route I am going on and probably don't want maps and info on the route out there in the open... Its all good stuff though, thanks!

HarryDd

The general plan looks good. The river plain between Sevilla & Cordoba is flat with good going. Not very scenic though but should set you up for the second half. Average mid-day temps in May are 27C with a maximum of 42C recorded. Expect lots of sunshine & little shade. Main roads are a little busier thasn you may wish.

The Cordoba to Granada route is spot on. Hilly, very scenic & very Spanish.

The Michelin 1:400,000 map 578 Andalucia is the map thet I'd use. Avoid the roads shown on the map with red on them - far too busy. The yellow ones are good but the white ones are generally the quietest.

There are 2 off road cycle routes that you may be interested in using. The first is the Via Verde (Via Verde de los Alcores) from Alcala de Guadaira to Carmona. It is along an old railway line which may not have been upgraded. Alcala is on a railway line wheras Carmona doen't seem to be.

The second is from Marchena to Cordoba via Ecija. Again a Via Verde (La Via Verded de la Campina) possibly also not yet upgraded & therefore rough in places.

sean02ie

Usual problem regarding bike hire. It's a bit of a hassle organising your own but well worth it in terms of comfort and cost. Considering the cost of your hols you don't want it ruined by a crock of a bike. Looks like a good route you might consider keeping your route north of Iznajar perhaps Algarinejo, Montifrio and on to Granada. I went through Loja as I was turning right for Antequera and Malaga. The roads from Loja to Granada are quiet busy. Loja as a stopover is all right but noting to write home about. I have some pics of my trip on www.seanoreilly.4t.com . Enjoy the trip.

dangergirl

Wow Sean and Harry - that is all fantastic. I have actually got some replies to my emails from bike rental companies (bibi alquiler!) now so am making some progress on that front. I also re-looked at my route last night and had swapped Loja for Monte Frio. Thanks to everyone for the advice - and the photos from your trips are FANTASTIC, Sean - made me even more excited about May!

Cheers,
A.

victorponf

Have a look in www.altimetrias.com (they have climbs of Spain, province by province) it would be usefull

paulontheroad

Just a couple of bits of extra info. There´s definitely no train to either Carmona or Alcala de Guadaira, although there is a bike route of sorts out to Alcala )I can give more details if needed.
Your route also follows parts of a couple of routes promoted by the Andalucian TouristOffice, the Washington Irving Route which runs from Seville direct to Granada, passing through Ecija, and another route from Cordoba to Granada ruta de los calafatos. Both are all off road, but there re detailed guides published with directions. The first one is here http://www.agapea.com/La-ruta-de-Washington-Irving-en-bicicleta--n191596i.htm
Both though are all off road, with the second being quite strenuous and mountain bikes would definitely be a better bet.
You can find info about local trains out of Seville here http://www.renfe.es/cercanias/sevilla/index.html
Hope this helps, done parts of both routes if you want more info,
Paul