L'escala / Girona

supercyril

In a departure from the usual Majorca family holidays, this year we are heading to L'escala in Spain. Does anyone have any experiance of this area for cycling.
I could do with some advice on routes and if anywhere local has good bike frendly maps. Im have a terrible sense of navigation and get lost very easily (accrording to my wife!).

Thanks

priory

I stayed there 5 years ago for 2 weeks and near begur a year or two later.

l'Escala area is great cycling except for the obvious main A-roads. north of town great beaches with dutch and french campers , thousands of'em. So many bikes and off road and back lanes abound, much signposting for bikes and formal sustrans type routes which can be a help but the usual problems of missing signs or no sign at a junction etc., so get maps. I got a set of 1;100,000 good quality maps from tourist information office at the roundabout west of town on the main road.
I particularly recommend a back-road adventure (much unsurfaced roads so you need a hybrid or very robust tourer and good maps and a compass) to figueres for dali museum and the castle and food in the main street. I found the best approach was from the east via el Far past Lidl to town.
The big dual carriageway is horrible, although you will hear from people who disagree. I saw many locals cycling in from the south on the hard shoulder, so I did that one day, but it was exactly like cycling along a motorway until the hard shoulder disappeared, then rather worse.
l'Escala has cycle tracks north along the beaches to l'empuries which you must go to.
2cycle shops did hire out bikes in town and I had a hybrid . A road racer would limit you .
I will try to get a better description of the tourist office for maps.

http://en.costabrava.org/categories/hom ... EAMABcAA==

phone them , they might send you something. opencycle map and google maps are very good now .

Trekker5687

There are some great cycle routes around l'Escala for every type of situation. The website the previous responder gave lists many routes around L'Escala and many more if you access the sports section tab on the left - There's over 120 cycle rides all over Emporda that are described here though mostly Mountain Bike routes, due to the geographical terrain.
If you also go to the http://www.visitlescala.com/EN/434/acti ... icing.html There are 3 specific local route maps that you can print off. the other webite worth visiting is http://www.visitemporda.com/en/tourism/333 & http://www.visitemporda.com/en/tourism/332 which list many road & mountain bike routes through emporda with some more specific information.
The L'Escala Cycling CLub which are a very friendly bunch used ot meet every sunday morning by the Carrefour Roundabout at about 9 o;clock, and they are very welcoming to new people. Best check all the information with the Tourist Information office at the top of Avenue Maria.
Other than that, there are some great road cycling routes around Girona which the American Postal Team used ot train on with Lance Armstrong prior to the commencement of the Tour De France. The Carrilets (old disused railway routes are great fun for family cycling) particularly the one from Girona to Sant Feliu de Guixols on the Coast http://www.viasverdes.com/GreenWays/Iti ... 20Greenway
It makes a great family day out.

supercyril

Thanks very much guys. That gives me loads to start with.

maringirl

Its not too far either to get up into the hills behind Roses - there is a fab ride up to the old monastery at St Pere de Rodes which is really worthwhile going to