advice for trip to Spain

[spongebob]

Hi fellow Pashnit fellows.
My friends and i are planning a wk trip to top of Spain in May next yr.Arriving in Santonder from Plymouth.Never riden Spain before so was hoping a few of you might have and may have some good ideas for roads and places to visit.
I use the Pashnit site the yr before when i was planning a trip to California and the help i got was amazing and i went to places i never would have thought of going.So please if any of you have any suggestions/recomemdations i would love to hear them.
Thanks
Andrew

[meskie]

Hi Andrew done the same trip myselfe a few years back ,rode around the top part (green spain) they called it ,done lots of good roads and fishing ports ,always head for a port for nearby cheap accomadation and beer .Ended up in Portugal south of Porto for a couple of days then rode back up to France for the ferry home had a good time dont think i have any pics of that trip ,, have a good ride . John UK.

[Richard T]

I've ridden the Pyrenees (once) and Picos (twice)
Picos are the mountain range along the N Spain coast. Not as high as the Pyrenees, but the scenery is even more spectacular, especially the coastline and gorges.
For a brilliant circular ride, from Panes, go west through Cabrales to Cangas de Onis then south to Riano (fuel & cafes here). Then head back NE to Potes and down to Panes. (then if you've time turn round and do it all again in the opposite direction!) I'm busy editing a video of that ride at the moment, will post a link when it's done.
Also an excellent detour from Potes up the valley to Fuente De where there's a cable car to take right up into the mountain tops, where we looked DOWN on golden eagles soaring along the cliffs.
We stayed at a little hotel in Potes this summer:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&...2616883601995#
You're going at the right time of year, it should be warm but before it gets too crowded. Some of the campsites etc won't be open yet.

The landscape south of the Picos is much flatter, drier, and less interesting. I've not biked further south, or into Portugal.

[Orson]

As Meskie said, all along the north coast is nice, especially the Picos de Europa. Galicia on the northwest corner is also nice.

The Duoro River which cuts across the center of Spain from east to west and was a natural defensive position between the Moors & the Christians for about 100 years which meant they had lots of time to build castles along its length.

[spongebob]

Many thanks Orson,Meskie and Richard for you reply and suggestions. Looked at the Pico's on line and it looks great. Do you feel riding North is better than South to France and Pryennes.Would imagine South would be more expensive.
We are a group of six so will have to go with the majority vote as which way to head. I always like to hear other people's views that have been as i have nothing to base my opinion on as i have never riden Spain. As long as i have good roads to ride and lovely scenery thrown in i will be happy.
Andrew

[Richard T]

I've used the Santander Ferry a couple of times, which is very good. If you want to have a look at the Pyrenees on the way, you could try what we did last time and got the motorrail train from Calais down to Brive or Toulouse. It runs overnight, so you can get a cheap afternoon ferry crossing, then pass through the boring bits of France while you sleep, and save on fuel & tyres too. They have 6-berth couchettes, so all your group could share one. (It will be 'cosy'!)
We got our tickets through http://www.railsavers.com
If you need a place to stay in the W. Pyrenees, try here: http://www.pyrenees-chambres.net
(Margaret & John Johnson - retired touring bikers, & all round nice folks too!)

[Orson]

Originally Posted by spongebob

Do you feel riding North is better than South to France and Pryennes.

myself, I'm a twisty road addict, so I tend to look at different regions by the quality of their roads firstly.

In my opinion, it's hard to beat the south of France when it comes to riding motorcycles on twisty roads. I even rate it above the Alps

However, if you're looking for some rest & relaxation at the beach, then heading south might be a better option