Cycling in south Spain - June or July?

[polyksena]

Hello,
Me and my partner are planning to cycle along the coastline of Spain from Cadiz to Valencia. Since it is our first cycle trip ever we are not sure whether to go in June or July in terms of weather/climate. I will be very grateful if someone who has cycled near the coast in the summer, advise me which month is better – June or July? Which is the drier of the two as we’d like to choose a dry month with minimum chances of rain? Also, which is better in terms of temperature and winds? We are used to hot weather but 40 degrees is certainly not very suitable for cycling and another issue are the winds – are they quite strong near the sea?

Thank you very much for your help. Any advice is appreciated.

Regards,
Petya

 

[ColinJ]

Sometimes the winds are strong, sometimes they are not! I often cycled on the Costa Blanca in March and there were some very windy days, but most of the time it was okay then.

Even in March, it often got to about 25 degrees C. The average daytime temperature in Alicante is 27 degrees in June and 31 degrees in July, so I'd prefer June, but May would be better still (24 degrees)! It's 19 degrees there today, with 24 forecast on Wednesday so you can see that the heat could be the biggest problem in the summer.

Southern Spain is typically very dry. Alicante averages only 2 days of rain in June and 1 in July so rain should not be a problem. (3 wet days in May.)

 

[Ian Smitton]

Hi Petya,

Both months are dry and hot, with wind fairly common but not usually strong enough to make cycling a real chore. June is better in my opinion, because it is a bit cooler and will be easier to find decent accommodation.

The big problem I can see, however, is the route. If you plan to follow the coast the whole way, you will be cycling most of the time on very fast and busy roads - especially so in the summer. It won't be a pleasant experience, as the cars make it dusty and polluted. There are some sections (e.g. between Almeria and Cartagena which will be fine), but anywhere 150km either side of Malaga or Alicante is very bad for cycling along the coast.

The other option is to follow a route about 50km in from the coast, just visiting the coastal towns now and then along the way, but then you will be crossing mountains that will be very hot in June or July.

 

[lulubel]

I live near Malaga.

June is quite a pleasant month for cycling, in my opinion. It's hot, but doesn't often get above 30C, unless you happen to be unlucky and get a heatwave. July is a lot hotter than June, and the humidity is also higher, which can make cycling really hard work. June isn't usually windy, but if you do get a breeze it's likely to be coming from the south east, off the sea, in which case it will be welcome! You'd have to be very, very unlucky to get rained on in either June or July.

I'd second what Ian says about planning an inland rather than coastal route. The coastal roads don't make for pleasant cycling at any time of year, but inland is usually beautiful and quiet.

 

[MarkF]

June would be better, it was 32/33 in late June last year when I went through Malaga, as long as you are pedalling it's fine, I enjoyed it, though I enjoyed cycling in 40c around Seville.

I lived in Velez- Malaga and have toured along the coast and I'll third what lulubel & Ian said, I would avoid the coastal road (340), I am not a nervous cyclist but IMO from Algeciras north is dangerous and you just can't relax.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

I lived in Marbella for two years, watch out for the coastal carreterra and be ready for some serious heat

 

[polyksena]

Hello guys!
Thank you so much for the quick responses and the advice! We also thought June (and also end of May) is better than July and your suggestions have confirmed that. In regard to the route - we did noticed in other posts that people tend to cycle more in the inland rather than along the coastline. But the thing is that we really would like to visit places like Cadiz, Gibraltar, Marbella, Malaga, Almeria, Cartagena, Alicante, Benidorm and Valencia. And if we cycle inland (let's say 50 km in from the coast) and then go to each of these place we'll need a lot of time (and we have a month for the cycle trip) and also stamina (we are still new to long distance cycling and it will be difficult to go up and down the mountains). We'll try to avoid all busy/main roads where possible and use quieter roads close to them. Having said that I guess these busy roads are full with lorries and not only cars?

We are planning to start from Seville, then go to Cadiz and then continuing east to Valencia (through the places I mentioned above). But we are not sure - does it matter whether we go west to east (as we plan) or it's better east to west in terms of winds and hills?

Another thing which worries us are the criminal gangs - we've read that some cyclists along the coastline had problems with such criminals but that this is not a common thing in the inland. Have you heard about them? Is it that dangerous to cycle near the sea and around the main tourist areas such as Malaga and Alicante?

Sorry for the many questions but there are so many things to consider and plan and we are new to this
Thank you again for your help and support!

 

[MarkF]

The coast road is doable and often has a good wide shoulder (often it doesn't) but In June/July it will be extremely busy. Some sections are arduous, leave you with very little room, traffic close to your left knee, concrete barrier close to your right knee, with nowhere to stop. The concrete lorries are the equivalent of the UK's skips and just as dangerous. It is jammed with people not really knowing where they are going so every junction (near towns) you've got to be on super high alert. It provides some great views and some quiet sections, but it is dangerous.

In three weeks last June the wind came from the SW every single day, this is the predominant wind, the westerly helps to bring in the moist air which in turn helps the sherry bodegas from getting two dry. Wind shouldn't be a problem for you.

Never heard of cyclists being attacked, ever. Logically, with such a vast quantity of easy pickings (easily identifiable and with valuables) on the coast, a cyclist would be well down the list of productive targets. IMO the chances of you being attacked are infinitesimal, certainly less than being squashed by a cement truck.

 

[lulubel]

I'm going to have to disagree with you on the wind direction, Mark. For the last 3 years, the predominant wind direction through the summer has been south east. South westerly winds bring wet weather (and I do recall having some unusual wet weather last June) and are very rare in summer. We do sometimes get northerlies in summer as well, and they bring very hot air. We had quite a lot of northerly wind through last July and August, when we had a prolonged heatwave - not nice.

All I can do is repeat my advice to stay away from the coast. I've heard nothing about criminal gangs that target cyclists, but that still doesn't mean cycling near the coast will be pleasant. There are no quiet roads. I live here, I'm used to the way the Spanish drive, and I wouldn't consider cycling along the coast unless I had absolutely no other option. Mark is right about the cement lorries, most of them are driven by homicidal maniacs. There are also huge, articulated lorries that transport stone from the quarries, and they don't give you much room either.

I'm not sure why you'd want to see some of the coastal cities. As far as I'm concerned, Malaga is a place to avoid, the only thing Marbella has going for it is the big shopping centre just off the motorway, and my father informs me there's not much at Cadiz other than the ferry port. If I was starting in Sevilla and heading east, I'd stay inland until I reached Granada, then either ride north or south round the Sierra Nevada (actually, I'd cycle through the mountains, but that's just me) and join the coast at Almeria. At that point the coast gets nicer (more nature, less concrete) and the roads get quieter.

 

[MarkF]

Cadiz is stunning, aesthetically, it is like Havana, would struggle to find much to do to fill more than a day though. I do think Malaga is worth visiting if you haven't been there before, the historic centre is lovely and there is the Gibralfaro, the Alcazbar, Picasso museum the Roman theatre etc It's a shame that it's urban outskirts, particularly on the West, are so dismal and dispiriting.

Can't think of anywhere on the coast between Cadiz & Malaga that is worth stopping at.

 

[Bodhbh]

Cadiz is stunning, aesthetically, it is like Havana, would struggle to find much to do to fill more than a day though.

I've not got anything else to contribue to this thread, but a huge +1 on the above. I agree after wondering around a day you might run out of "things to do", but it's also a great place just to hang out a couple of days.

 

[MarkF]

I've not got anything else to contribue to this thread, but a huge +1 on the above. I agree after wondering around a day you might run out of "things to do", but it's also a great place just to hang out a couple of days.

I was just thinking of them touring, I'd happily spend a month there, what a City!

 

[lulubel]

My father obviously doesn't appreciate architecture. (In his defence, they were late for the ferry, so he was probably focusing totally on the road.)

Still, if I wanted to take in Cadiz, Gibraltar, and even Malaga, I wouldn't follow the coast. I'd start at Gib, go from there to Cadiz, then Sevilla, from there ESE to Campillos, then follow a SE-ish kind of route past the 3 man-made lakes on the Guadalhorce river and the El Chorro dam and follow the Guadalhorce river down to Malaga (this based on local knowledge). Once I'd visited Malaga, I might head up towards Antequera, or possibly a bit further east through the Montes de Malaga and on to Granada via Alhama de Granada. From there, as I said before I'd either go round or through the Sierra Nevada to Almeria, and pick up the coast road there. (North of the Sierra Nevada is less mountainous, but my preference would be south because I've driven both ways and I think north is quicker for driving, but south is nicer for cycling.)

 

[polyksena]

Thank you very much for all your replies and advice! We'll definitely consider all the advice and suggestions when planning the route! Thanks again

 

[albal]

I agree with lulubel, from Gib-cadiz-seville or Jerez, then head east. I was at Tarifa yesterday (in the lorry) and spotted a lone tourer, prob quet pleasant, as very little wind sunny and about 20C. And very few tourists clogging the roads. Good luck