france to northern spain then south

[paulrw]

Hi all, for my next trip I intend to go from St. Malo to south coast of Spain. I know more or less the route down the west coast of France but then I'm not sure. I want to go to Portugal if possible/practical but am relying on others to give me info as I have been struggling so far to find good sites. I am going in May and essentially camping,doing about 50 or 60 miles a day. I'm no lover of hills although I realise this trip will involve a few ! I was spoilt this summer going from Rotterdam to Vienna and only one major climb. The info I got from this site was absolutely first class. If anyone has any good reference stuff I would really appreciate it,cycle paths,routes,camping etc. etc. I have a Dawes Galaxy which has served me well for two trips so need to avoid rough stuff. I love following rivers and don't get bored on the flat ! Any suggestions ?

 

[rich p]

No practcal experience of N. Spain or Portugal on the bike but I suspect it will be hilly from what I remember - The Picos?

My son camped this summer in N Portugal and when I asked him whether it would make a good destination for a tour he said it might be too hilly for me!

 

[xilios]

You can try eurovelo route 1. http://www.ecf.com/3195_1
Also check out some journals of Spain and Portugal at www.crazyguyonabike.com

 

[paulrw]

Thanks Rich,Xilios, does seem hilly a lot. Maybe I can use trains as well. It's early days yet so I have plenty of time to research ''easier'' routes if they exist. My two trips so far have followed rivers/canals and have been remarkably big hill free, so I'll stay optimistic for now ! Thanks again.
PW

 

[jay clock]

+1 for crazguyonabike.com

Spain is hilly - very. But if you get used to it then hills can be lovely to ride on

 

[albal]

As a driver through SP & P for many years, I would ride the roads i used to drive on.
AS most if not ALL is now autovia, the 'old' roads still exist. Irun>vitoria>Burgos>Valladolid>Salamanca>Villar. good roads through the villages, plenty restaurants (if you want some names just ask). I'd love to do it, timings wrong.
good luck

 

[pdiaz]

Hi,

Last year I did North to South Spain. Started a little further west from France but maybe you can find some useful info at my webpage:
http://www.pedrodiaz.com/cycling/spain2008.php

Cheers,
Pedro

 

[andyfromotley]

Nice link pedro. Awsome photos on your blog. v nice indeed.

 

[pdiaz]

Nice link pedro. Awsome photos on your blog. v nice indeed.

thanks!, if it helps someone, then it's worth the effort


As for the hills in Spain, this is the short version: Very hilly up North, a relatively flat plateau right to the center, some mountains at the west part and more mountains at the south end of the plateau.

If you use a tool like http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/, you can plot a route and see its altitude profile

Cheers,
Pedro

 

[paulrw]

Thanks for all that info.

Pw

 

[aqaleigh]

i did st malo - southern spain in july this year

be prepared for hils - northern france has long rolling hills and the pyrenees and most of spain are obviously hilly

I wished i had put slightly more planning into the trip, in france you can get away with winging it but spain is a whole different ball game - I spent many long days in 40 degree heat trying to find food and water - 100 miles plus on 3 occasions

that said if you plan well you're going to love it

my route if helps at all was

st malo
craon
bressuire
melle
angouleme
la roche chalais
marmande
nerac
arreau

ainsa
alcaniz
benicassim
valencia
moraira
alicante
then continue on east coast

good luck and if i can offer only 1 piece of advice it would be to take plentiful drink reserves - I had 3 litres and ran out more than once

 

[paulrw]

Sounds tough. Iknow arelatively easy way to the hills at the bottom of france, but then it gets interesting. How long did that whole trip take? Were you camping ?

 

[Tedx]

I rode from the South all the way to Santander in the north of Spain. The north is VERY hilly, in fact most of Spain is. The only part that was flat was riding the south coast. It's important to remember after about three days of riding you will acclimatize to any terrain you are riding and you won't mind so much about the hills. Saying that if you REALLY don't want hills then stay away from Spain. If you don't mind them it's one of the best countries to cycle.

Good Luck

 

[aqaleigh]

Sounds tough. Iknow arelatively easy way to the hills at the bottom of france, but then it gets interesting. How long did that whole trip take? Were you camping ?

Hi

I did the trip over 14 days and camped all the way

It was a fairly tough route - mainly down to my lack of planning - my knee went at the end of the second day ( approx 160 miles into the ride) so I had to grin and bear it for the next 6 days and then luckily the pain went
very tough on the hills but worth it - great scenery and I was fortunate enough to meet a frenchman touring from cambodia to south france so I had company for a full day and night - few beers and a good meal

could you post your route when you know it - as i'd like to ride Spain again but closer to the west

cheers
leigh