Help needed..Pyrenees , Spain , Portugal

[Paz]

Hello all,

I really need some help but I dont know where to start, I'm looking to doing a tour but I'm really struggling to find routes, websites for help. I'm looking at touring from French border and down to Portugal through Spain. My fitness is pretty good but I'm but I'm trying to find a good route thats scenic but I dont where to start, I'm not necessarily looking at stopping and at every place but I would like to on a rest day. If anyone could shed some light, it would be much appreciated, I might end up changing it and going from Bilboa ? Thanks

 

[rich p]

Most of us on here don't plan a route down to the finest detail. I just pick a route from the map with an eye to where I want to spend the night. This may be determined and changed en route depending on availability of campsites/hotels etc.
If you know what sort of distances you want to do daily then half the fun is poring over maps before you go and then again the evening after each day's ride. The not being certain is part of touring's charm.
You probably need to know that you can get to the finish at a certain time an everything else is a variable.
2 years ago I did Faro to Santander which is somewhat of a reverse of your trip. Here's the link to that ride report if it helps in any way
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=10900&v=6q

 

[Paz]

Thanks Ill have a look, Ill probably camp for most of it and treat myself to a bed on the rare occasion. I'm trying to figure out how longs its going to take.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Few of us plan past the day we are on. How you feel in the morning is a clue to what you will be up to that day. Scenic usually means meandering, steep climbing roads that are quite often narrow and busy... sometimes that is not what you are alert enough for, other times you need to get somewhere and if you are looking at a +1000m climb and have a set time scale ironically the major routes are often better because they offer graded climbs and plenty of rest stops/viewing point etc.
It will all depend on how quickly you want to get from A to B that particular day.

We found a better way was to pick the places/things you wanted to see and rig a route roughly around that. Don't over plan it, it will take all the enjoyment out of it and we have only ever once failed to find somewhere we could stay (ended up camping in a railway station in a small town in Greece).

 

[Paz]

My plan is to get down to Lisbon where I will be staying for the week, so ideally I don't want to spend lots of time stopping and being a tourist until I get to Portugal. The plan is to just keep going and recover wisely and move on, of course ill be stopping to take photo's and meals. So ideally what I need to find at the moment is recommended routes, websites to research but what I have found difficult is them without touring companies popping up. Thanks for all the information I really appreciate. I'm very excited in planning this trip and this forum is the start of it. Thanks once again !

 

[smith4188]

You didn't say what sort of camping you're planning to do. If you're planning on using campsites, be aware that, away from the coasts, they are few and far between in Spain. Also they usually offer poor value for money. An extra 5-10 euros will usually get you a single room in a hostal (not to be confused with a hostel).

 

[MarkF]

Hi Paz, I can recommend a good route, some wild (barren) scenery and some that is absolutely spectacular, if you want a detailed road route then pm me, it's mostly very, very quiet and offers stress free cycling. I didn't have a route planned, it just turned out ok.

Bilbao - Santander - Palancia - Toro - Salamanca - Bejar - Trujillo - Caceres - west to Lisbon.

Loads of places to wild camp, hardly any small camp sites, rooms are very cheap 15-25 euros.

 

[IanSmitton]

I would recommend heading east to west across northern Spain and then north to south through Portugal. The central part of Spain can get a bit monotonous and the scenery is not as stunning as near the coast.

It is very mountainous though across the whole of Northern Spain. A rough route could be (starting from Perpignan for example) to go through the towns of Ax Les Thermes, St Girons, Luchon (Col Peyresourde), Luz Saint Sauveur (Tourmalet), Port de Larrau, Pamplona, San Sebastian, Lekeitio, Bilbao, Santander, Potes, Cangas de Onis (Lagos de Covadonga), Pola de Lena (Angliru), Pola de Somiedo (La Farrapona), Ponferrada (home of World Championships this year), Santiago de Compostela, Fisterra, Vigo - then work you way through Portugal, which I don't know so well - so can't really recommend!

If you choose main towns, stopping places like that, you can then pick the roads between them and adjust it depending how far you wish to cycle.

Also, as has been mentioned above, options for camping in Spain are generally poor. There are a few campsites dotted around, but they cost the same as a cheap pension, hotel room, particularly if you go outside the main season. Also, they often close with no warning, just if the feel they don't have enough customers. Wild camping is also difficult, because a lot of the zones are protected parks or National Parks, so unless you go well off the beaten track, the Guardia Civil will probably turf you out on their regular patrols.

 

[Lumiparta]

I was in Pyrenees in may 2013. Mountain passes on French-Spain border are very beautiful (we had cycled via Somport and Portalet), and in the low part you can find a real wild parts with a lot of sightseeing. I'd recommend to see Añisclo canyon (National park Ordesa y Monte Perdido).

Here's good site with cycling information about french and spanish mountain passes http://www.altimetrias.net/

About camping - we've managed to do wild camping almost all the nights, but sometimes it was achieved with big difficulties.
pm me for track/photos/info

 

[jay clock]

I did all of that from the UK to Gib in 2012. My route from the border to Salamanca would do you fine. I know it sounds odd but the N630 and N620 main roads are excellent. Read here and you can see for yourself and decide if it suits. http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/julian2012

I would say that camping is harder to find (unless stealth) and if paid is not much cheaper than cheap end hotels.....

 

[Paz]

Hi everyone, sorry for the late reply, i have not been able to get online, I really appreciate all the help im getting. Its all very exciting. I will have a look at the websites you have given, Tahnk you all so much..

 

[22camels]

I am new to this so not the best person to ask, I did my first tour last summer from Lisbon to Vigo in northern Spain along the coast.
I don't know how much touring you've done before, but my biased take on this at the moment, especially if talking about Western Europe, is stop planning and just go! You'll figure it out. I also did a lot of searching of routes and stuff beforehand, but it was not really necessary, it was just a displacement activity caused by my excitement about the trip. Besides, there are few bad routes.
Anyway going across west to NW Spain and then south through Portugal sounds like it would be really nice. From what I could tell Galicia was stunning, wish I could have explored more around there, lots of islands and bays. I loved Portugal, where the coast was more straight, though would suggest when you are there going inland more as the coast gets a bit tacky/crowded in parts. But it can get very hot inland in the summer, so from that point of view sticking to the coast is better. Plus you'll have the trade winds in your back going from north to south in the summer. The coastal route on the approach to Lisbon is nice though (except the 10km or so where you have to go on a busy road).