Northern Spain
2023 June (BikePacking)

In 2023 at the end of May and for first few weeks of June I ventured further afield for a self-planned, solo bike packing tour around Northern Spain. It was an incredible experience in an incredible place and here is the story... 

Fri/Sat 26/27 May ... Mini cruise

After all the months of planning, doubts, and uncertainties, the day to set off had arrived. I left home on the train to Southampton, cycling over to Portsmouth late afternoon and pottering until I could board on the ferry at 8pm. The check-in and boarding process was straight forward and the port staff looked after us cyclists. The crossing was flat calm across the Bay of Biscay and I saw dolphins! Having 36 hours to get my head around the weeks ahead was a good thing and I arrived relatively rested, albeit anxious about day 1. 

Sun 28 May... Santander to San Vincent

Here we go then! After negotiating the port, it was 40 miles on the bike today and nice to be pedalling again. First impression? The hills are VERY BIG! Weather on the coast was hot and sunny, but stormy inland. It was a long drag to get out of Santander, then through farmland, argi towns and past quarries to reach the coastal town of Comillas. It was great watching the locals soaking up a sleepy Sunday afternoon in the town square. I visited the Gaudi designed "El Capricho" country house commissioned by Máximo Díaz de Quijano, a wealthy Comillas gentleman in the late 1800s. This and the whole town had some amazing architecture! 

Then a nice ride on back roads to San Vincent. The campsite was a bit crowded and backed onto a surfing beach, giving the place a nice laid back feel. I visited the main town but it was closing up after the lunch rush. I also quickly learnt that on Sundays no supermarkets are open and bars are closed 5-7pm. The wait for something to eat was worth it, as I had local fish & chips, aka a plate of anchovies and "foster chips". I slept well and started to feel at ease with my new surroundings.

Tue 30 May... Llanes to Borines via Ariondas

After packing up and saying goodbye to my picturesque pitch, it was another mainly road route today. Initially following the coast then inland to the Picos gateway town of Ariondas. I am finding that car drivers give you plenty of space and there seem to be a lot of road cyclists around. I stopped a few miles outside Ariondas for coffee at a riverside. I think it was private land as a farmer came over to see what I was up to. We tried to have a conversation. I showed him my route on the phone. The smiles and handshakes we exchanged suggested he wasn't upset with me trespassing. 

I stopped at sidrary (cidery) in Ariondas where the waiters serve you sidra in the traditional way, with their backs turned to you and bottle lifted as high as possible pouring into a glass in their other hand positioned as low as possible. Made me laugh at one point as the trainee came along as he had a dustbin on rollers under his glass hand to catch spillages. After this it was time for another supermarket sweep to stock up before the next 10 miles onto Borines for an AirBnB stay.

[Worth noting here that I wanted to camp as much as possible but wild camping is not allowed and due to being low season not all campsites are open. My route also took me to places where their simply are not any campsites so I had to book a few hotels and apartments. This did prove to be a really nice balance.}

Borines really is off the beaten track. Very rural with delicious mountain scenery all around. To get there involved climbing more big hills,  travelling through vineyards, accompanied by a constant back drop of cowbells. I planned a chilled afternoon and evening in the garden at Airbnb, however 20 mins into the relaxing I managed to drop the bottle of Rioja on the tiled kitchen floor. I had lugged it up to Borines from the supermarket and was looking forward to a glass. After a rapid clean-up I decided to do another quick couple of miles detour to the nearest town, downhill, the for a replacement which involved more conversations with bemused locals. Then another ride uphill back to Borines and finally that chill time.

Fri 2 Jun ... Valle de Lago to Paramo

Today started with early morning sun lighting up the distant mountains with a backdrop of deer calling one another. Earlier the dawn chorus is delightful.  Feels very much like late spring in the mountains. Great camping weather. 

Following the local's advice, I took the path down to the next valley, which as they warned me, was steep with lots of loose gravel. I took my time walking down many sections through a lovely wooded gorge. Eventually I joined the road to Saliencia and the long steady climb up to the 1708m summit of Perti de La Farrapona. 

It was a stunning ride through these ancient mountains. Different types if rock hinted how they had formed, twisting and folding into the rugged mountain tops they boast today. 

I had a bit of a worry at the summit as next gravel track to get down to road I needed to take 7 miles away had a road block. Google translate read "Closed - No Access - Sorry for the inconvenience". Inconvenience! This was an monumental inconvenience for me and would mean retracing yesterdays route and hills. So I pretended not to have seen the road block and went for it. It was another amazing descent into arable valleys in which bathed the sleepy town of Torrestio. Cloughs and black headed herons for company. The road was having drainage work done near the town thus the closure sign. It was passable by bicycle and the only workman present was more than happy to let me get through. Phew! 

After that scare I needed a coffee stop and found a quiet rocky field to chill for a bit. It was such a serene and peaceful place. Caffeine fix had, I joined a quiet main road and another huge climb up to Puerto de Ventana at 1587 m. This time I had motorbikes for company encouraging me on. I can see why they like this road with views across a glacial valley out west. 

After a brief photo shoot at the windy summit it was a 6 mile decent through forest. I stopped as I saw a guy with camera pointing upwards. In pigeon English he explained he was photographing an eagle up there which he pointed out to me. I could see it soaring up amongst the peaks in my binoculars. So special to see an eagle! 

I then arrived in Paramo and my hotel for the night. Again no campsites and this was a National Park with even more policing of wild camping. I passed time with long late lunch of Asturian cheeses and a long late dinner broken up by a very wet rainy walk. This became the blueprint for the mountain weather during my trip. Nice first thing and during the morning, turning to rain and storms late afternoon, then clearing for the evening. I have really warmed to Paramo, the little hotel and the staff, who don't speak English but we have had fun trying to understand each other. One more ride in this lovely area then it is city time in Oviedo.

 Sat 3 Jun ... Paramo to Oviedo

Today is the finale of the Asturias leg of the trip. The sun was out and the descent from Paramo through a deep gorge to San Martin (where I stayed a few days ago) was just exhilarating. A huge, huge, huge landscape on smooth roads to luxuriate in after all the recent uphill.  I re-joined the bear route into Oviedo and was a great choice to do it in reverse, downhill like those Aussies! 

I spent a while watching the enclosed bear, she was really quite beautfiul but I would not want to meet one in teh wild. Big, fast and powerful. Then after a perfect coffee stop I pedalled on and arrived in Oviedo about 2pm. I had bit of lunch and checked into my accommodation, which is very nice indeed and had good chat to the owner. I am now in a Star Wars themed craft beer bar having had my first stroll around the small city. How different from this morning. More exciting variety each day.

Sun 4 Jun ... Oviedo

A day to chill. So that is what I have done. I have walked around a lot, seen a police charity running event, a parade of local dress, traditional music and a sidra festival. I have grazed food wise and made the most of my apartment. Recharging for week ahead.

Update (8am Monday morning)... I am now on the Feve train to Arriondas. Oviedo proved to be a lovely city, very arty and ancient. It was the original starting point for the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. Its walls echo stories and secrets of old, there is a real sense of history here. The area of the old city I stayed in turned into all night party central too! You would not know it as during the day as the bars/clubs are shuttered up and splattered with graffiti. They open at 11pm and close at 6am, so Saturday night into Sunday morning sounded like a full on riot below the apartment. The cleaning crews washed the revellers and their debris away and by 8am all was back to normal.

Mon 5 Jun ... Oviedo to Avin

The early train plan was big success, as after a hack on busier roads to the campsite, I was pitched before midday. This meant I could unload the bike and ride up to the Lagos de Covadonga bags free. 

This was another spectacular route on quiet country roads initially, then fire tracks and some off-roading. One section was so steep I had to walk up and stop every 10 meters or so to catch my breath, this was on the unloaded bike! The slow progress did mean I could see the turkey vultures circling overhead (when stopping and looking up) and a couple of snakes on the ground (when stopping and looking down). The lagos or lakes were nice, but the route to them was better, which also was the route back, even better! There was not a soul around, just perfect solitude. 

I have just had a dip in the pool at the campsite and starting a simple tea of more Asturias cheeses and ham. I will sleep well tonight for tomorrow's massive day!

Tue 6 Jun ... Avin to Hotel Aliva

Today must be in my top 3 of the hardest bicycle rides I have ever done and it pushed me to my limits! The scenery and photos can do the talking. Over 26 miles I climbed 2000 meters, never done anything like this bikepacking before and was so proud of myself.  The last 6 miles were too steep to ride so mostly bike hiking. 

The weather gods were on my side. It is 3pm now and I am at a basic hotel way up in mountains with a storm and torrential rain bouncing around. So, so lucky! Thank you weather gods! I have now seen, from safety, just how quickly mountain weather can change. It has upped a notch and we just has a lighting strike right on us. I am very pleased I am not out there on my bike at this point!

(Later) I am having multicultural dinner on top of Picos de Europa. French, German. Spanish and me.... the language of food is flowing, like the wine. We each have our own customs, but after a hard day's graft we all get hungry....  there is a bit of a weird 80s music backdrop... "Islands In The Stream" on repeat!  After dinner it is out to see more of the scenery and the sunset hopefully, and then bed time!

Wed 7 Jun ... Hotel Altira to Linares

I woke in time to to catch the sunrise glow through the Picos de Europa. The pictures I took looked like Mordor in The Lord of The Rings and capture the moment quite well. After breakfast I reluctantly had to say adios to Hotel Altira and started a hand clenching downhill on rough track a concrete sections for about 4 miles. It was raining and cold so I was in full waterproofs and long gloves mode. Quite exhilarating even though I had to stop a number of times to give my hands a rest from constant braking.  Mountains turned into forest and eventually a main road at the small town of Espanial.

Then I enjoyed 12 miles of decent into Potes, albeit with a couple of sections of Camino paths that allowed some off road moments. Potes was nice. I stocked up in supermarket and continued the descent through a vast gorge, stopping at one point for lunch by a riverside that I had to scramble down to get to it. Surprisingly there aren't many places to do this and certainly not if you are driving, so another tick for cycling. Then I turned off the main road and up to Linares on a crazy switchback road. Another major climb of an hour or so. My legs felt good even after the last few days battering. After a well deserved cold beer in local bar I checked into the apartment (most luxurious so far) and chilled with the most amazing views, watching vultures circle up high and swifts darting around for flies down low. Beautiful.

Thu 8 Jun ... Linares to Valle (nope, Arija)

Earlier... It is 5.30am Thursday morning as I write this. The sun does not rise for an hour so the moon is softly lighting the mountains and clouds and this is my very special view from my Linares apartment. 

Later... Eucalyptus, ants and record breaking day!

The ride of 26 miles from Linares was very transitional. Three hugh climbs interspersed with fun rapid downhills, each one taking me into a new valley with a different feel. The further from Picos area the less rugged and more softer arable the landscape, reminiscent of Northumberland or Yorkshire, but with massive mountains still all around. At one point I passed a eucalyptus forest and after last night's rain it was smelling delicious. I made such good time I reached the campsite at 11am so feeling strong and with bad weather in the forecast for tomorrow, I decide to continue with Friday's cycle to Arija.... 7 hours later I arrived!!!

This proved to be a monumental long ride uphill for 16 miles. The wind was howling and storm clouds seem to be chasing me up the climb. Eventually I reached the summit but there was still another 20 miles plus to go. Well, I made it and I am now in my tent, listening to a distant storm watching ants crawl over my tent. 

Arija is on on a lake, but out of season and so very quiet. I nearly didn't make it here, I got to the town outskirts and road was closed, another 30 mile detour! They were building a new bridge, as it was nearly finished the workmen kindly let me cross. My sense of humour failure would not have been pleasant has they not. I think that storm is coming? Time to get some food and batten down the hatches!

Later still ...  And oh boy did that storm hit! At one point I had to hold down the inner tent as a mini tonrado seemed to pass through, the guy ropes on outer tent failed. Fortunately a quieter night once it passed and I got out to see the lake at sunset.

Fri 9 Jun ... Exploring Arija

Wow it is a windy place! Might just be the change in weather, but we are high here and the lake sits in a plain with mountains all around, so might be normal weather. Anyhow it is testing my tent out!

It has been a bit of a strange day having done today's cycling yesterday. Rain then sun all day. I rearranged tent position which helps protect it from the wind. I got provisions from a local shop for my remote Airb&b mountain treehouse visit coming up tomorrow. I had lunch at local bar which was homemade popcorn chicken and delicious. I wandered out and explored between showers and got some very atmospheric pictures across the lake. 

I am aiming to be away by 8am as I have arranged to meet the owner of mountain treehouse at noon tomorrow and it is about a 3 hour ride. So it won't be a late one tonight. The patter of rain on tent will send me off to sleep I am sure. 

Oh, i also learnt the lake is man made, dammed and flooded the old valley Arija sat in. Over 200 homes and glass factory lost. So they built the town again on the lake shore. Does have a strange feel to it.

Sat 10 Jun ... Arija to Los Machorras-ish

It is 4pm and I am sitting outside the treehouse that I have for two nights, way up in the mountains. What an adventure getting here, no roads,  but a walk up a steep valley on tracks. I had arranged to meet the owners but wasn't sure where as it all got slightly lost in translation. I ended up checking myself in and I have just met and had a lovely chat with them, Maria & Nachos. Nachos English was excellent so I found out loads. They gave me a tour of the land they own including the house they are renovating. They are very much into nature and he was pointing out flowers and plants you can eat or cook with. He explained how they moved here and their motivations for an eco lifestyle. They were a middle aged couple both incomers. Maria recommended some walks, it was obvious how much they love it here and how at peace they are. 

The treehouse is gorgeous, no thrills, just basic. On top of that there is no Internet, 4G etc, so a true off-grid experience. All I could hear was the rushing stream under the treehouse and birdsong. I am going to love it here.

The ride over from Arija was lovely to. Initially felt like Dartmoor with hills and tors, this then changed and looking back along the lake it could have been Mull of Galloway, then for miles following this limestone ridge could have been the Peak District and Stanage Edge (but on steroids). I stopped at a town for more supplies then made my way up here. Very chilled now.

Later... One last thing Nachos explained why Arija felt strange and like a ghost town. Apparently during the revolution the town didn't side with Franco and so he cut them off. It explains why the were so many derelict buildings and it having a wild west feel.

Mon 12 Jun ... Treehouse to Bilbao

It is 2.18am and just been out to look at the stars. First chance all trip to see them properly. Zero light pollution means crystal clear skies. It took a while to get my eye in and spot any constellations as it was is if the dimmer switch on all the non naked eye stars have been notched up to max. What a lovely memory.

Later that day... after saying goodbye to the treehouse, dogs and horses (Maria & Nachos were not around) I turned right when re-joining the road, uphill, and started a long climb into the clouds, past wind turbine farms and eventually to the Picon Blanco summit. On the other side the descent was swift and my wheels rolled over names of pro cyclists painted on the road, mainly "Valverde", this was obviously a climb used for the Vuelta Espana . It was a fitting way to finish my final 'mountain stage' of my "Lento Veulta Espana Norde".  [Much later in the trip Gregoria in Airbnb Santander confirmed this and when he saw my pictures of the climb he gave a big man hug and said "Allez Allez Allez"]

Then followed a long, mainly downhill ride to my target town of Balmasada for the Feve to Bilbao. I was originally intending to cycle into the city but the roads and cars were getting busier and fast and my route was on busy A roads, 70 mph speed limits. Good call and the Feve was a great way to arrive in the city.

I checked in to appartment, which involved a Google maps assistant guided tour across town to the key holder, bit hairy at times, was like cycling around Central London.

No time to rest, once the washing and showering was done, I had a mooch around, got some provisions. I ventured out to find some craft beer places but most shut on Mondays, in fact I only found one! Went back to apartment to try to watch Spanish TV and had cheese and biscuits.

Wed 14 Jun ... Bilbao to Laredo

Today has been a bit of a cycling slog under grey skies, most of it on roads and tracks following alongside a motorway. What we refer to as a  "transitional" day. It proved a bigger hill day than I was expecting too! The cycle paths out of Bilbao were great, all the way to the coast. First time I have seen the sea for 2 weeks, and I must admit I have missed it. After this the route was alongside the motorway for a couple of hours until peeling off to the coast again through forests into the large and tower blocked seaside resort of Laredo, not at all what I was expecting. 

My campsite was well out of town on a peninsular, and once at the campsite (well the 2nd campsite after trying to check in to the wrong campsite) I took a long walk along the beach, watching horses riding in the sea. I cycled back onto Laredo for a burger and am now back at the campsite watching what little there is of a sunset.

I am thrilled to have made it here, the penultimate days riding on the route before returning to Santander.

Fri 16 Jun ... 40 mile cycle route around Santander peninsular

1.10pm, a-ha, it has only taken 3 weeks but I have ordered my first Potatas Bravas... stopped at a windy but sunny beach bar overlooking Playa San Jaun. 

It has been a pleasant sometimes tough ride. Initial plan was to visit some caves, which meant a route for 7 miles on cycleways out of the city, through the suburbs and into the hills. Unfortunately after a slog to get there I couldn't get in. I needed to have booked online as no spaces today. So I continued the ride through pretty villages and over to the coast. In this ride especially I can see why people have compared the area with Cornwall, gorgeous beaches and coves, loads of surfers and beach bums. Will report back on the Potatas Bravas !

Later... The Potatas Bravas hit the spot, bit like cubed chips with spicy sauce... good cycling fuel.

Even later... the ride continued into Santander and its beaches. The best part for me was Magdelana Park where the Kings Palace is located. A rugged peninsula at the northern end of the city. It was the first bit of land I saw when we came out of the sea fog a few weeks back, and will be the last bit of land I will say adios to on Sunday.

The evening was spent gift shopping, wandering and a very nice seafood supper of fried calamari and grilled sardines. Gastro day!

 Sat 17 June ... walking day around Santander

Only my 2nd day not cycling but I walked miles and miles. Highlights were retracing the promenades and beaches from yesterday, coming across a supercar rally, finding a nature reserve in the middle of the city, the viewpoint at the funicular railway, lunch at the fisherman's quarter (more fried calamari), a visit to Smack the craft beer pub and watching the sunset over the harbour. Now my mind is focusing of packing and returning home.

Sun 17 June... on Santona ferry ready to leave

Where has that time gone? Back surrounded by Brits abroad and I can understand the conversation. Had a slow morning mooching, sorting, faffing, breakfast in a nice cafe and last stroll along the promenade enjoying its life. Got a total drenching, worse of the whole trip, cycling the couple of miles to the ferry and then queuing, bit ironic that, turned all misty and murky now. So it has been brilliant from start to finish;  routes, cycling, weather, scenery, food, and people.

I am so proud of myself having the courage to do this, planning it all, trying to learn Spanish, tough tough cycling, interacting with the locals, experiencing the beautiful scenery always with Archie's words in my mind when things got tough "You got this Dad". Amazing moments to cherish.

The last word though must go to my family and especially Hels who put up with my cycling obsession and let me doing these crazy trips. Love them so much x

Thu 29 Jun ... Sway

So I have finally finished writing up the trip. Over 750 miles cycled and 61,452 ft climbed (and descended) which is 2.1 x Everests!

It was a great experience and I am very privileged to have done it. I can fully recommend Northern Spain and hopefully will be back one day.