In 5 weeks time I'll be on my way to sunny Spain for a weeks riding. It will be my first biking holiday so slightly nervous! We will be taking a van (with the bikes loaded in the back) across to Santender via Ferry before then heading south to Marbella where we have digs booked. Although we have a weeks stay pre booked in an apartment, we may still stay elsewhere depending on how far out we travel. The base was more for storing the van and the majority of our luggage rather than to tie us down to the one area. From anyones past experiences, have you got any recomendations on places to go? I'm aware there are hundreds of websites out there but just interested to know what other members have found best. Any other tips/advice would be great. Lee
Can't help but I'll be interested in how you get on. I'm planning a trip down in the summer as well but mine is on my own and I was planning to just tootle around and just head back to Britain as I see fit after the one way ferry trip down there. Going on my hyperstrada and it's my first trip abroad .
I have been to Andalucia a four times on my bike and once without my bike. Only took the ferry to/from Bilbao once, never again, it was the dullest most boring thing I've ever done, the only thing to do on the boat is drink yourself into a coma. Would you like some advice on good roads to ride or places to visit? As far as roads go there are lots of great ones in the area, but it depends upon what type of riding you want to do. Do you want tight twisty narrow roads or nice sweeping fast bends, etc. How far do you want to ride in a day? Do you want to see fantastic scenery or architecture, or do you just want to ride?
We originally booked a bike courier and flights, only for the courier to let us down with unreasonable requests - they wanted the bikes delivered to Gatwick when I stay in Scotland! So plan B was the ferry which I'm not exactly keen on. Last year I got the ferry to Amsterdam and was ill both ways, so I'll need to stock up on antisickness tablets this time round. We plan on riding around 200 miles each day, with 3 or 4 stops - for food and drinks more than sight seeing, so if you have past expererience please let me know where you found was best. I'm going with 3 others with road type preference 50/50. Me and one other prefers fast open roads with big sweeping bends whereas the other two prefere the twisties so we would be looking for a mixture of both.
Thanks, I'll look into it.... may have trouble convincing the others to do it on repeat, unless it really is that good !!
I've been to Spain a few times and it's got some fabulous roads and places to stay. My only question for you is why travel all the way down to Malaga when there are so many great areas through for example, the Picos? Otherwise try and ride up to Seia, Portugal on your way back (and see Portugals Ski resort) then ride back up the N221 - you won't be disappointed!
Have toured Spain for the last 6 years and as Kirky has said you are missing out lots of great roads/locations in the northern third.Literally days and days of fantastic road. I can understand use of van as we have a slightly easier ride from Co Durham down to Plymouth or Portsmouth and that bit is a pain ,particularly when you come home.But taking the van right down to south coast is going to take time (which of course may not be an issue) Spain ,like France is a big country. Once down ther though there are great roads and the weather is pretty much gaurenteed to be perfect. Rhonda is really nice and you are also within striking distance of Seville and Córdoba. You can't go wrong really .We use the Michelin maps and use the roads with the yellow and green squiggle as a good indication of a road worth doing. Good luck ,you will love it whatever and the people everywhere are great
For sports bikes, it is Nirvana. I first rode it on a Fireblade in 2001. It had just been resurfaced pretty much all the way and there were no line markings. It was during July and was scorchio. Take a trip down to Algerciras and stare at Gibraltar across the bay. Be wary of crossing into Gibraltar, it can take a while to cross back into Spain depending on the bulshiness of the Spainish border guards on the day. The Brittany ferries boat from Portsmouth to Santander is ok, it's a 24 hour crossing that leaves in the evening, so you have a nice meal, a few drinks and then go to bed. A nice lay-in the next morning and then there's only the afternoon to while away before you arrive. The old P&O boat to Bilbao was a ball-ache. Crap ship, nothing to do and much slower. The Plymouth to Bilbao operated by Brittany ferries is often slower as well if the ship makes a stop in Roscoff. I agree with what others have said regarding missing out on the really good roads inland on the way down. The border between Spain and Portugal has excellent roads and lots of history. Extremadura (region) is very good as well.
Photograph all your important documents & then email them to yourself (compressed zip file if need be). Meaning you have a handy referrance if things go wrong. Enjoy'
Would agree with much of the above,the picos de europa are on the doorstep of santander and the road's are nothing like the UK,billiard table smooth and largely empty...the food and people are great ,the only advantage of the south at this time of year is possibly the weather...but you are sure to enjoy it whatever.
In the south western Andalucia area here are a few of my favourite roads. They are good in both directions. Some of the roads are great riding roads, some are great scenic roads, some are both. Some of the road numbers I have used may not be correct. Different maps seem to have different numbers on them. A397 Marbella - Ronda Be aware that the cops like to hang around on this road and nick speeding tourists, so just keep your eyes peeled. A369/A405 Ronda - Algeciras A366 Coin - Ronda Be aware that a small section of this road appears to have been laid over a ploughed field and is the lumpiest bit of new tarmac known to man. After the first few rides over it I then came to find it hilarious to ride on, however you might be cursing me when you unexpectedly hit that section. Otherwise the rest of the road is one of my favourites and most ridden road in the area. A367/A357 Ronda - Ardales A374 Ronda - Algodonales CA9104 Zahara - Grazalema OK if you like narrow roads winding up mountainsides with nothing but a one foot high concrete block between the edge of the road and falling hundreds of feet. A2302 Grazalema - Ubrique A372 Acros - A374 A4050 Otivar - Granada A343 Antequera - Alora A355 Marbella - Coin To be honest a lot of the roads in the area (and across Spain in general) are great. You really can’t go wrong by looking at a Michelin map and picking the ones with the green line next to them. I can’t really offer you any advice on places to stop and eat and drink in the area because I have only ridden there in the summer and my stops just involve water, ice cream and petrol.
Absolutely agree. Camarote Madrid in Leon is one of my all time favourite bars and have had some great evenings there! I'm now starting to regret not getting out there this year....
Appreciate the feedback everyone! In hindsight, I could have probably planned it a bit better and not tied myself down to the south of Spain. At least I'll know for the future, when I will no doubt return. I have allowed a days travelling either side of my 7 nights in Marbella so I have some spare time where I can hopefully venture out a bit further. I also wasn't aware of the Michelin maps so that's a useful tip that I'll definitely look into more. Lee
Take some cable ties....marvellous things in the event of an accident involving fairings. other than that, have fun
This, but I'd go back and forth between San Pedro de Alcantara and Ronda. Check out the 'Routes in Southern Spain' here, too: RiDE -The RiDE Guide to Spain All the roads around there are fantastic, really.
It has to be a minimum of a day down to Plymouth from yours, Plymouth-Santander 24 hrs and a day from Santander to Marbella, as minimum, so at the very least 6 days there and back, but there is another way... Home - Fly and Ride to Malaga Get your bikes down to their place, have them shipped straight out to Malaga, save on the ferry, the van, the meals, the fuel, accommodation, the slog, the wasted 6 days of travel to get down and back up in a van and the energy you'll have spent. They'll even collect the bikes from you (at extra cost). If you'd been riding down, it'd be a different story Once you've totted up the costs of one vs the other, there might not be that much in it, but you'll save the 6 days' van and ferry trip and instead spend them down there, riding about. The slog of getting down to Plymouth is punishing, but from Santander, what is great on a bike - over the mountain tops and down to Burgos, then Madrid etc.. is probably a bit of purgatory in a van.
Can't you drive to Plymouth in the van, park it up and get the bikes out there and ride onto the ferry? Best of both worlds
