Picos experts needed for trip in 4 weeks

Redrick,

What was the cause of the closure and do you know if the timed closures are still in operation?

Off there next week and will be riding the N621.


Many thanks,

N

Will give you a wave. A week tomorrow on the ferry and then a week of riding, eating and drinking
 
Redrick,

What was the cause of the closure and do you know if the timed closures are still in operation?

Off there next week and will be riding the N621.

Many thanks,

N

They had dug a bloody enormous hole in the road under a bridge so i would imagine that the closure and the times of opening will be in place still as the Spanish dont seem to work overly quickly It is no big hardship though as if you leave Potes at say 1230 you will time it perfectly for a cuppa at the bar where the closed road starts. Wait till all the other bikes arrive and do what we dis which is have a race to Rianne
 
We stayed at a hostel in Posada de Valdeon a few nights ago. Very cheap but perfectly adequate, even for tye wife! After we dumped the bike gear we rode down the valley to Cain and did a bit of the riverside gorge walk. stunning.

A few years ago I was touring the Picos from a friend's guesthouse near Potes - Casa Gustavo - which is quite a long way from Cain. The answer to walking through the gorge in the July heat was to 'reserve' a table in one of the many restaurants there by dumping all my riding gear at a table in the far corner- sorting tis with the waitress obviously! - having a great morning's walk in shorts and sandals and coming back to a sumptuous lunch before continuing my day's ride ...

Regs

Simon
 
And the weather forecast in Potes next week is

Bloody brilliant :JB:JB:JB

We had great weather as well but although it got quite warm at about 2pm it was cool in the early morning at altitude and I can't see it having got hotter

Have a good time though the roads are brilliant
 
You'll be back soon OP. Look forward to seeing the routes you took, where you stayed etc.
 
You'll be back soon OP. Look forward to seeing the routes you took, where you stayed etc.

Sat in hotel in Potes as I type Wapping. Weather has been stunning, no rain or cloud, 25 degrees each day by around 1pm. Off to Bilbao tomorrow in preparation for Tues ferry. Will post a report on my first tour as hopefully will help others as you lot helped me.
 
Was that you on the ferry to Santander Wonkey, I was with my wife on the yellow GSA? If so, glad you enjoyed yourself, we can't stop returning!

N
 
It was sir and a pleasure to meet you. In Bilbao tonight waiting for ferry crossing in the morning. I said I was surprised we didn't bump into you both in Potes. I plan to write my thoughts on my first trip to help others should they go. The roads are sublime, no traffic or speed cameras either.
 
We stayed at the hotel Del Oso in Cosgaya (recommended), rode all the usual roads and walked the Cares Gorge. The Hermida Gorge in the dark is interesting! Look forward to reading your trip thoughts.
 
We stayed at the hotel Del Oso in Cosgaya (recommended), rode all the usual roads and walked the Cares Gorge. The Hermida Gorge in the dark is interesting! Look forward to reading your trip thoughts.

Stayed there in August, great place - have booked again for next August - will have to ride the N621 down to the hotel from Santander in the dark fully loaded and two-up, not really relishing it.
 
N621 in the dark

Stayed there in August, great place - have booked again for next August - will have to ride the N621 down to the hotel from Santander in the dark fully loaded and two-up, not really relishing it.

Just a short clip of what you can expect. This was an early morning start on the way to the ferry down the Hermida gorge. Not pleasant.

https://youtu.be/7zrkBL5kroc
 
Ok following my tour of the Picos I thought I would share some of our experiences. You may, or may not get something from it but everyone who answered my cry for help ensured we had a good heads up so hopefully this will repay a little for all the help you gave. Now if you’re expecting good spelling and excellent grammar look away now.

So to begin I thought I should mention something that did, and is still haunting me about the trip. Myself and a mate, Kev got on the bikes on the first day and he being an experienced rider started the conversation

Kev “Right mate got your satnav set”

Me ¬ “Yep”

Kev “Checked tyre pressures”

Me “Yep”

Kev “Need any fuel”

Me “Nope”

Kev “Let’s go”

Me “Err need some carrots”

Kev “What?

Me “I need some carrots”

Kev “I thought you said you need some carrots”

Me “Yep I did”

Kev “What the fukc do you want some carrots for?”

Me “Donkeys”

Kev “Oh for Fukc sake not again”

You see I love animals, probably more than people to be honest, does that make me weird? In order its dogs, donkey’s (hence my name on here) and dolphins. Maybe I have an issue with animals beginning with D? Now I remember, when I was a kid, loads of people getting off the plane having spent a week in Benidorm, walking down the airplane steps with a great big stuffed donkey under their arm. So Spain is THE place to see hundreds of donkeys and as we are in a relatively remote area surrounded by farms and villages I had every confidence. So 1,000 miles around the back of beyond, past farms, through villages, up mountains and after a week do you have any idea how many donkeys we saw?

NONE!!!! :confused:

Not bloody one. I carried a kilo of carrots in my panniers for a week and the donkey gods were against me. Can only assume that quad bikes are the new donkeys. Oh and my ex friend Kev thought it was bloody hilarious. Anyway enough let’s get started.


Nottingham to Ferry

Well can’t say much had two stops and took our time, calling into my stepbrothers for a cuppa in Winchester then from there a 30 minute ride along back roads to Portsmouth. The road in is amazing allowing you a panoramic view of the city and we should have stopped to take it in for 5 minutes but didn’t. Satnav found ferry terminal easily enough and check in was fast and straightforward before entering our designated lane to embark. Bit of a faff though having to remove your helmet then put gloves back on bloody jobsworths!! Amazingly in Spain they were happy on entry and exit for us to leave helmets on. Onto the ferry they do put you in the depths of the boat which has a knock on effect when disembarking. Pretty much the last vehicles off both ends but gave us a chance to chat with the other bikers. About 15 bikes on way out and around 8 on way back. Got chatting to Nudibranch and Mrs Nudibranch, a couple of very nice tossers, before we left the ferry and secretly followed them out of the port as they knew where they were going. Don’t think they sussed us though.


Brittany Ferry’s

Went out on their flagship (I think) Pont Aven. Really impressive, loads of space, apart from the cabins and pint of Kronenburg £3.25 which was way lower than I expected when you consider they have a captive audience. Really clean and the staff were really professional and friendly whatever their role was. Watched Jason Bourne in the cinema. Loved first 2 films, the third was shit and this was not much better but it wasted 2 hours of the crossing. Sea was so calm hardly felt any movement, both ways as well so really lucky. Played bingo (Well that wasted a further 15 minutes) won jack shit as I am unlucky (See donkey intro above). When I booked I figured we would have a 4 berth cabin to give us some more room. No bigger than a 2 berth really as 2 of the beds fold down from the ceiling BUT was useful to dump all the kit on so it was off the floor and out of the way. Cost about £15 each way more than a 2 berth so probably worth it. How the hell 4 adult bikers and all their gear would get on in one god only knows. The sailing out left around 6.30pm and the evening was fine, 6 pints, or was it 8, no dinner, as they had shut by the time we staggered to our cabin and the first evening passed in a blur. The next day though was boring so take a good book. By the time we docked we just wanted to get going. We returned via Bilbao on Cap Finestere which left Spain at 10.30am and we found this far better as when you awoke the next morning you were back. Same crossing time but just seemed easier and next time I would look for a morning Santander departure if available. Both crossings left and arrived spot on time. The other thing we may do differently is ride one way and ferry one way but over 3-4 days so not just hitting long motorway days to get there. So marks I would say an 8/10 very impressed Brittany ferries and far better than I expected.


Potes

We had looked at the advice given by people on here and Potes appeared to be a favourite base. We had many recommendations for hotels but eventually settled on the hotel Valdecoro. Based really on location being about 600m from Potes and all the bars and restaurants but without being either slap bang in the middle of it or miles away. Really good hotel with decent breakfast but it’s the location that stood out. 5 minute walk at night to all you need, supermarket 200m away, secure parking at the rear of the hotel, friendly staff but their English is as good as my Spanish so used the universal language of the pointy finger and had no problems at all. Spotlessly clean and cost us about £280 for a twin room for 5 night’s Inc. breakfast. Really liked Potes quaint, pretty but with a lively vibe. Ate at pizza type place first night which was spot on comfort food. Also really great value set menus in the square. Several restaurants do the same but three courses, you get a choice of several dishes to choose for each course, bread, water and a bottle of wine for €10 each. Food was pretty good for what it cost and a nice change from the rip off tourist areas. Mexican restaurant was also very good. The only disappointment was at a steak house that was the most expensive place we tried. It was, according to TripAdvisor, the 3rd best place in Potes, The Assador Llorente and the menu looked good. Service was fine but the steak I had was tough and tasteless, the fries were minimal to say the least, and it came with three ‘bell peppers’. Bottle of wine was €15 and no better than the one included in the set menus mentioned earlier. I would have sent it back but with my Spanish and their English decided to put this one down to experience. We did get talking to a couple who had been the night before however who said they had a stunning meal. We loved the array of bars in Potes that were lively and great for people watching so again a worthy 8/10


The Riding

Best roads we have ever ridden on, better than the Alps, great surfaces, no traffic blah blah blah. That’s what came through from the research before we left and it was impossible for them to be that good. Except it wasn’t impossible they are absolutely brilliant. The Picos roads have everything from hairpin bends to fast sweeping A roads. I swear that the Romans couldn’t have visited Spain as the road builders have never heard of a straight. Ok I exaggerate slightly but not much. What we did find is that the bends mirrored each other on some stretches of roads. You would get a series of bends that all looked the same, going the same way, with the same angle and the same bridge and the same blind bend, do the section and repeat which was great fun and allowed you to almost practice the same turns, up to 10 times, whilst going up or down the mountain. The other thing we did a few times was to take the same roads but going the different direction which totally changed the dynamic so don’t think you have to keep finding a ‘new road’ each day just simply reverse the route. We typically routed around 150 miles a day. Now this doesn’t sound much but on most of the roads you would probably struggle to average more than 40 mph and with plenty of stops we found this about perfect. We typically left the hotel around 9.45am and were back, beer in hand around 4.30pm. A word of warning though and this should not put people off but some of the roads, N621 from Panes to Potes, could be quite dangerous if you don’t keep your wits about you. It’s a stunning road but has loads of blind bends and you find a bus or car right on your line coming the other way at the last second just as your tipping in so take it easy. There are only 3-4 ‘safe’ overtaking opportunities as well so there can be a tendency to overtake the car in front of you doing 20mph out of frustration, again unless you are a riding god flip your visor up and take in what is a stunning gorge. Finally the traffic, or lack of it. Ok we went last week of October so it was never going to be as busy as full on tourist season but what a difference between the UK and there. Our last day, for example we rode from Potes to Bilbao and overtook no more than 5 cars until we were 20 miles from Bilbao and hit the motorway (probably not trying hard enough I know) and it was a 147 mile ride bloody amazing and riding here seems so easy compared to UK. The other thing we noticed was the standard of the Spanish drivers. Now we all think every driver is a pillock but even more so for Johnny Foreigner as they are obviously all shit drivers however what I noticed was two things. Firstly their lane discipline on the 2 lane motorway. They all used the left hand (fast Lane) for overtaking and immediately switched back to the right hand slower lane after the manoeuvre. Here in the UK I travel on the M1 everyday where it is four lanes and people lane hog lane 3 & 4 so that was a pleasant surprise and made making progress easy. Secondly when on a single lane road a car would invariably move over as far as possible and indicate to let you know he was aware of your presence which gave added confidence that you were not about to have a SMIDSY.


The Routes

Day 1 saw us head from Potes to Riano on the N621 which was as good as every said it would be. A cuppa, and waited for the fog to clear then continued on a clockwise route up towards Cangas de Onis on the N625 which puts you at 4,250 ft above sea level. We then detoured to Covadonga and a beautiful church that looked quite eerie. A word of warning this was on a Thursday and the visitor centre and car parks were empty. Unfortunately we didn’t stay to look around but regretted it and went back on Sunday (Reversed this route) and it was absolutely jam packed. As you approach the church there is a traffic island, turn right for the church and left for? Well we had to go have a look and so must you. Absolutely stunning ride and view. We didn’t get quite to the end, I believe it’s a dead end, but sure one of the regulars will confirm it one way or another but you must do it. On the Sunday the police has blocked that road, not sure if there had been an accident or if they just don’t allow on a Sunday as it would be a horrible road if packed with traffic. From there we Loop back to the main road, the AS114 that takes you to Panes to join the N621 back to Potes. This was my absolutely favourite road of the whole stay. Fast, sweeping, perfect road surface for around 20 miles at a guess and no traffic. As I said no riding god but jeez you could keep some speed up on there and feel very safe as no real junctions to worry about absolutely loved it. One of my favourite stretches of roads near where I live is from Buxton down to Bakewell. It reminded me a little of that but on steroids!!


Day 2 We made a mistake really, well Kev did as he wont read this so can blame him. We, damn HE didn’t really do a thorough route plan got confused with wrong turnings so didn’t really have a plan but luckily the roads all around there are that good that you are not on anything mediocre for long. When we finally got going we thought we would head a little east, away from the Picos Mountains but first would check out the cable car at Fuente De. Flipping closed for some reason although looking up it did look pretty terrifying so a part of me was pleased! From there we headed east towards Reinosa on the CA184 which was good then the CA183 which was quite uninspiring. From Reinosa the satnav then took us on the CA280 heading North West then eventually to the CA182. It was a long day and the last 2 hours were on great tight roads but we were saddle sore, knackered and probably didn’t enjoy it as much as we should have done. Our last day followed a similar route to Reinosa on the way to Bilbao and we loved it. As I said don’t be scared of doing the same route in reverse it’s a completely different experience.


Day 3 saw us head to the seaside and despite the weather being brilliant in Potes when we got within 5 miles of the sea it was overcast and foggy! Went to have a look at Llanes which is nice with a fort, square and lots of shops but kind of quaint so worth a visit. After yesterday we decided on a shorter ride so then headed off to Sotres, in the mountains. This ends up as a dead end but worth the trip and great views and roads, you getting the picture? Back in the hotel, shorts and tee shirt drinking beer, watching the world go by at 4pm. Life is good.


Day 4 and our last before heading to Bilbao tomorrow. Without doubt our favourite ride was day 1 so still with the hope of finding the elusive donkey we decided to reverse day 1’s route. I won’t go into too much detail but I preferred the clockwise route on day 1 on every road better, or was it that I had become accustomed to the fantastic views and roads and was a little less overwhelmed than on the first day?


Day 5 and time to leave the hotel and head to Bilbao to catch the ferry tomorrow. As it left at 10.15am we didn’t want to have to set out from Potes in the early hours and use the motorway so always planned the last night stopover would be near the port and we would make a ride of it the day before. This was definitely the correct decision and despite using main roads had a bimble of around 180 miles that took us most of the day on various roads from hairpins to fast A roads. Absolutely no traffic and the roads reminded me of the Peak Districts where I can usually be found. We took the CA282 from Le Hermida onto eventually the CA182 back through Reinosa (So much more enjoyed it this way than on day 2 covering around 30 miles on roads we had already done but in reverse). From Reinosa we followed the CA171 and the CA629 along with a few other roads in between. Finally we had to do 20 odd miles of motorway but by then we just wanted to get to the hotel.


Bilbao

Basically screwed up here, can I blame Kev again? as we/HE forgot to change the route from twisty to faster roads so the Nav V pulled us off the motorway early and proceeded to take us, fully loaded through the middle of Bilbao city during rush hour!! Bilbao is very industrial and didn’t do anything for us, felt seedy to be honest but had booked a hotel around 8 miles from the port in a nice area. What amazed us was the following day we set out at 8.15am thinking in the UK it will be chaos getting to the port. 10 minutes later we arrive WTF. No morning rush hour at all, I have seen more traffic at 7am on a Sunday morning in the UK so cannot explain it but someone will be along who knows I guess.


Ferry Again

On the way back we were on the Cap Finestere. Not as nice as the Pont Aven but adequate and we found the sailing far better with the timings as I mentioned before. Calm sea, uneventful, nothing on at the cinema I wanted to see so read magazines, had a few beers, ate and went to bed and at 7am we were nearing Portsmouth, perfect. The ride back was uneventful stopping only once near a truck stop at Towcester which I highly recommend.


Weather

One of my concerns was going so late in the season due to us both having other commitments. We could not have asked for better weather we were very lucky. Not one drop of rain to and fro in the UK and none at all during our stay in Potes. I think this made it more enjoyable due to the visibility in the mountains, overall comfort of riding and the added confidence of dry roads. The day after we got back to Portsmouth the forecast for Potes was pretty bad with lots of rain and temperature of 14 degrees whilst we enjoyed temps up to an indicated 28 degrees. Typically it was a t shirt and light sweatshirt under the riding gear (Waterproof liner taken out also) then by about 11.00am it was hot enough to just have a t shirt under your bike jacket. Never felt cold but also was never sweltering so as I said perfect and very lucky.


The Bike

This was brand new in September, R1200GSA, had the running in service but was the first time used in anger with fully loaded panniers, top box and tank bag. See below for taking too much. It performed absolutely brilliantly and I would not have wanted to have been on any other bike. It coped with everything I asked and ‘Felisha’, teenage daughter named her and its stuck, looked after me brilliantly. You know they are not cheap bikes and get slagged off by some who suffer reliability problems etc. but the best way I can sum up the first 3,000 miles is that she has so far been worth every single penny I paid for her. Love the space in the BMW panniers and the one surprise was the tank bag. This came with the panniers as a ‘package’. My initial thoughts were won’t use it, looks like it gets in the way when riding, gonna sell it. I am so glad I didn’t it is brilliant for keeping all the stuff you need to hand, sunglasses, wallet, phone, cables, passport etc. Also nice to have the extended range the GSA gives you as just filled up daily knowing full well I didn’t have to worry all day as loads of range.


Finally

So what would I do different if I was going next week? Well I would definitely take more care with route planning but got away with it being our first visit. I would also have separate hotel rooms as Kev snores like a bitch, I mean seriously man it’s not normal and you should get you nasal cavities looked at!! Also I would take less clothes as my wife helped me, as I am useless, here words not mine mind. She cannot appreciate that a T shirt can be worn for 5 straight days and undies can be reversed, turned inside out and sprayed with aftershave to keep them fresh so a couple of pairs of each is ample I think:D
So I hope this helps in a small way others that are thinking of doing the trip I highly recommend it and doubt you will be disappointed. I may pop up for next year in the battlefield forum for Normandy or maybe even Auschwitz as my eldest daughter wants to go.

Wonky
 
That dead end road from Covadonga goes up to Covadonga Lakes. That was the busiest road we came across when there mid Sept, but it was a Saturday. Popular with the locals. I got ovrtaken by cyclists on the way down. Mad fuckrs!
 
Great write up Wonky. Thanks for taking the time to put it all together.:beerjug:

I too was in the Picos in early July,and loved it. Also I was born and bred in Sneinton.

The Beverly Hills of Nottingham.....:D
 
Great write up Wonky. Thanks for taking the time to put it all together.:beerjug:

I too was in the Picos in early July,and loved it. Also I was born and bred in Sneinton.

The Beverly Hills of Nottingham.....:D

I have heard Sneinton called many things and now The Beverly Hills of Nottingham, brilliant. There has to be a great story of the journey from Sneinton to Gib?
 
Hi Wonkey,

Glad you enjoyed your Picos trip so much, its addictive!
We weren't sure if you had followed us out of the port avoiding the traffic jam. Stealth Donkey!
We then caned it to Cosgaya, well actually, only until the light went and then pussyfooted through the Hermida Gorge in the dark!

Cheers
 
Hi Wonkey,

Glad you enjoyed your Picos trip so much, its addictive!
We weren't sure if you had followed us out of the port avoiding the traffic jam. Stealth Donkey!
We then caned it to Cosgaya, well actually, only until the light went and then pussyfooted through the Hermida Gorge in the dark!

Cheers

We got stuck behind a Toyota Aygo at the start of the Gorge and they did not do more than 25mph all the way to Potes. We finally got by around 3 miles from the hotel, there are a couple of long straights. When we went along the gorge in the daytime we were actually quite glad they were in front as it slowed us down more than we probably would have done ourselves.

Nice to know we were not the only one's to not spot a donkey :D
 


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