Deleted account 220214001
Registered user
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2018
- Messages
- 0
- Reaction score
- 0
Hi all, I spend my summers in Asturias, born there, keep a pad there only missed one summer in 52 years. I know my way around the Picos but not so much the Pyrennees.
I used to offroad there a lot (Asturias) but sadly many routes are now shut and last year's fires along the north have done nothing for tolerance of offroading. You "can" still offroad, the rangers are "tolerant" of non hooligans but you can be reprimanded and/or sanctioned if you get the wrong guys. If you get caught or stopped once, then you better not get caught again or they lose their sense of humour pretty quickly. Additionally the routes vary in difficulty even on the same route. They are very difficult to mark out even using a satellite mapping system because some have gates which you can open, and some which you cannot, but you can't see them from a satellite.
In any case, the aforementioned "tolerance" is variable throughout the year; the summer months, in particular, are not a good time to be caught in the forests (or what is left of them after last year) but bare mountains are (possibly) a little less critical. However, you can be more easily spotted on open ground and sometimes the Civil Guards are under pressure to "fund" the town hall. The general rule is that a track has to be 4m wide in order for motorised vehicles to be allowed to use it but that is not always necessarily the case.
Therefore I would advise going on an organised tour because the organisers know which tracks they can use, often have a rapport going with the local CG rangers and it takes any worry or stress out of it. As such, in Asturias, I don't think there are many (if any) organised tour operators which is a crying shame because the routes are very interesting, the scenery is great and the food is much better than in eastern Spain.
A word of caution wrt to the dates. I'm not going to publicise on here the best month to go (there is one). That seems selfish but I have my reasons and they are obvious. Having said that I will tell you the best months to avoid because the danger levels rise and I do want people to enjoy themselves. July and August are the months to avoid anywhere in Spain except the central part which almost empties in those months. However, you will roast and dehydrate and it isn't pleasant. Having said that you can stop and bathe in any of the many reservoires around if you can find a way down (and there is any water in them)
Increased traffic on the coastal roads and some of the more touristy routes are full of Sunday drivers and tourists. Also the ferries are more expensive.
Northern Spain is NOT like the rest of Spain in many ways but in particular weatherwise. You WILL encounter 4 seasons in one day even in summer and occasionally you will encounter rain for the whole of your trip . I advise getting an APP on your phone called eltiempo.es which will give you radar depictions of rain, cloud and wind seperately so that you can vary your route and avoid the worst of the weather.
Jaca is indeed a very nice town from which it is possible to do a "spoke" tour and base yourself. Around Jaca there is access to the N260 transpyrniacal route and heading north you can enjoy Formigal and Ordesa and there is a BEAUTIFUL (I mean it, Google it) old train station in the process of being restored called Canfranc Station. I am organising a trip there with my mates from home at the end of April.
If the weather is shite and going to be shite for the whole week then I suggest going south towards Burgos and there is a beautiful but tiny (Cathedral) town called Santo Domingo De Silos. The road down from Santander is great (I think it's the N623 from memory - there are two, don't take the N627 or the motorway).
In Santo Domingo you will stay in a great little town which, if anyone is a fan of the old spagghetti westerns, is where the last scene of The Good The Bad And The Ugly was filmed. They have recently restored the film set which looks like a cemetary. If you want to, you can sponsor a "grave" and place a name on it. There are many mother-in-laws' names on many graves there.
I used to offroad there a lot (Asturias) but sadly many routes are now shut and last year's fires along the north have done nothing for tolerance of offroading. You "can" still offroad, the rangers are "tolerant" of non hooligans but you can be reprimanded and/or sanctioned if you get the wrong guys. If you get caught or stopped once, then you better not get caught again or they lose their sense of humour pretty quickly. Additionally the routes vary in difficulty even on the same route. They are very difficult to mark out even using a satellite mapping system because some have gates which you can open, and some which you cannot, but you can't see them from a satellite.
In any case, the aforementioned "tolerance" is variable throughout the year; the summer months, in particular, are not a good time to be caught in the forests (or what is left of them after last year) but bare mountains are (possibly) a little less critical. However, you can be more easily spotted on open ground and sometimes the Civil Guards are under pressure to "fund" the town hall. The general rule is that a track has to be 4m wide in order for motorised vehicles to be allowed to use it but that is not always necessarily the case.
Therefore I would advise going on an organised tour because the organisers know which tracks they can use, often have a rapport going with the local CG rangers and it takes any worry or stress out of it. As such, in Asturias, I don't think there are many (if any) organised tour operators which is a crying shame because the routes are very interesting, the scenery is great and the food is much better than in eastern Spain.
A word of caution wrt to the dates. I'm not going to publicise on here the best month to go (there is one). That seems selfish but I have my reasons and they are obvious. Having said that I will tell you the best months to avoid because the danger levels rise and I do want people to enjoy themselves. July and August are the months to avoid anywhere in Spain except the central part which almost empties in those months. However, you will roast and dehydrate and it isn't pleasant. Having said that you can stop and bathe in any of the many reservoires around if you can find a way down (and there is any water in them)
Increased traffic on the coastal roads and some of the more touristy routes are full of Sunday drivers and tourists. Also the ferries are more expensive.
Northern Spain is NOT like the rest of Spain in many ways but in particular weatherwise. You WILL encounter 4 seasons in one day even in summer and occasionally you will encounter rain for the whole of your trip . I advise getting an APP on your phone called eltiempo.es which will give you radar depictions of rain, cloud and wind seperately so that you can vary your route and avoid the worst of the weather.
Jaca is indeed a very nice town from which it is possible to do a "spoke" tour and base yourself. Around Jaca there is access to the N260 transpyrniacal route and heading north you can enjoy Formigal and Ordesa and there is a BEAUTIFUL (I mean it, Google it) old train station in the process of being restored called Canfranc Station. I am organising a trip there with my mates from home at the end of April.
If the weather is shite and going to be shite for the whole week then I suggest going south towards Burgos and there is a beautiful but tiny (Cathedral) town called Santo Domingo De Silos. The road down from Santander is great (I think it's the N623 from memory - there are two, don't take the N627 or the motorway).
In Santo Domingo you will stay in a great little town which, if anyone is a fan of the old spagghetti westerns, is where the last scene of The Good The Bad And The Ugly was filmed. They have recently restored the film set which looks like a cemetary. If you want to, you can sponsor a "grave" and place a name on it. There are many mother-in-laws' names on many graves there.