Guide to Spain

[Simon W]

If anyone is looking for route advice/ideas, the new issue of RiDE - which will be in the shops on Wednesday - comes with a 60-page guide to Spain. Daytrip routes based in 25 locations across the country, complete tours, sunny pics, etc. Obviously, as a commercial organisation, you have to buy the magazine to enjoy the stories and pictures...

However, the route information is all available free, online, on our website - Google Map links of the routes and GPX files to download for Garmin/Navigator users.

We put this together as, after last year's RiDE Guide to France, we had people - including a couple on this site - asking if we could do one for Spain. Well, here it is. Hope it's useful

 

[sidestand]

Read it - it's not bad Simon - could do with a bit more accommodation recommendations .

Now yo need to do one for the French side

 

[Edventure]

Worth a read for the next trip. Cheers

 

[Bumpkin]

Just done Pyrenees a couple of weeks ago. Already planning Picos' for next year so this will be a good starting point. Thanks

 

[Wapping]

Thank you for the heads-up on your 'Spanish issue', Simon.

Unlike France, Germany, Italy, the Alps and even Norway, with the exception of the Pyrenees and Picos, suggested Spanish routes are hard to come by.

PS I take it that the download subscription issue will be released sometime around 11 August?

 

[Simon W]

Subscribers have already got their copies - they get it ahead of the shops by a few days. Download versions go live on the same day as the paper version hits the shops (Weds 16th in this case).

 

[Greg Masters]

What a trick you guys missed from Andalucia Day 4!

From Nerja, you could have headed up to the beautiful village of Frigiliana, then on to Torrox, Competa, Canillas de Albaida, Salares, Sedella, Canillas de Aceituno before rejoining your route at Vinuela.

That route takes you through some stunning roads which run alongside the Sierra de Tejeda and through a number of 'real Spain' whitewashed Moorish villages.

Instead you used the motorway .....

 

[shuck raider]

Enjoyed reading that Have to agree with you about the Panes/Riano/Cangas route, I reckon it's my favourite of all the northern Spain runs

 

[Simon W]

What a trick you guys missed from Andalucia Day 4!

From Nerja, you could have headed up to the beautiful village of Frigiliana, then on to Torrox, Competa, Canillas de Albaida, Salares, Sedella, Canillas de Aceituno before rejoining your route at Vinuela.

That route takes you through some stunning roads which run alongside the Sierra de Tejeda and through a number of 'real Spain' whitewashed Moorish villages.

Instead you used the motorway .....

That's partly about keeping time down but mostly about not having ridden that stretch. It was on the scouting list when we were out there, but it lashed it down in biblical fashion from Ugijar to Malaga, so we sulked along the motorway.

As a rule, I use only roads that I've ridden or roads that had been recommended - and even then, part of the riding process when getting the pics is to check as many of the recommendations as we can. However, as a top tip I can add it to the GPX file as an optional route (the Masters Variation). These things evolve when everyone gets involved - so thank you. Hopefully everyone will enjoy the improvement!

 

[Greg Masters]

That's partly about keeping time down but mostly about not having ridden that stretch. It was on the scouting list when we were out there, but it lashed it down in biblical fashion from Ugijar to Malaga, so we sulked along the motorway.

As a rule, I use only roads that I've ridden or roads that had been recommended - and even then, part of the riding process when getting the pics is to check as many of the recommendations as we can. However, as a top tip I can add it to the GPX file as an optional route (the Masters Variation). These things evolve when everyone gets involved - so thank you. Hopefully everyone will enjoy the improvement!

You might be sea-sick if in a 4-wheeler, but there are people on this forum who yearn to take an SM on these roads!

(The next time I'll be on that road will be in a mahoosive VW Crafter filled with trail bikes for Tossers-in-the-Tejeda VII)

 

[Greg Masters]

(Timolgra will post a better photograph!)

The world-famous 'Buggery Bend' is now included in your route.

 

[Timolgra]

I'm sure it wasn't the sculpture's intention but.............

 

[snelly]

Just read the Ride guide to Spain,and it's not bad at all . If you were to base yourself in Ubrique, you are right in the middle of some amazing roads. Including theCortes national park. We stopped in a mountain village called Montejaque in 2001 for the GP so we did most of the roads in the area.The little loop that takes in the A373 to El Bosque, to Grazalema theA374, to Ubrique, and the A372, not quite sure which way round, but all stunning as mr weir says.The amount of rubber you will shed on the road from Rhonda to San pedro will probably make you cry, but thats with joy. All in all a good read that brought back loads of good memories. The lake in the background on the front cover is Lake Zahara if I'am not mistaken.

 

[Rockred]

I'm so lucky I ride round that area all the time, once or twice a week. Last week I saw a red kite swooping down to the road about 100 yards in front of me, I wondered what it was doing so low, as I got to the same spot as the bird at the same time, I saw the reason, it had spotted a dead rabbit on the road and it made a pass at the rabbit with one of its talons and just missed, its momentum took it to my side of the road and I had to duck as it went over my head, fantastic sight. You can see eagles and griffin vultures almost every day as well as the red kites.

 

[Wapping]

I have now had a look at Ride's 'Spanish edition', it really is pretty good.

Nicely set out, with enough detail on each of the rides (individual days out or up to two weeks for a full tour) for anyone. Is every 'great road' there? Of course they are not but you'll no doubt find your own, especially if you arm yourself with a decent local map instead of following the GPS blindly. Marry the article up to a half decent guide book from Lonely Planet, Rough Guide or Michelin, add in a decent paper map or two and you'd be good to go.

Ride magazine really is filling in a gap in the UK market. The Germans and French have long had some really good 'Touring magazines' and have published more books on the topic than can be read in a lifetime. Hats off to them for having a go.

I downloaded a copy via the Ride app onto an iPad; handy to have a look at and easy to keep. Worth a couple of quid? At less than the price of a pint, I'd say, yes..... Even if you never get to Spain!



Detailed maps, to be married to larger scale regional and / or national maps:

http://travel.michelin.co.uk/spain-159-c.asp

http://www.roughguides.com/shop/browse/destination/spain/?gclid=CJOfrKi34r8CFeTItAodpBUAhQ

http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/spain/...om-google-uk&gclid=CPyPtsG34r8CFY7KtAodAzsAEA

 

[richardbd]

Just read the Ride guide to Spain,and it's not bad at all . If you were to base yourself in Ubrique, you are right in the middle of some amazing roads. Including theCortes national park.

...and just down the road, Cortes de la Frontera is the base of Phil Wood of Riders of the Lost Trail, a fantastic off-road outfit, with great kit and excellent KTM bikes!

 

[Hustler]

After the favourable comments above I've thrown caution to the wind, prised open the piggy bank and invested 4 pounds and ten pence to purchase said magazine.

Very good, enjoyable and informative.

Thank you Simon.

 

[Wapping]

I have just been mucking about with some of the routes, seeing what it might be possible to cobble together. The downloads really are excellent.

 

[snelly]

I have just been mucking about with some of the routes, seeing what it might be possible to cobble together. The downloads really are excellent.

Nice one wapping, it's hard not to enjoy yourself in that area. As you were , keep up the good work.

 

[Simon_100]

I must say that I was a bit dismayed to see this post, especially as I'm in the middle of setting up a business doing guided rides around Spain, especially the Pyrenees, where I've lived since 1997!

I haven't seen the mag yet - I'll have to get friends to buy one in the UK and send it over as it doesn't appear to be available to folks who actually live here - and I hope that there's more content there.

But, having looked at the routes I'm not so fussed - you've missed soooooooooo much! OK, there's only so much space in a magazine feature, and i accept that, but really a very little more research would have paid massive dividends . . .

After all, you could just have taken a look at my blog for some more gems - but at least I haven't been plagiarised

Simon, how about we collaborate next time

Regs

Simon