A potter around Asturias/Picos etc

Will post a bit more detail later .
Camping tonight .
Rode up cobbles in a thunderstorm with a river running the other way !!!

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Pitched my new Hilleberg Paradore 2.

Must say I’m very pleased with it .
It’s certainly roomy inside

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Is that Parador de Lerma?

If so, we had one of our best ever meals there. Foie gras with caramelised onions ands truffle sauce (cooked at table), roast shoulder of lamb.
 
Excellent reporting with maps. I’ve toured N Spain a few times but you have given me food for thought for my next visit. Much appreciated by me.
 
what zorro said :thumb2 - thanks for the placenames checks :D

did your chaves vigo the other way round (pontferrada chaves braga up the coast and back to pont)

want to go back in october - hoping that might *prays happen
 
So the route today was 245 miles from Chaves to Lerma.
Quick blat on the motorway then back roads followed by another short motorway blat.

No photos as rained most of the day.

Route was basically this :

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Best bit was the ZA-125 which became the LE-125 when we crossed into Leon.

Stunning road between Puebla de Sanabria and La Baneza.
Done it before in other direction .
Today it was damp/wet and occasionally very wet but one of the best days, riding in utterly pissing rain, but bone dry and toasty riding in jacket and jeans, with Gypsy Kings playing in helmet.....

This road is utterly brilliant :

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Nice one Martin.

Like others have said must venture west of the Picos in future (when we get the chance). :thumb2
 
So today was from Paradore de Lerma to Hotel del Oso in Cosgaya near Potes,a tosser fav.

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The first 80 miles was basically crossing the plains going through some very pretty villages, until we hit the Picos proper north of Cervera de Pisuerga.

I’ve ridden it before but the CL-627 is a stunner.
The sharpest hairpins you will ever come across,but mainly flat and the correct camber.

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Checked in to the hotel.Got met by the new reception recruit :

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Dropped the kit off then playtime on the tracks between Espinama and Sotres :

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Wasn’t feeling 100% and my mate was on his SX1000 !!! So didn’t go all the way, but great fun again.Love it up there :

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Lad on the SX1000 was ballsey to tackle that

Too right !!!!

He had fun getting down again.

Anyway, that’s the end of my trip.

Was planning to ride back to my place in Brittany over next 2 days and possibly spend up to a week there if not needed at work but I’ve now got to go to India next Sunday so rather than slog 800 miles on autoroute for a single night at the house then ferry on 24th from Caen, I checked Brittany Ferries website and there’s a sailing at 1030 tomorrow from Bilbao to Portsmouth.
It means leaving here at 0600 ish but much better to let the ferry take the strain for 24 hours.
Amazingly it only cost £144 to change booking from Caen/Portsmouth to Bilbao/Portsmouth and that includes a nice Club Finistère cabin .
I would have spent more than that in petrol and a hotel for the night !

Result.

So that’s it,apart from a gentle potter in the dark tomorrow from here to Bilbao.

Been a great trip with 7 great mates.
Six have departed already, five to UK and one to Valencia.

SX Nutter heading home down to Cascais in the morning via backroads.

Hope some of the routes may be of use,at least make a note of some of the better roads in case you are passing....

The End.
 
See you at the Bilbao port then Arsey
White R1250RT
Mark

Ok cool . I’ll buy you a beer on da boat.

Funny that you’ve been here all week .

We’ve not seen a single UK bike since we got off ferry last Monday until we pitched up here and there’s a solitary bike in the hotel car park

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It’s normally packed with bikes here .

The others in my group commented that they were surprised no UK bikers are in Spain ( apart from you :)

Three of my group are retired but more than happy to isolate on return rather than not come on a cracking trip with the rest of us .
 
There are a few UK bikes about, sailed over with a few staying hotel Infantardo near Potes, was a lot of bikes in Hotel Del Oso till recently mainly Portuguese and Spanish
 

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Some great information there, I'm sure I'll be referring to it, hopefully next year.
 
Great report!

Love the look of them roads. El cheapo vino, but where is the Veg?

I am with Andres in this one and probably would’ve enjoyed the ribs etc. in my previous carnivorous life.
 


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