Advice on Picos Trip Must see Places & Roads to ride

Pauldevo

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I am visiting the Picos next month with the wife on the bike and staying in Potes for four days.
looking for advise on places to visit and nice scenic roads to ride on.
I have previously been with the lads before and done the N621 etc but looking for nice little villages and gorges etc to visit in the area.
Thanks in Advance
 
Dunno about must see but Fuente De is a nice ride although not far - the cable car trip is worth doing
Rides out etc you cant really go wrong but here are a couple of ideas
Ignore the second image as google maps fucked it up
 

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We just booked a hotel for a few days and went for daily rides. Nothing planned, just went where the mood took us. Might not have ridden the best roads or seen the best sights, but we had a brilliant time. So many good roads and good views if you are prepared to venture off the beaten track. Just go for it.
 
In the maps above, the road going north of Cervera de Pisuerga has some narrow gorges with balcony roads, especially the bit just after the turning for Potes, the CA281. I've only looked on Streetview and will ride that road to get back to Santander in September. https://goo.gl/maps/FcxJvu3FBbndpgocA

The loop around the Ponga National Park is pretty gorgey too. Also worth a run up to the top of the Covadonga road. Both can be seen in the maps above, just south of Cangas de Onis.
 
In the maps above, the road going north of Cervera de Pisuerga has some narrow gorges with balcony roads, especially the bit just after the turning for Potes, the CA281. I've only looked on Streetview and will ride that road to get back to Santander in September. https://goo.gl/maps/FcxJvu3FBbndpgocA

The loop around the Ponga National Park is pretty gorgey too. Also worth a run up to the top of the Covadonga road. Both can be seen in the maps above, just south of Cangas de Onis.

Not sure you can ride up the covadonga road anymore !

I didnt look last we were there in MAy but 2 years earlier it was pay your money and get the bus trip -Road closed to everything else)
 
Not sure you can ride up the covadonga road anymore !

I didnt look last we were there in MAy but 2 years earlier it was pay your money and get the bus trip -Road closed to everything else)

you can ride up before 8am it seems. Explains why Streetview is from 2012. Google maps and Garmin don't warn of any restrictions. I'm staying nearby in Cangas but doubt I will surface that early so might change my plans.
 
Thanks Wapping plenty of info there to keep me going

Welcome. In truth I did nothing more than put ‘Best things to see and do in the Picos’ and ‘Nicest towns and villages in the Picos’ into Google and then surf through the top 10 or so hits.

You know you way better than we know you. What would I do if I wasn’t handed instant holidays on a plate?

A. I’d look at a map, say from Michelin and find my base town, in your case Potes.

B. I’d then look at the suggested things to do and places to see and mark them on the map.

C. I’d then look at the roads that joined them to Potes. Some might be too far away to do there and back in a day. Some might be easy to join up into an itinerary that suits you.

D. Sometimes there might only be one or two roads that join them up anyway, mountains or hills or rivers dictating why.

E. if I didn’t have a paper map, I’d do this in Google maps or in say, ViaMichelin, whose choice of routing algorithms is pretty good. Or I’d use something like the very popular Kurviger. However, I’d probably get a map or two anyway, as I’d not be lugging my PC with me on my holiday. That being said, you can do it on a phone or iPad. A phone might be good if, as so many are, you are using a phone for navigation.

F. Whichever method (or methods) I’d use I would always look at the distances A to B and back to A and at the estimated times, remembering that the times given do not allow for any delays and / or more importantly, time off the bike for seeing and doing ‘stuff’.

PS I’d also have a good look in:

https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showt...reat-roads-mate-GPS-files-got-a-route-mate-……
 
Welcome. In truth I did nothing more than put ‘Best things to see and do in the Picos’ and ‘Nicest towns and villages in the Picos’ into Google and then surf through the top 10 or so hits.

You know you way better than we know you. What would I do if I wasn’t handed instant holidays on a plate?

A. I’d look at a map, say from Michelin and find my base town, in your case Potes.

B. I’d look at the suggested things to do and places to see and mark them on the map.

C. I’d then look at the roads that joined them to Potes. Some might be too far away to do there and back in a day. Some might be easy to join up into an itinerary that suits you.

D. Sometimes there might only be one or two roads that join them up anyway, mountains or hills or rivers dictating why that should be.

E. if I didn’t have a paper map, I’d do this in Google maps or in say, ViaMichelin, whose choice of routing algorithms is pretty good. Or I’d use something like The very popular Kurviger,

F. Whichever method (or methods) I’d use I would always look at the distances A to B and back to A and at the estimated times, remembering that tiger times given do not allow for any delays and / or more importantly, time off the bike seeing and doing ‘stuff’.

PS I’d also have a good look in:

https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showt...reat-roads-mate-GPS-files-got-a-route-mate-……

That covers it all!
 
The times I’ve been to the Picos I’ve stayed at the fantastic Hotel Del Oso, and spent a while each evening with a Michelin map and just made up round trips containing as many roads shown with a green line next to them. It worked well, although we were never really ‘going’ anywhere specifically, it made for some great riding days.

I don’t mean to be condescending, just in case you don’t already know, a green line next to a road in the Michelin maps mean that the road is either a good riding or driving road or it passes through nice scenery. Or both, they are generally a win-win.
 
A green line, sometimes on one side of the road only (ie it’s sometimes directional *) simply means that it has been designated by Michelin as ‘Scenic’.

They do not always make great riding or driving roads, not least as some (not all) pass through village after village after village, making forward progress slow. This may (or may not) matter. Or they are sometimes roads to just bimble along, if that’s your thing. In short, look at a map and work out for yourself what the green edge route might be like.


* Of less consideration on a motorbike but maybe of some importance if you are in the passenger seat of a car, with just a rock wall to look at.
 
Dunno about must see but Fuente De is a nice ride although not far - the cable car trip is worth doing
Rides out etc you cant really go wrong but here are a couple of ideas
Ignore the second image as google maps fucked it up

The cable car can get really busy, best get there before 09.00 to avoid long queues and the scenery is better too with the low sun - enjoy!
 


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