Contents: Tours (4)
Reports by Anthony Shaw
All descriptions are in English, unless otherwise noted.
Tours
| Northern Extremadura via Ciudad Rodrigo
tour started April 2007, submitted 2 July 2007 A 9 day circular tour from Ávila (train to/from Madrid) on quiet roads through great scenery. From Ávila, a long day westwards put us to within easy reach of the natural park of Las Butecas - Sierra de Francia, with some great cycling. Interesting mountain villages such as Mogarraz and La Alberca were followed by a climb over the Peña de Francia and a long descent to the delightful historic town of Ciudad Rodrigo. Heading south from Ciudad Rodrigo got us to our primary objectives, the Sierra de Gata and Las Hurdes areas of northern Extremadura. The journey westwards took us along the northern boundary of the Sierra de Gredos before returning to Ávila. |
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| From Avila into Extremadura including Trujillo and Guadalupe
tour started May 2005, submitted 5 February 2006 From Avila, great cycling on the northern slopes of the Sierra de Gredos leads into the dramatic north east corner of Extremadura via Candelario. Good climbs over the Puerto de Honduras and through Piornal follow before travelling southwards towards the beautiful town of Trujillo. East over the hills to Guadalupe completes a rich Extremaduran experience followed by an interesting return to Madrid that includes a trip along the via Verde de la Jara. |
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| Into Extremadura from Madrid
tour started September 2003, submitted 5 February 2006 The mountains of the Sierra de Gredos lie to the north west of Madrid and regularly feature in la Vuelta - the Tour of Spain. As well as providing the opportunity to tackle some interesting climbs on quiet roads, travelling west through the Sierra de Gredos leads to the fascinating area of northern Extremadura. The return to Madrid contoured the slopes of the hills to the south of the river Tajo, through some very quiet roads, eventually leading to Toledo and Madrid. |
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| Maestrazgo and the sierras of Gudar and Javalambre
tour started May 2001, submitted 5 February 2006 The mountains of the Sierra de Gudar and El Maestrazgo lie due north of Valencia. Maestrazgo spans the boundary between Aragon and Valencia. It is one of the most sparsely populated areas of Spain, rich in historic detail and with a fine network of roads that link the ancient villages. Returning to Valencia from the west, via the Sierra de Javalambre, provides access to some quite different but equally impressive roads and scenery. |
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