Spain (local)

There are a number of routes to Santiago de Compostela. The most famous - and currently most well-traveled - is the Camino Frances (or French Road). One leg begins its Spanish phase in the Pyrenees at Roncesvalles. An alternative way from France starts at Somport. Both routes from France converge at Puente La Reina. From there, a single route continues to the destination on the west coast of Spain.

Today, about 50,000 people a year make the pilgrimage. The majority (70%+) walk. Crossing Spain from the French border to Santiago de Compostela on foot takes about a month. Why do people do it? Religion. Spirituality. Culture. Or simply to take part in the river of history - to participate in something that has endured for twelve centuries. [...]

If you can find the time, do it. My pilgrimage was one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. It's a great bicycle tour. It was profoundly moving, fun, and you'll meet interesting people from all over the world.

The Camino, or Road to Santiago, has been for a thousand years the magnetic axis of Europe, and once you experience its peculiar attraction, it will form part of your very self. It still has that millenary magic that has fascinated the millions of pilgrims who have walked its path over the centuries. You will find yourself in the truly human dimension, passing through magical towns belonging to times different to ours, with fantastic landscapes changing at every turn; and even if you start alone, as I did, you'll end up making new friends from all over the world.

Suddenly I was in Tenerife. From one cold day in the Swedish forest to a warm beach close to Africa. I love airplanes. [...] It was very thrilling to go downhill when the bed was sharp lava stones and gravel. No soft moss to land in after an eventual unintentional air trip. I got a way with some small wounds and bruises after loosing the grip with the front wheel once. I was on my own on the mountain, so I better be careful and ride safe. [Warning, popups.]

Riding in Tenerife is fine, and on bicycle unspoilt sites with few or no tourists are within reach. The reasons for going to Tenerife are manifold: 20 C in both air and sea during winter, natural beauty, challenging riding and trekking, it's easy getting there and equally easy staying there, it's affordable, it's cycle-friendly etc. etc. [This] is a diary from 14 days, 9 of which I cycled.

That was going to be the first of my cycling tours and I had been thinking on a plain and not really long-distance trip. Simply a little adventure in order to test if the experience of touring thanks to your own energy and on a simple economical and amusing mechanical invention as a bike, was so exciting and attractive as shown by the many trip reports already read on the net and also as my mind used always to imagine.

On the other hand I haven?t seen too much material on the net about cycling in the Canaries, therefore I thought that a trip report would be a reasonable and refreshing contribution.

Santiago de Compostela, next to Rome and Jerusalem, is an important pilgrimage route for christians. According to the legend, the apostle Saint James is buried in the cathedral. Modern science has disputed the fact that the apostle ever reached Spain, however, thousands of people annually make the pilgrimage either by foot, horse, or on bicycle. The historical atmosphere and the spiritual adventure, as well as the physical challenges, cast their spell on the contemporary traveller.

Chemin de St. Jacques - Camino Frances - da St. Jean Pied de Port a Santiago (Capo Finisterre). Useful practical information, maps, etc. This is part of the longer trip from Italy through France: Torino - Capo Finisterre 2000.

Camino de Santiago is a pilgrimage route taken in honor St James buried in Santiago. There are numerous routes starting at different points - all ending in Santiago. The most famous is the French route starting on the French side of the Pyrennees. Due to limited time, we are riding only part of the route - from Leon to Santiago - a distance over 300 kilometers, in about 6 to 7 days.

Madrid, a cyclist's no man's land - Riding the French Basque Coast - From Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago in 15 days - The Galician Coast.

I had a wonderful time, everywhere I went the people were friendly, the drivers reasonably considerate, and the touring spectacular. Why the Extremadura? The Extremadura is a very interesting part of Spain for any American because the people in Extremadura have had such a profound impact on the history and development of America. It turns out that the two most famous (or infamous) conquistadors, Pizzaro and Cortez, both hail from the Extremadura. Many other Extremadurans joined them in the conquest of central and south America by the Spanish. Why? During the early 1500's, the Extramadura was a relatively undeveloped part of Spain, filled with minor nobility and controlled by absentee landlords. There were few prospects for a second or third son growing up in this region, and it was a tough neighborhood. The region had long been a contested area in the wars between the Moors and the Spaniards, it was dotted with walled towns, and inhabited by enduring people accustomed to hardship and violence. The opportunity for wealth and fame in the Americas was a magnet for aggressive young men who had few prospects for inheritance and were well trained to fight for what they wanted. Very many of them did achieve wealth and fame, very few of them died peacefully in their bed. They were prepared to live and die by the sword and their wits, most did so.

A 15-day tour of the Canary Islands, complete with maps.

Gran Canaria is one of the islands of the Canarian archipelago. The island is crowded with small, bending roads. Although the island is not very big there is much to cycle for more than a week. Because of the barranco's (canyons) riding is also very hard. I have been there for twelve days and stayed in an apartment in Playa del Ingles, the tourist centre of the island.

With photos, and useful and well-organized information.

Qu'est-ce que le cyclotourisme ? C'est de l'amour ambulant dont la nature est l'objet. Nous devons cette d´finition à Henri de la Tombelle , dans son manuel du cyclotourisme ´dit´ en 1943, et je n'en connais pas de plus satisfaisante.

Pour ma part, même si le cyclotourisme demeure une activit´ ayant ses exigences d'effort et d'endurance, il n'est pas question de devenir esclave de la moyenne kilom´trique. Dans la pratique du v´lo, je vois essentiellement une façon agr´able de se d´placer dans la nature, de d´couvrir des paysages, des r´gions, de r´viser sa g´ographie en allant sur place ressentir la profondeur d'une belle vall´e ou l'altitude d'une montagne. Le Pyr´n´es, lorsqu'on habite Toulouse, sont l'objet de nombreuses conversations entre amoureux de la nature. Très nombreux sont les adeptes des randonn´es durant l'´t´, et du ski durant l'hiver. Pour notre part, peu attir´s par le ski et occup´s à bien d'autres activit´s en ´t´ (du v´lo par exemple), ces montagnes, pourtant si proches, demeuraient ´trangères à nos p´r´grinations et du coup globalement m´connues.

Eine ausführliche Tourenbeschreibung unserer zweiwöchigen Radreise durch die großartige Wüstenlandschaft Andalusiens - zu Füßen der schneebedeckten Gipfel der Sierra Nevada. Besonderen Wert haben wir auf genaue Informationen für Radfahrer gelegt, wie Dauer der Tagesetappen, Höhenmeter und zurückgelegte Kilometer. Natürlich kein Ersatz für Reiseführer und Karte.

Unsere Etappen:Cabo de Gata - San Jos´ | Rundtour San José - Las Negras und zurück | Ausflug: Almería - Strände von San Jos´ | San Jos´ - Nijar | Nijar - Turillas - Mini Hollywood - Tabernas | Tabernas - Olula-Paß - Los Navarros | Gergal - Guadix | Guadix - Paß - Granada | Alhambra | Konditionstest: Granada - Parador - Granada | Granada - Beznar - Castel de Ferro | Castel de Ferro - Roquetals del Mar | Roquetal del Mar - Flughafen .

This is the (partly still under construction) report of a 10-days tour in Mallorca in October 1995. Includes weather information, a literature, photographs, the works.

The report of the 850 km trip Jose Roberto and his buddy Aurelio did in September 1995. Annoying and confusing Flash navigation, I didn't actually find much useful information.

This is a report about a bike tour which we undertook in Andalusia in September '95. We started in Sevilla, travelled down to Tarifa at the Strait of Gibraltar, learned a lot about forceful winds, crossed the mountains of the Serrania de Ronda to see Ronda, one of the oldest cities in Spain, directed our tires once again to the sea side towards Malaga, travelled on lonely winding roads and the beach promenades of the Costa del Sol and finally crossed the Sierra Nevada to terminate our journey in Granada, one of the most beautiful cities we've ever seen. The overall distance was about 700 km. We took two and a half weeks but think one should have a week or so more to fully enjoy the spirit of the region.

A beautiful tour, mostly off-road, with great photos.
Uphill and downhill sections in a beautiful landscape on the south slope of the Sierra Nevada with more white villages.Great views.After Ug?jar a 63-year-old mountain biker starts a roadside conversation on bicycling, this year's draught and possible climate change.Unlike me, he believes the Puerto de la Ragua is the only pass crossing the Sierra Nevada.

The report of a one-week training camp in Spain.
After 2 days spent on a bus, and a night in a Premier Classe Hotel in Rheims, France, we were ready to get on our bikes and stretch our legs. (There had been the temptation to get the bikes unpacked in Rheims and re-run the stage finish there from the 1985 Tour de France when Sean Kelly and Eric Vanderaerden had thrown punches at one another as they sprinted for the line ! But as it was dark, 1 a.m. and we were all tired it was decided to leave it until another time.) The camp was based in L'Estartit, a holiday resort on the Costa Brava approximately 100 kms north of Barcelona.

I visited Tenerife in December 1994 for two weeks. [...] We have cycled totally 1400 km, without getting bored. There are a lot of beautiful climbs. Tenerife is really an eldorado for mountain goats, without a flat kilometer.

If there is one single thing that made our trip to Spain worthwhile then it was the people. To put it simply they are the tops. Maybe because of the contrast from what we were used to, I do not know, but they do come across as warm, friendly, easy going people. This is especially true of small Spanish villages where everyday seems like a Sunday.

The report of a one-month, 3018km tour of Spain, beautifully illustrated.

Includes Logistics, a Map, and reports of tours Barcelona-Valencia, the Pyrenees, Malaga-Alicante and Granada-Gibralter.

With its sunny climate, fantastic coasts and mountains, one really can't go wrong with a bicycle tour of Spain. Since 1993, I've made three trips there and this web page is a conglomeration of those adventures. Aside from a short tour through the Pyrenees, most of the cycling I've done has been along the coast -- from the French border all the way down to Gibralter [...] Cycling the Mediterranean coast is a lot like biking the famed Pacific Coast highway in the US -- great views, fantastic beaches, stunning headlands, and not much traffic. Moreover, there are plenty of interesting historical and cultural sites to visit along the way, such as ancient forts and castles, cathedrals, old fishing villages, and the Salvador Dali museum.

Pour renouer avec le voyage itinérant à vélo, nous avions choisi une destination qui nous offrirait les meilleurs ingrédients selon nous : du relief et du dépaysement, et de la chaleur. Pour les premiers points, nous ne fûmes pas déçus, nous n'imaginions pas par contre devoir lutter contre le froid?et même la neige !

Les îles Canaries, au nombre de sept, forment un archipel au large des côtes marocaines. Nous visiterons les trois îles situées le plus à l'ouest : La Palma, la Gomera et Tenerife, la plus étendue, et sans conteste la plus connue et fréquentée (un peu trop d'ailleurs sur la côte?).

Ces îles sont d'origine volcanique, et offrent parmi les paysages les plus spectaculaires au monde.

An information site in various languages run by the Xunta de Galicia. Annoying Flash animations all over the place.

The suggested itinerary follows the spanish part of the ``Camino de Santiago'' from the Ibaneta Pass (Roncesvalles) on the frontier between France and Spain to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. It's 850 kilometres wich cross the whole northern side of Spain, from Pyrenees as far as the Atlantic region. 8 stages will be provided. The itinerary goes over an ancient pilgrinage route connected with the Catholic tradition of the veneration to the apostle St. James (Santiago), evangelizer of Spain, whose grave would have been discovered by a hermit in 813 d.c. in a place showed by a star rain (campus stellae).

A Fantastic Journey is the only real description of this ride, because that is exactly what it was. A journey into territory far away from the normal tourist routes. Where the only indication of the 21st century was the motor car. And where English is rarely been heard, let alone spoken.

Following our long cycle rides of the previous two years and because bad weather caused us to call a halt last year near Bayonne, we decided to continue our ride to Gibraltar. However we decided to change the route to take in more of the real Spain. It may not appear to some to be the best route. It certainly was not the quickest. It did however encompass many places we wanted to see. Some were Towns and Cities, some were geographic places such as Parque Naturals and Mountain Ranges. Our route took us through the following major cities and towns: San Sebastian; Vitoria; Burgos; Palencia; Toro; Salamanca; Bejar; Trujillo; Merida; Constantina; Seville; Arcos de la Frontera; Tarifa; Gibraltar.

Itinerario en bicicleta de montaña con alforjas que partiendo de Tortosa, a orillas del río Ebro, cruza la Comunidad Valenciana de norte a sur por las montañas del interior, finalizando junto al río Segura ya en Murcia.

Circulando por sus comarcas interiores (Tinença de Benifassà, Els Ports, Alt Maestrat, L´Alcalaten, Alto Mijares, Alto Palancia, Los Serranos, La Plana de Utiel-Requena, Valle de Ayora-Cofrentes, Canal de Navarrés, la Costera-Valle de Albaida, El Comptat y El Vinalopó), a lo largo del recorrido se visitan gran parte de sus macizos montañosos (Benifassa, Els Ports, Maestrat, Penyagolosa, Sierra de Espadán, Caroig, Sierra Calderona, Sierra Mariola, Sierra de Aitana y Maigmó), y algunos de sus parques naturales (Tinença de Benifassá, Penyagolosa, Serra d´Espadà, Serra Calderona, Chera-Sot de Chera, Hoces del Cabriel, Serra de Mariola y Font Roja).

La ruta sigue fielmente el itinerario Travesía de la Comunidad Valenciana (Fredes-Pinoso), diseñado por Aníbal, incansable "biker", gran conocedor de la Comunidad Valencia y sin cuya aportación no hubiera sido posible, por lo que desde aquí quiero expresar mi más sincero agradecimiento.

Recorrido en bicicleta de montaña con alforjas por la Región de Murcia siguiendo el itinerario de la TransMurciana, a través de caminos históricos y rurales, especialmente por vías pecuarias y viales de uso compartido. Coincide en gran medida con los Caminos de la Vera Cruz, Itinerarios Ecoturísticos, Corredores y Vías Verdes, y los Senderos de Gran Recorrido que atraviesan el Mediterráneo (GR 92 y GR 7). Sin grandes desniveles visita la gran mayoría de los Espacios Naturales Protegidos murcianos, viéndose representados su gran variedad de paisajes.

Partiendo de Murcia capital, y tras cruzar el P.R. Carrascoy y el Valle, desciende hasta el mar cerca de San Pedro del Pinatar, para bordear el Mar Menor hasta Cabo de Palos. Sigue toda costa murciana, en gran parte por el GR 92, pasando por La Unión, Cartagena, Puerto de Mazarrón y Águilas. [...]

Recorrido en bicicleta de montaña con alforjas desde Almansa, pasando por Cuenca, hasta Burgos siguiendo el Camino de Santiago-Ruta de la Lana. Incluye el enlace del Camino de Levante, en Almansa, con la propiamente llamada Ruta de la Lana, en Monteagudo de las Salinas.

Itinerario en bicicleta de montaña con alforjas desde Ponferrada hasta Espinosa de los Monteros, que recorre la Cordillera Cantábrica pasando por muchos de sus macizos montañosos más representativos. Sigue la ruta descrita por Juanjo Alonso en la guía Transcantábrica en BTT editada por la Editorial Desnivel, coincidiendo en gran parte con el recorrido ciclomontañero.

Itinerario en bicicleta de montaña con alforjas, que tomando como punto de partida Granada, da la vuelta a las principales cumbres del Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada, en su zona granadina. En gran parte la ruta coincide con el itinerario senderista GR 240 Sulayr y la ruta cicloturista Transnevada. Desde Granada capital, recorremos la vertiente norte de Sierra Nevada, pasando por Jérez del Marquesado, para cruzar a la vertiente sur por el Puerto de la Ragua. Ya por la Alpujarra, llegamos a Lanjarón tras pasar por Trevélez, Pórtugos y Capileira. Tras recorrer la Rinconada de Nigüelas, llegamos a Granada por Gójar y La Zubia.

Recorrido en bicicleta de montaña con alforjas siguiendo el Camino de Santiago en Cataluña. Parte desde el Monasterio de Sant Pere de Rodes hasta Pina de Ebro, donde se une al Camino de Santiago del Ebro, por donde continúa hasta finalizar en Logroño, donde se enlaza con el Camino Francés. Incluye tambien el enlace desde Montserrat con Barcelona, bajando por Martorell y volviendo por San Cugat.

Recorrido en bicicleta de montaña con alforjas que cruza los Pirineos de esta a oeste, por su vertiente sur, desde el Mediterráneo (Llança como punto de partida) hasta al Atlántico (y Hondarribia como punto final). Toma como referencia la guía "La travesía de los Pirineos en BTT", de Jordi Laparra y editada por Prames, siguiendo su itinerario principal excepto para tomar la variante de Ordesa-Sierra de Cutas.

Recorrido cicloturista en BTT con alforjas que da la vuelta a Andalucía recorriendo muchos de los espacios naturales protegidos de la comunidad por caminos tradicionales.

Es difícil resumir en pocas palabras 2.500 kilometros, 8 provincias y 36 días de pedaleo. Multitud de paisajes. Montañas y playas, bosques y desiertos.

Toda la información se la debemos a un magnífico grupo de bikers andaluces que ha creado un recorrido único, compendio de todos los caminos y paisajes de Andalucía. Todo ello en una web www.transandalus.org donde podemos encontrar rutometros, mapas, tracks para gps y mapas para gps. Y mucho trabajo desinteresado que agradeceré toda la vida.

Comienza en Sevilla, para bajar hasta Sanlucar de Barrameda. Da la vuelta a Andalucía en sentido antihorario para volver a Sanlucar. Para regresar a Sevilla rodea el PN de Doñana por Almonte.

Round trip to Andalucia. A 2600 km path through no paved roads, including the crossing of 35 km beach at Doñana National park.