Southern Spain

The sun-baked heart of Moorish Spain is a land of mind-blowing riding for the touring motorcyclist

For what seem like good reasons at the time, we set off early – in theory to research a recommended road I haven't ridden. Except within two corners of turning onto the A-4152, I recognise it from the launch of the first Triumph Tiger Explorer in 2013. It's a great road - twisty with massive views out across the countryside, though this early in the morning much of the land is still in deep shadow; the contrast when the low sun hits blindingly into my eyes is almost painful.

The road climbs up and over a low pass, the Puerto de los Alazores, before joining the bigger but bumpier A-341 to Loja. It's a good ride, but too short: at Loja we jump on the A92 motorway. There's a heap of brilliant riding between Colmenar and Granada, but we're skipping it to spend as much time in the Sierra Nevada as possible.

In fact, we're barely scratching the surface of the mountains outside Granada on this trip - but we are doing two roads in detail. First on the list is the broad A-395, the main road up the mountain. It hits 3000m at the top, making it Europe's highest road... But the top 400m are closed to all but authorised vehicles going to the observatory and the top bit's apparently not paved.

Anyway, the 2000-odd vertical meters you can ride are plenty — 20 steep miles packed with tight turns to keep you on your toes, broad sweepers and sharply inclined straights to work the engine… and, today, a Guardia Civil car to keep us honest. There is a little traffic but it's hardly busy (not on a Tuesday). About half the cars seem shrouded in disruptive wraps, being tested by the factories.

We stop for a coffee at the top, then descend on the — for my money — even better A-4025. It has even tighter bends, even bigger views and even less traffic. It's simply staggering — a near-perfect mountain road baking in beautiful Mediterranean sunshine.

We turn off it just before it rejoins the A-395 (halfway up the mountain) to take an insanely narrow, twisty, steep back-road to Güéjar Sierra. It's a shortcut to the broad GR-320 above the Rio Genil reservoir and then the GR-3201 — and this is an utterly unmissable road. It has everything, from tight uphill hairpins to fourth-gear sweepers, long straights to chicane-like direction changes. That's southern Spain in a nutshell: amazing but diverse roads and perfect weather. It's biking Nirvana.

OTHER RIDES IN SOUTHERN SPAIN

One of the dozens of hairpins on the Alto de Velefique

81 COSTA BLANCA

Start/finish Alicante
Distance 160 miles
Riding time 5.5 hours
Our old friend Tony Lang met us outside Alicante and showed us some of his favourite roads – which we’ve hijacked for this stunning route through the mountains that rise behind the beach resorts. Forget the sea, this is where the action is…
Route map, Download GPX file

82 CARTAGENA COASTLINE

Start/finish Cartagena
Distance 160 miles
Riding time 5.5 hours
This loop around the ancient city of Cartagena swoops inland to the edge of the Sierra Espuña, before descending to have lunch on a beach, hugging the coast back to Cartagena.
Route map, Download GPX file

83 ALMERIA THREE-SIERRA LOOP

Start/finish Almeria
Distance 215 miles
Riding time 7 hours
Combining some of the best roads from the Roquetas and Carboneras routes – along with some wilder, narrower stretches and a bit of time-saving motorway – this long day might just be the ultimate Andalusian riding adventure.
Route map, Download GPX file

84 NERJA SURF AND SIERRA

Start/finish Nerja
Distance 170 miles
Riding time 6 hours
From the sandy beaches of the Med to the mountains of southern Spain, this route has more twists than an Agatha Christie novel. The only mystery here, though, is that the roads are so good and yet so quiet.
Route map, Download GPX file

85 SEVILLA & THE ROUTE OF 300 CORNERS

Start/finish Sevilla
Distance 185 miles
Riding time 6 hours
This refinement of a local favourite loops out from the fascinating city of Sevilla to the 'Route of 300 Corners' in the Sierra de Hornachuelos. How many corners in total? A lot more than 300, that’s for sure…
Route map, Download GPX file

86 CÓRDOBA

Start/finish Córdoba
Distance 195 miles
Riding time 6 hours
Plenty to see on this route, from the Mezquita in Córdoba to the Alcazaba in Bujalance — but the real attraction is the sun-kissed tarmac scrolling its way through the empty hills and across the vast, empty plains.
Route map, Download GPX file

Please note: This page contains the route files for The RiDE Guide to motorcycle touring in Spain and Portugal which came free with RiDE magazine in July 2018. These website page are not regularly updated, so please check all critical information before you travel. All route files are in .gpx format. Garmin and BMW users can download the main file, which contains all the routes and our recommended hotels as separate waypoints. TomTom users can download the individual routes and use the Tyre software to convert them. For many routes we also have Google Map links. However, as Google Maps will not plot routes over seasonally closed high Alpine passes (such as those in the Pyrenees) when they’re shut, these may not work for every route all year round.