The North Coast of Spain
An amazing motorcycle ride through the Picos de Europa can erase all memories of an earlier rainstorm...
Empty roads, spectacular views… this is why we come to the Picos. But in this bit of Spain, it pays to pack waterproofs too.
The drizzle falling as we get off the ferry thickens to proper rain as we pull out of Santander on the motorway, headed east towards Bilbao. This should be the first pop of the cork, the moment that tells you something good has started... But it’s dismal. “It’s worse than it was in England,” moans snapper Weeble when we stop for lunch after 40 miles.
“Don’t worry - we’re headed inland,” I say.
“Through the Picos? It always rains in the Picos,” he cries.
This is patently not true. Sometimes it’s sunny in the Picos de Europa. Most of the time, in fact. But these mountains on Spain’s northern coast can trap warm, wet air blowing in from the Bay of Biscay, condensing it into clouds that sometimes turns the day grey but the hills green, as the regular rain ensures this is a lush landscape.
Once we get into the hills, the weather does improve. We head inland on the N-629 - a superbly flowing, twisting bit of road that then scrambles into the clouds themselves. I put the Triumph Explorer’s fog lights on. They don’t help me see any further but at least they must make me more visible to the five or six vehicles crawling in the opposite direction. I’m down to 30mph as we crest the Los Tornos Pass. “It’s majestic when you can see it,” I tell Weeble.
Thankfully, this is the end of the weather. Another few miles and the sun starts peeking out shyly from behind white clouds. Dry Tarmac and fantastic bends... This is the kind of riding we’ve crossed the sea to find. The big Triumph dances through the bends effortlessly – corners coming thick and fast as we join the N-232 and take a short detour up the hairpins of the CL-629. That leads on to Burgos, so we turn back and continue on the serpentine N-232, then peel off to the BU-530 alongside the vast Ebro river, ducking through tunnels and dodging the rocky outcrops that line the road. By the time we reach the hotel, the early rain is forgotten. All we’re talking about is the amazing afternoon ride… and what we’ll find tomorrow.
Other routes on the North Coast
17 REINOSA ROUTE
Start/finish Reinosa
Distance 175 miles
Riding time 5 hours
Reinosa’s a short, easy ride from Santander (you can even take the motorway if you want). It’s surrounded by absolutely glorious mountains stuffed with beautiful lakes – all on this laid-back day’s ride.
Route map, Download GPX file
18 VINTAGE RIOJA
Start/finish Logroño
Distance 140 miles
Riding time 4 hours
Perfect road surfaces, sweeping bends, majestic views – the riding in La Rioja is intoxicatingly good. Just take it steady with the local grape juice before heading out on this ride!
Route map, Download GPX file
19 BILBAO BACKROADS
Start/finish Laudio
Distance 170 miles
Riding time 5.5 hours
Rather than staying in the city, we’d base ourselves in the hills outside Bilbao – ready to romp off on the brilliant roads that head inland from the Basque port. With commercial traffic on the motorways, these mountain roads are virtually empty.
Route map, Download GPX file
20 TO THE LIGHTHOUSE
Start/finish Vilalba
Distance 215 miles
Riding time 6.5 hours
From the historic town of Vilalba, out to the north coast and the amazing sea views at the Cabo Ortegal lighthouse. Mostly wide, smooth roads but with some tight single-track ones on Cape Ortegal to keep you awake.
Route map, Download GPX file
21 SANTIAGO SEAS
Start/finish Santiago de Compostela
Distance 185 miles
Riding time 6 hours
Some amazingly twisty roads from Santiago to Cap Finisterre and Cap Touriñán (Spain’s most westerly point) and then north to Malpica on the Costa Morte.
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.