Self Guided From
€
  • 14 days exploring from mountains to beaches
  • world-famous Picos de Europa
  • Bilbao and the Guggenheim Museum
15 Days
14 Nights
711 Total kms
54.692307692308 km/day (avg)
mini-map
A magnificent combination of sea and mountains through Cantabria, Asturias, Castilla & León, Cantabria again, and finally the Basque Country. After riding along the coast, to Llanes, we ride round and through the magnificent Picos de Europa before heading east to end in the Basque Country and Bilbao. 2 weeks of some of the best riding in Europe. A superb tour.

Tour Route

Day
1
Arrival Point
to
Santillana del Mar

Pick up from arrival point and transfer to the charming medieval village of Santillana del Mar. Introduction to bikes and route briefing. Spend the rest of the day walking round the cobbled streets of this beautiful village, visit the modern museum of the Altamira Caves or enjoy a ride around the country lanes and down to the coastline.
Day
2
Santillana del Mar
to
San Vicente

Leaving Santillana, our route heads westwards through green meadows and the hills and valleys of Cantabria with its marvellous unspoilt coastline and beaches nearby. We soon arrive at the charming village of Novales, set amidst lemon groves and with its fine typical rural architecture. Next stop is the seaside village of Comillas. Here a visit to the fine beach, the small harbour and the pretty village square with its pavement tapas bars and restaurants is a must, not to mention the architectural sights of El Capricho by the famous Catalán architect Gaudí and the Palace of the Marqués de Comillas. After leaving Comillas, cycle through the Parque Natural de Oyambre and along the beautiful beaches of Oyambre and Merón. We are finally greeted by the stunning view of San Vicente and the Picos de Europa in the distance.
36km
62km
Day
3
San Vicente
to
Llanes

Leaving San Vicente the route heads westwards along the coast. After a short distance, cycle around the beautiful headland of Pechón with its magnificent views of the coastline. Crossing the River Deva in Unquera we enter the province of Asturias. The village of Colombres is home to the sumptuous villas of the indianos, emigrants to the Americas who made their fortune and then returned. From here, the route continues between the coast and the dramatic mountain backdrop of the Sierra de Cuera, foothills of the Picos de Europa. A beautiful descent through eucalyptus forests brings us back to the coast, where we cycle past beautiful and unspoilt beaches to arrive at the charming fishing village of Llanes. 47 km
47km
Day
4
Llanes
to
Cangas de Onís

From Llanes we turn south towards the magnificent Picos de Europa. A most beautiful and spectacular ride takes us over the pass of El Mazuco and the Sierra de Cuera and we are finally greeted with the panorama of the Picos themselves. We see the beautiful pastures and hills so characteristic of Asturias. Finally, we arrive at the bustling town of Cangas de Onís with its cider bars and unique Asturian atmosphere. We also have the option to do the stunning and challenging Vuelta climb to the beautiful Lakes of Covadonga.
48km
86km
Day
5
Cangas de Onís

Today's plan depends on whether we did the Lakes of Covadonga trip on the previous day. If this is the case, then we can do one of a selection of roundrides through the beautiful Asturian countryside, maybe riding the Vuelta climb of El Fitu and down to the coast and back. Another option might be to just hang out in Cangas de Onís and enjoy a day off the bike.
46km
101km
Day
6
Cangas de Onís
to
Posada de Valdeón

This stage takes us from Asturias to the province of León in Castile. We take an easy ride along the River Sella and then through the Desfiladero de los Beyos, a spectacular gorge which takes us into León with the Western Massif of the Picos to our left. We then climb over two passes with beautiful scenery before descending to Posada de Valdeón. As we approach our destination, we see the village nestling in the valley surrounded by the most incredible sheer rock peaks of the Massif Central of the Picos.
61km
Day
7
Posada de Valdeón

Today’s loopride takes us away from the Picos through the equally beautiful Cantabrian Mountains and the village of Riaño, rebuilt on the shores of its reservoir after the original village was flooded. From here we return to Posada to be greeted with even more spectacular views of the Picos. Another option is to leave the bikes behind and walk one of the most famous walks in Spain, La Ruta del Cares. We follow the River Cares from Valdeón down through its so-called “divine gorge” as far as we like and then return.
73km
Day
8
Posada de Valdeón
to
Cosgaya

Leaving Posada de Valdeón behind, we turn our back on the Picos and cycle towards the pass of San Glorio, which has also featured on the Vuelta de España. Here we enter the neighbouring province of Cantabria and begin a long descent back towards the Picos and into the valley of Liébana, to its capital, Potes. Another final shorter ascent takes us to our hotel in Cosgaya,in the heart of the Central Massif. Here we will spend the next two nights enjoying the beautiful surroundings.
70km
Day
9
Cosgaya

Cycle along any of the three valleys that meet in Potes. Take a trip on the cable car at Fuente Dé to enjoy breathtaking views of the Cantabrian Mountains, where the brown bear and wolves still roam. Enjoy a walk through the lush green valleys or the higher mountains. Spend time in the bustling market village of Potes with its peculiar mix of local farmers, tourists and mountaineers. Visit the many other picturesque villages dotted around the area. Cycle up to the Monastery of Santo Toribio, home to the largest surviving fragment of the True Cross or to the charming country monastery of Piasca. There's no shortage of things to do in this magnificent setting.

22km
75km
Day
10
Cosgaya
to
Cabuérniga

Leaving Potes, we head towards the coast along the River Deva. After a short distance, we enter another impressive gorge carved through the mountains, La Garganta de La Hermida. A descent of the gorge takes us to the village of La Hermida. Here we finally bid farewell to the Picos and journey through equally beautiful scenery to the village of Carmona. This is one of the most beautiful and best-preserved in Cantabria. From here we have just one more ascent until we descend to our fine hotel in the beautiful valley of Cabuérniga. 77 km
77km
Day
11
Cabuérniga

The first option is to take a short ride to the picturesque typical village of Bárcena Mayor, with a chance to taste the magnificent local bean stew. Alternatively, climb to the pass of Palombera, a beautiful long climb with an easy grade which then leads to the source of the longest river in Spain, the Ebro. For an even longer ride, continue to the ski resort of Alto Campoo. 30, 68 or 106 km
30km
106km
Day
12
Cabuérniga
to
Villacarriedo

Ride down the River Saja before crossing to the valley of the River Besaya and the pretty village of Riocorvo. Then to the valley of the River Pas and the spa town of Puente Viesgo, home to caves with prehistoric paintings. Then an easy ride to our final valley of the River Pisueña, or a more challenging option via the climb of the Puerto de la Braguía to the hotel in a beautiful valley setting. 61 or 96 km
61km
96km
Day
13
Villacarriedo
to
Santoña

Two options lead to tonight's beach hotel close to Santoña: an easier lowland ride across pretty farmland; the other goes through the mountains over two passes which feature on the Vuelta through magnificent limestone scenery to finally reach Santoña, famous for its spectacular estuary and mountain surroundings and a local delicacy, anchovies. 66 km
66km
Day
14
Santoña
to
Bilbao

The final ride leads along the coast towards the Basque Country. Cross the fishing villages of Laredo and Castro Urdiales looking out for the dozens of huge vultures around Sonabia and some spectacular coastal scenery and beaches. Approaching Bilbao, the route crosses the estuary on the Puente de Vizcaya transporter bridge to follow the river bank into Bilbao and passing the famous Guggenheim Museum before reaching our last hotel and a possible tapas crawl around the Old Quarter of Bilbao. 74 km
74km
Day
15
Bilbao
to
departure

End of IberoCycle services after breakfast.

FAQs

  • Accommodation with en-suite bathroom
    Breakfast
    Transport to and from arrival / departure points - normally Bilbao or Santander, airports, ferryports, railway stations, bus stations
    Information Pack (Route Guide and maps)
    Luggage transport between hotels
    Partial rider transport wheh the itinerary includes this within a certain day's activities

  • rrrr

  • Comfortable fitted and fully-equipped bikes for your cycling pleasure. 

    You can either make arrangements to bring your own bicycles or hire IberoCycle's own models. Most airlines will carry bicycles for a small extra charge or even free. Cyclists who choose to hire will be provided with a comfortable quality bicycle to suit their particular measurements and preferences. We place great importance on getting the bikes right.

    Too many cyclists on trips with other companies have complained about past experiences where they have had to put up with uncomfortable saddles, the wrong sized bike etc. Measurements are requested on booking so the right bike is waiting for you on arrival.

    You are provided with hybrid-type tourist bicycles with conventional handlebars and with triple chain ring and easy-to-change gear ratios for comfortable and easy cycling. Road bikes are also available on request.We can provide tandems, which make for great cycling fun, and are also ideal for those with children.

    And last but not least, e-bikes. An absolute revolution in the world of cycle tours, and of course available on all our rides. 

    Ladies bike (Trek FX) Men's bike (Trek FX)
    Hybrid e-bike    Road e-bike
    Road bike (Cube carbon) Female road bike (Cube carbon)
    Tandem (a fun way to ride, and also ideal for helping smaller children - Dawes Duet)


    Hybrid bikes will carry a handlebar bag, useful for carrying money, documents, camera and lots of other useful items which may be needed close at hand. This bag is easily removed it from its click fastening and carried around with the shoulder strap. They are also equipped with a rear luggage rack and one or two panniers, or a rear rack bag to carry just what you need for each day's cycling. Road bikes carry a seat post bag if required.

    In addition, all cycles are equipped with pump, spare inner tube, water bottle, bike lock and basic toolkit. Extras such as lights or toe clips are available on request. Iberocycle provides cyclists with a fine bicycle in tip-top condition to make cycling an absolute pleasure.

    Childrens Bikes

    Children's bikes, and child seats are available on request.


     

  • IberoCycle will pick up from arrival points in Bilbao or Santander for this tour. This includes hotels, railway stations, ferryports, bus stations and airports. The same is true at the end of the tour. Please contact us if you have an early flight or departure on the last day, so we can let you know if it is possible for us to get you to departure point on time.

    Air - The closest airport is Santander Airport. This airport has the following destinations. However, it is a smaller than Bilbao Airport so has fewer connections. It is used as a hub by RyanAir, with connections to both Spanish and European cities. Further to the east is Bilbao Airport. Here we probably have more flight options, although transfer time to the start point of the cycle tours tends to be around 90 minutes. You may find this map useful for planning itineraries by air.

    Train - Both Bilbao and Santander are connected to inland Spain by the Inter-City RENFE network. Trains are relatively inexpensive. On arrival, it may be more convenient to leave the train in Torrelavega, just one stop before Santander. There is a train service along the coast from Santander; east to Bilbao and the Basque Country, or west to Oviedo and Asturias. However, this is a narrow-gauge railway run by RENFE FEVE and is rather slow and infrequent.

    Bus - Santander has good connections by bus to most Spanish cities run by ALSA. Buses are economical and comfortable.

    Sea - Santander and Bilbao are connected to the United Kingdom by ferries run by Brittany Ferries. This may be a fun and interesting way to travel if you have the time (the crossing takes around one day), but tends to be more expensive than the many flight options.

  • We think cycle touring is the ideal way to travel in Europe and that is why we are very pleased to launch European Bike Adventures, as it allows us the opportunity to offer a whole new set of experiences to people we know will appreciate them.

    Accordingly we have taken our time in selecting the portfolio of cycle tours you find listed here.

    A selection of hand-picked bike trips in spectacular places throughout Europe that focus on fun with the same attention to detail and quality that hundreds of our very satisfied clients have been enjoying with Ibero Cycle Tours since 1999.

     

  • There is plenty on offer for vegetarians to eat. Restaurants tend to be fairly flexible and in general have no trouble in catering special requirements. The same also goes for different allergies such as gluten, lactose etc. Please let us know when booking and we will make sure that the hotels are fully aware. 

  • On a self-guided tour, you are basically independent. IberoCycle transports luggage to the next hotel. 

    Riders are expected to complete each day's ride, unless there is an emergency, or a mechanical problem. 

    Cyclists do not travel as part of a group or with a guide, although they may coincide with other cyclists on the same trip.

    Our "IberoCycle On Call" service means we are always available for help or advice.

    Cyclists are provided with our own detailed Route Guide and maps for their chosen route.

    Fitter cyclists may extend stages at will.

     

  • Personalised tours are available for groups of 4 or more riders. You may like to add extra days, choose a different arrival day, modify the itinerary.

    Please contact us at info@iberocycle.com if you would like to personalise this tour.

Prices

We are in the process of confirming pricing for this tour, please let us know if you are interested using the form below.

Or call us directly: (+34) 942 58 10 92
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