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Spain 🏍️
  • Hannah Stanley

Spain 🏍️

A 15-day adventure by Hannah Read more
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  • Trip start
    October 1, 2023
    Hannah StanleySpain 🏍️Traveler

    Santander to Potes

    October 2, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    After 22 long hours on the ferry, 12 of which Chez and I were fast asleep for, we finally arrived in Santander! The weather was toasty and we were packed in alongside approximately 50 other bikers in the bowels of the ship waiting for all the other vehicles to depart. As bikers, we make the most of it and managed to meet quite a few who were destined for Potes, including Shaun and Ben, a copper from London and a plumber from Bude with a penchant for buying bizarre vehicles (including a double decker bus for £500).

    Finally free from the ferry, the four of us headed straight for the twisties and the mountains of the Picos and our final destination for the night in Potes. Of course, we were blessed straight away with brilliant roads, glorious weather and stunning mountain views! Shaun and Ben turned out to decent counterparts to the journey and we went out for some food and a beer before hitting the hay excited for what tomorrow would bring!

    Roads: CA180, CA182, CA282, N621
    Good: straight into the beauty of the Picos!
    Bad: it got a wee bit hot!
    Ugly: nothing    Read more

  • Hannah StanleySpain 🏍️Traveler

    Loop: Potes to Caín de Valdeón

    October 3, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    The day started early, Chez went for a run and I stayed in bed. Dreamy! Yesterdays fun and frolics with Shaun and Ben was set to continue for the day as we decided they could take on the hard duties of navigation and lunch spot picking. As the usual navigator, this was a good start and I was able to just relax and follow someone else. They are quite good at chatting though, so it was also nice to don our biking helmets and get some quiet.

    Ben had been here before and so we all sensibly decided to follow him along the popular routes and some that are a little off the beaten track. Some were long, sweepy and fast, whilst others were technical, tight and fearsome. The first section was a climb out towards Riano towards the famous deer statue of the Picos, it’s a must stop spot that all bikers pay tribute too. Then onwards and upwards, literally, to the lesser known bear statue that’s a little way up a single track with eagles circling close above as well as below! After all great climbs comes a descent and so it was that we wound our way down the other side of the mountain and turned off onto the lesser known and more technical passage that would take us to lunch at Caín de Valdeón. A stunning dead end with beautiful views and little restaurants. A perfect hidden gem!

    Full from lunch, we headed back out of the valley and round to meet another road that peeled away from Riano back towards the sea. As we approached the main road the clouds that had threatened descended and we tackled the remaining 50miles in some misty fog. Not that it could dampen our spirits!

    Roads:N621, LE2703, LE2711, N625, AS114
    Good: Caín de Valdeón lunch spot and the beautiful, if slightly scary, road to reach it
    Bad: drizzle, but it was warm    Read more

  • Hannah StanleySpain 🏍️Traveler

    Loop: Potes to Cervera de Pisuerga

    October 4, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Today was a bit of a longer one. Heading out over the mountains towards an epic sports bike road full of long sweeping bends and open corners next to a lake. I had been having doubts about my bike and a rattling noise I thought I could hear, but it seems I was wrong (again). Foolish was on point and I enjoyed every second!

    There isn’t much more to say other than the sweeping roads were like mana from heaven and the views included epic overhanging rock strata, canyons worthy of southern France and riding that made me feel like Valentino Rossi. Overall a great day in the Picos!

    Good: the P-210 from Cervera de Pisuerga to Velilla del Río Carrión
    Bad: getting too hungry and a little jaded
    Roads: CA282, CA281, CL627, P215, N621    Read more

  • Hannah StanleySpain 🏍️Traveler

    Potes to Puerma

    October 5, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Our final day in Eastern Picos and a jaunt west over to Puerma for 2 nights and one final hoon around the Picos.

    We took inspiration from Teapot One and headed towards Colunga and on to the coast for lunch. As navigator, I took lead for the route and it was amazing! I forgot how incredible it was to be in the front, no one’s lines to follow, no speed to adhere to, just you and the road. Ben and Sean joined us for this last ride, with Sean feeling a little fragile from the night before. We headed back towards Cangas de Onis along the beautiful AS114 and then ventured further west along new roads and some more built up areas. Our final route all together was up over the AS260 stopping at the Mirador del Fitu for a couple of photos before descending to the coastal stop of Lastres for a last lunch and time to head our own ways.

    The final few miles were uneventful but we ended up at our beautiful Camino hostel run by Pablo, a very cheerful Spaniard with a love of life.

    Good: the epic hoon to Cangas de Onis along the AS114, I really gelled with my bike and totally loved it
    Bad: the heat riding around Oviedo in search of vape juice
    Roads: N621, AS114, AS260    Read more

  • Hannah StanleySpain 🏍️Traveler

    Loop: Puerma to Los Barrios de Luna

    October 6, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Today was all about the food and the mountains! We took some faster sweepies up into the Parque Natural de Babia y Luna via Villablino. The first part of the route was pretty boring but as soon as we got into the park it was beautiful, we likened it to Norway, the Midwest America and even Wales. The views were out of this world and the roads were easy going and relaxing, which was great because our riding was hard going.

    Our lunch stop was the best pizza this side of Naples and all home made before hitting the gorge road back to base. Our final stop was the most eventful with the locals warning us about the bears, the possibility of a rock fall and I even dropped my beautiful BMW! No harm done though thanks to the brilliant crashbungs. Weaving back down the mountain was stunning and we headed back to base for the famous cachopo for an evening meal. We went to bed stuffed and ready to face a long day over to the Pyrenees tomorrow. On to week 2!

    Good: beautiful gorge road coming back down from the natural park
    Bad: dropping my bike
    Roads: CL626, LE481, AS228    Read more

  • Hannah StanleySpain 🏍️Traveler

    Picos to Pyrenees

    October 7, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    375miles, 6hours, 4 fuel stops and only 2 red bull cans (albeit the big ones) and we are in the Pyrenees, or just outside it.

    What a day?! The weather was scorching as we headed east and it was like riding into a hairdryer but the incredible challenge made it feel brilliant! Each time we stopped, we filled up with fuel, had a red bull or a snack, smoked a cigarette and then jumped back on the bikes. We kept each other going with random chatter through the intercoms and it didn’t get too challenging at any one point.

    The fun began when we closed in on our destination! The place I had chosen was a little ancient village just off the beaten track, I wasn’t aware quite how far off it was so when we hit gravel, we were pretty shocked! Sports bikes and gravel aren’t the greatest combo but if Teapot one could go round the world on a gixxer, we could battle a mile of gravel, and ruts! The view after made it all worth it, as the sun went down it painted the sky a glorious pink and we sat by an old church and just took in the peace and quiet. Our hotel for the night is a little bar in the local town where we sank a couple of beers, ate a lovely dinner and said goodnight to a brilliant day!

    Good: managing 375 miles and that glorious sunset
    Bad: hairdryer weather
    Roads: the one into Undués-Pintano (A2602)    Read more

  • Hannah StanleySpain 🏍️Traveler

    Unduès-Pintano to Viehla

    October 8, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Easy day today up the N230 to Viehla. After a full week of riding and almost 400miles yesterday, we needed a bit of a break and tomorrow is a day off the bikes to relax, get our energy levels back up and do some well needed washing!

    As soon as we started the day we realised that the Pyrenees is the place to be for bikers! I think they just tell the Brits to go to the Picos so the Spanish can have the Pyrenees to themselves. 90% of the hundreds of bikers we saw have been Spanish and the other 10% were French. What a winner! The roads surpassed the Picos, even in the first day and we only went on the N230! They were mostly bigger tourers, as always but we also saw many more sports bikes and larger groups going out for big rides. I guess the fact it was Sunday might have skewed our figures but we’ll see on Tuesday when we hit the road again. Until then, we’re off to sleep! Ciao for now!!    Read more

  • Hannah StanleySpain 🏍️Traveler

    Loop: Vielha to La Pobla de Segur

    October 10, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Big loop today, taking in as much of the Pyrenees as possible before thinking about our journey back to port and the boat home.

    We had to do the N260, the most famous of roads in the Pyrenees but for us the best road was at the very end on the C13 and C28. Neither of us were particularly on point today, Chezs tyres weren’t great and I was tired after a night of bad sleep, but all excuses aside it was still a glorious day on the bikes. The BMW didn’t fail to impress as always and it also got a lot of attention from other riders. She gets a lot of attention, from French riders in their 80’s to young Spanish teenagers and middle aged off road crazies. Spain doesn’t fail to spoil us with friendly people, yummy food and glorious roads and scenery.

    Our final stop was the top of a mountain pass with the sun going down over the mountains casting long shadows in the valley bottom below, couple that with some epic hairpins to get there and we were happy bunnies.

    We’re now having burgers at a local burger joint before an early night ahead of a search for mountain passes tomorrow. Night night!

    Good: brilliant locals
    Bad: it was very very hot today
    Roads: N230, N260, A1605, C13, C28    Read more

  • Hannah StanleySpain 🏍️Traveler

    Loop: Vielha to Col d’Aspin

    October 11, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Today was all about Col hunting and boy did we succeed, 4 ticked off the list, 2 of which we did twice… because we had too to get back to Vielha. The other bonus was that most, if not all of them were Tour de France routes which made Chez happy.

    The day started off not so great, with a massive screw in my tyre, but Chez came to the rescue with a tyre repair kit and the knowledge to use it. I also went for a lovely little walk in the woods which made me happy. Tyre bunged and inflated, coffee imbibed and the sun up and off we went for an epic day hunting for mountains!

    The photos speak for themselves but he passes we did were:
    Col d’Aspin
    La Hourquette d'Ancizan
    Col de Peyresourde
    Col du Portillon

    Autumnal wooded hillsides, gorgeous vistas, epic hairpins, daredevil drops and some damn good sorbet. Dreamy!!

    Oh and we ended up in France, love France’

    Good: the whole damn day
    Bad: nadda
    Roads: N230, N141, D618A, D618, D918, D113    Read more

    Trip end
    October 15, 2023
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