Off road following mountain ridge. Panoramic view on bask country , ocean in back ground.Nice on a sunny day.
Ruta por varios valles de La Rioja
Really nice stretch of road that you can have a good time riding. Not many elevation changes but it's constantly flowing left and right. Best ridden with lots of friends :)
From Isaba turn North and head for the Col de la Pierre Saint-Martin. This is a nice fast as you dare section along the valley floor. It's not totally open however so it'd be prudent to just cruise it rather than race along it. There's also a strong crosswind in places which has bent the bushes and trees over so i'm guessing it's regularly windy here. No traffic to speak of, and a great climb awaits you at the end of this stretch that takes you over the border via a 300 degree right hander. I kid you not :)
This was my first Spanish road, within 30 minutes of leaving the Santander ferry we were up in these mountains, i couldn't believe the views, roads etc. I done it again this year heading back to Santander still great views no traffic but road surface starting to fall apart over the mountain section.
Day 3 - FRIDAY June 13th ....but our lucky day - Best Beautiful Biking Day EVER ( again ).... Very nice first coffee at the Monte Rio Hotel and Restaurant - Casa Pancho which is also a top restaurant with beautiful sunset scenery ( facing west). Next stop was The Fito Mountain - narrow curves going from 50 meter altitude to 600 meter in 10km. Beware all the fresh cow-shit and street walking cows around the Fito mountain. Tazone lunch - a hidden treasure - small fishing village with numerous good seafood restaurants and private B&B. Highway last leg to our 3rd Paradore hotel. What a Day !
Leave Pamplona heading to Oribia on the N700. Good roads and views onto valleys below
This is a real cracker of a route - from Ojedo through to Riano is predominantly tight & twisty with excellent surfaces. As you approach Riano from the East the road opens up into some fantastic sweepers which sets the scene all the way up to the provincial border. A real gem!
Probably the best road to Vitoria Gastéiz leaving the motorway at the N° 12 Outgo.
Make a stop for lunch at AZPEITIA, the place where Saint Ignace of Loyola in born. Visite the church. So Marvellous. Have Tapas on the main city place. Very cheap. It would cost you 12-15€ for 2, drink and food.
Enjoy the lovely country road ultill you reach the speedway, 30 km fast road before Vitoria.
Make a stop for night in Vitoria. Beautifull city, visit the historical center (the cathédral, better bookin the day before), plenty of bars.
Great place. Unforgettable.
Nice stretch of black top which you can have great, fast fun on, but be careful as it has it's limits. Some blind bends and not the best surface in the world. Still good fun though :)
Dramatic coastal views and some good curves
The Na-214 (not 124 as in the vid) is only 15k long, but you can have a great time in a short distance. I missed the first few k's on the video because the camera was on pause. Luckily for me a wasp got in to my daughter's jacket, stinging her twice, and forcing her to stop. It was then that I noticed the camera. Good girl Sarah, took one for the team :) A real fun stretch of road with knee down opportunities everywhere, or take your time and enjoy the views. Great stuff :)
I found this a really nice ride through vineyards of Rioja on an essentially empty road.
a superb full days ride exceptional tarmac hairpins and bends that go on and on and on!!!! tarmac like i have never seen before
This is a very good alternative to the N121a - it may be a motorway but it is set among outstanding mountain scenery, climbing steadily and seemingly unendingly from San Sebastian up on to the Spanish plains. The main hazard is the frequent convoys of heavy trucks - simply because they are doing 40km/hr uphill, whereas you of course are still well within the official limit of 120km/hr and therefore not in danger of running up the back of one! The road itself is the usual Spanish velvet surface, whilst the route is one of continuous sweeping curves. Slowly but surely as you get higher and furhter inland, the scenery changes from green forests and valleys to slightly paler, more scrub covered hillsides until on the final few kilometres towards Pamplona it straightens out - so dodge the city and head east onto the short section of the (largely unoccupied, good for whatever speed you like) A21 before joining the famous N240...
Want a fast alternative out of Pamplona towards Lake Yesa?
And when I say fast I mean 'Flat Out' fast! Forget
the N240, the Na 150 could be just the ticket.
It's smooth, undemanding, quiet, fast, visibility
is second to none, and it's fast. Sometimes it's nice
to stay away from the twisties for a while and just
open the taps and let her scream. If ever there was
a safe place to give it the berries then this is it.
Scenery is not great but hints at what lies beyond,
and the good thing is, you come out just before the
lake on the 240 so you don't miss the nice bits :)
You're on the doorstep of the Pyrenees, and now the
fun really begins.
The N634 and later the N1
tracks east from Santander to the fortified border town of
Irun. It dips in and out of the Atlantic and wanders
through many seaside villages and also takes in Bilbao
and San Sebastian both worthy visits. We detoured a little
off this route to see more of the coast and managed to travel
through Bermeo, Lekeitio, and Ondarroa, but still ended up
back on the 634.
The road itself basically follows the Autoroute
(that's a swear word in biker talk) and is very well
surfaced as you would expect. There are superb bends
of all flavours with lots of elevation changes
especially into and out of the bayside towns. It's
a favourite for bikers on weekends but also for
police so go easy. Thankfully everyone warns you of
imminent speed traps so you shouldn't have a problem.
Any part of this road is well worth a visit and it's great
to get into the scenery and twisty roads fresh off the
ferry. It was a memorable first day to our holiday.
Just stay off the A route!
Not many photos sorry.
This seems to be quite popular with bikers, saw quite a few on the road (different nationalities), its a more direct route from Huesca to Jaca but the road surface is pretty poor, with some gravel in areas, so beware.
I would not recommend this road, the scenery is ok, but due to poor surface and lots of corners makes progress slow and it would probably be quicker to get to Jaca, sticking on the main roads.
This road crosses Urbasa Park. The road is narrow, with good corners, some tourists, some cows shits and outstanding views. Not for speeding.
A very good road in a beatiful valley with lots of corners. Stop at the view point in Foz de Arbayun.
From Ezcaroz you can turn west to reach Roncesvalles, go north through Larrau to France, or north and then southeast to make a circle going back through Roncal valley.
As an alternative to the main road between Burgos and Bilbao you find this fantastic road. Curves start in Oña, and going north between trees and mountains you find Puerto de Angulo (it has a good view point). At the bottom of it you will find Artziniega.
Fantastic road bordering Embalse de Sobrón. In the middle
of it you can visit the medieval City of Frias.
In Trespaderne you can choose to go to the medieval town of
Medina de Pomar, going north to Bilbao through another
fantastic road, or going west to Santander through another
panoramic road following Ebro river.
A great little run to clear the cobwebs! Starts off near the dam (which holds back some of the most turquoise water Ive ever seen!)about mile NE of Alloz with a couple of hairpins before it opens up for some very fast corners for the remainder.
Nice mountain road through dense forest but has some good views once you get high enough. Lots of blind corners peppered with sheep shit and gravel so keep a conservative line. Also you do get the odd Fiat driven by one of the locals screeching round the bends on three wheels on the wrong side of the road!
The N121a begins its journey at the impressive Navarre
region capital of Pamplona and casually wanders the
70 kilometres north to the border city of Irún in
the Basque country. It winds along the Río Ultzama
and Mediano before joining with the Río Bidasoa,
which for its last 10km creates the border separating
Spain from France. It's a very green area with trees and
wildlife in abundance, along with many 'Granjas' or farms.
There are lots of traditional small Spanish villages
just off this route and you can always find a good
'Posada' for something to eat. Try the local dish of beef
cooked on coals, delicioso!
The road:- It's a fast route out of Pamplona and is typical
of many routes in Spain. But the further north you go,
the twistier and prettier it becomes. The surface is good
from start to finish with nothing to really worry you and
is ideally suited to sports and sports tourers. It's quite a
busy route and you'll not have the road to yourself for
long periods, but that's to be expected when you consider
the geography. There is still lots of fun to be found and
a rapid pace can be set if you 'feel the need for speed'.
We took it relatively easy and enjoyed the scenery that you.
There's not much in the way of elevation changes but if you
want that sort of thing you're never far away from the
mountains. There were loads of bikes travelling this road
when we visited and to see other bikers enjoying the same
road as me always makes me smile. Car drivers just don't get
it do they?
Accommodation:- We stopped on this road at the Etxalar Hotel
which is the stone building in the photos and is also shown
on the map. It's a great hotel and has to be one of the
best places we stayed on our trip. The staff were friendly,
the rooms excellent, and the food was to die for (not
literally you understand) It's right by the roadside
so you can sit and listen to the bikes riding past whilst
enjoying an ice cold lager. There was a traditional Spanish
wedding reception taking place during our stay which was nice.
The staff apologised for the noise but they needn't have.
We enjoyed watching the Spanish partying as only the Spanish
know how. You can have a much closer look at the
Etxelar here It's their official web-site with
details of activities in the area, photos, prices etc.
Would I stop there again? A definite yes.
Place of interest?:- Pamplona of course.
You could spend a few days taking in its history and if
you're there from 6th July you could join in the week
long festival of San Fermin. Why not join in the Encierro
The running of the bulls? If you're really lucky you could
get yourself gored or trampled. How nice.
I think i'll take my chances on a bike.
P.s. A big Hello to Kev, the owner of the Beemer in the photos.
We saw him the previous evening in Ainsa,
some 250 kilometres away, and somehow ended up in
the same place the following night. It was a pleasure
to meet you and we'll share a few beers next time i'm in
Barcelona. Hasta pronto.