The pain to Spain tour

[Kiwi_Mike]

Great Report.

I'm currently on the Santander ferry with my GSA and will be staying with family in El Pont De Suert next week so I've just plugged your 9 ridges route into my Tom Tom based on the photo you posted

 

[leedude03]

Great Report.

I'm currently on the Santander ferry with my GSA and will be staying with family in El Pont De Suert next week so I've just plugged your 9 ridges route into my Tom Tom based on the photo you posted

I certainly hope all the people who decide to try this route enjoy it as much as i did, or else i will be ridiculed from pillar to post, I can just hear the cries of call that a route, there was no this, there was to much of that, and there was know where to take a dump, please be aware that some may find this route challenging and tiring, others may think it easy and not that good, I can only point out what i thought of it, and i do hope those that try it enjoy the ride. You could always drop the little man in google maps down on the route to have a look at it, and see if it suits.
I should also point out that there is a section on this route that has a poor road surface not gravel or the likes just poor, the rest of it is very good and you also get to do a couple of sections of the N260.

 

[leedude03]

Before leaving Salamanca we had to choose where to go next, we had three places to choose from, and as we had done so far we would let the weather decide. The choices on the table were, Porto in Portugal, Santiago de compostela Spain and the Picos de europa Spain, all good places to visit, but the weather in portugal was looking grim for the next week, and santiago was not looking any better, and there appeared to be a gap in a storm front of 4 days in the picos, so the weather had made the decision for us, the picos it would be, all i had to do was find some where to stay and plot us a good route there, avoiding motorways as much as possible.
The Hostal La Cuna del Sella at Carretera General,51, 24916 Oseja de Sajambre, Spain, would be our base for a couple of nights, situated north of Riano on the N625, a truly great spot, situated in the little village of Oseja de Sajambre with stunning views all around it, its a small hotel very clean with a breakfast buffet room, but without a restaurant to get an evening meal, this however was not a problem as there were two just 100 yards up the road, and the one we used did a 3 course meal that was realy god for 12 euros each.
The route i had planned to get us there was around 210 miles and according to google would take about 4,5 hours, the weather gods were with us again, and we had a really good run, stopping once for fuel and then again in Riano for a bite to eat.
Below a couple of pics of the village of Oseja de Sajambre where we were staying, and as you can see it was nice and warm.and a couple from our stop in Riano

 

[leedude03]

First full day in the Picos, its very hot today and we decide to take a run out to Cangas de onis, and from there go to see the big church at Covadonga and then up to see the Lagos de covadonga (lakes of Covadonga) this is said to be a very picturesque spot, with a very good ride up a twisty mountain pass to get there.
We leave the hotel at about 9.30am and head down the N625 to Cangas, its only about 20 mile from the hotel but google tells me its just over an hour away and i can see why, the road is fantastic it carves its way down from the village through a steep sided gorge that eventually opens up and you are then following the river down a valley that brings you to cagnas, one word of warning, if you get stuck behind something slow there are very few places to overtake so judge them well.
We spent a couple of hours in Cangas, its not very big but its pleasant enough for a coffee stop and a wander around, and there is an old bridge thats worth a look at.
From Cagnas we moved on to Covadonga but decided to go straight up to the lakes, and see the church on the way back as it looked to be very busy. The road up to the lakes is also very good and the views from the top are outstanding.

 

[leedude03]

and a couple more

 

[leedude03]

Sorry about the photos not uploading in order.

 

[Udders]

Sorry about the photos not uploading in order.

Yeah, like that really matters! Too busy admiring them to worry about the order.

 

[leedude03]

Yeah, like that really matters! Too busy admiring them to worry about the order.

 

[leedude03]

Tried to get a couple of more nights in the hotel due to the weather being so good, but alas there is no room at the inn, but we did manage to get a couple of nights at a place just outside of potes,but we cant check in until 4.00pm, so we have a few hours to kill, so its going to be dinner in Potes and then maybe have a run up to Fuenta de where there is a cable car up to the top of one of the peaks.
I maybe should point out that i was here a couple of years ago with a mate and have seen some of this area before, so i kind of know my way around, the big gal on the other hand has never been so this the first time for her, and up to press she is loving it.
We arrved in Potes just before dinner, had the usual look around the place and then found a nice little place to have something to eat. After dinner we still had a bit of time to kill so we did the ride up to fuenta de,

pictures from potes and fuenta de

 

[leedude03]

We arrived at the hotel at about 6.30pm, a bit later than expected because we had been chatting to a couple who were from chesterfield wich is just up the road from where we live. well you know what its like when you start sharing stories from your travels time just flies, anyhow when we got there we couldnt help but notice that we were not the only bike there, as it happens there were 10 more staying here and they were all from the uk, and a couple of the group were sitting outside having a beer. So we unloaded got washed up and went down to join them and by now most of the group were there.
They were all from down south, and were on a 9 day trip of which they had 4 days left, they were asking where we had been and what the weather was like, they seemed amazed in the fact that the big gal was traveling with me, something that i didnt quiet understand, they thought it odd that she would want to travel all that distance on the back of a bike, they were even more shocked when we told them about our Poland trip last year and how many miles we had done, they were a friendly enough bunch and we had a nice evening just chewing the fat.
Pictures of the hotel and bikes, the keen eyed amongst you will notice the GSA LC , i had a bit of fun with the owner of that, i had found a spanish magazine titled tractor owner, and so i went up and gave it to him saying infront of all the group, that i had thought he had left his owners manual in the bar. he took it in good spirit.

 

[leedude03]

Got up this morning to a grey misty start, the plan today was to go and visit Cueva El Soplao, its a cave/mine about 45 miles north east of Potes, where they used to mine lead and tin and while in the process of doing this uncovered a cave system that is reported to be very good.
We set off to the mine at around 10.00 am although the weather had taken a turn,it was still warm if a tad murky.
We arrived at the mine around midday and it was quite busy, we purchased our tickets and boarded the little train that takes you into the mine, where you then dismount and start the tour, unfortunately there is no filming allowed, so no pics from inside, The tour is really good and the guide was very informative,The caves are well lit to show off all the geological structure at its best, the tour lasts around an hour and Its well worth a visit if you are in the area.The next few pics will be poor due to them being grabs from my bike cam.
For those of you that are interested i have coppied a couple of images from the web to give you an idea of what its like inside, you could also google Cueva El Soplao.

first pictures are on the way to the mine.

 

[leedude03]

From the mine, the skeleton and amber were out of the mine area

 

[leedude03]

one more

 

[leedude03]

Well with the change of weather comes a change in venue, today we move on to Broto for a few nights, google reckons its 330 miles with a journey time of around 7.00 hours, so it will be a long day today, and about the limit of the big gals endurance when traveling on the smaller less used roads, but she should be fine as long as we have enough stops to have a stretch and something to eat.
We arrived in Broto around 5.00pm it had taken 8.5 hrs, with 1 stop for fuel and coffee, and 1 stop to get something to eat, so it wasnt to bad. Our food stop was the little town of Sanguesa about 50 miles from Jaca, it sits at the side of the river Aragon and its a pretty little place, we found somewhere to eat and after we had finished eating had a quick look around the place, took a couple of pics and then carried on to Broto.
For the duration of our stay in Broto we would be using the Hotel Viña Oliván about 7km outside of broto, a very nice place,very clean, a reasonable price, with a great view down the valley.

 

[leedude03]

Our first full day in the area,and the weather is brilliant, so we decide just have a ride around, no plan just ride where the mood takes us, and see what we come across.
pictures below of that day.

 

[leedude03]

A few more of the day

 

[wreck diver]

What a beautiful area.Great write up thanks.

 

[leedude03]

What a beautiful area.Great write up thanks.

Thank you it was indeed beautiful.

 

[leedude03]

Set off today to go and visit the old town of Ainsa, a medieaval village. The historic quarter of the village of Ainsa is really nice with plenty to see, there is whats left of the old citadel, with its walls that surround the town, these were built centuries ago and still remain almost intact today, there is also an old church and crypt to see, small but interesting.
On the whole a good days sightseeing, and although a bit overcast, it was warm and we had no rain.

 

[paul08]

Lee

You make frequent references to "the big gal". Does she realise that is how you refer to her?!!!