CYCLE TOURING in Spain www.spain.info CYCLE TOURING IN SPAIN CONTENTS Introduction 3 Greenway cycling routes 5 Senda del Oso Greenway cycling route Greenway cycling route along the Vasco Navarro railway Greenway cycling routes in Girona Oja River Greenway cycling route Eresma Valley Greenway cycling route Ojos Negro Greenway cycling route Tajuña Greenway cycling route Sierra de Alcaraz Greenway cycling route Northwest Greenway cycling route El Aceite Greenway cycling route Manacor-Artá Greenway cycling route 10 bike-friendly cities 12 Donostia/San Sebastián Vitoria-Gasteiz Zaragoza Gijón Albacete Seville Barcelona Valencia Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Palma de Mallorca Published by: © Turespaña Cordoba Created by: Lionbridge NIPO: Great routes for enjoying 19 nature and culture FREE COPY The Way of Saint James The content of this leaflet has been created with the utmost care. However, if you find an error, Silver Route please help us to improve by sending an email to Extremadura brochures@tourspain. es The TransAndalus Front Page: Puig Major, Majorca The Transpirenaica Back: Madrid Río The Way of El Cid The Route of Don Quixote Castilla Canal Eurovelo routes in Spain Other routes 2 Practical information 27 Whether you're on a road INTRODUCTION bike or a mountain bike Photo: csp/123rf. com Photo: csp/123rf. Spain invites you to come and discover it in your own a BARCELONA way and at your own pace. If you love cycling, then Spain is the routes. What's more, along the way place for you. You'll have the chance to you'll find all types of accommodation, explore beautiful landscapes, towns, specialist companies and hiring options. villages and cities any way you like: You can cycle around cities safely and taking short or long routes, on your own comfortably, or along trails in the heart bike or on a hired one. of nature. When you take any of the Spain's geographic diversity and its Greenway cycle trails you'll discover excellent climate mean you can enjoy exciting itineraries that follow the routes of disused railway lines. You'll cycle touring at any time of year, and even find routes with disabled access. whatever your level of physical fitness. If you like a challenge, why not try one There are many spaces specially of the great routes, some of which are adapted for cyclists, perfectly known worldwide, such as the Way of signposted roads, bike lanes and themed Saint James. 3 4 XXXX XXXX GREENWAY CYCLING ROUTES Pedal comfortably along old railways lines that have been converted into cycle-touring routes. This is a chance to discover many different places, to cycle through beautiful natural settings, and to travel back in time as you visit old country stations. The slopes are gentle, the curves are open, and there are restored bridges or viaducts to cross the rivers. The Greenway cycling routes are perfect for people of all ages, and many of them guarantee universal accessibility for people with reduced mobility. You can choose from 115 different itineraries with a total of more than 2,600 km all over Spain. Here we present a selection of 11 Greenway cycling routes. Choose one or find your favourite at: L www.viasverdes.com a SENDA DEL OSO GREENWAY CYCLING ROUTE ASTURIAS SENDA DEL OSO GREENWAY CYCLING ROUTE Go deep into the heart of the mountains across turbulent river rapids. If you're of Asturias on your bike. As you pedal lucky you may catch sight of some along the Oso Valley, you'll be following protected brown bears in Buyera. the route of an old mining train, and Before you reach the end of your route, you'll be cycling through incredibly lush which is about 20 km long, you can park vegetation. Your route will take you your bike and take a kayak trip in the through green pastures and woodlands, Valdemurio reservoir. spectacular gorges and tunnels and 5 CYCLE TOURING IN SPAIN GREENWAY CYCLING ROUTE ALONG THE VASCO NAVARRO RAILWAY This route offers you a succession capital. It passes through the Llanada of different landscapes across plains Alavesa and the Montes de Vitoria and mountains, through tunnels and until the Laminoria tunnel, where you'll over spectacular viaducts. Take your come to the Estíbaliz shrine, a small pick from three exciting independent Romanesque treasure and a stopping itineraries and enjoy all the nature point for pilgrims on the Way of Saint and culture you'll find along your way. James. Section III is around 40 km long. Section I has a length of almost 15 km It starts at the shrine of Santo Toribio and begins in the Basque city of Vitoria- and goes as far as Murieta in Navarre. Gasteiz, the capital of the province of You'll cycle deep into the spectacular Álava. It goes as far as the mountain landscape of Monte Arboro until you pass of Arbalán on the boundary with reach Tierra Estella with its remarkable Guipúzcoa, another Basque province. gorge and the magnificent Arquijas You'll be cycling through a broad valley viaduct spanning the Ega River. Before of green agricultural lands known as you finish your route, take the bike lane the Llanada Alavesa. Section II is a little to Estella, a lovely Romanesque city on over 10 km and also starts off from the the Way of Saint James. b ESTELLA-LIZARRA NAVARRE 6 GREENWAY CYCLING ROUTES GREENWAY CYCLING ROUTES IN GIRONA Explore the province of Girona in Catalonia by taking any of the three Greenway cycling routes. From Olot you can start out on the Carrilet I route, with a length of around 50 km. The route follows a downwards slope through the woodlands beside the river, against a backdrop of the dormant volcanoes of La Garrotxa, until you reach the city of Girona. Here you can link up with the Carrilet II cycling route that will take you to the Mediterranean beaches of Sant Feliu de Guíxols. Along the almost 40 km of the route you'll be cycling through the heart of the Mediterranean woodland and have the opportunity to discover the outstanding beauty of the com Photo: Juan Bautista Cofreces/ 123rf. a SANT FELIU BEACH Gironès and Baix Empordà regions. GIRONA Another interesting itinerary, and only 15 km long, is the one that follows the old iron and coal route: the Greenway del Ferro y del Carbó. You can explore the area's industrial past while you enjoy the natural surroundings. OJA RIVER GREENWAY CYCLING ROUTE Cycle along the banks of the Oja River from the Ebro to the La Demanda mountains in La Rioja. Along the route you'll see its famous vineyards, climb gentle wooded slopes and follow winding roads through the mountains. Don't miss a stop in the lovely medieval town of Santo Domingo de La Calzada, a stopping place for pilgrims on the Way of Saint James. If cycling almost 30 km doesn't seem a big deal, then carry on along the GR 93 route to San Millán de Españoles de los Ferrocarriles Photo: Fundación la Cogolla, another gem on the Way of a RIVER OJA GREENWAY CYCLING ROUTE Saint James. LA RIOJA 7 CYCLE TOURING IN SPAIN a OJOS NEGRO GREENWAY CYCLING ROUTE CASTELLÓN ERESMA VALLEY GREENWAY OJOS NEGRO GREENWAY CYCLING CYCLING ROUTE ROUTE If you're looking for a route that's Set yourself the challenge of pedalling especially rich in culture, a good option 160 km from the province of Teruel is this 50-km itinerary from Segovia to in Aragon to the fertile agricultural Nava de la Asunción. When you leave lands of Valencia on the shores of the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Mediterranean, famous for their Segovia, you'll find there's still much orange groves. On your way you'll see more to see. Other highlights include the old stations of the mining railway the Gothic-style monastery-church and spectacular tunnels and gorges of Nuestra Señora de la Soterraña, spanned by viaducts. You can make a and the Romanesque shrine of San stop on your route and stroll around the Miguel de Párraces in Santa María la historic centres of Sarrión and La Puebla Real de Nieva. And all this while you de Valverde. You'll also coincide with cycle through the beautiful natural the Route of El Cid, another important landscapes of the Eresma Valley with its cycle-touring itinerary. cereal plantations, holm-oak groves and the woodlands of poplar and pine trees lining the Eresma River. 8 GREENWAY CYCLING ROUTES TAJUÑA GREENWAY CYCLING ROUTE Come and enjoy this itinerary that runs alongside the Tajuña River, in the Madrid region. It's a very easy route to cycle: a red asphalt road leads through a pleasant landscape of river plains for 50 km. You can also reach the starting point by metro to the station of Arganda. Why not take a small detour and visit the historic trains in the Railway Museum in Poveda? You'll be cycling through farmlands and woodlands and under low bridges. In the summer, before you finish your route, you can take a dip in the municipal swimming pool in Ambite. SIERRA DE ALCARAZ GREENWAY CYCLING ROUTE Before setting out, take a tour of the city of Albacete using the bike lanes to visit its historic monuments. Then you can follow the adventures of Cervantes' character along this road for some 75 km, as it is part of the great Route of Don Quixote in Castile-La Mancha. On the way you'll see the farmlands on the plains of Albacete until you come to the basin of the Jardín River.