Author Topic: eurovelo 1 Portugal and Spain  (Read 5928 times)

tyreon

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eurovelo 1 Portugal and Spain
« on: November 05, 2014, 05:06:06 PM »
Thinking of flying to Faro next year then cycling along s. Portugal into Spain then up into France using eurovelo 1. I have an outline of the route, but anyone have any knowledge of it...or,most importantly,what roads I may safely use on my journey northwards. Am looking for the Spanish equivalent of English unclassified or B roads. 'A' might be fine if traffic is light...and not fast or industrial;but am seeking to avoid 'Clarkson' typre roads where it's a racetrack or industrial lorries past every 4 minutes. Loose guidance or advice if you have it ,please. Thanks.

The route roughly follows Faro,Huevla,Caceres,Bejar,Salamanca,Zamora,Burgos,Logrono,Pamplona,Bayonne. Have few worries working my up thru France. Thinking of going around June.

Your thoughts?

bikerwaser

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Re: eurovelo 1 Portugal and Spain
« Reply #1 on: November 05, 2014, 07:18:38 PM »
Hi Tyreon

check out this journal .

it's got most of the route that you're talking about:

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=Sh&doc_id=12834&v=FN


i've just got back from a trip from St Malo , down the west coast of France and into Spain along the North coast of Spain through the Basque country and got the ferry back from Santander. I can tell you that the Spanish drivers give good respect to cyclists, surprisingly a lot better than the French.


as for the French part , i loved that too.

You can read a previous Blog of mine when idid St Malo down to Bordeaux and along the Canal du Midi to the Med and to Barcelona:

http://biker-waser.blogspot.co.uk/


only thing is June will be very hot in Spain.

Hope this helps

Bikerwaser


martinf

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Re: eurovelo 1 Portugal and Spain
« Reply #2 on: November 05, 2014, 08:39:10 PM »
The route roughly follows Faro,Huevla,Caceres,Bejar,Salamanca,Zamora,Burgos,Logrono,Pamplona,Bayonne. Have few worries working my up thru France. Thinking of going around June.

On my 2011 trip my outward journey went down the west coast of France from South Brittany, over the low edge of the Pyrenees (Ainhoa) to avoid the built up area on the coast at the French and Spanish border, then round (not through!) Pamplona. I kept inland, but avoided most big towns as far as Benavente (not far north of Zamora) and did a short loop into Portugal to Bragança.

My homeward journey went from Bragança to the Picos d'Europa, passing close to but avoiding Léon. I spent some time exploring the Picos, then crossed Cantabria and the Basque Country near the coast, passing through the outskirts of Santandar and the centre of Bilbao, then the built up area on both sides of the border that I had avoided on the outward trip. And back up the west coast of France to home.

Like Bikerwaser I also found that, in general, drivers in Spain were more cycle-friendly than in most parts of France, which is already reasonably good. But I didn't much like driver behaviour and traffic in the small bit of Portugal I cycled in, it reminded me of the UK.

Most of the roads I travelled on in Spain were lightly used, even some A-road equivalents, often because there was a motorway nearby that had taken most of the traffic. The exceptions in Spain were the few big towns I went through, and the Basque country near the French border - here the roads generally follow densely populated valleys with lots of heavy goods vehicles.

In France, traffic was heavy on some of the roads I used in the border area near Biarritz/Bayonne and on the road I used between Rochefort and Royan (I found a more peaceful alternative here on my way back). Between Royan and the border area, there are long stretches of dedicated cycle routes, some of them are a bit sandy though.

I avoided the St Nazaire bridge over the Loire estuary, this has a very narrow cycle track running next to heavy, fast moving traffic. I've cycled over that several times in the past between 1977 and 2003, but now prefer to make a detour for safety reasons and use the free ferry some way upstream between Le Pellerin and Couëron.

tyreon

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Re: eurovelo 1 Portugal and Spain
« Reply #3 on: November 06, 2014, 08:43:33 AM »
Thank you Bikerwaser and Martin F. You gave your time and a reply. I liked the pics from CGOAB: empty roads,sun. I got that sense of freedom again,travelling by bike. There aint nothing in the world like feeling you can move on,and that you're independent...well,as independent as you can be! Younger, I had my health,now I drag arthritis with me...and drugs and injections. Still,there's worse! and am still able to drag me bike around some countries to knock up a few miles.
Luving the pictures of a long road flowing through open country. Hoping I get a tailwind. Joy!!

With a grey sky and an early night(now in GB), I'll sometimes visit a road such as those pictured. Freedom! Joy! Air! Space! At present living in a progressively growing 'rat city': its good to see space and not too many humans!

JenM

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Re: eurovelo 1 Portugal and Spain
« Reply #4 on: November 06, 2014, 03:34:44 PM »
I avoided the St Nazaire bridge over the Loire estuary, this has a very narrow cycle track running next to heavy, fast moving traffic. I've cycled over that several times in the past between 1977 and 2003, but now prefer to make a detour for safety reasons and use the free ferry some way upstream between Le Pellerin and Couëron.
The St Nazaire bridge isn't as bad as it used to be. There is now only 3 lanes, with the middle lane altering direction depending on traffic flow. The width of the cycle lane, I think, has increased. I cycled over it a couple of years ago and found that it was not as scary as I though it was going to be. Good views from the top.

martinf

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Re: eurovelo 1 Portugal and Spain
« Reply #5 on: November 06, 2014, 08:13:53 PM »
The St Nazaire bridge isn't as bad as it used to be. There is now only 3 lanes, with the middle lane altering direction depending on traffic flow. The width of the cycle lane, I think, has increased. I cycled over it a couple of years ago and found that it was not as scary as I though it was going to be. Good views from the top.

St Nazaire bridge in 2003 was quite scary. Good to hear it has improved.

The bridge over the Seine at Le Havre (Pont de Normandie) and the one to the Ile de Ré are OK for cyclists - been on both of them in motor vehicles several times on work missions this year and cycled over the one to the Ile de Ré in 2012.