Guided From
€
Price From
1070 €
  • ancient Asturian capital of Cangas de Onís
  • starkly beautiful limestone scenery
  • famous walk of La Ruta del Cares
8 Days
7 Nights
347 Total kms
57.833333333333 km/day (avg)
mini-map
A trip through some of the most spectacular and beautiful scenery to be found anywhere in Europe. Lush green valleys contrast with jagged limestone peaks and blue skies. The Picos de Europa rise to almost 9000 feet), providing gorgeous alpine scenery just a short distance from the sea. The area is so wild that it is still home to a great variety of flora and fauna, including wolves and brown bear. Our route follows the perimeter of the three massifs of the Picos and accesses the very heart of these unique mountains.

Tour Route

Day
1
Arrival
to
Llanes

Pick up from arrival point and transfer to the charming Asturian fishing village of Llanes. We may have time to explore the nearby coastline and Llanes itself. We should also try the locally produced cider, so typical of Asturias.
Day
2
Llanes
to
Cangas de Onís

Today's ride takes us through the Sierra de Cuera, the range of mountains between the Picos and the sea. A climb shortly after leaving Llanes gives us magnificent views of the coastline and of the Picos themselves. Finally we descend to the ancient Asturian capital of Cangas de Onís. A trip extension takes us to the Lakes of Covadonga, within the Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa, a regular Vuelta de España finish. This is a climb to some of the most beautiful and famous scenery in the Picos.
48km
Day
3
Cangas de Onís
to
Posada de Valdeón

Today takes us from Asturias to the province of León in Castile. We take an easy ride along the River Sella and then through the Desfiladero de los Beyos, a spectacular gorge with the Western Massif of the Picos to our left. We then climb over two passes with beautiful scenery before descending to Posada de Valdeón. As we approach our destination, we see the village nestling in the valley surrounded by the most incredible sheer rock peaks of the Massif Central of the Picos.
61km
Day
4
Posada de Valdeón

Today’s loopride takes us away from the Picos through the equally beautiful Cantabrian Mountains and the village of Riaño, rebuilt on the shores of its reservoir after the original village was flooded. From here we return to Posada to be greeted with even more spectacular views of the Picos. Another option is to leave the bikes behind and walk one of the most famous walks in Spain, La Ruta del Cares. We follow the River Cares from Valdeón down through its so-called “divine gorge” as far as we like and then return.
73km
Day
5
Posada de Valdeón
to
Cosgaya

Leaving Posada de Valdeón behind, we turn our back on the Picos and cycle towards the pass of San Glorio, which has also featured on the Vuelta de España. Here we enter the neighbouring province of Cantabria and begin a long descent back towards the Picos and into the valley of Liébana, to its capital, Potes. Another final shorter ascent takes us to our hotel in Cosgaya,in the heart of the Central Massif. Here we will spend the next two nights enjoying the beautiful surroundings.
58km
Day
6
Cosgaya

A free day in Cosgaya. One option is to visit Fuente Dé, one of the most emblematic sites in the Picos. This is a glacial cirque, an enormous sheer rock amphitheatre. A cable car takes us to the top from where we can enjoy marvellous views over the surrounding mountains. We can take advantage of this privileged position to enjoy a walk through some of the high Picos and be impressed by the starkly beautiful limestone scenery. Alternatively, we can cycle along a beautiful valley to the pass of Piedrasluengas, which leads to the province of Palencia.
46km
Day
7
Potes
to
Cabuérniga

Leaving Cosgaya, we head towards Potes along the River Deva and then down the valley. After a short distance, we enter another impressive gorge carved through the mountains, La Hermida. A descent of the gorge takes us to the village of La Hermida. Here we finally bid farewell to the Picos and journey through equally beautiful scenery to the village of Carmona. This is one of the most beautiful and best-preserved in Cantabria. From here we have just one more ascent until we descend to our final hotel in the beautiful valley of Cabuérniga.
61km
Day
8
Cabuérniga
to
Departure

Transfer to departure point (Santander or Bilbao).

FAQs

  • Comfortable fitted and fully-equipped bikes for your cycling pleasure. 

    You can either make arrangements to bring your own bicycles or hire IberoCycle's own models. Most airlines will carry bicycles for a small extra charge or even free. Cyclists who choose to hire will be provided with a comfortable quality bicycle to suit their particular measurements and preferences. We place great importance on getting the bikes right.

    Too many cyclists on trips with other companies have complained about past experiences where they have had to put up with uncomfortable saddles, the wrong sized bike etc. Measurements are requested on booking so the right bike is waiting for you on arrival.

    You are provided with hybrid-type tourist bicycles with conventional handlebars and with triple chain ring and easy-to-change gear ratios for comfortable and easy cycling. Road bikes are also available on request.We can provide tandems, which make for great cycling fun, and are also ideal for those with children.

    And last but not least, e-bikes. An absolute revolution in the world of cycle tours, and of course available on all our rides. 

    Ladies bike (Trek FX) Men's bike (Trek FX)
    Hybrid e-bike    Road e-bike
    Road bike (Cube carbon) Female road bike (Cube carbon)
    Tandem (a fun way to ride, and also ideal for helping smaller children - Dawes Duet)


    Hybrid bikes will carry a handlebar bag, useful for carrying money, documents, camera and lots of other useful items which may be needed close at hand. This bag is easily removed it from its click fastening and carried around with the shoulder strap. They are also equipped with a rear luggage rack and one or two panniers, or a rear rack bag to carry just what you need for each day's cycling. Road bikes carry a seat post bag if required.

    In addition, all cycles are equipped with pump, spare inner tube, water bottle, bike lock and basic toolkit. Extras such as lights or toe clips are available on request. Iberocycle provides cyclists with a fine bicycle in tip-top condition to make cycling an absolute pleasure.

    Childrens Bikes

    Children's bikes, and child seats are available on request.


     

  • We think cycle touring is the ideal way to travel in Europe and that is why we are very pleased to launch European Bike Adventures, as it allows us the opportunity to offer a whole new set of experiences to people we know will appreciate them.

    Accordingly we have taken our time in selecting the portfolio of cycle tours you find listed here.

    A selection of hand-picked bike trips in spectacular places throughout Europe that focus on fun with the same attention to detail and quality that hundreds of our very satisfied clients have been enjoying with Ibero Cycle Tours since 1999.

     

  • Guests are transported to and from arrival / departure points (these are specified in the route guides), unless otherwise stated in the tour descriptor.

    Luggage is transported by IberoCycle to the next hotel. Cyclists carry just what they need for that day.

    A back-up vehicle and IberoCycle staff member supports cycling stages.

    There are normally 10 - 20 cyclists on each trip. Cyclists choose whether they cycle alone or with other cyclists.

    Clients do not cycle with a cycling guide.

    Cyclists are free in the evenings to dine with other members of the group or to do their own thing. Our representative will organise a meal for those who wish to dine in company.

    Routes have soft options for those cyclists who do not wish to cycle the full stage. Thus the routes are suitable for all levels. Non-cyclists may also participate using our transfer service.

    Cyclists are provided with our own detailed Route Guide and maps for their chosen route.

    Fitter cyclists may extend stages at will.

  • Accommodation in double, twin or single room with en-suite bathroom
    Breakfast
    Transport to and from arrival / departure points
    Information Pack with Route Guide and maps
    Luggage transport between hotels

    Accompanying vehice and guide (note that the guide does not cycle with the group)

  • IberoCycle will pick up from arrival points in Bilbao or Santander for this tour. This includes hotels, railway stations, ferryports, bus stations and airports. The same is true at the end of the tour. Please contact us if you have an early flight or departure on the last day, so we can let you know if it is possible for us to get you to departure point on time.

  • Personalised tours are available for groups of 4 or more riders. You may like to add extra days, choose a different arrival day, modify the itinerary.

    Please contact us at info@iberocycle.com if you would like to personalise this tour.

  • Bilbao

    Many people like to take the option of spending an extra night in Bilbao to visit the city and the Guggenheim Museum (Remember the museum is closed on Monday except during the months of July and August when it is open every day).

    San Sebastián

    San Sebastián is another option for those who have some extra time on their hands. This marvellous city has a beautiful Old Quarter, incomparable tapas bars and many superb restaurants, quite a few of them with the prestigious Michelin stars. 

    Transport

    Customers staying extra nights in Bilbao are responsible for their own transfers between the hotel and the airport. The easiest way is by taxi. There is also a bus service with departures every 30 minutes to Bilbao centre. Click here for more info. 

    There is an hourly bus service from Bilbao Airport (Aeropuerto Bilbao) to the Plaza de Pío XII in San Sebastián with Pesa. Click here for ticket sales. 
    Check the Bilbao Airport website for more information on transport options.
    There is a regular bus service Santander - Bilbao - San Sebastián run by ALSA.

  • Hybrid e-bike    Road E-bike

    The last few years have seen a revolution in the use of e-bikes. We now offfer e bikes on absolutely all of our rides. There are of course multiple advantages to using one on a bike tour:

    The difficulty level is lowered by a grade. Thus an intermediate level tour becomes an easy tour as the motor assists pedalling.

    The distance you can cycle on each day is effectively "reduced". Longer distances become accessible to a greater range of riding abilities. 

    Ability levels between riders on the same tour are levelled out as riders can choose an e-bike to enable them to keep up with stronger riders. 

    No more worrying about the hills! 

    So if you are in any doubt about whether a particular tour might be too challenging for you, then take the e-bike option. You can still get a good workout by keeping the pedal assistance level low. E-bikes are now available on all of our tours. And many have both the standard e-bike and also the road e-bike. 

Prices

We are in the process of confirming pricing for this tour, please let us know if you are interested using the form below.

Or call us directly: (+34) 942 58 10 92
;

Contact Us

Related tours

;