Santander to Parador de Fuente De ~ 220 km / 140 miles ~ 4 hours riding

With this tour running on various dates and riders potentially arriving in Santander from Cork, Portsmouth or Plymouth we may have a delayed start as it can take a while to clear the port on some occasions. As such this day will be shorter than some but still packed with some outstanding twisty roads.

We escape the port on the A67, a motorway, to join our first twisty road the N-611 which will take us south to the Ebro Reservoir and the town of Reinose where we take a short break before resuming our journey sweeping to the west on the CA-183 then north on the CA-280 another great twisty road. We break near Sopena for lunch.

The CA-182 now leads us west to join the CA-281 which will take us south on another great twisty road passing the viewpoint Mirador de la Cruz de Cabezuela where a sculpture symbolizes an meeting with a Lebaniego and a Purriego. A little further we alter course again heading westerly to Potes and onwards to our hotel where we will enjoy dinner, bed and breakfast.

Most Paradores are historic buildings, but we end the day at a modern one. Parador de Fuente De is in the heart of the Picos de Europa and is surrounded by pretty mountain villages. A cable car is nearby and will take you up the mountain to give spectacular views.

Parador de Fuente De to Parador de Villafranca del Bierzo ~ 320 km / 200 miles ~ 5.5 hours riding

We retrace our route from yesterday back to Potes to join the N-621 heading south. This is another great twisty road with the landscape rising on both sides as we wind through the mountains and visit great viewpoints including Miradors del Corzo and Alto Valcayo. We take our first refreshment break at Riana on the banks of the Embalse de Riano.

There are so many great roads for bikers in this region that it can be challenging to decide which to take next, but I think you will like the N-625 and later the CL-635 that will lead to Bonar as we head west then turns to the south to the Embalse del Porma where there are more miradores across the water with the mountain backdrop. We break for lunch at Bonar.

As we turn to the west again the roads are a less technical but still fun to ride as we reach the edge of the Somiedo Natural Park, a UNESCO biosphere reserve. The old bridge crossing the Sil River at Rioscuro is another good photo stop. Those who fancy a hill climb could hike u to the Iron Age fort on the nearby hill but be warned the nearby quarry and the hydroelectric station on the other side on the hill can make this particularly challenging at times. At Villablino we turn southerly following the course of the river until we are a little north of Ponferrada where we turn west to end the day at Parador de Villafranca Del Bierzo.

Parador de Villafranca del Bierzo to Villa Garden, Braga ~ 300 km / 188 miles ~ 5 hours riding

Today we shall cross into Portugal and the road south to the border is another superb twisty as we mainly follow the course of the Rio Camba. We shall not pass many towns with cafes but near Pentes there is a truck stop where we can grab a snack. It runs along side the A-52 which we will be avoiding.

As we cross into Portugal, we loosely follow the course of another river, the Rio Rabacal, on the N308 to the village of Brito where we change direction to make our way westerly to Chaves a town with considerable Roman and Medieval history. Here we break for lunch.

Our journey continues west along more twisty roads all the way to Braga where we stop at a 4 star hotel located in a classical villa. Braga is one of the largest cities in Portugal and had considerable influence during Medieval times when it was a primary centre for Christianity and was deeply influential in the recognition of Portugal as an independent country in 1179. Needless to say there are many churches in Braga including the Basílica, Confraria do Bom Jesus do Monte.

Braga - non-riding day

This is a non-riding day. Some might want to explore Braga, others may want to hop on a bus or train to Porto and explore there.

Braga is Portugal’s third largest city and the capital of the Minho region. As you might expect the city has many things you might want to see including the numerous places of worshop. Among these Santuário do Bom Jesus do Monte, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is best known, though be warned it is the staircase leading to the church that is most famed and it is a monumental climb! Another church worthy of a visit is the 7th c. chapel Capela de São Frutuoso de Montélios where the bishop of Braga, later Saint Frutuoso, built a mausoleum in 660 AD as his final resting place and is a rare example of pre Romanesque Christian architecture.

Also in Braga is Museu Dos Biscaínhos a 16th c. palacethough furnished and decorated in a later style to give an indication of Portuguese aristocratic life. There are parks, monuments and the art deco Café a Brasileira. That said an easy way to explore and be dropped at the points of interest is to take the city Bus Tour.

Those wanting to visit Porto are recommended a hop on hop off bus tour. There are two competing firms (blue bus or red bus) both offer a similar experience and price. For around €30 you can enjoy circuits both north and south of the Douro plus a river boat excursion.

Porto is a little over an hour away using public transport. By bus you need to walk about 10 minutes from the hotel to the stop. It is a 45 minute journed t Oporto Campanha station where you can join the Porto metro. A train involves a few changes but overall is faster with the main part of the journey (Braga to Campanha) taking just 36 minutes.

Braga to Bragança ~ 305 km / 190 miles ~ 6 hours riding

Some might like to satt today with a climb up the the Bom Jesus do Monte where there are great views across Braga. We shall then progress towards the Douro River but first head into the Alvaro National Park taking our first stop at Modim for a light refreshment.

The roads around here are bound to please any biker who loves bend after bend and flipping their bike right, left, right and so on as we continue south to Ermelo an 800 year old village and onwards to join the Douro at Regua. We shall stop for lunch here and pay a visit to the Museum where you will learn all about Port wine production.

Our route will continue for a while along the southern shore of the Douro until we meet the Rio Pinhao a tributary of the Douro where we alter course to head in a northerly direction and later easterly to reach a small village called Vale Frechoso where we take another refreshment stop.

The final leg of the journey takes us north to Bragança with its 14th century castle and numerous historical sites. We shall be staying in a 4 star hotel about a kilometre walk from the castle.

Bragança to Leon ~ 310 km / 195 miles ~ 5 hours riding

We head north from Bragança on the N101-3 to cross back into Spain until we reach the Tera River where we alter course to the east to Castrocontrigo where we take a morning tea break.

The route north brings a mix of roads and some of the straightest we have ridden on this tour but we shall soon be back into more twisties as we head onwards to Ponferrada where we break for lunch.

We now progress east along the LE142 we pass a few abandoned villages . This region was famed for mining from Roman times until the 12th c. We stop on the outskirts of Polvazares for afternoon refreshments before ending the day in Leon

Leon is an ancient city with many beautiful buildings and hosted the first Parliament in Europe in 1188. We shall be staying at the Parador de León a former monastery dating back to the 12th c.

Leon to Santillana ~ 305 km / 190 miles ~ 5 hours riding

The return route to Santander first leads to Guardo where we take a brief stop. There is a pedestrian precinct with a few cafés here. The population is under 6,000 yet is is the third largest town in the province.

Following the course of the Carrion River we make our way north then east to Triollo where we leave the Carrion to join the Pisuerga river as we progress South Westerly to Aquilar de Campoo where we turn to the north to reach Reinosa. We were here on our first day but this time take an alternative route to the port turning to the east along the shore of the Ebro Reservoir and stopping for lunch at Arija.

The final leg brings us north to our final overnight stop at Parador de Santillana del Mar. This overnight stay is just west of Santander leaving just a short journey the following morning to reach the port in plenty time for the ferry.

Santillana del Mar To Santander Port ~ 72km / 45 miles ~ 75 minutes

A relaxing final morning in Santillana del Mar, a town know as three lies because it is neither a Saint (Santo), nor flat (llana), nor is it by the sea (Mar) as implied by its name before making our way to Comillas, often described as the most enchanting places in Cantabria, it offers an eclectic mix of architecture set around narrow cobbled streets, then we loop back to the port.

Most will catch the 14:00 ferry but some could be catching earlier sailings so an easy hour to 1 hour 15 minutes ride takes away any stress f missing the boat!