Cycling Northern Spain in the middle of a heatwave

– This isn't normal - started the conversation the receptionist at one of the hotels – it's not supposed to be that hot in May.

We heard the same words during every hotel check-in. During our trip the temperatures reached 35°C which indeed isn’t normal for Northern Spain in May. While planning the route we hoped to escape the heat of Catalonia, get some nice moody photos and enjoy the mild temperatures of the Atlantic coast. Well, not this time.

The plan was to revisit some places we had a chance to see during a roadtrip a few years back - but this time on bicycles. The route was heavily inspired by Camino del Norte - one of the variants of Camino de Santiago, which follows closely the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. While not the most popular variant, it was still busy with pilgrims and we crossed paths with them a few times. Due to time limitations (we had just a bit more than a week), we dropped the idea of reaching Santiago de Compostela and decided to finish in Oviedo.

The attractions included eating basque cheesecake in San Sebastián, cycling along the Atlantic Ocean, watching tides change in Lekeitio and riding in valleys of Picos de Europa. We wanted to see Pamplona, San Sebastián, Bilbao, Santander and Oviedo, as well as smaller towns like San Vicente de la Barquera, Comillas and Castro Urdiales.

The choice of the start and finish was pragmatic: both Pamplona and Oviedo can be reached from Barcelona by AVE (high-speed train), although the trip from Oviedo requires a change in Madrid. It is possible to travel with bicycles, although it requires prior reservation (which is free of charge) and packing the bikes (a soft bag which fits the bike with removed front wheel is enough).

During eight days of cycling we covered over 570 km and almost 7000 m of elevation gain. We crossed four autonomous communities: Navarra, Basque Country, Cantabria and Asturias, each with different food, architecture and landscapes. Most of the days started early - sometimes at sunrise - to beat the heat.

Navarra

We boarded the AVE train in Barcelona on Friday at midday. The plan was to get to Pamplona, walk around the city, eat some pinchos and get a good night's sleep before starting the trip. Everything was going well until about 20 km from Pamplona: our train stopped in the middle of nowhere and it was announced that it’s very unlikely it will continue the trip due to some issue. With two hours to sunset and only twenty kilometers to go, we made the only right decision: assembled the bikes, put the shorts on and cycled to the remaining distance.

After the surprising start of the trip, the second day started according to the plan: we swiftly left Pamplona and started cycling on Vía Verde del Plazaola. It is a gravel route from Pamplona to San Sebastian that follows the old train tracks that used to connect these two cities. The route is incredible: starting from the rolling hills of Navarra, passing via multiple tunnels (some illuminated, but some not) and dense forests. The surface is rough at times, but definitely manageable on gravel (or touring) bicycles - although I wished for a tubeless setup (especially after getting the first flat tire of the trip).

One of the highlights of the route is Uitzi Tunnel that has 2700 m of length, is fully illuminated and allows skipping one big climb. Unfortunately, we were unlucky - for some time now the tunnel has been closed due to maintenance, and we had to make a detour via an empty mountain road. We were rewarded with a wild descent to Leitza and then followed Vía Verde to San Sebastián where we treated ourselves with some pinchos and famous basque cheesecake.

Basque Country

The next day - as all days during this trip - started early. We left San Sebastián and immediately started a steep climb to Igeldo. Despite starting with the sunrise, we could feel the heat. Luckily, the views from the top were amazing - ocean to our right and endless mountains to the right. After descending back to the ocean level we passed some vineyards, and then followed a beautiful road from Zarautz to Zumaia.

After Zumaia, we continued along the coast, climbing and descending, passing via Deba and Ondarroa. I wish I could say we stayed in these cute towns to enjoy a cold soft drink and a plate of patatas bravas. In reality we called the hotel and they agreed that we checked in early - as long as we arrived before their lunch break at 1pm. We pushed through the hills and got to Lekeitio just before 1pm. This meant we had half a day to rest and enjoy the beach (with a refreshing swim in the ocean).

Day four was the toughest day of the trip, at least on paper: over 110km with almost 1500 m of elevation gain, including crossing Bilbao in the middle of the day. Even though we started just before the sunrise, the first climb out of Lekeitio proved that it’s going to be a hot day. While eating breakfast in Guernica (famous from the Picasso painting picturing the bombing of the town) we made a pragmatic decision to shorten the route by taking a train from Guernica to Amorebieta.

The train trip saved us only 15 km (and a small climb), but it was crucial for getting to Bilbao before the worst heat of the day. We crossed the city following the river and continued towards Bay of Biscay on one of the best cycling lanes I’ve ever seen. We took multiple breaks to cool down, eat ice cream and drink cold soft drinks. After getting to the ocean again, we followed a beautiful route along the ocean and finally got to Castro Urdiales.

Cantabria

Day five was an interesting day, with some alternative ways of transportation. We left Castro Urdiales and followed the ocean, passing by wide beaches with surfers and climbing some hills. Once we got to Laredo it was time for the first ferry crossing: from Laredo to Santoña. The ferry leaves from a beach and takes around 5 minutes to cross the canal. It’s quite easy to board it with a bicycle and offers a nice shortcut.

Unfortunately, while boarding the ferry, I noticed that my rear tire got flat again. Once we crossed to Santoña I changed the tube (I gave up on patching that one) and we continued our trip across Cantabria. The day ended with another ferry crossing from Pedreña to Santander. It’s a longer stretch and offers amazing views of the city.

Day six was the shortest day of the trip, but still packed with views. Just a few kilometres outside of Santander, we stopped at Costa Quebrada - a beautiful stretch of the cantabrian coast, marked with dramatic cliffs and rugged rocks emerging from the ocean.

Then we continued until we got to the medieval town Santillana del Mar. It’s a town of three lies: it’s not Saint (santi), it’s not flat (llana), and it’s not even at the sea (del Mar). As we got closer to Comillas, even in the hazy air of a hot afternoon we could see Picos de Europa in the distance.

Asturias

The route from Comillas to San Vicente de la Barquera was definitely a highlight of the trip. A beautiful road following the ocean, climbing hills and descending to wide, sandy beaches. The town of San Vicente was stunning with Puente de la Maza spanning across the river.

That was where we said goodbye to the ocean and started going inland towards Picos de Europa. We followed a river valley, getting closer and closer to the mountains. Before arriving at Arenas de Cabrales, we decided on a small detour to Alles. It required a long climb in scorching sun, but was definitely worth it - the higher up we went, the more the views opened, offering impressive panoramas of Picos de Europa.

The last day of the trip was also the longest one - the only stage over 100km. It also marked the end of the heatwave. We woke up in the morning to cloudy skies and a drizzle. After frying for seven days, we couldn’t complain. We climbed to Canales de Cabrales and descended to Cangas de Onís which is a gateway to Lagos de Covadonga (which we had a chance to visit a few years ago).

After Cangas de Onís we followed the main road for a while, which wasn’t the best choice in route planning. Luckily, we found some nice cycling lanes and backroads on the approach to Oviedo and we finally arrived at our final stop. We enjoyed vegetarian versions of fabada and cachopo, and rested a bit before taking a train back to Barcelona the next day.

Did you enjoy Basque Country, Asturias, and Cantabria in this blog post? Check out this one from four years earlier, when we took a more photography-focused road trip.