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I am planning a 5 week holiday touring. I Have a rough plan to drive the basque coast down to Portugal then down the Portuguese coast and then cut across Spain and drive up the Pyrenees through Andorra, Spain and France. We are taking the mountain bikes and stand up paddle boards.
I am after recommendations for nice quiet cheap areas / campsites to stay preferably with good xc riding and walking in the area.
Also looking for recommendations for companies I can get a mtb guide with for a few days.
Andorra is a bit of a shit hole, but cheap for fuel.
Ainsa in the Spanish Pyrenees is worth a look. A few bike parks on the French side, too.
Some decent riding in Portugal's North and the Algarve. Not ridden, but seen a few bits/vids on the net.
If you plan to visit S Cataluña, email in profile, I can do the guiding as well as accommodation.
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Cantabria (Picos): town POTES
Aragon: town JACA + AINSA (Jaca is fun town to stay a couple days)
In this Aragon area ENDLESS magic places...
Example: bike the whole "valle de Hecho" up to the top. Leave your bikes at the bottom of the "Castillo de Acher" mountain and hike to the top (easy to do - you only have to take enough water with you)+ sleep somewhere on the back way to your bikes. You will never forget these days!!!
Or Valle de Roncal is beautiful...
Don't bike the main Road Pamplona - Jaca. Always take the backroads!
Wouldn't go "quick" through this area. It's endless, crazy, lots of magic places.
One example: the mini village "RIGLOS" close to the "Embalse de la Pena". Riglos: crazy VULTURE rock formations. Try to google for it...
We spend a few weeks each summer going up and down the north coast, can recommend staying in Oyambre Beach campsite nr. Comillas - beach just down a few steps from the tent (no idea about paddle boarding but I see them there - a few surf schools operate on the beach but it's often too flat). XC trails abound heading inland - I ride in the forest around Mt Corona, or head further up to the caves at Soplao.
Staying around San Sebastian ticks both boxes too. Busy in the summer though and I wouldn't fancy camping here.
Obviously the Pyrenees, as Andreas and Aplin say, very recommended around Ainsa. I like Roncal and camp close to Isaba as it's only a 2-ish hour drive from here. At the other end, loads of good riding around Girona and down on the coast.
@bob_summers:
Obviously the Pyrenees, as Andreas and Aplin say, very recommended around Ainsa. I like Roncal and camp close to Isaba as it's only a 2-ish hour drive from here. At the other end, loads of good riding around Girona and down on the coast.
riding around Girona: there is plenty good infrastructure for tourists
For me, the Ainsa - Jaca - Roncal area: lots of "secret" places there where you find "ghost villages" and endless (un-marked) trails. Different type of travelling there: take enough food and camp in an ghost town. There is always a well still going. Mountain ridges, spanish side, in front of the Pyrenees (Aragon): nearly uninhabited.
In the time the ETA was still active these were the hiding places for hiding "stupid stuff"(but no worry - these evil guys are gone). North-East of Ainsa, south of "Yesero": beautiful uninhabited villages. No roads go there... you get there only on small trails (guess old donkey trails).
Magic. Beautiful. Take time there! Be prepared to camp under a tarp.
(and don't bike in ORDESA national park. It's not allowed - and that's the only spot in Aragon which is really crowded in summer!)
Camping in Basque country - Hondarribia, Zarautz and Sopelana.