# Viva Espana, well Cantabria and Asturias anyway



## GrumpyGregry (8 Aug 2011)

The Picos de Europa, what a place! We stayed in a tiny hilltop village called Tudes about 10km from Potes which is pretty much the gateway to the eastern range of the Picos which is also known as Andara.

This was a multidisciplinary holiday; a bit of walking, some driving, bit of sitting on the beach, spot of wining and dining, sightseeing and of course, courtesy of the two bikes I squeezed in the back or the car, some cycling for me. This post gives a short summary of what I got up to road cycling wise. I also had a few runs on the mtb but these were only in the vicinity of, or getting to/from Potes to, Tudes.

One key thing you need to know about the roads out of Potes, and there are really only four of them, is that none of them are what you might call flat. Potes lies at roughly 300m above sea level. The easiest going if you head north on the N-621, the main Santander - Leon road, you gently descend to sea level, though with the odd lump along the way, at Val de San Vicente some 40km away. A further challenge on this ride is that much of it runs through a deep narrow gorge and the road wiggles about a fair bit following the River Deva so you need to have your wits about you and focus on the road not the views, at least some of the time. A nice out-and-back ride which sort of established the habit for all my cycling in this region. You ride somewhere, then you ride back the way you came. There is another way north to the coast by climbing out of the gorge at La Hermida and going over the hills to the Nansa valley but my legs, and our schedule, meant we only drove that route.

Heading south 27km on the same road takes you up to the Puerto San Glorio where the sign confirms you have joined the mile-high club and are at 1609m. The first few km out of Potes are easy then it is a case of reach for the sky. I timed my departure badly leaving Potes too late in the morning on a bright clear sunny day. There is little shade on this ride and I cooked. Fortunately Spanish drivers are compassionate types and I was offered water by more than one. The road ascends by numerous hairpins and it was a case of taking it easy and keeping an eye on my HRM as the sweat cascaded off my body. The ride up took me three hours including quite a few photo stops, the ride down? 35 minutes. The narrowness of the road precludes and descending heroics and I found I need to take care to avoid vertigo for the first few km when you are descending on the right hand, outside, of the road with just a little armco to stop you taking flight into an untimely death. The wind in the lower reaches, as the vally narrows, means you may have to pedal to maintain momentum whilst descending!

Going south-west from Potes on the CA-185 see you climb 23km up to 1000m ASL to Fuente De where the paved road runs out. Plenty of camp sites and accommodation on this road. A peach, a corker, a gem of a ride. On a mountain bike you can, in theory, take the cable car and ride down. I restricted my visits to SAAB and road bike and didn't regret doing so! Nice big wide road, couple of steep open bits for flat out spinning out descending and some lovely sweeping bends. 

Finally the CA-184 heads 25km roughly south-east up from Potes to the Puerto Piedrasluengas at 1355m ASL and its absolutely stunning views which are best enjoyed on a clear day. Used the MTB for one ride up and came back off road following a bunch of local mtb-ers who invited me to join them at the summit for the mainly fire road descent.

Roads and drivers; the roads I cycled on were smooth and very well maintained, and without exception the Spanish drivers who passed me were model overtakers. One stoopid overtake by a car with GB plates saw me spitting feathers and I passed him later anyway as he was only doing 30mph or so and I was dropping like a stone.

If you've not been to this part of Spain with a bike I'd say you are missing out. Cost and quality of living is pretty good, the natives are very friendly though hardly any speak English. We intend to return but will be doing Spanish evening classes before doing so; an investment as we intend to tackle the Camino Nortes at some point. Quality of food in the Lupa supermarket in Potes is as good or better and cheaper than in the UK. A typical menu del dia of three courses, bread, wine and coffee included is about €10. Bottled water is cheap and good quality and no bar owner I encountered was the least put out by a sweaty cyclist coming into his bar and asking for "Un agua con gas y un cafe sin leche por favor". I even managed to find a version of San Miguel I enjoyed drinking "San Miguel Reserva". A good Crianza Rioja can be had for €5 or thereabouts in a supermarket and for €7 - €10 in a good cheap cafeteria/restaurant, and wine by the glass is always available and cheap.


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