Camino de Santiago de Compostela

[petra01]

Hi all, all of your posts here have been very helpful in getting a better idea of what to expect.

Three of us plan to bike from Santander or Gijón to Santiago in early June. I am a bit concerned about the terrain. Is it very tough in terms of hills and how is traffic on the roads? I would say it has been a long time since I did any road biking but my companions are more comfortable on bikes (I would prefer walking) I can manage walking my bike at parts but not sure if we need road bikes or hybrids. We would prefer to take trails rather than the road. Is that possible? Any information would be most appreciated! Thanks!

[Dael]

I don't know the route you are planning to cycle but suggest that you look at "Google Earth - Street View" and virtually cycle the route before deciding whether or not it is something you want to do.

[David]

I cycled from Santander to Barcelona and then up and over into France about a lifetime ago. In the uk a cyclist is something that gets in the way of cars and lorries .. can be pretty dangerous .. what I found in Spain and France was that drivers were really aware of cyclists .. many times I had huge lorries growling up behind me on a mountain road, preferring to wait rather than pushing me into a ditch - was very welcome ... you may get a shout of 'Brio!' as they pass - a compliment. They tended to honk their horns first before they moved to overtake.

I was really impressed and felt very safe. As for how hilly or mountainous it is .. who cares? up leads to down, down leads to up ... you can always walk the bike up a long road if it is too steep ... but the same goes on a bike as it does walking - watch the weight!

[petra01]

Thanks for your responses. I will Google Earth the route and see. It is good to hear that traffic in Spain is more aware of bikers than in other places. I am also used to being "in the way", coming from the US and biking on busy streets there.

[picosrider]

Hi all, all of your posts here have been very helpful in getting a better idea of what to expect.

Three of us plan to bike from Santander or Gijón to Santiago in early June. I am a bit concerned about the terrain. Is it very tough in terms of hills and how is traffic on the roads? I would say it has been a long time since I did any road biking but my companions are more comfortable on bikes (I would prefer walking) I can manage walking my bike at parts but not sure if we need road bikes or hybrids. We would prefer to take trails rather than the road. Is that possible? Any information would be most appreciated! Thanks!

Hi Petra,
I cycled from Santander in 2005 with 3 others via Camino Norte and flew back to UK from Santiago. I am doing it again in July this year, but cycling both ways. I am a club cyclist so was used to cycling and cycling in traffic. Spain is very hilly so it pays to be cycle fit! We cycled on road, (our 2 ladies did not enjoy going off road with their road bikes and lots of luggage!) but there are several off road sections that are easy for cycling. If you intend doing a lot of off road I would suggest a mountain bike as parts of tracks can be very rough. We did not find traffic a problem and in any case much of the camino follows minor roads. The route is all ups and downs. Lots of long hills but they are not excessively steep, followed by fast down hills into the many river valleys. You will not have a problem cycling the northern, coastal route but I would certainly advise getting cycle fit. I have just started my training for this year's ride!
This year we are again going out on the coastal route but returning via Lugo to join the Camino Primitivo to Oviedo, them via Covadonga and around the Picos de Europa. This is a much more challenging (i.e. hilly!) ride, hence our early bike training. We have our route already planned in some detail, distances, where to stop over night, alternatives if problems arise, etc.
I could go on at length, but perhaps this is not the time and place to do it!
You might get some better idea of what we did in 2005 and what we intend this year from this item at http://anerleybc.org/a-charity-pilgrima ... est-spain/
Or I can answer any specific queries on this site.
Adios mis Amigos from a Picos Rider!

[picosrider]

Hi Petra,
To add to my previous reply to your posting, you wanted to know about traffic. The worst traffic that you will encounter is at the big cities, such as Santander and Gijon. To avoid this take the FEVE trains. The station at Santander is less than 5 minutes walk from the Brittany Ferry terminal.
You can for example get the train to Requejada, every 30 minutes at about only 3 euros. This gets you to the outskirts of the extended built up area around Santander. From Requejada it is a very short ride to join the Camino del Norte on the CA 131, en route to Santillana del Mar.
The area around Gijon and Aviles is also very built up and industrialised. We cycled from the pilgrim hostel at San Estaban De Leces (west of Ribadesella) to Gijon, a long day ride. We arrived late evening but could not find the hostal in Gijon. Every one that we asked sent us in a different direction, as darkness decended! However, if lost, ask a policeman. The hostal was behind the police station!
Next morning we caught the FEVE train to Cudillero to avoid the conurbations and well worth the train journey. Again, frequent trains and very cheap! Have a look at http://www.feve.es/es/ This is in spanish but if you google FEVE you can get an English translation. Lastly I would suggest that you start learning some spanish or improving what you already know!
Cycling around Gijon in the dark and repeatedly asking directions, getting food, hostel accommodation, and train tickets, etc, soon highlights language deficiencies!
So put this high up your list of priorities- tengo que aprender espanol!
A Picos Rider.