How to get a bike to Seville

[Kate McLaren]

Many apologies if this topic has already been raised, but I am so confused and frazzled by now that I couldn't face a long search.

We are doing the VdlP next March/April and I just can't work out the simplest and cheapest way to get our bikes to Seville (we live in Edinburgh, but let's just say from London to Seville). My inclination is train, especially if the trains have racks, as we are on a tight budget and reliable bike bags (which will withstand easyjet's manhandling) are very expensive.

Has anyone done this successfully and can advise?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[tipperary]

Hi Kate
I road biked this route last year. I flew Ryanair Dublin Seville. The bike cost 50 euro extra. The bike must be prepared for flight as per their website. Most people get a used bikebox from their local bike shop. Practice is advised in assembling a bike before biking. I have travelled trouble free with bike using Ryanair on 4 trips. Ryanair also fly from Santiago to London Stansted,
I notice Ryanair fly from Edenburgh to Malaga, getting from there by public transport is not a problem. Check Alsa bus site for times. In my opinion flying is likely to be more cost effective than overland. Bike shops in Santiago will if you wish prepare your bike for transport home and arrange its transport to the airport.
Another option would be to hire bikes. Bikeiberia will drop off bikes at your desired location. Tournride based in Santiago also provide this service.
I am sure other options will be suggested.
Buen camino
Justin
Ps I should add this is a fantastic road route,mainly on quiet excellent roads, enjoy.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

getting your bike there is one thing. Keeping it is another. When hospitalera-ing in Salamanca I met three different people at three different times who had got themselves and their bikes to Seville, and then had their bikes stolen from their hotels there. In one case from INSIDE THEIR ROOM!

Lock up your bike, even if it is inside the hotel luggage-storage area, even if it is inside the hotel room -- chain it to the radiator.

All three sets of pilgrims went ahead and did their caminos. Two of them got bikes elsewhere. But one father/son pair from Italy simply strapped on their bike shoes and threw their pannier packs over their shoulders and walked it!

Reb.

 

[Davroos]

I rode this route off road this year and did the following

Flew from Gatwick with easyjet as they are cheaper than ryanair for both bikes and tickets

We had a hotel booked in Seville, we locked the bikes up in their garage, they were cable locked to each other. Three bikes, three locks, we were never worried as you could not get into the garage unless you were a guest

Flying back, easyjet do not fly out of Santiago, and as we wanted to see some of the places that we had ridden through, we hired a van and drove to madrid over two days.

As for a bike bag, don't bother, just go to your local bike shop and ask for a box, and once in Santiago, there is a bike shop that will do this for you as well.

If you are riding over the easter periiod, albergues can be tough to get into. We did not stay in one until easter had finished. I was amazed as I had walked the Portuguese and il Primitivo during the same period. Once easter was over, there was nobody on the tracks

Enjoy, it is a great secluded route if you follow the track. It is not to rough, and the historical sites that you will see are amazing

 

[GomarbellaMike]

Well done Kate on planning so far ahead. There's lots of time for things to fall into place. Having a throwaway cardboard bike box that you can leave discretely in a recycling container on arrival at the airport makes life a lot simpler. It means you don't have to reunite the bike with the box or the box with the bike at the end of your ride. As Justin and Davroos said, bike shops and bike specialist transport companies will prepare your bikes for your journey home as soon as you get to Santiago.

If you arrive at Sevilla airport, unpack your bikes and cycle into Sevilla. If you arrive at Malaga airport, pick up the bus directly to Seville if your arrival time coincides with the bus service from the airport or take the C1 train from the airport to Malaga bus station next to the train station and the bus from there to Sevilla. Assemble your bikes at the Plaza de Armas bus station, junk your bike boxes and ride to your hostal or hotel. I travelled with my bike from Marbella to Seville on the Los Amarillos bus service with my bike in the compartment under the floor, stripped off the protective packaging at the Prado de San Sebastian bus station and rode to my hostal.

The Via de la Plata is a great ride. I walked the first five days with my daughter this year to Monasterio, then in May this year we did the next five days on bikes to Cáceres. We'll carry on next May, on bikes. It's flatter in the early stages compared to the Camino Frances and there are long open spaces which made me glad to be on my bike!

If you Google - starting the via de la plata in seville - you'll find the first five days of my blog and I'm starting to write up the cycling section. I'm always happy to answer questions about local travel and learn from other pilgrims' experiences.