Duration: 6-10 days • Distance: 1025-1605 miles • Average daily ride: 5.5-5.75hrs

​

The Picos de Europa is a simply brilliant place to ride a motorcycle – I've been exploring here for more than 20 years. The secret to getting the best from the area is to go west: there's so much more to see than just the roads within a half-day ride of Santander. This tour zigzags through the mountains, heading west on roads that get quieter as they become more spectacular.

​

This flexible trip was originally built around sailing from  Plymouth to Santander on a Sunday, then getting the ferry back to the UK the following Saturday after six amazing days' riding. However, there are alternative routes to and from the port to tie in with the Portsmouth ferry as well. 

​

More importantly, the tour is designed to be expanded. The Tour Pack includes four daytrip routes specially designed to complement the core route, so staying for extra nights in key locations lets you uncover even more of the amazing riding in this area – so whatever combination of ferries you book this tour has you covered. My advice: the more time you can give it, the better it gets…

​

What are the highlights? Obviously, there's the San Glorio Pass that links Potes and Riaño (get your picture with the deer statue) but the tour cuts west through the mountains using less-well-known but equally glorious roads. It get all the way to the pilgrimage centre of Santiago de Compostela – the Tour Pack includes an optional daytrip out to Finisterre, one thought to be the end of the world... As it heads back to Santander, it criss-crosses the mountains on the roads other tours just don't reach.

​​

What’s included on the route? Each day’s route has recommended places to stop for coffee in the morning and afternoon, a suggested lunch stop and planned fuel stops. Hotel suggestions are included too.

​​

How long is each day’s ride? These are full but relaxed days in the saddle: it's definitely a riding holiday but it's not an Iron-Butt challenge. If you're on the road at nine, you should be at the next hotel by 5:30pm. That's allowing for lunch, coffee and photo stops along the way. Saddle-time rating: six out of 10.

​​​

Why six days? This is the shortest practical turnaround between Santander ferries: sail from Plymouth to dock in Spain on a Monday afternoon; board the return ferry the following Saturday. So the tour does fit in with taking one week of work. However, if you can get an extra day or two off, the idea is that this is at least an eight-day tour – but there are four additional days' riding included with the Tour Pack version (and that's before thinking about taking a rest day – probably in Santiago). It's the Picos tour that's as flexible as you are.

​

How is it supplied? The tour is supplied as an eBook of daily notes backed up by individual GPX files for sat navs and fully featured phone sat nav app like MyRouteApp, Scenic, Rever, Riser Pro or even Calimoto. However, I strongly recommend getting the tour pack which – as well as including the extra daytrip routes – also includes marked-up maps and tankbag notes.

​

Sailing from Bilbao? Any trip can be adapted to run from Bilbao instead of Santander. If you need this, just get in touch.