Mountain Biking in the Picos de Europa, Spain

Incredible off-road biking in one of Europe’s most spectacular mountain biking areas as we explore the high passes, twisting forest single tracks, and alpine meadows of Northern Spain’s Picos de Europa.

As you would expect from a company who has been guiding rides in this unique area since 1996, Skedaddle are able to offer an unrivalled knowledge and provide you with amazing riding, whatever your passion.

Think it couldn’t get any better? Then think again! 2010 sees us once again unveiling an array of amazing rides to eclipse previous years. Further tricky singletrack, never ending descents and pristine forest trails all await your arrival in this unspoilt part of Northern Spain.

Ideally positioned to access the network of trails running throughout the area, our centre based accommodation is a 500 year-old farmhouse which has been lovingly restored into a well appointed guest house. Situated in a tranqil village and commanding superb views of the Liebana Valley, it’s the perfect place to relax and enjoy a post ride snooze and enjoy some delicious evening meals.

In the evenings we'll either remain at the accommodation absorbing the views of the mountains and reflecting on the biking or head to the nearby town of Potes and explore its numerous bars and restaurants.

Detailed Itinerary:
Day 1
Following your afternoon arrival into Northern Spain, you will be met by the Skedaddle guide(s) and transported to the Picos. En route we pass through Unquera where we will take a quick coffee and snack before passing through Panes to then follow the Rio Deva as it winds its way through the dramatic high-sided limestone gorge of La Hermida. Coming out into the Liebana valley we get a first glimpse of some of the incredible peaks of the Picos. We arrive at our wonderful accommodation shortly afterwards.
Once settled in at the guesthouse, flight times permitting, we sort out the bikes and embark on a route that will give a flavour of the biking to come.

Tonight's evening meal will be taken at our beautiful traditional small hotel. Our Spanish hosts know a thing or two about feeding guests and pride themselves on their home cooked delicacies, many of which are produced in the village or at the accommodation itself. Combine this with a couple of glasses of vino tinto or a cold Cruz Campo and chat about the rides to come and you'll be rounding off your first day in the Picos in style. NB. The length of today's ride will depend on the timing of flight schedules to Spain.

Day 2
Market day today, so if you are looking to buy any livestock, this is your big chance – though don’t forget your luggage allowance is only 20 kilos and goats weigh far more than this and you might struggle to get a scythe through customs as hand luggage. If you enjoyed yesterday, then you’ll love today! It’s a cracking introduction to what’s in store for the rest of the week, with a huge range of single track on offer. After a leisurely breakfast with plenty of fresh fruit, warm from the bakery bread and delicious local honey we set off from the head of the valley, close by the hotel at Fuente-de.

We’re quickly onto some fast and furious sections of valley single track, with a few steep drops but mainly smooth and flowing along the valley bottom. As we weave through forest and open meadow the saw-toothed summits of the eastern massif will become ever present. Climbing on good trails leads us to the village of Cahecho where a coffee break is a fantastic way to appreciate the literally jaw dropping views of the eastern wall of the Picos. Next we hit a descending ‘stepped’ trail to test our nerve before starting a long traverse into the main Liebana Valley on superb fast twisty tracks that lead into some heavenly meadow single track, the valley bottom and lunch.

Our guides look forward to their "working" lunch every day, as we know that the local produce is so delicious. The farmers of the Picos region are very proud of their produce in which they invest plenty of time using traditional methods. The results are tasty cheeses, cured meats and succulent fruit and vegetables, all of which you will be grazing on, and more, throughout the week.

Today we will have a chance too to pass through many of the tiny villages that litter the valley sides, beautifully built from local stone with chestnut beams, houses and barns stand nestled together covered by huge pan tile roofs. Each village is surrounded by it’s own patchwork of hay meadows. Filled with an array of colour in spring and cut in the summer to feed cattle sweet hay throughout the winter months. Beef farming is the backbone of the local economy, which is still ecological, farmers having always shunned chemical pesticides and fertilizers, producing a crop of cattle to be sold off at the autumn ferias. Co-operative cheese industry is also common for most villages in the Picos valleys producing a delicious, diverse variety of goat, ewe and cows cheese. It’s mouth-watering stuff.

Sorry, but valley floor lunches mean afternoon climbs. But not too far and only a little technical! Clinging to the steep sides of the Liebana valley, which is renowned for its dry Mediterranean micro climate, we switch back through Holm oak, crackle on pine needles, and mediate with livestock in meadows.

Another short, stiff climb (helped with the chance of a coffee break at a local bar) beneath Coriscao sets us up for a lightening descent on smooth trails, deep beneath the tree line. Following the Rio Lobo we find ourselves on what many Skedaddlers rate as the best singletrack section in the Picos. You name it and this trail has it! Never steep with lots of fast sections to accelerate if you dare, add a concoction of exciting obstacles: stream crossings, fixed rocky ramps, twisting and ducking through trees and gliding across meadows…superb! Back in the valley bottom a fun mix of diverse sections of single track takes us further down the main valley and onto our final descent of the day. A cool beer on one of our favourite bar terraces in Potes to calm the nerves, and then home for warm showers and cups of tea!! For dinner we try out a great traditional restaurant to try the local specialties.

Day 3
This epic of a ride is our local guide Dan’s favourite ride, and once you’re on sampling it, it’s easy to realize why! From a village high on the sides of the Ceraceda Valley a steady rewarding climb on good tracks takes us to the summit of Pico Jano at a little over 1400 metres. And WOW what a reward, you’ll feel like you’ve climbed into Picos heaven! 360 degree views of the eastern and southern serrated peaks running round to the Cantabrian Mountains disappearing into the distance. If we’re lucky it’s not unusual to share the summit with griffon vultures that play in the thermals on the mountains sheer north western edge.

After plotting some of the weeks riding from our aerial map we head down on a helter-skelter of a ride to lunch. Open mountainside single track through Spanish broom and bracken with the odd testing step or two, followed by some tricky 'camel humps' and flowing meadow singletrack will take us to a crystal clear lake ideal for a cooling dip and post lunch siesta! Straight into a section of cracking traversing single track to help digestion, then a swooping fast trail through a dry, the oak forest to the village of Campollo gets the afternoon off to a cracking start. The trail to come, we can safely say, you will never forget! Following a steep, short climb we drop into a thundering rocky trail and then into free flowing singletrack with banked corners and the odd steeper section interspersed with technical rocky bursts that will rattle the most radical riders (only short sections).

Eventually we’ll be spat out in the village of Pesaguero with just a little blood left in our adrenaline! If this isn’t enough then we climb back out of the other side of the valley and descend on some more tremendous trails with sections of smooth single track, before a fast track kicks us out in Potes. Brilliant!  Dinner at accommodation tonight, no doubt interrupted by ‘fisherman’s tales’ of heroism.

OR ANOTHER FANTASTIC RIDE WOULD BE:

For something totally different, we take a fast climb up to the head of the Liebana valley to Fuente De an awesome, sheer limestone cirque that culminates in the peak of Padierna 1300 metres above. Luckily a cable car will carry us up the sheer limestone to over 1800 metres. It’s an exciting ride, being the longest single span cable car in Europe, and the views on a clear day over the Cordillera Cantábrica are unforgettable. A short climb hooks us onto some fantastic natural single track underneath the huge walls of the Peña Vieja peak. It’s a great morning test and one that you definitely need to be awake for. It’s largely smooth but throws some steep and rocky sections at you just when you least expect it!

At the “must stop” morning coffee and snack break at the mountain hotel in Aliva we can map our route out below us, following the never-ending trails down into the impressive glacial Duje Valley. Before we lose too much height we take in more classy high mountain single track to the closed mines at Manforas, where we can often get a glimpse of Rebecco, a beautifully agile subspecies of the Chamois, that covers the rough broken karstic terrain like no other. Following the Duje Valley downstream on fun broken single track between the Eastern and Central massifs a feeling of insignificance will wash over us as the mountains reach higher and higher.  

Soon we will be rewarded with fantastic views of Liebana, from our eagles nest view high on the valley side the extensive beech forests stretch out onto the peaks of the Cordillera Cantabrica. A short climb sets us onto a lengthy section of forested single track that undulates at first before dropping suddenly with the odd stepped section bringing us to the meadows above Espinama. It’s an ideal spot for a picnic lunch with maybe a little siesta to freshen us up for the afternoon’s exertions. A stiff climb on fresh legs beneath the touring rock faces of the Valdecoro mountain give you a chance to sample yet more top single track on this flowing, undulating section that takes us straight to the valley bottom and a convenient bar very close to the accommodation.

Day 4
This morning we say goodbye to the Liebana valley and head to our next base for the week over in the stunning central Picos valley of Valdeon. This place is a paradise of incredible views with sheer cliffs and peaks rising from the valley floor. The gushing Rio Cares has carved out this amazing landscape since it’s glaciation, creating a deep valley that culminates in the stunning Cares Gorge. Valdeon is a very isolated valley lying on the northern edge of the Province of Leon. The drive to get there is incredibly long over two beautiful passes. But don’t worry we wouldn’t have you suffering the drive as we’ll give you the privilege of a fantastic but tough ride over Caben de Remona pass and into Valdeon.

From the door of the guesthouse we’ll set out on what you’ll probably bill as the climb of the week. Heading through the village of Pido and onto the first section of ascending trail the awesome cirque at Fuente De reveals itself for one last time before heading into forested trails that climb steadily.  As we reach the tree line the views of the majestic Pena Remona peak is well worth our effort. The trail eases and traverses beneath the Campodaves pastures before one last effort will see us topping out at the Altos de Valdeon at 1800 metres.

With stomachs rumbling, an energy inducing picnic in the high mountain pastures is a fantastic way to reward our efforts while marvelling at the beautiful peaks in the western massif and Torre Friero. What comes next is sure to get your trail buds tingling with a fantastic stretch of  excellent natural mountain single track. A fast flowing ribbon of a trail that keeps on running until your heart’s content. There are days of trails to suit the biker that fancies a technical challenge! Twisty, rooty and rocky singletrack with lots of that blessed smooth stuff too. Short technical climbs leading onto swooping traverses and bum off the back switchbacks that will make you want to try them again and again. A chance for a cooling dip in the Rio and a final fast trail, end this exciting day of skills testing on the bike. It’s a great afternoon in awesome surroundings that will eventually take us to the safety of Posada de Valdeon village and the hotel for yet more ta sty treats and maybe a tipple or two of the local night-cap!

Day 5
Awakening in Valdeon is a privileged experience as the morning light illuminates the dwarfing limestone walls of the Western Massif and gives warmth to the village lying at an altitude little under 1000 metres. After a relaxing breakfast we’ll head up the valley on easy trails passing the villages of Porracho and Riveros. Then just as the muscles are warmed up nicely the climb takes in a couple of challenging ramps to say ‘buenas dias’ to your pumping heart. The pain won’t last long though when you see what you’ve reached. From the summit of the inferior top we stand on you have the best views the valley has to offer, as well as being stood at the beginning of the most brilliant, long and flowing singletrack the area has to offer.

You name it and this trail has got it. The upper sections are faster until you reach the lower fixed rock humps and the off camber striated rock finish. If you get down without dabbing a foot, our guide Philipp will put his hand in his pocket (this doesn’t happen very often) and buy you a drink! It’s a trail that has something to suit everyone as well as the odd challenge for those that enjoy it on the technical side. Back to the safety of the valley floor a spot of lunch ‘al fresco’ would be just the ticket to calm us down before heading out for a cracking afternoons ride.

Dropping down the valley on lovely fast trails the huge limestone mountains on either side inch closer and closer, giving rise to some brilliant high valley side singletrack that undulates way above the Cares River. The scenery is now ‘out of this world’ but remember to stop your bike to admire it or you could end up in the river.

To finish this wicked ride, a short steep shock of a climb takes us onto an excellent switchback trail that spits us out right in the middle of the village of Cain, The end of the road. From Cain chance will be given to have a walk/wander into the dramatic Cares Gorge, which has a spectacular walkway high up the cliff sides. The river of the Cares has some fantastic pools for a refreshing dip, a suitable way to end such an exhilarating day. It’s either a steep ride out on the road or a quick shuttle back to Posada de Valdeon and the hotel for a freshen up before dinner.

Day 6
The final days riding of this week is a Skedaddle gem! Starting out from the hotel door we head out south up a steady climb on good trails. The trail turns into a bit of a roller coaster of a ride as we undulate through the high mountains of Valdeprado, way above the tree line through smooth glaciated mountain landscapes and around the striking peaks of the Pena Ciquiera massif. An exciting, sweeping singletrack will lead us towards the Sierra de Albas, before climbing through the majestic Pueritos de Pineda peaks. Constantly our views of the Cordillera Cantabrica and the Picos are changing as we traverse the spines of mountains, eventually arriving at the Puerto de Panderruedas sitting at 1450 metres, giving us plenty of scope to play with.

The view from the pass looking north back for one last time into Valdeon is one of great natural beauty, with the Central and Western massifs merging into each other in a mass of huge gullies, pinnacles and broken limestone. Looking at the trail ahead, we will be heading into the head of the Beyos Gorge valley which depicts the western edge of the Picos national park. The area is incredibly wild with the head of the valley coated in a huge beach forest, followed by an area a little below where a cluster of villages cling to the mountainsides, enveloped by terraced meadows. Below the main river, the Sella, enters the impressive Beyos gorge, a beautiful sheer sided canyon that snakes and cuts the immense limestone into two.

Well rested we drop into the forest on a long slither of single track that will have you grinning and whooping and longing it not to end. It switches back at first through the humid forest, over greasy roots and fixed limestone sections before spitting us out to cruise across pastures ad weave through a crazy maze of conglomerate boulders. A couple of steep trickier sections will take us to the Rio Puerta, where the fun commences once again into more tight switchbacks to test your handling skills.

The trail eventually brings us to the beautiful mountainside village of Oseja de Sajambre, clinging to the towering mountains.  From here, the fun really begins, with a challenging short technical climb leads us to some forest singletrack that will plant a grin on your face. Options aplenty we will ride the trails of the area until your heart is content or your legs can’t take anymore. A cracking way to finish the week is to climb up underneath the Castro peaks and take a final furious descent dropping us to the idyllic hidden village of Soto for a few congratulatory ice-cold beers on the terrace. It’s a fantastic week of trail riding that we will celebrate in style with a delicious evening meal of succulent delicacies and ample tinto.

Day 7
Following breakfast, we bid a sad farewell to our friendly hosts at the accommodation and the Picos. On leaving the impressive Beyos gorge we take a brief coffee and tortilla stop en route before heading home.

Equipment
We provide everything except personal equipment, clothing and a bike (although we are able to hire bikes at each location.) Apart from your emergency tool kit & spare inner tube you will not be required to take any extra equipment. If you are planning on bringing your own bike we strongly advise a mountain bike with a minimum of 24 gears and at least front suspension as well as tyres with an appropriate level of tread for the trip. It is essential that this bike is in good working order and so if you are not mechanically minded we recommend taking your bike to a local bicycle dealer for a service in good time before departure.  Please contact us if you are unsure whether your bike or equipment will be suitable.

What the price doesn't include
A) Personal clothing and equipment.
B) Alcoholic drinks.
C) Travel insurance.
D) Bar bills, telephone calls, souvenirs, etc.
E) Bike hire (if required, £140).
F) Passage on the teleferico. Maximum 2 journeys @ 10 Euros approx. per trip.
G) Guaranteed single room (£140) - if available.