Picos & Northern Spain. 3rd time lucky.

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SHarper
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Re: Picos & Northern Spain. 3rd time lucky.

Post by SHarper »

My picture taken in May
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Your picture.
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Flintlock
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Re: Picos & Northern Spain. 3rd time lucky.

Post by Flintlock »

Monday 3rd October

A leisurely breakfast at the hotel - several courses and I reckon we had most of them - nicely set up for the day.

We ride a short distance down the road and turn left at Espinama - there's a wee supermarket here so we were able to load up with water.

We were going to tackle the track between here and Sortes, approximately 10 miles. I'm not a big fan of off road on my GSA but had studied this track & reckoned I could do it, but the main reason for me was the scenery it passed through. A wee taster of what lay ahead
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Flintlock
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Re: Picos & Northern Spain. 3rd time lucky.

Post by Flintlock »

As you leave Espinama the track starts to rise fairly sharply and the surface gets progressively harder with lots of loose large stones - not helped by meeting a small oil tanker coming down the other way .

It improved further along and we stopped at a junction where left takes you up to a hotel.

That's me on the right just happy I have got this far
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Allan and me stayed at the junction whilst the rest headed up the track to check out the hotel. The views all around were superb- especially on a day like this
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Flintlock
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Re: Picos & Northern Spain. 3rd time lucky.

Post by Flintlock »

The rest of the party soon rejoined us and we headed off. Most of the route turned out to be OK- a couple more tricky bits, especially a steep downhill with a couple of turns and lots of loose rocks near the end.

Some more pics
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Flintlock
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Re: Picos & Northern Spain. 3rd time lucky.

Post by Flintlock »

Some more pics
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So we all made it through with no dramas & headed up to the small village of Sotres for a well earned cold drink
Flintlock
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Re: Picos & Northern Spain. 3rd time lucky.

Post by Flintlock »

We head off North along the CA-1 to where it meets the AS-264. Another stunning spot
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Flintlock
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Re: Picos & Northern Spain. 3rd time lucky.

Post by Flintlock »

We make our way up to Las Arenas. The rest of the party wanted to explore more tracks in the Bobia and Gamonedo de Onis areas. I was happy with my lot for the day and made my way back to the hotel along now familiar roads.

Stopped at a hotel (opposite the one we were staying in)for a cold drink and took in the views from the hotel porch and listened to the distant bells on the cows and the occasional bark from their guardian dogs somewhere up there in the mountains
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Tramp
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Re: Picos & Northern Spain. 3rd time lucky.

Post by Tramp »

In sorted take the right track out of village eastwards...rather than the tarmac down to main road ...Great pics of the best and really only trail in the picos...
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Re: Picos & Northern Spain. 3rd time lucky.

Post by Flintlock »

It was not too long before the others arrived back, having ticked off some more trails.

Another great days biking - the highlight being the trail between Espinama and Sortres

Don't think I would chance my luck and do it again tho lol.
Flintlock
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Re: Picos & Northern Spain. 3rd time lucky.

Post by Flintlock »

Tramp wrote: Tue Oct 18, 2022 8:01 pm In sorted take the right track out of village eastwards...rather than the tarmac down to main road ...Great pics of the best and really only trail in the picos...
Cheers Tramp - I think the others might have went that way too but eventually had to turn and come back (up towards Tresviso from memory?)
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