A good point about the Bielsa tunnel, but a hit, do it leaving Spain as if you get caut¡gt at the traffic lights going in from the northern portal - it's too narrow for two way traffic you can freeze to death ... :whistle:
Regarding openings, the Port de la Bonaigüa is closed quite frequently but there are signs at Vielha in the north and La Pobla de Segur in the south that arise you of this, so you can detour via the N-230 and the N-260 respectively.
Thank you kind sir - it's always nice to get feedback! (thumbs)Scott_rider wrote:We've done this journey 4 times, based on The Spanish Biker's fine recommendations B) .
In a kind of zig zag order this is our route:
Puigcerda, N260, Lleida, Caspe, Teruel, Cuenca, Requena, Almansa, Benidorm.
It's all superb riding roads...absolutely superb! (thumbs)
To finesse that route a little: come up to Puigcerda by the N-116 (from the coast) or D-118 (from Toulouse and the centre), both fabulous roads. The N-20 up the Puymorens pass looks great on the maps but is sadly disappointing IMHO and is also very busy lower down with traffic going up to Andorra from Foix.
Further south, crossing the plains around Lleida is a bit of a problem. If you've come down from the N-260 as you did the C-13 from Tremp to Balaguer is fantastic - one of the best roads in Spain! - but after that it runs through flat agricultural land and grotty villages. There's not much alternative so grin and bear it. But you have two choices, either take the horrible A2 from Lleida - avoiding the city - to Fraga and catch the fabulous N-211 all the way to Alcañiz. Or ride around - or better straight through - Lleida to pick up C-12 to Flix 8good eating at the 'Lo Pont' restaurant on the south side of the bridge (Cat, pont = bridge).
Easy parking at the 'Lo Pont'!
From there take the T-741 - which quickly turns into the utterly barking TV-7411! - to join the N-211 after passing Fayon, where there's a Civil War museum dedicated to the Battle of the Ebro (incidentally you need to go with a guided tour to see Belchite now) - after a lot if people have asked for it I have a Civil War tour all planned, but every time I announce this there isn't enough interest to make it worthwhile ...
Belchite
Getting further south on the Teruel road I definitely recommend a stay at Albarracín, even made a two night affair with a day's ring 'lite' around that lovely region. By next year I will have tried and tested route files for my HISS Aragon event in September so I'll send you a little 'jolly' but in the meantime turn off the N-420 at Alhambra and ride to Santa Eulalia - crossing the motorway there - and carry on into the Mintes Universales and Sierra de Albarracín on the A-1511 before joining the A-1512 at Orohuela de Tremadal and then south into Albarracín.
Hey, I'm off to Teruel again the week after next - now I know my route! (thumbs)
More soon ...
Regs
Simon
PS just found my picture of the Port de la Bonaigüa pass - it took quite some taking as I had to climb about 300 metres to have this view ...
... when all I really had to do was check it out on Google maps!