road classification for spain

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ollychristian@hotmail.com 18 Nov 10:53  

Joined: 18 Nov 2011

Posts: 2

Bike:

hello
a mate and i are planning a ride from barcelona to bilbao next may, up and accross the pyrenees.
ive been trying to look but cant find a deffinate answer as to what roads bikes are allowed on in spain.

are c,b and n roads ok?

anyone know any good campsites in and around the pyrenees?
our provisional route is north out of barcelona to les cabbenes, then east(ish)to lourdes, carry on down to bayonne, then along coast to blbao.
cheers

skiad1 13 Dec 22:08  

Joined: 09 Dec 2011

Posts: 70

Bike:

My Profile 		I've only ridden in Spain a little but, other than their 'motorways' which often seem to have useable 'service roads' running alongside, I don't think many are ruled out. i travelled from Veilha to Benebarre to Igualada and Barcelona and stuck to fairly major routes. Riding into Barcelona from the campsite(slightly south) was along what seemed to be a motorway! Obviously it wasn't but was a pretty major dual carriageway which many cyclists(both locals and tourists) used.

The main difference, in my experience, between either side of the pyrenees is the provision of accomodation(in my case camping). The French side enjoys a dearth of suitable places, whereas I found(remember this was just my own personal experience) the Spanish side lacking by comparison.

I'd be tempted to have a variety of routes prepared to take weather into account. I travelled in July 2008 and, whilst the French side had almost perfect cycling weather, the Spanish side was very hot. In May the Spanish side may be the most pleasant. Incidentally, I can heartily recommend the Veilha route towards Lourdes. It's still one of the most breathtaking day's riding I've ever enjoyed, with a range of terrain/vista/climate change I've never experienced over 1 day's riding before, or since!

Good luck and enjoy your tour!


p.s. Camp Prat Du Rey should you find yourself looking for a camp near Lourdes.....