 | Home > Camping, Caravanning and Holidays > Northern Spain |
 
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| Bluest Member Since: 23 Apr 2016 Location: Lancashire Posts: 4216   
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San Sebastian is one of our favourite places, so I would always recommend a visit there, the food is tremendous. If you want to get away from tarmac, I'd take a look at the Vibraction Roadbook RB28 which is in that area. As well as the track routes it will have info on camping, but you'll need to translate it from French. 2007 110 TDCi Station Wagon XS
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6th Feb 2024 1:35pm |
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| John P Member Since: 26 Dec 2013 Location: West Sussex Posts: 322 
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When we did Picos de Europa National Park, we stayed at Camp La Viorna near Potes, which is a lovely little town. We did the hike to the Cross on the hill.
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6th Feb 2024 1:54pm |
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| steveww Member Since: 05 Jan 2022 Location: Uppingham Posts: 569 
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I will be doing a similar trip in September.
There are loads of tracks to do in the Pyrenees, check out Wikiloc and Outdoor Active for free info. For a small joining fee https://adventurecountrytracks.com has a good GPX file for the area. Away from the tracks there's plenty of small towns, castles, lakes, hiking trails, abandoned villages, etc. Just south of Bilbao is the Rioja wine region, well worth spending time there if you like wine. |
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7th Feb 2024 9:31am |
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| John P Member Since: 26 Dec 2013 Location: West Sussex Posts: 322
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Just do your homework on the day before you drive tracks. We got a fine on one of the tracks, as we were not allowed to be there, although being a well known track. (Hint, make sure you have your V5) When we asked the police how we ere supposed to know, they said they didn't know, as it can change, almost daily. There were no signs etc. Spent over 2 hours discussing with the police. They were nice about it, and then they didn't know how much to fine us, so had to contact head office. Then on another track, we had to get a permit from the local bar to drive the track. Who knew!!! There seems to be less freedom nowadays than when we went years ago.
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7th Feb 2024 10:06am |
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| 8619simon Member Since: 04 Nov 2016 Location: North Wales Posts: 247  
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Spent a great week in the Picos last October....... Outside of the main season it is very quiet but can get quite busy during main holidays... That being said there is plenty of it so not too hard to find hike away from the crowds. It is a stunning area for hiking.
There is a great gravel track from Sotres to Fuenta De: https://www.wikiloc.com/offroading-trails/...s-14361194 One of the very few off road tracks you can drive in the park. As has already been said there are loads of tracks and routes on Wikiloc for the Pyrenees, both East and West. Bardenas de Reales is quite a unique landscape so definitely worth a visit. In the Picos we camped in a lovely campsite called Camping El Cares (https://maps.app.goo.gl/BLQamkZwp4vAgjKv9). really chilled campsite but with nice facilities and loads of Hikes available to go at without driving anywhere. Easy access to the Cares gorge too. |
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7th Feb 2024 10:40pm |
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| steveww Member Since: 05 Jan 2022 Location: Uppingham Posts: 569
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Are you sure you were not just contributing to the local police Christmas party?  |
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8th Feb 2024 10:33am |
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| Bluest Member Since: 23 Apr 2016 Location: Lancashire Posts: 4216
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Interesting advice from John P. My understanding of the Spanish rules was that if there were no signs or barriers, a track is open for use (but my last trip was pre-Covid). That's a disappointing change. 2007 110 TDCi Station Wagon XS
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8th Feb 2024 11:44am |
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| 8619simon Member Since: 04 Nov 2016 Location: North Wales Posts: 247
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I think the restrictions relate mostly to the Picos National park which is highly regulated. The majority of tracks do seem to require a permit of some kind. The one from Sotres to Fuente De is one of the few that does not require anything but you are not allowed to leave the boundaries of the track. If you are in the area I would highly recommend this as the scenery is stunning, particularly if you start from the Sotres end.
I would agree with @bluest, in the rest of Spain and in particular the Pyrenees, they are very good at putting chains across a track or putting a private sign up if you are not allowed on it. Other than that you are generally free to explore. I’ve done three trips to Spanish Pyrenees now in the last 5 years and never had any trouble following this rule. |
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8th Feb 2024 12:32pm |
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| John P Member Since: 26 Dec 2013 Location: West Sussex Posts: 322
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 Yes that's what we first though, but then the red tape that followed with envelopes, signing each one, copies upon copies, and then we even got the final summons in the post of admitting guilt months later. The general thought and trying to understand Spanish, was that as they were in a fire restriction area, and it was very dry, the tracks were closed, although no signs or chains.
Edit. Just to clarify this happened on 6 August 2022. |
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8th Feb 2024 1:14pm |
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| johncorrisgrey Member Since: 17 Apr 2023 Location: south yorkshire Posts: 11
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there is a very nice site called playa joyel at Noja which is about 1 hour along the coast from Bilbao if you want to finish off with beach. You can book through caravan club if a member .Good for surfing n body boards. Don't miss the Guggenheim in Bilbao quite spectacular.
We booked the Brittany Ferries fast ferry in the first year it ran. 3days before we were due to leave it blew a gasket and we ended driving down through France a journey of a 1000 miles instead of 25 miles from Santander  We caught its first return trip home about a month later Northern Spain is a beautiful part of the world.
John |
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8th Feb 2024 3:07pm |
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| Scotm Member Since: 28 Feb 2014 Location: Aberdeenshire Posts: 666  
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Some great ideas so far - keep them coming - thanks
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9th Feb 2024 6:01pm |
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| 66north Member Since: 08 Oct 2010 Location: The North Posts: 104
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Check out the Trans Euro Trail website for off-road routes.
https://transeurotrail.org/spain/ ‘Technically’ a site for adventure bike riders, but most of the routes are easily done in a 4x4 because the trails are the European equivalent of green lanes. Trail GPX Files downloads are free. I copied them into Gaia. None of the trails we drove were remotely ‘gnarly’. We drove lots of the routes in N Spain last year and never saw another vehicle or motorcycle. Don’t underestimate how much longer a journey will take cross-country though. We’d set out in a morning with a view to getting to X for the evening and then abandon the off road trail by early afternoon because our pace was just too slow! Scenery is beautiful and reminded me of parts of the American SW, hence the Spaghetti Western connection with this part of Spain. FWIW. The cemetery shoot-out finale of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was shot just SE of Burgos. Trail below was a high altitude ridge line in the hills east of Tafalla  Click image to enlarge Might be a bit too far east of Bardenas for you but we stumbled upon a lovely little campsite overlooking a vast plain. https://www.pitchup.com/campsites/spain/ar...de_loarre/ Click image to enlarge There was a great off road route within 5 minutes of the campsite that took in an old castle high in the mountains. Click image to enlarge The area around Bardenas Reales is all on dirt roads with various ways in and out. You will occasionally find road closures on some of the tracks because a chunk of the area is a military airbase and they often do low-level bombing practice runs! Click image to enlarge |
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15th Jun 2024 11:32am |
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| ruben Member Since: 04 Feb 2021 Location: ASTURIAS Posts: 204 
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😅😅😅😅 oh really? I think you still have a lot left to explore in northern Spain!! It is always funny to see how tourists see your own land, and I am speaking to you from Asturias, just north of the Cantabrian mountain range and the peaks of Europe and on the edge of the Cantabrian Sea.👍🏼👍🏼 Just a piece of advice, if you want to travel by car, try to avoid the declared national parks, it is easy to find them, absolutely prohibited by car, only on foot and occasionally by bicycle. The rest of the forest tracks outside national parks are also prohibited, unless you are a rancher, which you probably won't be, or if the forest track connects 2 towns and there is no other alternative but by bicycle or on foot, sometimes there are beautiful land rover, or Santanas, taxi. The country, and its environmental laws, is quite restrictive in this regard, the fact that they don't fine you is because they normally don't see you. If you come during the time of forest fires, believe me, it will be cheaper to shoot a priest! and never forget...ignorance of the law does not exempt you from compliance!! |
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15th Jun 2024 3:04pm |
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| Scotm Member Since: 28 Feb 2014 Location: Aberdeenshire Posts: 666
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So that is us back from an amazing three weeks trip to Northern Spain. Total 2250 miles covered in our 2012 2.2 110. Now with 128,800 miles on the clock.
No issues other than a leaking fuel return pipe at one of the injectors on first leg of journey. Cable tie fixed it but was able to get replacement o-ring from a Ford dealer easy enough in Bilbao. Typical despite taking a long list of spares I didn’t have what I needed! Delighted no oil or water was used on the trip. In summary we headed East from Bilbao and loosely used the Vibraction Road Book 28 first two days to get us South to Bardenas Reales for exploring – then west to Rioja for wine, south again to Sierra De La Demanda mountains then North West to Picos de Europa where we spent a large chunk of time (5 nights). We then headed north east to Bilbao along the coast but was too busy and we prefer mountains rather than sand so popped south to more hills before a final overnight day in Bilbao. Did a lot more off road trails than expected mostly picking from a map or from wikiloc. Lots of sight seeing/biking/hiking and wild swimming to split up the driving. Four nights in hotels (San Sebastian, Arguedas x2 and Bilbao) and the rest camping. Detailed route was as follows: • Aberdeenshire – Cheshire – Portsmouth • Portsmouth to Bilbao by ferry • Bilbao • San Sebastian • St Jean Pied de Port • Lumbier • Bardenas Reales / Arguedas • Rioja Logrono/Haro • Sierra De La Demanda/Villasur de Herreros • Picos de Europa – Santa Marina de Valdeon/Cain/Fuente De/Sotres • San Vicente de la Barquera – Santillana del Mar – Sopena • Bilbao to Portsmouth • Portsmouth – Cheshire – Aberdeenshire Click image to enlarge Here are some of the best pics! Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge |
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29th Jul 2024 4:45pm |
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