Spanish tour in November - how many miles per day?

[CaiosH]

Im planning a trip in Spain in November. Fly to Malaga, hire a bike and ride to Portugal & back. Meeting friends in Lisbon.

My planned route & hotels means most days are around 200 miles and around 3 hrs. Is that about right?


Route is Malaga > Sevile > Sagres > Lisbon > day off > Faro > Gibralter > Malaga

[Triaguar]

Don't know if you've done it before. But presuming you havnt. If you pick the right roads you'll find them absolutely brilliant and empty. So 3hrs in the saddle for me on a Spanish/Portugese bike tour is no where near enough. I'd do a minimum of 3 in the morning, lunch, 3 in the afternoon. I never want to get off my damn thing when I'm over there.

[Alex@POD]

If this is a holiday to enjoy the Spanish and Portugese roads, I'd say that's far too short. If your aim is to see the sights with some decent riding in between, that could work...

[black-k1]

This is such a personal thing. Some of the Old Gits, myself included, have no issues with 250+ mile, 8 hour+ riding days over mountain passes. Further if the roads can be ridden faster. All with a minimum number of stops.

Others have had enough after 100 to 130 miles and a few coffee stops, all over a total of 3 to 4 hours.

I'd recommend planning routes that fill the day but that have the option of a faster/shorter "short cut" should you find that long days aren't working for you.

[Harry H]

I've only done group riding out that way but it seems no matter how fast or slow you ride it always works out about 50mph. Even when chucking in the odd M/Way stint at many MPH. Once you add back in fuel stops, pee breaks, photo ops, drink stops it always seems to come back to 50mph. Start mucking about, taking a detour, even when riding like a loon on some of the greatest roads out there and it easily drops to 40mph.

As a loan rider though 50mph should be easily and comfortably achievable.

300 mile days are comfortable. 350 Is the normal plan. A leisurely getaway say 9.30 with arrival at the night stop about 5. Check in, shower etc and then a beer around 6pm.

Arrive at your evening stop too early and you have that first beer early. It then only goes one way when in a group.

[CaiosH]

Thanks, all really helpful.

No, I’ve only done a completely organized tour before. That was all day, 6 hrs+. But absolutely no pressure or responsibility.

I’ll look at the route again. I’ve only put it in AA route finder atm, so it’ll probably be all motorways with those times. If I put a more scenic route in then it should work out a bit better.

Any famous roads or routes around my chosen area?

[KTMsm]

When I hire a bike in Spain I tend to ride from dawn until 3pm as its then getting too hot (in the summer)

That's 6 - 7 hours riding

I agree that if you're sticking to single carriageway allowing for drinks, pics and fuel 50mph would be about right so that's circa 300 a day, with 7+ hours of the day left

[Harry H]

If it's saying 200 miles on a quickest route planner that'll easily get to 300 when on proper biking roads.

Can't help with specific routes but we generally work out where we want to stop and then have a good drill down on google looking for twisties that avoid the big towns and head roughly in the right direction. Hills are good. Generally it's just miles and miles of empty race track smooth tarmac in Spain. Not so predictable in Portugal. The scenery is epic out in the country side though.

As K1 said, if you start to run short of time just jump back on the AA route planner.

You'll love it. Only downside is it destroys your motivation for UK riding.

[Marquezs Stabilisers]

If you're away from tourist areas when you take your lunch will be determined by local cafes or markets, not where and when you fancy. Depending when and where you're going, Loule market is worth a stop.

Just back from a week in Portugal, where driving standards are not high, even by Mediterranean standards. Be careful out there!

[Freakuk]

I've done anything from a couple of 100 miles to over 700 in a day previously on Euro tours, needless to say 700 or anywhere over probably 400 is a stretch, but it really depends on the roads, covering 700 miles was autostrada and as good as it is as covering big miles, it's no fun.

Conversely, I've mapped routes that could be quicker and less miles covered to enjoy the more scenic/twisty routes which have taken 4-6 hours with a few breaks and been really enjoyable and never too tiring.

I think for me it's about how much time in the saddle over the distance covered.

[Biker9090]

I have a rough rule when touring that if I want to spend some time somwhere like a museum (Arnhem Airbourne etc) then I don't do more than about 150/200 absolute max.

If I just want to enjoy the roads then that goes up to 300.

"Hours in the saddle" depdning on the roads I'd be looking at about 7 or so to allow for breaks.

I've got no interest in going out drinking or spending the evenings in fancy restaurants etc

[black-k1]

I'd suggest you check out BestBikingRoads.com to see some recommended roads in the areas you will be travelling then use MyRouteApp to plot a route that includes the recommendations. You can then export your MyRouteApp routes to whichever navigation device you're using.

[CaiosH]

Thanks for all the advice. From the information from the posts on here, I’ve looked at the route and the recommended website. I think my stops work out well, by avoiding motorways the millage doesn’t change much but the estimated time shoots up.

I’ve played with the routes by adding a stop or setting to avoid motorways. Which looks to have pushed it onto the recommended roads in the national parks or recommended coastal roads.

Malaga to Seville, 4 hrs 39 mins - 156 miles (via Marbella directs me through a national park)




Seville to Sagres, 6 hrs 28 mins - 232 miles - avoids motorways, takes me to a national park and then costal road.




Sagres to Lisbon, 3 hrs 50 mins - mostly high rated coastal road - but some motorway at the end to get to Lisbon in time.





Im quite happy with those so far, Id like to take it fairly easy and not be rushed in the mornings and evening. Hopefully the routes will allows that.

Route back will have to wait, see how hungover I am after Lisbon....probably just motorway it to back to Faro. Then try to get over toward Gibralter to travel through Parque Natural Los Alcornocales and Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema.

[Marquezs Stabilisers]

https://www.bestbikingroads.com/motorcycle-roads/s...

This road gets used for a lot of motorcycle launches and is in your area.

[JaseB]

Having just got back from Bordeaux, it depends what you want from your trip, we went more 'holiday' with 150-200 odd miles per day, previously went more road trip to Italy with 300 miles or more per day which was awesome but knackering!

Check out Calimoto for cracking motorbiking roads, it's worked a treat for me, the 'winding' road setting gives a reasonable ETA, 'Twisty' can be a bit optimistic but it does search out some blinding roads.

[CaiosH]

The rest of the trip;

Lisbon to Huelva - some motorways at the beginning, if Im feeling okay through the national park - 3 hr 54 mins - 199 miles


Huelva to Gibralter - 5 hrs 32 mins - 191 miles - C-3331 through national park



Then final day will probably be coast road back to Malalga.

Edited by CaiosH on Friday 27th September 10:46

[CaiosH]

Marquezs Stabilisers said:

https://www.bestbikingroads.com/motorcycle-roads/s...

This road gets used for a lot of motorcycle launches and is in your area.

Great, thats already on my Malaga to Seville route! :-)

[black-k1]

You definitely need to re-think the route along the Algarve coast. That has taken you along the N125 which is ste in a car, never mind a bike. You need to come away from the coast a bit and into the hills. Go north of the A22 motorway, not south of it.

ETA Sorry - wrong map originally quoted . It's the route from East to West, ending up at Sagres that you need to re-think.

Edited by black-k1 on Friday 27th September 11:53

Edited by black-k1 on Friday 27th September 11:54

[P675]

On my multi day trips I normally like to leave that nights accommodation at 8 and be settled down again at the next place for 6. Ample eating/sleeping/recovery time.