Experience of Spanish coast roads?

Hi. This is my first post on this newsgroup.

Three of us from Canterbury Cycle Club will be cycling from Canterbury to Gibraltar at Easter (1400
miles in 16 days) on three 1960s Cottingham road bikes.

I last cycled up the Mediterranean coast road from Cadiz to Barcelona in 1977 on a tandem. Since
then, I understand much of the coast road has been made into fast dual-carriageway.

Two questions: 1. Does anyone have any experience of this route on a bike in recent times? 2. We
have heard rumours that bikes are not permitted on Spanish dual-carriageway routes: can anyone
confirm this?

--

Scatterbunny ~..~ ( ' )

http://www.canterburycc.fslife.co.uk

 

> Two questions: 1. Does anyone have any experience of this route on a bike
in
> recent times? 2. We have heard rumours that bikes are not permitted on Spanish dual-carriageway
> routes: can anyone confirm this?

Do it inland, through Andalucia where I've been many times. Superb cycling. These coastal roads are
dangerous and have very heavy very fast traffic. I've been on a few bits of necessity.

DON'T DO IT>

You are allowed on anything except motorway, by and large.

Inland Spain is a much much better bet. You can visit superb places like Granada, Ubeda, Ronda,
Seville, Arcos de la Frontera, Cordoba (not been there) etc.

 

Scatterbunny wrote:

>Two questions: 1. Does anyone have any experience of this route on a bike in recent times? 2. We
>have heard rumours that bikes are not permitted on Spanish dual-carriageway routes: can anyone
>confirm this?

I cycled a short section, from Cerbere to Llanca (for a few days lazing after completing the Raid
Pyrenean).

The coastal road was very beautiful and reasonably safe. French and Dutch drivers are very
courteous. Spanish and other continentals less so. Be very wary of the occasional British driver who
think it their duty to pass as close to cyclists as possible.

The new A7 road runs alongside the old N11. If you are not intending to cycle as close to the coast
as you can, I suggest you use the N11.
--
remove remove to reply

 

ive done malaga to Gibraltar, and the dual carriageway, especially close to malaga is v.fast with
confusing exit and entry slips, especially if youve just got off a plane. most of the coastal road
after marbella is good smooth riding and not too difficult at all except for the traffic islands
which are every 50 meters in some places around the towns. loads of camp sites too if your taking it
slow. views are fantastic, you can see the rock from miles away. advice in gibraltar itself- watch
out for the mopeds, its like Rome, loads of kids whizzing around on them.

"Scatterbunny" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi. This is my first post on this newsgroup.
>
> Three of us from Canterbury Cycle Club will be cycling from Canterbury to Gibraltar at Easter
> (1400 miles in 16 days) on three 1960s Cottingham road bikes.
>
> I last cycled up the Mediterranean coast road from Cadiz to Barcelona in 1977 on a tandem. Since
> then, I understand much of the coast road has
been
> made into fast dual-carriageway.
>
> Two questions: 1. Does anyone have any experience of this route on a bike
in
> recent times? 2. We have heard rumours that bikes are not permitted on Spanish dual-carriageway
> routes: can anyone confirm this?
>
> --
>
> Scatterbunny ~..~ ( ' )
>
> http://www.canterburycc.fslife.co.uk

 

Scatterbunny wrote:
> Hi. This is my first post on this newsgroup.
>
> Three of us from Canterbury Cycle Club will be cycling from Canterbury to Gibraltar at Easter
> (1400 miles in 16 days) on three 1960s Cottingham road bikes.

> I last cycled up the Mediterranean coast road from Cadiz to Barcelona in 1977 on a tandem. Since
> then, I understand much of the coast road has been made into fast dual-carriageway.

> Two questions: 1. Does anyone have any experience of this route on a bike in recent times? 2. We
> have heard rumours that bikes are not permitted on Spanish dual-carriageway routes: can anyone
> confirm this?

No experience of 1.

2. I was touring in Spain in Sep/Oct 1998 and there *are* signs prohibiting bicycles from specific
freeways, I don't know if it applies to dual-carriageway routes in general. You probably wouldn't
want to ride on the freeway anyway, and usually there is a parallel "local access" road that dips
in and out of the villages. *But* I found one section of about 5 or 10km where the road had been
recently upgraded to a freeway (dual carriageway, three lanes each way) and bikes prohibited, but
there was no alternative route. I rode on the freeway.

I also met a group of four Americans who had been caught riding on a similar freeway and had been
escorted off it by the Spanish police. This involved a long lecture on not riding where prohibited,
and then them having to ride 5km back the way they'd come, chaperoned by a rather grumpy motorcycle
cop. Then a further 20km of side roads to finally get to where they were going. They were not in a
good mood that evening, which was when I met them.

Careful examination of some decent (1:200 000 or 1:300 000) maps might help with plotting
alternate routes.

Adrian

---------------------------------------------------------------
Adrian Tritschler mailto:[email protected] Latitude 38°S, Longitude 145°E,
Altitude 50m, Shoe size 44
---------------------------------------------------------------

 

Adrian Tritschler wrote:

> Scatterbunny wrote:
> > Hi. This is my first post on this newsgroup.
> >
> > Three of us from Canterbury Cycle Club will be cycling from Canterbury to Gibraltar at Easter
> > (1400 miles in 16 days) on three 1960s Cottingham road bikes.
>
> > I last cycled up the Mediterranean coast road from Cadiz to Barcelona in 1977 on a tandem. Since
> > then, I understand much of the coast road has been made into fast dual-carriageway.
>
> > Two questions: 1. Does anyone have any experience of this route on a bike in recent times? 2. We
> > have heard rumours that bikes are not permitted on Spanish dual-carriageway routes: can anyone
> > confirm this?
>
> No experience of 1.
>
> 2. I was touring in Spain in Sep/Oct 1998 and there *are* signs prohibiting bicycles from specific
> freeways, I don't know if it applies to dual-carriageway routes in general. You probably
> wouldn't want to ride on the freeway anyway, and usually there is a parallel "local access"
> road that dips in and out of the villages. *But* I found one section of about 5 or 10km where
> the road had been recently upgraded to a freeway (dual carriageway, three lanes each way) and
> bikes prohibited, but there was no alternative route. I rode on the freeway.
>
> I also met a group of four Americans who had been caught riding on a similar freeway and had been
> escorted off it by the Spanish police. This involved a

>

> long lecture on not riding where prohibited, and then them having to ride 5km back the way
> they'd come, chaperoned by a rather grumpy motorcycle cop. Then a further 20km of side roads to
> finally get to where they were going. They were not in a good mood that evening, which was when
> I met them.
>
> Careful examination of some decent (1:200 000 or 1:300 000) maps might help with plotting
> alternate routes.
>
> Adrian
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> Adrian Tritschler mailto:[email protected] Latitude 38°S, Longitude 145°E,
> Altitude 50m, Shoe size 44
> ---------------------------------------------------------------

The bridge from Puerto Real to Cadiz is also 'no cycles' (various other prohibitions too, I think),
the alternative via San Fernando _much_ longer. OTOH there are always people to be seen fishing from
it who have clearly ignored the freeway signs.

I travelled from Cadiz to Ronda, then Ronda to Malaga, by bus, and noted for future reference
that the hills look like fantastic cycling country. Not much traffic, and some of the roads are
very good.

Incidentally, mid winter looks like being a very good time for cycling in Andalucia to me - not too
hot, pleasant in fact, fresh and green, unlike the summer.

((matt)))