Santander to Calais - info required

[peter236uk]

Hi I thinking of doing a tour next spring i would like to ferry to santandar then cycle back to uk via calais
I would camp on route has anyone done this if so any route info etc would be fantastic
pete

[lisap]

If you get the Cicerone Cycling tours of Spain it gives a route along the Northern coast through Catalonia which would give you a bit of an idea of how to get to France. Plus look on the maps/routes section on this site for other peoples trips. Always a great resource.

Having just ridden in northern Spain for 3 weeks I found that maps and plan your own trip were just as good. France is great for accomodation but campsites in Spain are not as numerous, although they may be on the coast.

[peter236uk]

Cheers

[philipcon]

My family luckily dropped me off in San Sebastian so I did not have to catch the train from Santandar. It was easy catching the train from San Sebastian - I just stood on a platform until I saw a train to Hendaye - bought a ticket ($3). At Hendaye I was easily able to catch a train to Bordeau as the Aquitane region looked a bit boring. The route from Bordeaux to Le Havre was a delight. I then was able to catch a train to Newport where I live. I used an online routing website which I uploaded onton my garmin edge 800 and have a lovely 5 day ride, camping and hotelling. Happy to share my route.

[MrsHJ]

I have done Roscoff to Santander. It's a fun route, highly recommended, I loved Aquitaine (which is also really fast away from the coast and spectacular on the coast). I've got Nothing for you north of Brittany though and you have the question of which angle you cross France on ie west coast or diagonal up the middle. The most direct route though looks too only divert from the west coast at the bottom of Brittany.

I'd try to avoid Paris.

[bikepacker]

Hi I thinking of doing a tour next spring i would like to ferry to santandar then cycle back to uk via calais
I would camp on route has anyone done this if so any route info etc would be fantastic
pete

There have be a couple of previous threads on this or similar routes, as someone who knows well the route from Santander into France I have posted details in these threads. Do a search you may find lots of info. If you need anything specific post here and I will answer.

My quick top tips for the Northern Spain part: Take the harbour ferry across from Santander to Samo and start your ride from there.

Cross the river at Bilbao by the Transporter Bridge, maps and details are on line. Also after coastal campsite at Sopelana there is not another until after Lekeito so have at least 40 miles and a tough climb in your legs before leaving Bilbao area.

If using campsite at Deba get supplies before you leave the town as the campsite has no supplies and is quite a way out.

Campsite at San Sebastian is way out of town up a tough hill so only use if intending to stay in the area.

After San Sebastian don't follow signs to Irun as they will take you through very dangerous and long tunnels.

[BigH]

I cycled from Santander to Caen in 2010 and, like Bikepacker, caught the ferry across the bay from Santander to Pedrena which cost 6 euros. This puts you on quieter roads straight away. Then I followed an inland route across northern Spain to avoid the busy coastal strip using campsites at Ramales, Villanane, Estella and Roncevalles, going just south of Pamplona and crossing the Pyrenees via the Puerto de Ibaneta down to St Jean Pied de Port in France. This worked out at about 240 miles to the French border. The roads were good and not busy at all but there were some big hills along the way, as there would be if you stayed nearer the coast. After St Jean I cycled up the middle of France linking towns with campsites that I had found on the internet (CampingFrance.com). There is scope for using some French cycle routes on your trip - see www.af3v.org for an interactive map of these. What you intend is certainly a worthwhile trip with lots of route choices.

[bikerwaser]

myself and a friend did St Malo to Santander a couple of years ago.
it was great !
900 miles in total, 21 days

it was quite straight forward . we hugged the coast the whole time. the Basque country was fairly brutal on the hills but the scenery was awesome.

we took paper michelin maps and also nipped into the TIC and got some great cycle route maps too.

so if i were you i'd do it all along the coast from Santander to San Seb and when in France you can use great cycle paths which can take you all the way north.


i'm just off in a couple of days myself from St Malo down to Andalucia in Spain. looking forward to it.

good luck !


Bikerwaser


p.s.

here's my blog of my ride to Barcelona ( you can see some of the great bike routes along the west coast of France ) :

http://biker-waser.blogspot.co.uk/