Zamora to Biarritz

[robing]

The journey from Seville to Salamanca has been straightforward, I've just followed the N 630. I'm taking a little diversion to miRanda del duro just to say I've been to Portugal. Then I'm heading home.

The next section looks complicated. Valladolid, Burgos looks the most direct, but looks to be motorway only. Anyone got any tips?

[tyreon]

Hi Robing. Just back from around that area and with a similar journey plan to yourself but that incessant high temperatures(then)and some time restrictions made us go on to Santander to return home.
May be able sort out some advice for your should you still need it but am pressed(right now) to recollect our journey in detail(the sun mustavereally gone to my head)
I am hoping you are more tech savvy than me. On a particular section going north we were a little frit that the national route joined the motorway and that would make us have to retrace or footsteps(grrrrr...)or add additional miles to our journey plan to 'get in the direction/town we next had s our destination. Look closely at some google map satellite thing if you can(we didn't). Next to the motorway are often 'service roads',and which will follow particular sections of the motorway very closely avoiding you having to go miles out of your way to a selected destination. There's no one on these roads,but they don't seem to be well detailed on paper maps(we were using an old paper road atlas. If and when you can figure that there is a service road by the motorway,be careful as when you travel along the service road there seems to be an absence of signs: the authorities seem to want to push all vehicles back onto the motorway. You will know along these service roads are hostals and other accommodation catering for the travelling car/lorry/cyclist.
OTOH take some of the back roads: deserted. Just make sure you have enough H2O
From recall(and it might be bad recall)up around that area you are in flat country,well rolling gradient. Later it gets long and lumpy.
Will add additional info if and when you need it...and on checking our route

[b1ke]

I came the other way, from Santander to Zamora and down the N630 a couple of years ago.

From Zamora, you could go to Benevente and Mancilla. From there, you've got a choice.

1.Turn right towards Burgos and then over the Cantabrian mountains to Santander. Then the coast road towards Biarritz.

2. From Mancilla, go over the mountains towards Cangos and through the valley to Ariondas and onto the coast road at Ribadesella. From there along the coast to Biarritz.

(Don't know that all these town spellings are correct.)

I've done both routes, but only as far as Santander. From there to Biarritz, I've no idea. The mountain passes were around 1200 metres with plenty of switchbacks.

Hope this makes sense and is of some use.

[robing]

Thanks for the replies. I'm now at Vitoria in the Basque country. I use a mixture of maps.me and Google maps. On Google maps I select car but avoid motorways and toll roads and that usually gives a good guide. (The bike option doesn't work abroad). From Zamora I went on beautifully straight minor roads northeast via Villalpando, Villalda, then on to the N 120 to Burgos. Today was interesting! Google maps was sending me on a bit of a loop adding an extra 7 miles. It didn't appear to be an option to go on the N1. So I tried the walking route and it showed me a direct route following the N1. There was a few km on very bumpy tracks but this got me to the old N1 which I could cycle on. However this ran out and I had no option than to go on the Autovia for a couple of km. But got away with it! By chance a Dutch touring cyclist saw me just before the track section so we rode together. I think I would have rather just done the extra 7 miles on the road!

From here I can get through vitoria and then the minor road which follows the N1 north up to the coast.