Hi,
At this early stage of looking, does anyone know the best cycling maps/routes available (if any) for Spain and Portugal.
I'm aware of the Eurovelo routes, but not much available on a map form.
Kind Regards,
Nigel
SPAIN PORTUGAL
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bicyclejourneys
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SPAIN PORTUGAL
Born To Cycle
Re: SPAIN PORTUGAL
Wanting a cycling map is asking too much for these countries, you should be happy if you can find a reliable road map. Of course in Spain they have beautiful survey maps at 1:50 000 but they are small sheets so you have to buy lots of them, and thus they are only justifiable for detailed local exploration. Of course there may additionally be some specific publications in relation to long distance cycle routes, which probably mainly means Spain rather than Portugal.
In Portugal, your problem is to find reliable maps of any kind, let alone cycling maps. I think the only complete road map of Portugal are Satnav maps - the introduction of Satnav was delayed in Portugal while the companies drove a mapping car along all the roads, as only 40% of roads were shown on any published map, a local resident informs me. Among paper road maps, I find the Turinta maps the most reliable published maps, though sometimes it is useful to have another map as a second opinion, or a focus of discussion with a local informant to verify the existence of roads on the map, suggest roads not on your map, and indicate which of the inconsistent representations on your maps is the more likely. The general situation in Portugal is that large roads have been pushed through, but the old roads are still there for you to cycle on, but the signpost only points to the next village on the old roads, which may not be shown on your paper map.
In northern Spain and along the east coast, I have been pretty pleased with the Michelin "Zoom" mapping http://travel.michelin.co.uk/spain-159-c.asp which is mostly at 1:150 000. It isn't 100% right, but it's the best you'll get without spending a lot of money on 1:50 000 survey maps. Still difficult at this scale actually finding that little road out of a village, and you'll get confused by minor local roads not shown on the map. But as indicated, it only has partial coverage of the country, but it may be the bit you want.
In Portugal, your problem is to find reliable maps of any kind, let alone cycling maps. I think the only complete road map of Portugal are Satnav maps - the introduction of Satnav was delayed in Portugal while the companies drove a mapping car along all the roads, as only 40% of roads were shown on any published map, a local resident informs me. Among paper road maps, I find the Turinta maps the most reliable published maps, though sometimes it is useful to have another map as a second opinion, or a focus of discussion with a local informant to verify the existence of roads on the map, suggest roads not on your map, and indicate which of the inconsistent representations on your maps is the more likely. The general situation in Portugal is that large roads have been pushed through, but the old roads are still there for you to cycle on, but the signpost only points to the next village on the old roads, which may not be shown on your paper map.
In northern Spain and along the east coast, I have been pretty pleased with the Michelin "Zoom" mapping http://travel.michelin.co.uk/spain-159-c.asp which is mostly at 1:150 000. It isn't 100% right, but it's the best you'll get without spending a lot of money on 1:50 000 survey maps. Still difficult at this scale actually finding that little road out of a village, and you'll get confused by minor local roads not shown on the map. But as indicated, it only has partial coverage of the country, but it may be the bit you want.
Re: SPAIN PORTUGAL
http://www.viasverdes.com/en/principal.asp
If you don't have a smart phone wih you (I didn't when I did the Ojos Negros), you can abstract enough info from the website before you go. As Iviehoff says above Michelin are the best for the other routes including minor roads. I don't know anything about satnav but I do remember that Google maps were next to useless - others may differ.
If you don't have a smart phone wih you (I didn't when I did the Ojos Negros), you can abstract enough info from the website before you go. As Iviehoff says above Michelin are the best for the other routes including minor roads. I don't know anything about satnav but I do remember that Google maps were next to useless - others may differ.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Re: SPAIN PORTUGAL
As far as Portugal is concerned I did this one, unfortunately it's in Italian, though, should you need gpx files just let me know.
Cheers.
Cheers.
Re: SPAIN PORTUGAL
This site has some useful stuff about cycling in Portugal including suggested routes.http://pedalportugal.com
The bit about maps suggests that online maps are best and don't expect much from any printed maps.http://pedalportugal.com/planning/practicalities/roads-maps/
We created our own route from Porto to Lisbon which generally worked fine but was hillier than expected. I'd put some effort into avoiding busy roads and didn't think enough about hills. They weren't hugely long or steep, it was more constant undulations which got a bit tiring.
The bit about maps suggests that online maps are best and don't expect much from any printed maps.http://pedalportugal.com/planning/practicalities/roads-maps/
We created our own route from Porto to Lisbon which generally worked fine but was hillier than expected. I'd put some effort into avoiding busy roads and didn't think enough about hills. They weren't hugely long or steep, it was more constant undulations which got a bit tiring.
Re: SPAIN PORTUGAL
I second the Pedal Portugal recommendation. I followed the guide and routes Alentejo Circuit with my girlfriend earlier this year and it fantastic for her first trip. Huw who runs the site and writes the guides was also super helpful.
http://pedalportugal.com/touring-routes ... o-circuit/
http://pedalportugal.com/touring-routes ... o-circuit/