Why this ride
A dense sequence of passes, valleys and viewpoint roads. It also links naturally to Picos de Europa National Park.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Picos de Europa Grand Loop
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 162 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 47
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Access context
Check heat, mountain weather and seasonal access restrictions. Specific flag: weather; seasonal traffic.
Seasonal context
May-Oct
Scenic road chapters
Picos de Europa Loop
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 47 km this is Picos de Europa Loop, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 47 km
- Named road
- Picos de Europa Loop
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Potes
Potes is the capital of Liébana, a hidden-away valley in Cantabria that is walled in by the Picos de Europa on three sides and so mild and sheltered that it grows fruit and grapes at the foot of mountains that still carry snow in June. The town sits where the rivers Deva and Quiviesca meet, under a square medieval tower, the Torre del Infantado, with stone bridges, arcaded houses and narrow streets climbing away from the water. It has only a little over a thousand residents, which is why everybody on the street seems to know everybody else.
Read the complete Potes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Potes sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Cangas de Onís.
2. Cangas de Onís
This is where Spain's story of reconquest is told, at least the way it is told in Asturias. A few kilometres up the road at Covadonga, the local lord Pelayo is said to have beaten a Muslim force around 722, an event that became the founding legend of the Kingdom of Asturias, and Cangas de Onís was that kingdom's first capital. So a small town of about six thousand people carries rather a lot of history, and it shows in the Roman Bridge, which is actually medieval, with its high single arch over the Sella and a cross hanging beneath it.
Read the complete Cangas de Onís write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cangas de Onís comes up 47 km in. Next is Potes.
3. Potes
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Potes write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
162 km in you reach Potes.
Recorded source links
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Tito Bustillo and Altamira · 362 km
- Chemin de la Liébana and Eglise San Salvador · 456 km