Why this ride
293 km from Ramales de la Victoria to Ramales de la Victoria, about 5 h 11 of riding. On the way it passes Eglise Santa Maria de la Asuncion, Vizcaya Bridge, Santimamiñe and Collégiale de Ziortza.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Covalanas and Collégiale de Ziortza
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 293 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 11
- 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.
Scenic road chapters
Basque Coast Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 42 km this is Basque Coast Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 42 km
- Named road
- Basque Coast Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Covalanas
Covalanas is known as the cave of the red deer. Its walls carry red ochre paintings of hinds, drawn in a distinctive dotted technique, and they are among the finest Palaeolithic paintings in the Cantabrian region. The cave sits on a steep, wooded hillside above Ramales de la Victoria, in eastern Cantabria, and it was one of the first painted caves to be recognised in Spain, in the early twentieth century. It is part of the UNESCO-listed Cave of Altamira and Palaeolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain, and visits are limited to small groups, so booking ahead is advisable.
Read the complete Covalanas write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Covalanas is where the day begins. Next is Eglise Santa Maria de la Asuncion.
2. Eglise Santa Maria de la Asuncion
Castro-Urdiales has one of the best harbour fronts on the whole Cantabrian coast, and it knows it. The Gothic church of Santa María de la Asunción stands on a rocky headland above the old port, its buttresses and pinnacles silhouetted against the sea, flanked by the remains of a castle that now holds a lighthouse and by a medieval bridge leading to a little chapel on a rock. Built from the thirteenth century onward, the church is one of the finest Gothic buildings in northern Spain, and it lies on the coastal route of the Way of Saint James, which is part of a UNESCO listing that covers the pilgrimage roads of the north.
Read the complete Eglise Santa Maria de la Asuncion write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Eglise Santa Maria de la Asuncion comes up 29 km in. Next is Vizcaya Bridge.
3. Vizcaya Bridge
Few riders get the chance to cross a river hanging from a bridge, but at Portugalete you can. The Vizcaya Bridge, opened in 1893 across the mouth of the Nervión just downstream of Bilbao, is the oldest transporter bridge in the world: a tall iron structure from which a gondola, suspended on cables, glides from one bank to the other carrying cars, motorcycles, bikes and pedestrians in a couple of minutes. It was designed by the Basque architect Alberto de Palacio, often described as a disciple of Gustave Eiffel, to let tall ships pass beneath while still linking the two towns, and UNESCO listed it in 2006.
Read the complete Vizcaya Bridge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
58 km in you reach Vizcaya Bridge. Next is Santimamiñe.
4. Santimamiñe
In 1916, a group of boys exploring a hillside in the Basque Country found paintings deep inside a cave, and Santimamiñe became one of the most important prehistoric sites in the region. The cave, near Kortezubi in the Urdaibai valley, contains Magdalenian paintings of bison, horses, goats and deer, made around fourteen thousand years ago, and it is part of the UNESCO listing of cave art of northern Spain. To protect the paintings, the cave itself is closed to the public, but a visitor centre offers a virtual tour that recreates the interior in detail, with guides explaining the art and the people who made it.
Read the complete Santimamiñe write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Santimamiñe, about halfway. Next is Collégiale de Ziortza.
5. Collégiale de Ziortza
High on a green hillside above the village of Bolibar, in the Biscayan interior, the collegiate church of Ziortza looks out over a valley of meadows, farmhouses and eucalyptus and pine plantations. It is a tranquil, solid place, a church and cloister built of grey stone with a fortified look, and it stands on the Camino del Norte, the coastal route to Santiago, so you will often see pilgrims resting on the benches outside.
Read the complete Collégiale de Ziortza write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Collégiale de Ziortza sits at 116 km, about halfway. Next is back through Santimamiñe.
6. back through Santimamiñe
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Santimamiñe write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Santimamiñe comes up 144 km in. Next is back through Vizcaya Bridge.
7. back through Vizcaya Bridge
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Vizcaya Bridge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
173 km in you reach back through Vizcaya Bridge. Next is back through Eglise Santa Maria de la Asuncion.
8. back through Eglise Santa Maria de la Asuncion
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Eglise Santa Maria de la Asuncion write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Eglise Santa Maria de la Asuncion, late in the day. Next is Covalanas.
9. Covalanas
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Covalanas write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 293 km.
Leg by leg
Covalanas to Eglise Santa Maria de la Asuncion
Covalanas → Eglise Santa Maria de la Asuncion is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Eglise Santa Maria de la Asuncion to Vizcaya Bridge
Eglise Santa Maria de la Asuncion → Vizcaya Bridge is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Vizcaya Bridge to Santimamiñe
Vizcaya Bridge → Santimamiñe is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Santimamiñe to Collégiale de Ziortza
Santimamiñe → Collégiale de Ziortza is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Collégiale de Ziortza to back through Santimamiñe
Collégiale de Ziortza → back through Santimamiñe is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Santimamiñe to back through Vizcaya Bridge
back through Santimamiñe → back through Vizcaya Bridge is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Vizcaya Bridge to back through Eglise Santa Maria de la Asuncion
back through Vizcaya Bridge → back through Eglise Santa Maria de la Asuncion is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Eglise Santa Maria de la Asuncion to Covalanas
back through Eglise Santa Maria de la Asuncion → Covalanas is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.