Why this ride
110 km one way from Aínsa - plan on about 1 h 42 of riding. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,800 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Pyrenees N260 Route: Ainsa to Biescas
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 110 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 42
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. 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
Pyrenees N260 Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 36 km this is Pyrenees N260 Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 36 km
- Named road
- Pyrenees N260 Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Ainsa
Aínsa sits on a hilltop above the meeting of two Pyrenean rivers, the Cinca and the Ara, and the old village on top is one of those places where the medieval layout has simply been left to get on with itself. You enter through a gate into a great sloping square of rough cobbles surrounded by stone arcades, with a castle and a Romanesque church on the high side and views out over the valley. It was once the capital of the little Kingdom of Sobrarbe, whose rulers, according to legend, rallied here against the Moors, and the town still stages a spectacular festival recalling that story every few years.
Read the complete Ainsa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Ainsa is where the day begins. Next is Jaca.
2. Jaca
Jaca is the old capital of the Pyrenees, a mountain town of thirteen thousand people at the foot of the Peña Oroel, with a cathedral, a fortress and a long history. In the eleventh century it was the first capital of the Kingdom of Aragon, and its cathedral, begun at that time, is one of the earliest Romanesque cathedrals in Spain, with a graceful apse and a cloister, and carved capitals that influenced churches along the pilgrim road.
Read the complete Jaca write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Jaca comes up about 74 km into the recorded legs. Next is Biescas.
3. Biescas
Biescas sits in the Aragonese Pyrenees at the lower end of the Tena valley, where the Gállego river cuts through the foothills and the mountains close in. It is a small mountain town with stone houses and slate roofs, set among meadows and pine woods, and with the high peaks of the Tendeñera range standing behind it. The sense is of a place at the doorstep of the high Pyrenees, a base for skiers in winter and walkers and riders in summer.
Read the complete Biescas 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 110 km.
Leg by leg
Ainsa to Jaca
Ainsa → Jaca is 74 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Jaca to Biescas
Jaca → Biescas is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.