Welcome to the Pyrenees – Bikers’ paradise
Tall mountains. Little traffic. Perfect pavement. Endless dirt roads. Delicious food. Wild camping allowed, but hotels plenty available. What more could a biker want? Welcome to the Pyrenees, or as I like to call it: ‘Bikers’ paradise’.
Let’s be honest: coming from possibly the flattest country in the world with nothing but straight roads, tulips, and windmills, I’m easily impressed. Add the fact that The Netherlands is usually grey and rainy, while Spain has over 300 days of sunshine a year, it’s not hard to understand why I moved down south. I live in the center of the Spanish region of Catalonia with countless amazing roads for bikers but the Pyrenees are the most special.
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The Road
When asking which roads you should definitely check out, the answer can either be very short, or very long. The one I always suggest is the N260, also known as the Eje Pirenaico. Although it starts all the way on the east coast, I’d say skip the first part and start with the N260a from Olot to Ripoll. From there, continue onto the main N260 via Ribes de Freser, La Seu d’Urgell, and onwards to the west.
What I love most about this road is that it’s a perfect mix of sweeping, fast sections, and narrow, trickier parts. It follows river valleys and crosses mountain tops, the highest being the Collada de Toses at 1800m. And of course, I like the fact that you don’t have to look for directions since it’s all one and the same road. In fact, the total length is no less than 500 kilometers!
Crossing from the N260 into France brings us to another one of my favorites: the road from Biescas (ES) via Frontera del Portalet to Laruns (FR). Sweeping roads through the grassy mountain tops at almost 1800 meters, riding through herds of cows and horses, makes for quite an experience.
From there, it’s easy to get to some of the best mountain passes on the French side. You can follow the ‘Route del Colls’ to hit most of them, but if you’re short on time, make sure to check these out: Col d’Aubisque, Col de Tourmalet, Port de Lers, and the Col de Paillères. Especially that last one I absolutely love; last time I was there, I spent over an hour at the top, watching the clouds go by below me, taking pictures of the motorcycles, petting the horses, meeting other bikers… It was probably my best ride last summer!
Oh, and the short answer to which roads you should definitely check out? Whichever you feel like; in the Pyrenees, you can’t go wrong.
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Author’s suggestion: WHAT TO EAT
You’re gonna be in either France or Spain – pick whatever and although it might not be something you’re used to, it will be delicious. France is generally speaking a bit more expensive, but in the Spanish mountains, if you look for the unpretentious local spots in small villages, you’ll be able to find a ‘menu del dia’ lunch that includes 3 courses and a drink, for €10-15. Although slightly more expensive, my two favorites are Ca La Maria near Toses for a delicious steak with blue cheese sauce, and Las Bodegas de Ainsa for the best chuleton.
Author’s suggestion: WHERE TO SLEEP
How adventurous do you want to be? Wild camping is allowed in most of the Pyrenees, as long as you stay away from the villages, only set up camp for one night, and don’t leave any traces. However, there are also plenty of official campsites, from cheap and basic to expensive all-service resorts. Of course, there are also hotels. Even during the summer season, I’ve never experienced any trouble finding a place to sleep; checking booking.com gave enough options for hotels, and the campsites I tried always had space for a tent, even when showing up late in the evening.
