Spain and Portugal by bicycle (relocated from Ireland to Canary Islands, and then back another route)

[inemmetable]

A mini-loop of Spain (ft. Portugal) on 2 wheels (went from Ireland to Canary Islands and back)



I’m a very amateur cyclist - my bike is a bit of a hunk of junk, I don’t have the right gear, and my legs are better at running than tackling hills. But it’s still my go-to way of getting around, so I loaded my life onto my bike in late 2024 and cycle to Cádiz to get the boat to Canaries, and came back 11 months later by boat to Huelva.
I based my route more around places I wanted to visit, rather than the ideal cycle route.


Top highlights:

• • Ronda + Setenil de las Bodegas + Caminito del rey - these 3 places are all within quite close proximity of each other, and all definitely worth a visit. Ronda (pictured) has a beautiful, striking gorge that you could look at for ages, and a nice wine scene. Setenil has houses hewed into the rock around them. The Caminito del Rey is an old hiking path which was used to maintain the waterway, and has stunning views.
  • Elvas - Portuguese town which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, close to the border with Spain, beautiful narrow streets to walk around in, low tourist traffic
  • Sintra - just outside Lisbon, has some wonderful old palaces and manors and queijadas, a tasty local pastry
  • Monsanto - close to where I crossed back into Spain, an old village sometimes termed “the most Portuguese village in Portugal”, high atop a hill, well-preserved old castle, moss, boulders, rustic feel
  

Some notes/tips on the route (note I had to skip parts by train due to time constraints, mainly in the north):

• • Separate cycle paths were hard to come by unless you were doing gravel mountain biking - not suited to my bike or luggage situation. So I was on a lot of major roads, although I would say for the most part cars were more respectful than I was used to and I felt largely safe.
  • Least enjoyable was the stretch in Castilla y La Mancha between Madrid and Córdoba. The land was quite barren and dull, route options not great, facilities limited.
  • In Portugal most trains allow you to take the bicycle on free. In Spain they have had strict rules against it until recently, but now a lot of the regional trains allow it.

Some book recommendations for these two countries:



And my little trading card for my travels:

 

[El-Dracho]

Hi Emmet,

Welcome to Overland Bound!

That´s a pretty cool overlanding trip you did. Thanks for sharing here.

I have met many long-distance cyclists on my travels. What you are doing with your bikes is an enormous challenge. It's cool to see how you are traveling with just a simple bike and minimal equipment. Good spirit!

By the way, if you like to introduce yourself to the community you can do that here: Member Introductions *NEW MEMBERS INTRODUCE YOURSELF* | OVERLAND BOUND COMMUNITY

I wish you an adventurous year 2026,
Bjoern

 

[Corrie]

A mini-loop of Spain (ft. Portugal) on 2 wheels (went from Ireland to Canary Islands and back)

View attachment 297089

I’m a very amateur cyclist - my bike is a bit of a hunk of junk, I don’t have the right gear, and my legs are better at running than tackling hills. But it’s still my go-to way of getting around, so I loaded my life onto my bike in late 2024 and cycle to Cádiz to get the boat to Canaries, and came back 11 months later by boat to Huelva.
I based my route more around places I wanted to visit, rather than the ideal cycle route.

View attachment 297090
Top highlights:

• • Ronda + Setenil de las Bodegas + Caminito del rey - these 3 places are all within quite close proximity of each other, and all definitely worth a visit. Ronda (pictured) has a beautiful, striking gorge that you could look at for ages, and a nice wine scene. Setenil has houses hewed into the rock around them. The Caminito del Rey is an old hiking path which was used to maintain the waterway, and has stunning views.
  • Elvas - Portuguese town which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, close to the border with Spain, beautiful narrow streets to walk around in, low tourist traffic
  • Sintra - just outside Lisbon, has some wonderful old palaces and manors and queijadas, a tasty local pastry
  • Monsanto - close to where I crossed back into Spain, an old village sometimes termed “the most Portuguese village in Portugal”, high atop a hill, well-preserved old castle, moss, boulders, rustic feel
• View attachment 297091

Some notes/tips on the route (note I had to skip parts by train due to time constraints, mainly in the north):

• • Separate cycle paths were hard to come by unless you were doing gravel mountain biking - not suited to my bike or luggage situation. So I was on a lot of major roads, although I would say for the most part cars were more respectful than I was used to and I felt largely safe.
  • Least enjoyable was the stretch in Castilla y La Mancha between Madrid and Córdoba. The land was quite barren and dull, route options not great, facilities limited.
  • In Portugal most trains allow you to take the bicycle on free. In Spain they have had strict rules against it until recently, but now a lot of the regional trains allow it.

Some book recommendations for these two countries:

View attachment 297092

And my little trading card for my travels:
View attachment 297093

This is the stuff of legends, Emmet. Thank you for inspiration.