Phone: +353 (0)53 9422415 Email:info@overlanders.ie Web:www.overlanders.ie

Spain(off the beaten track) Bulls, Vino, Fiestas & Flamenco…

Culture, cuisine, scenery & great motorcycling – Spain has it all…

Highlights include:

• Picos Mountains • Burgos • Andalucia • Seville

Start/Finish Location: Bilbao/Malaga Dates: Please refer to guided tours calendar on website Tour Price: Please refer to guided tours calendar on website

• Includes return transport of your motorcycle from our base in Wexford, all B&B accommodation, evening meals on all riding days, tour guide(s), detailed route plan etc.

• Not included: Flights to/from Spain, fuel, food during the day etc.

Phone: +353 (0)53 9422415 Email:info@overlanders.ie Web:www.overlanders.ie

Day 1 – Bilbao to Potes Leaving Bilbao behind we head west in search of the Picos de Europa. There are a couple of route options on offer today particularly in an around the Picos. We will also visit Fuente De. The jagged, deeply fissured Picos de Europa mountains straddle southeast Asturias, southwest Cantabria and northern Castilla y León, and some of the most spectacular countryside in Spain. The Picos comprise three limestone massifs: the highest of which is Macizo Central (or Macizo Los Urrieles), reaching 2648m. The 671-sq-km Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa covers all three massifs. This was the first National Park to be declared in Spain and there is no doubt that its natural richness and outstanding scenery make it a truly unique place. Our destination for tonight is Potes. Potes is a small town in the heart of the Picos de Europa. A river runs through the town with an attractive small stone bridge crossing it. Surrounding the village are the hills and mountains of the Picos de Europa. Potes lies in the Valley of Liebana which is planted with grapes, cherries and walnuts. The town makes its own spirit called Orujo. Try some!

Day 2 – Potes to Burgos Heading south out of Potes and leaving the Picos behind we head towards Burgos via Aguilar de Campo. Burgos is a provincial capital in Spain’s autonomous community of Castile and León. The extraordinary Gothic cathedral of Burgos is one of Spain's glittering jewels of religious architecture – it looms large over the city and skyline. On the surface, conservative Burgos seems to embody all the stereotypes of a north-central Spanish town, with sombre grey-stone architecture, the fortifying cuisine of the high meseta (plateau) and a climate of extremes. But this is a city that rewards deeper exploration: below the surface lie good restaurants and, when the sun's shining, pretty streetscapes that extend far beyond the landmark cathedral. There's even a whiff of legend about the place: beneath the majestic spires of the cathedral lies the tomb of Burgos' favourite and most roguish son, El Cid.

Day 3 – Burgos to El Escorial Leaving Burgos we meander our way further south in a zig zag fashion between the Sierra de la Demanda and Sierra de la Guadarrama to our destination at El Escorial: in the heart of the latter (on the side of Mount Abantos). Just 50 kilometres from Madrid San Lorenzo de El Escorial is one of the most interesting touristic and cultural towns in the area. Its main attraction is the Monastery and Royal Palace de San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

Phone: +353 (0)53 9422415 Email:info@overlanders.ie Web:www.overlanders.ie

Day 4 – El Escorial to Plasencia Heading west through some very rural countryside we traverse the Sierra de Gredos and enter Spain’s Extremadura Region before reaching our destination at Plasencia. Plasencia is an ancient city which sits in a loop of the Rio Jerte. It is surrounded by medieval walls. These were built in 1198 and incorporated seventy towers and eight gates as well as an Alcazar. Most, though not the Alcazar, remain however a lot of the walls have been used as the back walls of houses and so much is hard to see. Plasencia is an important regional township at the crossroads of the central limestone sierras and the old Extremadura plateau.

Day 5 – Plasencia Rest Day Although a rest day is on offer there is some spectacular biking just to the north of the city should one fancy it! Day 6 – Plasencia to Zafra Meandering our way through Extremadura we pass through vast wetlands and reservoirs. The two main rivers, the Tajo and the Guadiana, are dammed for almost all of their passage through Extremadura, being used for hydro-electricity production and the supply of wáter to the population and irrigation of crops. The shortage of wáter during the summer months, which can be prolonged, has led to the building of numerous reservoirs and dams. In fact, Extremadura is the región with the greatest length of interior coastline in the Iberian Peninsula, measuring almost 2,000 kilometres. These artificial wetlands are used intensively by bird-life for which they are a real oasis. Zafra, also known as Little Seville, is right at the heart of Baja Extremadura, on a plain at the foot of the steep rocky mountains of Sierra de Castellar. The city was consolidated thanks to its location on the strategic "Via de la Plata", or the Silver Route, in Roman Hispania. The San Miguel Cattle Show is in tune with this town's historical commercial tradition.

Day 7 – Zafra to Seville

Crossing into Andalucia we traverse the Sierra Morena. The Sierra Morena is an area of sparsely populated rolling hills that run across northern Andalucia, creating a natural barrier between Extremadura to the north and Andalucia to the south. Few tourists venture into these wild and remote pine- and oak-clad hills, with its landscape, atmosphere and village architecture more typical of adjacent Extremadura or Castilla La Mancha than the rest of Andalucia, to which it belongs. Seville is the capital of southern Spain’s Andalusia region. It's famous for flamenco dancing, particularly in its Triana neighbourhood. Major landmarks include the

Phone: +353 (0)53 9422415 Email:info@overlanders.ie Web:www.overlanders.ie

ornate Alcázar castle complex, built during the Moorish Almohad dynasty, and the 18th-century Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza bullring. The Gothic Seville Cathedral is the site of Christopher Columbus’s tomb. Day 8 – Seville to Ronda

The Serrania de Ronda is a range of mountains in the province of Malaga, the local region of the same name is dotted with picturesque white-washed villages (pueblos blancos). The most famous destination is the town of Ronda itself; one of the oldest towns in Spain, set 100 metres high, overlooking the Tajo Gorge, Ronda is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Andalusia. Despite being a growing town Ronda retains much of its historic charm, particularly its old town. It is famous worldwide for its dramatic escarpments and views.

Ronda is also famous as the birthplace of modern bullfighting, today glimpsed once a year at the spectacular Feria Goyesca. Held at the beginning of September, here fighters and some of the audience dress in the manner of Goya's sketches of life in the region. Legendary Rondeño bullfighter Pedro Romero broke away from the prevailing Jerez 'school' of horseback bullfighting in the 18th century to found a style of bullfighting in which matadores stood their ground against the bull on foot. The bullring, Plaza de Toros, is now a museum, and visitors can stroll out into the arena.

Day 9 – Rest Day

Today provides an ideal opportunity to explore the greater Ronda region with its fantastic biking roads interlinking the picturesque ‘Peublos Blancos’ or white villages.

Day 10 – Ronda to Malaga

With a leisurely last day on tour we head north east in search of the Caminito del Rey or ‘Kings Pathway’ for those feeling a little adventurous before travelling onwards to Malaga via the Sierra de Chinenea. El Caminito del Rey is an air path built into the walls of the Gaitanes Gorge of Spain, in the province of Malaga. Caminito del Rey is considered one of the most impressive and dangerous mountain trails in the world.

We will be providing a more detailed itinerary on arrival to include hotel info and GPS co-ordinates. Please note that this is an outline route and maybe subject to change.