Part 1 Northern Spain Adventure Spring 2025 - With GPX Tracks
- Suzie Prevett
- Aug 31
- 21 min read
Updated: Sep 1
It was Monday 17th March 2025. The bikes were loaded up, all ready for our two week adventure. I couldn't wait! We'd not been out of the UK on the bikes since we returned from our 'Big Trip' in July 2019, and it had been a good while since we'd done a bit of a road trip type adventure on the DR650's.
The sun was shining and I was looking forward to taking a nice, slow and relaxed route to our stop for the night. I'd planned a route that would take us up through Exmoor, then across in to Somerset, finally reaching Tollard Royal in the Salisbury area, Wiltshire, hopefully by late afternoon (wine O'clock).
Please note, the GPX Tracks within this blog are the tracks we followed on our travels. If you choose to utilise these files then you do so at your own risk. Roads that we utilised are subject to change, roadworks, closures, deterioration and other hazards, so we cannot be held responsible should you choose to follow any of the tracks we have shared within this blog.
It was a great feeling being back on the DR, and I soon settled in to riding a bike with a bit of weight to it again, plus all loaded up. It was very different to the little 72Kg Scorpa TY125!! The roads up in to Exmoor are lovely, with lots of sweeping bends, and one place we had to stop was Porlock...where it all began back in 2012. Cue reminiscent photo!
Porlock Hill has a really tight hairpin bend on it, so concentration required when negotiating that one. I was glad we were going down today, rather than up, as at least it was a right hander for us, not a super tight left hand bend!
Following my route, we ended up at the Old Brewery Cafe and Kitchen in Gillingham, just in time for last food orders. We'd never been to this well-known biker-friendly cafe before, but we'd definitely go again. The food was lush! I had their rich tomato soup and Kelvin opted for the burger, plus an immense hot chocolate. The atmosphere was funky with some nice old bikes and memorabilia, and on an off-peak monday it was lovely and quiet. Spot on!
It was then off cross country, down to the King John Inn in Tollard Royal. There were a couple of super tight hairpin bends to get around on route, and I was quite chuffed that I managed them nice and smoothly, even the tight left hander. We parked up behind a wall, were greeted by some very friendly staff and were shown to our room, complete with arrival drink thrown in. Nice touch! Also the food was fab overall, so we were two happy bikers!
GPX Track For North Devon Via Exmoor to The Old Brewery Cafe and Kitchen:
GPX Track For The Old Brewery Cafe and KitchenThe King John Inn, Tollard Royal:
We started off the next day with a fabulous breakfast before loading up and heading off towards Bournemouth to have a quick catch up with Clivina (aka The Intrepid Explorer), who I'd met at The Armchair Adventure Festival in 2024. Although Starbucks are normally reserved for the BMW riders and the like, we rocked up and temporarily cramped their style, ha ha! I got some sunscreen and body wash from Clivinia to try on the trip, as I was really keen to get some travel toiletries without any nasty ingredients...job done! We also had a good chat about overland adventures and their upcoming Africa Rally in July, which sounds like it'll be a lot of fun!
Next up was a cuppa and catch up with the lovely Nigel Grace not too far away from our Starbucks stop. We ate a good few Biscoff biscuits and talked bikes and travel for a while, before heading off to Rugged Roads in Sway. We'd not been here before, so it was great to have a mooch around the place, and they are also the importers of 'Turkana Gear', from our friends Michnus and Elsebie in South Africa...great kit by the way, we love it! The shop was full of Kove 450 Rally bikes, so Kelvin was in heaven, and before I knew it he was discussing test rides with Annette following our return from Spain!
We left Rugged Roads at about 4pm to head for some dinner at The Forge Carvery near Botley, a bit further North and a lot closer to the ferry port. Unfortunately, due to poor skills on my part, I managed to take us through the middle of Southampton at rush hour...doh!! The traffic was horrendous and the DR's were not thanking us for it. As we got closer to exiting the city we ended up going over a toll bridge, but thankfully on reaching the other side we realised it was free for bikes! That made life a bit easier and saved me having to remove my gloves etc to pay, and holding everyone up. The carvery was a bargain and very yummy, so that was dinner done before boarding the ferry. When we got to the Portsmouth Docks we were basically waved through and went straight on to ferry boarding after a brief document check and being issued our cabin access cards. Nice one! We were about 2 hours early for departure so we were quite surprised we got on so fast. However that meant we had time for a relaxed sit down in the bar with a pint of Moretti and an Aperol spritz (or two), which helped wash down our sea sickness tablets...any excuse eh?! Aah, holiday time!
GPX Track For The King John Inn to The Ferry:
We woke with the alarm 9am but then slept another 30min!! The sea sickness tablet and couple of Aperol's had definitely made me way more sleepy than usual, and I felt a bit woozy. We were in luck though as the sea was lovely and calm in the grand scheme of things, with just a gentle sway, so I wasn't feeling sick. After levering myself out of bed on the top bunk, it was off to the cafe for tea and coffee, then a stroll in the fresh air and sunshine. Just what the doctor ordered!
I had full intentions of keeping myself active during the trip, so I did do a cabin workout for 40min (start as you mean to go on), before hitting the shower. I must say, I was quite impressed with the shower and the cabin overall. Having booked a 4-berth cabin, we just used the beds on one side and left the other two up, meaning we had plenty of space to move around. I'm not sure I'd want to actually have four people in it though! Ha ha...definitely spoilt on this occasion.
Lunch consisted of Quiche, a croque monsieur and lemon and apple tarts to finish. We also got chatting to a couple on Vespa’s who were heading down to Southern Spain and back up again over a three week period, and they were planning to go to a huge scooter / Vespa meet-up with a massive party, which sounded great fun!
Later that day we also chatted to Duncan Gough after his talk on Spain and Portugal, which was really good, and he gave me some ideas for the Sierra de la Demanda region, which we'd been considering visiting. That's the great thing with a "no-plan plan", we could just add stuff in as people recommended places or as we met people, which is just the best thing. Duncan showed me his maps and also his books, and although I couldn't buy one there and then, I put it on my 'to-do' list for our return home (I now have 'Sketches of Spain' and 'Back Road Campsites of Spain'...great reads / resources!).
Now, it's no secret that I am easily confused! I'd set my alarm and crawled out of bed at 5.30am Spanish time. Kelvin was dismayed at my enthusiasm to get out of bed at this unearthly hour, especially as his watch still on UK time, so 4.30am! I think his words were something along the lines of "what the duck are you doing up now?!?!". However, after initially protesting that breakfast was being served from 5.30am, it dawned on me that the boat was still running on UK time, so I'd turfed us out of bed super early for breakfast. Ooops! Sorry my love! However, it meant we were first in the queue!
Having got in first for breakfast it gave us plenty of time to pack up, watch the sunrise and vacate our cabin 30 minutes before arrival at the port. We finally were called to go down to the bikes after a delayed disembark due to the strong winds! We didn't think it looked too bad, however on venturing off the ferry I could confirm it was bloody windy. Sod having to negotiate parking a humongous ferry in that!! Well done Captain! On our exit we had a bit of a laugh with the border official as I gave him our two passports together and he was joking about confirming who was who. Always nice to meet an official with a sense of humour! Bienvenidos a Espana!!
It was great to be underway on Spanish roads. We headed up out of Bilbao, the roads winding around as we started to climb up a little higher, and there was hardly any traffic, but the wind....bloody hell was it strong!! Still, it could have been a lot worse.
It wasn't long before we reached the top of a hill with a large parking area, so we double-backed and parked up. The view of the coastline was spectacular, and looking through my 'proper' camera with its zoom lens I could see more of it in detail. There was an arch of rock coming out of the shore, which looked quite beautiful and added to the ruggedness.
After continuing on for a short while we stopped again, this time for a coffee and tea plus a bit of a snack...my first taste of a proper Spanish 'Tortilla' in a long time, complete with cebolla (onion). I even successfully managed to order (in Spanish) a black tea with some cold milk on the side, rather than the standard 'cafe con leche' I'd usually order. I'm normally so disappointed by tea when I'm abroad, primarily because they always seem to serve it with hot milk. Unfortunately, in my short-lived excitement, I managed to spill half of it over the table...doh! I must say, after drinking my tea I did decide that I'd just have cafe con leche (coffee with hot milk) from that point on. It was worth a try though!
With happy bellies we cracked on with the day's ride, stopping briefly for coffee and fuel at a roadside service station, where the were several locals sat around their little bar, enjoying an afternoon chat. We opted for the outside seating despite the wind so that we could keep the bikes in view, which is always our preference, plus it was a slightly sheltered spot, so all-in-all, not too bad.
We'd been blessed with stunning roads all day, only slightly marred by the strong, gusty winds. Although we'd only ridden 150km today, we'd had loads of 30-50kph speed limits and lots of switchbacks, plus multiple stops to take in the scenery as well as the coffee breaks, so we got to our accommodation at 3pm-ish.
It was a small place called 'Rural Aterbe' on the side of the road in the very quiet village location of Leintz Gatzaga. I was greeted by a very lovely lady who spoke no English, so she was overjoyed when I brought out my half baked Spanish! I love being able to speak a bit of the lingo, even if it is just a little (and very rusty), but it makes exploring places off the main tourist route all that more easier and interesting. After showing us to our very cosy room, she presented us with a beer each and showed us the chill-out area with seats, hammocks and a beautiful countryside view! Aah bliss, just what the doctor ordered!!!
We cracked open our beers, got the maps and highlighters out, and had a look at the weather forecast. I also had a bit of paper that Duncan had jotted down a few places of note on, so we plotted those on our map, and then made the decision that we'd head off the next day to Ezcaray, some 100km South of us as the crow flies. Obviously we'd most definitely not be taking the direct motorway route and would opt for as many of the 'green' routes as possible for maximum scenic value.
I had a quick look on Google Maps for accommodation options and then rang a place just on the outskirts of Ezcaray called 'Apartementos Real Valle Ezcaray'. It was an entire modern apartment that cost just €68 with a secure parking garage, and only a 15 min walk in to the main town. Plus when I rang up, expecting to not understand much, I discovered that they spoke English….yey! I got us booked in for one night and then relaxed and route planned in the hammock.
Dinner was at 8pm, and our hosts had prepared us a lovely meal of chicken, salad (eggs for anti-salad Kelvin) and chips. Plus, a bottle of Spanish red wine and pears for pudding. Before and after our meal we were chatting with owner Azis. He even offered for us to stay for free for a week if I taught him English, with the bonus that my Spanish would likely improve. Unfortunately, despite being tempted by the offer given the weather forecast, I politely delined. It was such a great offer, and had we been travelling longer term I would have taken him up on it immediately, but I was itching to explore, and we only had a relatively short time in Spain, so it wasn't to be.
We opted for an early night (9pm is unbelievably early in Spanish terms given many don't even go out for a meal until then), enjoyed the lovely shower, and I tested my new 'Intrepid Explorer' powder body wash, which was great! Much to our delight the bed was very comfortable, so a good night's sleep was on the cards.
GPX Track For The Ferry To Rural Aterbe:
We woke to sunny skies and we could see that snow had fallen overnight on the mountains in the distance. We headed downstairs for our yummy breakfast of banana, yoghurt, toast, tomatoes, cheese and olive oil, plus juice and coffee. It was so cute as their cats were all curled up on the windowsill in the dining area. We chatted to Aziz again and talked about travel, Spanish and went through a few words with him in English and Spanish. He was so friendly and he said he was envious that we were off on our bikes again. He had to look up the word 'envious' on Google Translate as I wasn't understanding what he meant, but I suggested he should get a bike and do some mini adventures as they had so much available literally on their doorstep.
We kitted up, waved goodbye and headed off down the hill to take photo of the mural at the entrance to the village, before heading back up past the B&B to pick up the back roads.
We were definitely not disappointed with our choice of route as the roads were beautiful, and after not too long we saw a huge lake and dam, so we stopped for a little while. There was a chap walking with his dog on the path alongside the lake, and as we passed by he gave us an enthusiastic wave, which made me smile.
We carried on, heading in the direction of Vitoria-Gaitzes, although we'd be turning off before we got to the city thank goodness. However, just before our turning there was a big police stop, and they seemed to pulling an awful lot of vehicles over to the side of the road. Much to my surprise, as we approached they pulled the car in front over, but just smiled at us and waved us through. Excellent! As we passed by we noticed that one or two of the officers were armed with sizeable guns, so not sure what the stop was all about, but quite glad we didn't get to stop and find out!
We turned off before getting to the town and on to some more deserted back roads. Once again we were rewarded with stunning scenery, including windmills, rocky mountains, and little off-shoots to cool places. We then entered the 'La Rioja' region, of course littered with vinyards, although it definitely didn't appear to be prime growing season being March. They looked like they'd all been recently pruned and no real budding happens until spring really sets in. Apparently this region has more than 600 vinyards!! Maybe next time we will stay at one and do a wine tasting, but not this time.
We managed to find a little bar for a late lunch, having not really come across much beforehand, and my tummy was most definitely making a noise about it! The lady who served us spoke good English, and even the menu had an English side, so I guessed they must get a lot of tourists and passing trade. There were a couple of hikers in the bar to, so likely some nice, popular walking trails about.
Next stop was Ezcaray and the rain came to join us for a good while, including when we had to unpack the bikes. The key to our apartment had been left out for us, so we dumped our bags then ventured back in to the town for supplies, a bit of a mooch around and another coffee. We found a little 24 hour shop 'Proxim', the prices reflecting the convenience. The woman laughed at me as I visited her shop three times in the space of about 30 minutes! Firstly I forgot bread and beer, and after having returned for those items, we left and then I realised I didn't buy any milk. Doh! Needless to say one key item I'd remembered right from the get-go was the wine, which was cheap by UK standards, and very good!
On the way back we decided to venture up a track as it had a 'mirador' sign. We followed the meandering dirt track all the way to the top where we discovered a small chapel/church sitting atop a grassy hill, complete with a spectacular view of the surrounding area. Well worth the little detour!
Arriving back at the apartment, reception was open at last. This time there was no English to be had, but I managed to successfully book an additional night so we could go and explore the area the next day without all our gear, and the lady added on free garage parking. Bonus!
As soon as we got in it was maps out, and a route planned for the next day, taking in all of the spots that Duncan had recommended (or so we hoped). Unfortunately, my go to GPX tool mapstogpx.com wasn't working due to a tech issue, so I reverted to my long-winded way of creating a route...plotting points using maps.me and then inputting them all in to the Garmin Montana GPS, then creating a route using all the pins. Luckily, we had a straightforward dinner of wine and tortilla, so plenty of time for the route planning with a background sound from the 'rock music' channel on TV...bloody brilliant!
GPX Track For Rural Aterbe to Ezcaray:
We got ourselves up bright and early, I made some eggs, then we kitted up and we were off! It was a little chilly but the road was beautiful, starting of with some real twisty bends as we headed up over the hills and then down in to the valley before heading off South.
Unfortunately, after about 58km in to our planned route we hit slush ice on the road and made the wise but unadventurous decision to turn around. If we'd been back home we may have tried to continue and hope it improved, however it just wasn't worth the risk on this occasion for us. Plus, it was bloody slippery when I was turning the bike around...I was glad to get off the slush!
On our return journey we stopped in for a coffee, tortilla and empanada in Alarcia. I've not had an Empanada since our South American travels! It was bitterly cold so the warmth of the cafe and the hot food was vey welcome, plus the lady who served us was so lovely and welcoming. We were a bit disappointed that our ventures further in to the Sierra De La Demanda had been cut short, but the bit we had seen means it's definitely on our list for a less wintery return visit...maybe one May or September, rather than March, lol!
When we arrived back in Ezcaray the weather was a little warmer and dryer so we decided to head out on a ‘green route’ on the map, which was an up and back route up along a valley. It proved to be a great back-up plan as it was so beautiful, with the road running along the edge of a gorge with steep drop-offs in places. At least on this route we almost got to end before it turned to icy slush! Again, we turned around but we almost made it. I think Kelvin would have braved it but I didn't want the risk.
Arriving back in Ezcaray, we stopped in the shop again…more wine required, plus eggs, biscuits and kitkat! Then, back at the apartment is was time for some more route planning and decision making based on various weather forecasts. We decided to make a move on Sunday (tomorrow), as Monday was due to be worst weather everywhere!! It took ages to find accommodation as we wanted to find somewhere we could sit out Monday's weather with plenty of bars and restaurants, not expensive, plus as usual, the most important criteria being good, secure parking, particularly in an urban environment. After about two hours of decision making and searching I finally found a place that ticked all the boxes. Booked!
After all that sitting it was time for a short workout, a shower, and then a walk in to town for pizza at Pizzeria Heladeria Fuoli. We chose well! The pizza and calzone were delicious with amazing ice cream to finish…Kelvin even got sprinkles! We walked back in the rain but it was a welcome 20 minute walk to help the food go down, especially when eating so late in our Brit terms.
GPX Track For Ezcaray Day Trip:
Getting up bright and early the following morning at 7.30am, we left Ezcaray at 9.30 after a quick shower, hair wash, breakfast, apartment clean, pack, and load up. Fortunately I remembered to leave the keys! I always have that worry about getting miles down the road and then realising I still have the accommodation keys...ha ha! Is that just me or does anyone else have this fear?! Lol!
What a lush day is was to leave. It had snowed overnight with a smattering of fresh snow not too far out of town as the road meandered up. The switchbacks felt even more fabulous today, the sky was blue, and despite the cold it was absolutely stunning, although we were so glad of our heated tops!
We followed the route back on the road from yesterday and then up to the N-232. What a lush road! As usual we had a rest for a coffee, and also met a local biker with a DRZ400 who took a pic of the bikes and had a bit of a chat with us.
Then heading a little more North, we stopped for lunch at El Carloto, on the shore of Embalse Del Ebro. It was a very popular place, and we were very lucky to order and get a table shortly before the hoardes of locals descended. We tucked in to a humungous meat platter with bread and cheese, and as we hadn't realised the size of the portion we'd ordered, we took plenty of leftovers!
Back on the road again, we kept heading North and our route choice was spot on again with beautiful rock formations. Getting in as many 'green coloured' roads on the map had definitely served us well, and not taking the most direct or quickest routes. Just before hitting the coast we stopped for another coffee in Bar Nuria, Lamadrid. Then it was the final leg on to Llanes, keeping to the 'N' roads, and enjoying the great weather...the calm before the storm!
We managed to find our apartment without any issues and the parking was fab. Whoop whoop! The only issue was the garage lighting was on a timer, which seemed to last about one minute, so one of us had to stand next to the switch and keep pressing it while the other unloaded their kit, then we swapped over, lol! Teamwork!!
Unfortunately the lift was out of order and we were on the third floor, so we definitely got a bit of a workout, but it was well worth it as the apartment didn't disappoint. It looked like the weather was still holding so we were looking forward to an evening of walking, exploring, food and drink on our only real 'in-town' stay of the trip. Other than this sitting out the shit weather stint, the plan was to always stay on the outskirts or more rurally.
We sorted our stuff, got changed then went for a beautiful walk up on the 'Paseo De San Pedro' overlooking the sea. We could see the stormy looking clouds in the distance, which added to the experience, although watching the clouds draw closer, we decided to walk in to town. We wandered around the Plaza Cimadevilla area quickly before the rain came in, as I'd read about it online, and it looked like another picturesque area of the town. As the rain drops started we headed back to Plaza Parres Sobrino, where we'd seen some bars and shops.
First up was a bottle wine and nibbles at La Esquina, watching the world go by as the rain got a little harder. Then, rather than a second bottle of wine, it was a quick dash over to the bakery for a quick pre-dinner coffee. It was a challenge not to partake in the baked goods though!
Finally, it was an appropriate Spanish hour for the restaurants to open and we headed up to an Pizzeria “Los Italianos” to share a jug of sangria and pizza. Delish! Also, the Tirimasu and chocolate bombe for pudding was very stodge but nice, and very glad we shared it! The walk back to our apartment, despite being a very wet one, was much needed as it helped the food settle a little and we managed to get ourselves back without getting lost.
GPX Track For Ezcaray to Llanes:
Today was a very rainy day as forecast, and we were so glad we’d decided to take a day off the bikes. It was super heavy at times, and literally didn’t let up all day long! We woke late just before 10am as we’d slept badly, probably because of the late heavy meal washed down with alcohol. After heaving ourselves out of bed we headed to a coffee shop around the corner and then across the street to the supermarket to stock up on a few essentials. Following a homemade, Spanish style lunch we had a look online and found a place for to book for the following night near Potes.
Then with a destination in mind, I got down to some route planning on the GPS… it took ages once again but well worth it! Most of the core transiting routes from now to the end of the trip were done. Yey! Oddly, I love route planning, even using the long-winded method, and ideal to do while we have time trying to keep out of the pouring rain. Then mid-afternoon we headed back to La Esquina for a couple of bottles of cider. Pouring it is an art apparently, and there’s competitions in it! You have to have small amounts poured from height and then drink it quite fast. We also had some chorizo cooked in cider just to complete the experience. Yummy!
We thought we better go rather than have a third bottle of cider. We picked up some sea sickness tablets at the pharmacy, then stopped in a Gallofa & Co for coffee and cake (great carrot cake!!) before heading back to the apartment, and then later that evening it was back in to town, with a walk to the lighthouse overlooking a cute little beach and memory cubes.
Our choice of cuisine was another Pizzeria, with a bottle of Rioja and a Barbecue chicken pizza. Then, after a break, we ordered a Hawaiian pizza. Piggies! No pudding necessary, ha ha. What a great day of food and drink!! We walked back in the rain and it was getting harder again, so we sped up and once inside it absolutely hammered it down…good timing!
Please note, the GPX Tracks within this blog are the tracks we followed on our travels. If you choose to utilise these files then you do so at your own risk. Roads that we utilised are subject to change, roadworks, closures, deterioration and other hazards, so we cannot be held responsible should you choose to follow any of the tracks we have shared within this blog.
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