ARAGÓN &
BASQUE COUNTRY

THE BEST KEPT SECRET TRAIL

INTRODUCTION 

‘I honestly can’t recommend the riding here enough,’ said International Mountainbike Magazine (IMB) of this remarkable pocket of old Spain. ‘The trails are seemingly endless and the quality of the single track riding is on another level. It feels like you have cycled through time and across continents.’

This Beyond Biking trip is one of the best rides you will never hear about. Locked in on all sides by mountains, northern Spain is brimming with stunning, undiscovered bike destinations. Are you familiar with the Spanish Utah desert, an old setting for Spaghetti Westerns? Did you know that the canyoning hotspot of Sierra de Guara is also a hidden cycling paradise? Do you fancy a bike ride on the 1000 metre high walls of Ordesa, better known as Europe’s Grand Canyon? Or what about a day of biking along the coastal ridgeline of the Bay of Biscay with gorgeous ocean vistas which career all the way down to San Sebastián? Well, you can enjoy all of this – and more – in one trip; we know these trails like the back of our hand.

Landlocked and little-known, Aragón and the Basque Country are two of Spain's most surprising regions. It’s here that the Pre-Pyrenees take on an epic quality for bikers – from riding on the skyline of rugged peaks to rolling in deep valleys where quiet rivers meander through forests and small hamlets that seem unchanged by the passing of time. Join our off-the-beaten-track journey through the foothills of the Pyrenees, where you will ride trails that few people will ever see.

TRAIL DETAILS

TRAIL PART 1:
Spanish Utah (1.5 days)

This part of Basque Country really is like a little Utah; it’s almost as if someone transplanted Monument Valley to southern Europe. You will bike on perfect single track trails under carved red rock cliffs and down mile after mile of canyons. This is Spain as you have never seen it before.


TRAIL PART 2:
Sierra de Guara (2 days)

Unique in Europe, for its beauty, as well as its numerous – and rather impressive – limestone summits and gorges, the Sierra de Guara is officially recognised as the birthplace of canyoning. A best-kept secret of locals, its ancient trails between forgotten medieval villages, hidden rivers and cayons are now a natural biking paradise.


TRAIL PART 3:
Aragón Pyrenees (2 days)

Hidden in the shadows of the Spanish Pyrenees sits a small medieval town with an abundance of world-class mountain bike trails. Anisa is set in a European Geology Park, with an amazing variety of glaciated mountains, karst canyons and strange badlands. Undoubtedly, the future label of moutain bike mecca awaits Ainsa, but while you are one of the lucky few to discover it, you will bike through the striking Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, which is an undisputed highlight of the Pyrenees, not to mention a Unesco World Heritage Site.


TRAIL PART 4:
The Basque Country (2 days)

Sun, sea and single track: is there a more perfect combo? The Basque Country hosts a myriad of spectacular bike scenery, with the Bay of Biscay coast in the foreground, while southwards, you will find a landscape of summits and passes along the boundary with Navarre region and the Pyrenees. This area is full of sweet forest single tracks, and you’ll never forget your final ride, where a beautiful coastal path hugs the coast as the cliffs rise and fall into the many inlets and bays, making for some superb bike riding all the way to San Sebastián.


Get in shape for this foodie mountain biking journey. The arid hills, the lush coastline, the never-ending single tracks, the proud history, the sense of timelessness, the gourmet delights: it won’t be long before these regions become world-renowned for mountain biking so get there before the crowds do.

REVEAL THE SECRETS OF ARAGÓN AND BASQUE COUNTRY.

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© BEYOND BIKING, 2015