perfect trip!
Self-guided MTB tour
Bike Tour: Mountain bike break in Picos de Europa - 4 days
This 4-day Picos de Europa MTB challenge is a demanding self-guided ride around the spectacular Ándara massif in the eastern Picos de Europa. Designed for experienced riders, this tour blends technical trails, striking landscapes, and welcoming mountain hospitality.
Created for true mountain biking enthusiasts, this route explores the rugged eastern reaches of the Picos de Europa along historic mining and pastoral tracks. You’ll ride through spectacular terrain linking iconic villages such as Sotres, Bejes, Potes, Lon, and Mogrovejo, each offering a glimpse into the region’s rich cultural heritage.
The trails are varied and often technical, with loose surfaces, rocky sections, and sustained ascents and descents that demand both skill and stamina. For those looking to ease the physical challenge without missing out on the experience, electric mountain bikes are available, making long climbs more manageable and allowing you to focus on the ride.
At the end of each day, relax in carefully selected hotels where cyclists - and their bikes - are warmly welcomed. Refuel with generous portions of traditional local dishes, the perfect reward after a demanding day in the saddle. This tour delivers a thrilling combination of physical challenge, authentic culture, and some of the most spectacular riding in northern Spain
Arenas de Cabrales is the perfect entrance to the Picos de Europa National Park with easy access by car or bus. Here we deliver your rental bike or we get yours ready in the BikePicos workshop at 18hrs and then we take you to the hotel in Sotres. If you want to do this way up (20 km and 950 m ascent, end of stage of the Vuelta 2017) by bike in the afternoon, go ahead! We'll carry your luggage anyway. In the evening you will have a welcome dinner at the Hotel.
Challenge: Travel to Cabrales
Villages along the way: Arenas de Cabrales, Sotres
From Sotres to the beginning of the Ándara mining tracks there are just 3 km of asphalt road. At the Hito de Escarandi, the mountain bike section begins with a descent to Bejes, passing through a magical beech forest, the Majada La Llama and a track above the Urdón gorge with vertiginous views. Try not to get too close to Salto de la Cabra (500 m drop to the Urdón gorge) or get among the herds of cows guarded by mastiffs accustomed to vis-à-vis wolves. In Bejes another vertical climb awaits you to Collado Pelea, before reaching the Cantabrian slope of the Picos de Europa and your comfortable hotel on the outskirts of the medieval town of Potes
Challenge: 36km - 22.4mi / 1350m ascent, 2100m descent
Villages along the way: Sotres, Bejes, Cabañes, Tama and Potes
Entertaining day full of continuous ups and downs along forest tracks in the Camaleño Valley, passing through the Santo Toribio Monastery and some towns with monumental mansions. Return to Cabrales along the Aliva glacier valley where thousands of cows graze while they are watched by griffon vultures and other birds of prey. The route seems long, but the last 25km are downhill, of which 5 are quite technical (with a lot of stones) but 17 can be done quickly on asphalt. As soon as you arrive in Arenas you can take a dip in the hotel pool and recharge your batteries in a restaurant or a sidrería.
Challenge: 49km - 30.4mi / 1,875m ascent, 1,725m descent
Villages along the way: Potes, Mogrovejo, Pembes, Aliva, Sotres, Arenas
For this cycling tour, we have carefully selected three welcoming family-run accommodations that combine comfort, character and a convenient location along the route. The hotels are bike-friendly and chosen with cyclists’ needs in mind, and used to welcoming travellers on bike tours.
Extra nights can be booked at any of the accommodations along the route.
Hotel Sotres is a family-run hotel, opened in 2005, offering spectacular views of the Picos de Europa from its rooms and terraces. It also features a restaurant serving traditional local cuisine.
Hotel Picos de Europa is a family-run hotel located in the heart of Arenas de Cabrales and offers a comfortable stay with a garden, several terraces, an outdoor swimming pool, private parking, a lounge and a library.
Hotel Valdecoro is a modern hotel on the outskirts of Potes that has spacious and comfortable rooms, which have a rustic-style decoration and offer views of the surroundings. The pleasant lounge with a fireplace and free Wi-Fi will become the point for chatting with friends.
Our hybrid bikes have at least 21-gears with hand brakes.
Depending the trip, different model apply: Scott, Giant, Trek, Koga, Cube, ... And the bike rental includes: lock, pump, rear pannier and repair kit and normally also helmets.
Whenever there is a big difference in level of ability, experience the many benefits of an electric bike on your cycling holiday. An e-bike will help you keep up with your fellow cyclists and give you a gentle boost up hills. An e-bike makes a bike trip more achievable. The e-bikes have a small electric motor and battery, which can be charged at the hotels. You still have to pedal: it just makes pedaling much easier. Some experience with e-bikes is recommended, as the bikes accelerate faster and are heavier than regular bikes because of the electric motor.
The E-bikes are very good quality. Depending on the trip, different models apply: Scott, Giant, Trek, Koga, ...
- Bike model: MMR KUMA 29
- Bike type: MBT
- Frame: Aluminium 6061-T6 double hydroformed crowned
- Brakes: Shimano MT-200 Hydraulic
- Tires: Hutchinson Python 2
Child bakes are available in all family tours. For the rest of the tours, bike suppliers have child bikes. Please fisrt check the tour details for distances and ascents.
For some trips, we can give you the possibility to rent a Racing bike, more details on request.
- Rental bicycles ALWAYS include: repair kit, pump and lock.
- Depending on the type of bicycle you can add (for free, but on request): map holder, 1 front pannier or 1 rear pannier
- Helmet available (on request)
Tag along are available at family tours. In other tours, contact us to check.
3 nights' accommodation with breakfast
Welcome dinner in Hotel Sotres
Breakfasts
Detailed digital route notes and maps (in English)
Access to the trip via the GUIBO navigation app
Rental bikes:
Included accesories:
- Rental bikes ALWAYS include: repair kit, inflation pump and padlock.
- Depending on the type of bicycle, you can add (free of charge, but on request): map holder, phone holder and/or 1 front pannier
- Helmet available (on request). €5/adults
Mountain bicycles:
- Model: MMR KUMA 29
- Type: Front Suspension
- Frame: Aluminum 6061-T6 double hydroformed
- Brakes: Shimano MT-200 Hydraulic
- Covers: Hutchinson Python 2
Mountain Ebikes:
- Model: MMR KORE
- Type: Front Suspension
- Motor: Bosch Performance Line CX (85 Nm)
- Battery: Bosch Power Tube 625
- Frame: Aluminum 6061hydroformed Double Butted
- Brakes: Shimano M420 180/160
- Covers: Hutchinson Griffus TLR
24-hour telephone assistance
Luggage transfer between accommodations
If you arrive in your own vehicle, you can leave it parked on a public parking place in Arenas de Cabrales (free but unguarded parking).
tracks available for download
Transfer from Arenas to Sotres on Day 1
Not included
- Other dinners and meals
- Bicycle rental (see optional services)
- Lunches and dinners
- Personal expenses
- Flights and transfers to and from the accommodations
- Travel insurance
Extras
- Transfers from/to the airport on arrival/departure
- Mountain bike rental, with conventional and electric models available
- Shipment of printed documents to the first accommodation
The nearest airports to the Picos de Europa are Oviedo - Asturias (OVD), Santander (SDR) and Bilbao (BIO).
How do I get to Cabrales?
From the airports there are good bus connections to city centre bus stations, where you can catch a connecting bus to your destination (ALSA bus company, see time tables at www.alsa.es).
From Oviedo centre there are direct buses to Arenas de Cabrales. From Santander and Bilbao, you take a direct bus to Unquera and then continue by taxi to Arenas de Cabrales.
NOTE: It is wise to book your bus tickets and taxi transfer in advance, especially for arrivals and when travelling in summer or on Friday afternoons. You can buy your bus tickets through the ALSA website.
Departure from Arenas de Cabrales
Travel to Oviedo by direct bus
For Santander or Bilbao, take a taxi to Unquera, then continue by bus
Airport transfers (arrival and departure) can also be arranged in advance through S-Cape Travel. Costs vary depending on the number of passengers, the airport, and the transfer time.
If you arrive in your own vehicle, you can leave it parked on a public parking place in Arenas de Cabrales (free but unguarded parking).
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Mountain bike break in Picos de Europa
