Castile and León, Spain

A 4.5 day tour of a corner of Castile and León region, covering 307 km – two thirds on asphalt/paved surfaces – and climbing an easy 1,370m.

Step 1 involved a Regional Express train from Valladolid to the start of the tour at Palencia. This is one of the few types of renfe trains that accept fully assembled bicycles, wheeled on and left upright in an open floor area. No disassembly / bagging required or hoisting a laden bike onto a hook. Simples.

I'd intended to follow the EV1 throughout the tour, but even though the hard packed / gravel surface of the canal track between Palencia and Tordesillas was in decent condition, that first day's riding felt rough on 38mm tyres – a bike choice dictated by my need to bag up the bike for other renfe trains – so I favoured minor roads for the remainder of the tour. The roads were largely traffic free and the drivers were considerate and patient. I only saw bicycle tourers on the roads, and only XC mountain bikers on the EV1.

The downside of not always following the EV1 is that my route bypassed some of the nature reserve areas, so this was more a tour of wide-open, intensively farmed landscapes. But birdlife was still plentiful – finches, buntings, kites and the occasional hoopoe in the wooded areas. And unlike the EV1 the roads took me through a few villages, mostly shuttered and eerily quiet. Perhaps the late March weather had a hand in this. It was sunny all week but a northerly wind was bitterly cold and the morning temperatures were low (3-10°C).

Zamora, Tordesillas, Salamanca and Alba de Tormes had the same kind of beauty and vibe – solid stone streets, old churches and a quiet, traditional atmosphere that felt timeless. I stayed mainly in some of the few campsites that were open at this pre-season point in the year. A chilled out (and sometimes chilly) experience all in all.