Santander to Douro Valley to Barcelona

[Dave Thornton]

Part 1 of my 2017 road trip will be from Santander to Douro Valley to Barcelona. I need a few suggestions of what to divert for on the way.

So far my itinerary looks like this:
Wednesday: 1730 Santander then drive for about 3 hours. Stay in a Parador???
Thursday: Drive for about 4 hours (+stops) to Pinhao and N222 in Douro Valley. Stay in a Port wine lodge???
Friday: Drive for about 6 hours towards Zaragoza. Stay in a Parador???
Saturday: Drive for remaining distance (4 hours) to Barcelona

I like driving roads, photography, food & wine. I don't like museums and old cathedrals etc!

Please can you suggest some roads / places that I should take in.

[Wozy68]

Dave Thornton said:

Part 1 of my 2017 road trip will be from Santander to Douro Valley to Barcelona. I need a few suggestions of what to divert for on the way.

So far my itinerary looks like this:
Wednesday: 1730 Santander then drive for about 3 hours. Stay in a Parador???
Thursday: Drive for about 4 hours (+stops) to Pinhao and N222 in Douro Valley. Stay in a Port wine lodge???
Friday: Drive for about 6 hours towards Zaragoza. Stay in a Parador???
Saturday: Drive for remaining distance (4 hours) to Barcelona

I like driving roads, photography, food & wine. I don't like museums and old cathedrals etc!

Please can you suggest some roads / places that I should take in.

I'm assuming Parador is Parador De Leon?

From Santander take the motorway West (A8) until Unquera, take a left here (south) on to the N621 to Riano and from there continue on the N621 until you get to Sabero, turn right (West) on the CL626 until it meets the CL624 then head South on this until you arrrive in Cerezales del Condado, then turn west back on to the N621 to Leon. (For some unknow reason the N621 has a gap in it).

This will take you more like four or five than three hours if memeory serves. Well worth it though, epic scenery and roads in places. A quicker route would have to be major roads or motorways and that misses out on a lot.

I know nothing further south (other than motorways) so can't help out there.

Enjoy the trip

[CABC]

difficukt without large amounts of highway. some lovely roads along that route, esp in Picos mountains, Douro and Pyrennees - yes, ideally venture north to there.

[Dave Thornton]

CABC said:

difficukt without large amounts of highway. some lovely roads along that route, esp in Picos mountains, Douro and Pyrennees - yes, ideally venture north to there.

Wozy68 said:

Dave Thornton said:

Part 1 of my 2017 road trip will be from Santander to Douro Valley to Barcelona. I need a few suggestions of what to divert for on the way.

So far my itinerary looks like this:
Wednesday: 1730 Santander then drive for about 3 hours. Stay in a Parador???
Thursday: Drive for about 4 hours (+stops) to Pinhao and N222 in Douro Valley. Stay in a Port wine lodge???
Friday: Drive for about 6 hours towards Zaragoza. Stay in a Parador???
Saturday: Drive for remaining distance (4 hours) to Barcelona

I like driving roads, photography, food & wine. I don't like museums and old cathedrals etc!

Please can you suggest some roads / places that I should take in.

I'm assuming Parador is Parador De Leon?

From Santander take the motorway West (A8) until Unquera, take a left here (south) on to the N621 to Riano and from there continue on the N621 until you get to Sabero, turn right (West) on the CL626 until it meets the CL624 then head South on this until you arrrive in Cerezales del Condado, then turn west back on to the N621 to Leon. (For some unknow reason the N621 has a gap in it).

This will take you more like four or five than three hours if memeory serves. Well worth it though, epic scenery and roads in places. A quicker route would have to be major roads or motorways and that misses out on a lot.

I know nothing further south (other than motorways) so can't help out there.

Enjoy the trip

Thank you both. Since I posted, I found this website:
http://www.bestbikingroads.com/motorcycle-roads/mo...

It too recommended the A8 west, then the N621 to Riano (through the Picos mountains), where we'll stay the night - there is a hotel that's popular with motorcyclists that overlooks the lake. Then the next morning, we'll pretty much take the fast roads to Peso de Regua in the Douro and do the N222 to Pinhao, where we can stay at the Quinta de la Rosa vineyard (their red is sold in Waitrose). The next 2 days will be an equal mix of interesting roads then long stretches just to get the miles out of the way, to Barcelona. The return trip is from Barcelona to Bilbao via the Pyrenees and Rioja country. The car for the trip: R8.