Every tour has a Day 1. The one where ten strangers — or near enough — show up at a port with their bikes loaded, their panniers overpacked, and that particular kind of nervous excitement that only exists at the start of a big trip. This was ours.
The Picos & Pyrenees May 2026 tour kicked off at Plymouth, where the group gathered at a café in the ferry terminal. Ten riders plus me — a brilliant mix of bikes and backgrounds, some who’d toured before, some doing their first proper trip abroad. Within about twenty minutes of meeting, it felt like we’d known each other for years. That’s always the way with this lot.
Plymouth to Santander — Overnight on the Bay of Biscay
We boarded the Brittany Ferries sailing around 4pm, stowed the bikes in the vehicle deck, and headed upstairs to properly get acquainted. The Bay of Biscay crossing to Santander is one of those rare things in motorcycle touring — enforced downtime. No riding, no navigation decisions, nowhere to be. Just good company, cold beer, and a lot of talk about roads.
We had a brilliant evening on board. Food, drinks, stories from previous trips, and the inevitable debate about the best roads in Europe. I handed out the tour t-shirts, which always marks the moment the group stops being a collection of individuals and starts being a crew. By the time people started drifting off to their cabins, the group was already gelling beautifully.
Docking in Santander — Into the Hills
We docked the following afternoon — around 2pm, and once we’d cleared immigration and got the bikes off the ferry, we were rolling. That first moment when you ride out of the port and the Spanish roads open up in front of you is always a moment. The air changes. The landscape changes. Everything feels wider and wilder almost immediately.
Rather than taking the fastest route inland, we headed straight for the hills. The roads between the Cantabrian coast and the Picos de Europa are exactly the kind of riding that makes this tour what it is — flowing, forested, with the mountains building in front of you with every kilometre. The group settled into a natural rhythm quickly, which is always a good sign on Day 1.
Mirador del Zorro and the Descent into Potes
We made several stops along the way — viewpoints and pull-offs where the views demanded it. The Mirador del Zorro was one of the highlights, a lookout perched high above the valley with the full sweep of the Cantabrian range spread out in every direction. On a clear day — and we had a good one — it’s the kind of view that makes you very glad you came.
From the viewpoints we descended into the valley where the town of Potes sits — a beautiful medieval market town right at the gateway to the Picos de Europa. The descent is worth the price of admission on its own: a long, sweeping drop into a valley so green it barely looks real, with the peaks of the Picos rising sharply ahead.
We didn’t linger long in Potes — just long enough to take it in — before heading back up into the mountains to our hotel for the night.
Parador de Fuente Dé — A Proper Welcome to Spain
The Parador de Fuente Dé sits right at the base of the great southern wall of the Picos de Europa — a sheer rock face that rises almost vertically from the valley floor. It’s one of those locations that makes you stop and stare when you pull in. The cable car up to the top departs from just outside. The mountains are right there, enormous and immediate, in a way that’s hard to put into words.
After getting settled in, the group came together for dinner in the hotel restaurant — and Spain delivered immediately. A long table, excellent wine, and a txuletón that was roughly the size of a small motorcycle. The Basque-style bone-in ribeye, cooked properly and served with sea salt flakes, is one of those meals you’ll still be talking about three tours later.
By the time dinner was done, the group was relaxed, well-fed, and well into the swing of things. That first evening around a table together is always when you know how a tour is going to feel — and this one felt brilliant from the off.
Day 2: Fuente De to Villafranca del Bierzo
Day 2 is our first full riding day — and it delivers. From the Parador de Fuente De we head south on the famous N-621, stopping at Mirador del Corzo before climbing into the high valleys to Mirador de Pandetrave and Mirador de Valdión. A proper local lunch, a beautiful afternoon ride, and pizza in the town square at Villafranca del Bierzo as the sun went down.
Ride the Picos & Pyrenees Yourself
If reading this has put the Picos de Europa on your radar — good. It should be on every rider’s list. The Wild Roads Picos & Pyrenees tour runs across multiple dates and takes in the very best of northern Spain and the Pyrenees over 15 days. Small group, handpicked hotels, fully guided with GPX files, ferry included.
Spaces fill up fast — especially for solo riders. If you want to join us in 2027, get in touch sooner rather than later.
👉 View the Picos & Pyrenees Tour
👉 Download the 2027 Tour Pack
The Parador de Fuente Dé is one of those hotels that does the work for you. Stone-built, solid, and set directly beneath the most dramatic cliff face in northern Spain — the kind of place where you sit outside with a cold beer, look straight up at the rock wall above you, and feel very glad indeed to be a motorcyclist.
