Day 1 Transfer to Santillana

Pick up from arrival point and transfer to the charming medieval village of Santillana del Mar. Introduction to bikes and route briefing.

Spend the rest of the day walking round the cobbled streets of this beautiful village, visit the modern museum of the Altamira Caves or enjoy a ride around the country lanes and down to the coastline.

Day 2 Santillana - San Vicente

Leaving Santillana, our route heads westwards through green meadows and the hills and valleys of Cantabria with its marvellous unspoilt coastline and beaches nearby.

We soon arrive at the charming village of Novales, set amidst lemon groves and with its fine typical rural architecture.

Next stop is the seaside village of Comillas. Here a visit to the fine beach, the small harbour and the pretty village square with its pavement tapas bars and restaurants is a must, not to mention the architectural sights of El Capricho by the famous Catalan architect Gaudí and the Palace of the Marqués de Comillas.

After leaving Comillas, cycle through the Parque Natural de Oyambre and along the beautiful beaches of Oyambre and Merón. We are finally greeted by the stunning view of San Vicente and the Picos de Europa in the distance.

Distance 36km - 23 miles

Day 3 San Vicente – Llanes

Leaving San Vicente the route heads westwards along the coast.

After a short distance, cycle around the beautiful headland of Pechón with its magnificent views of the coastline.

Crossing the River Deva in Unquera we enter the province of Asturias. The village of Colombres is home to the sumptuous villas of the indianos, emigrants to the Americas who made their fortune and then returned.

From here, the route continues between the coast and the dramatic mountain backdrop of the Sierra de Cuera, foothills of the Picos de Europa. A beautiful descent through eucalyptus forests brings us back to the coast, where we cycle past beautiful and unspoilt beaches to arrive at the charming fishing village of Llanes

Distance 57 km – 36 miles (This route can be shortened by 10 miles by taking the local train to Unquera)

Day 4 Llanes – Arenas de Cabrales

From Llanes, we turn southwards towards the Picos de Europa.

Today's stage is a short one but we have the chance to lengthen it if we wish. We head along the valley of the Río de las Cabras past picturesque villages and many examples of their hórreos, the wooden granaries on stilts that are so typical in Asturias.

At the top of the valley, we are greeted by magnificent views of the Picos. In Arenas we can leave our luggage and cycle along to the beginning of the famous Cares Gorge.

From there we can take the funicular railway to visit the remote mountain village of Bulnes.

Distance 32 km – 20 miles

Day 5 Arenas de Cabrales - Potes

From Arenas de Cabrales, we follow the course of the River Cares with the Sierra de Cuera to our left and the imposing Western, Central and Eastern Massifs of the Picos de Europa to our right – sublime scenery!

In Panes, the Cares flows into the Deva and we follow the latter upstream to the village of Potes. Suddenly the sides of the valley close in and the route runs through the incredible rocky gorge of La Hermida.

Mountains tower around us as we cycle through the gorge towards Potes and the valley of La Liιbana, completely encircled by mountains.

Spectacular scenery, but easy riding – downhill to Panes and then a barely perceptible ascent to Liιbana and the village of Potes.

Distance 52 km – 33 miles

Day 6 Potes - Carmona

From Potes we retrace our route to the village of La Hermida.

We then begin our climb out of the Deva Valley and through the beautiful scenery of the Cantabrian Mountains. This is a route that few tourists ever see.

From La Hermida we climb up to the village of Linares at 400 metres. Another climb takes us to the Collado de Hoz at 658 metres. A third and final climb takes us up the Collado de Ozalbal at 556 metres and with incredible views of the Nansa Valley.

A fast descent takes us down the valley and to our final resting-place at Carmona.

A challenging stage but compensated by the varied, unspoilt and beautiful scenery and remote villages.

Distance 32 km – 20 miles

Day 8 Villacarriedo - Somo

After riding through the village of Selaya, we take a climb over to the next valley to begin our descent of the River Miera Valley to our final stop in Somo.

A marvellous ride through stunning limestone scenery takes us down to the farmland around Somo and the Bay of Santander.

En route we can visit the mountain village of San Roque de Riomiera and the spa village of Liérganes with its charming old quarter.

Distance 55 km - 34 miles