Most riders think of Spain and see the Pyrenees. The Pyrenees are worth the thought – they are genuinely excellent. But Andalusia, the southernmost region of Spain, offers something the Pyrenees cannot: riding in November, December, and March when the rest of Europe is wet and cold and the passes are closed.
This alone makes Andalusia worth understanding. Add the Sierra Nevada, the White Villages route, and the roads of the Natural Parks, and you have a destination that deserves far more attention than it currently receives.
The Riding Season
Andalusia's riding season is effectively year-round with some nuance. Summer brings heat that makes midday riding uncomfortable. The solution is the same as the locals use: ride early, stop for three hours in the middle of the day, ride again in the late afternoon.
Spring and autumn are the best months. The temperatures are perfect, the roads are dry, and the scenery in late April – when the almonds and orange trees are flowering – is genuinely unlike anything else in Europe.
The Routes
Sierra Nevada The highest mountain range in mainland Spain. The road from Granada to the ski resort cuts through landscape that shifts from Mediterranean scrub to alpine terrain in thirty kilometres. The surface is excellent and the views back toward Granada and the sea are extraordinary.
Ruta de los Pueblos Blancos – White Villages Ronda, Zahara de la Sierra, Grazalema, Arcos de la Frontera – hilltop villages connected by roads that were built for mules and ended up being perfect for motorcycles. The roads are narrow, the gradient is steep, and the views from the top extend to the sea on clear days.
Natural Park Roads Andalusia contains several large Natural Parks – Cazorla, Grazalema, Los Alcornocales – and the roads through them are largely empty, well-surfaced, and spectacular. These are the roads that local guides know and that visitors rarely find on their own.
