If you go down to the woods today, in Spain’s Serranía de Cuenca, you’re in for a big dual sport surprise. Ok, sorry for the cheesy intro, but bear with me, no pun intended (I'm starting to get grizzly... – Ed). Situated in an empty quarter midway between Madrid and Valencia (and only a day’s ride from Santander or Bilbao), late spring to early autumn provides a playground of (usually) sunkissed, super-smooth roads and a patchwork of adventure bike-friendly trails. It’s an area I’ve been returning to for years and I’ve stitched together a route which even novice off-roaders on big GSAs can enjoy.
I based myself for four nights at the wonderful La Utrera in the sleepy village of Las Majadas, about 40km north of Cuenca. It’s run by a diminutive, but formidable Señora who was convinced my panniers were there to keep the beer cool. An alternative is the Parador Nacional hotel in medieval Cuenca, which has great views.
The route runs from the pretty lakeside village of Uña on the south-western fringe of the Serranía de Cuenca to Taravilla in the Alto Tajo. It’s 165km long and can be ridden in a single day if you are determined, but two days would be better.
To get to Uña from Cuenca, it’s a beautiful ride along the CM-2105, including a roller-coaster section just after Villalba. The village has several good restaurants, but I prefer to fill up at the tiny supermercado with ice-cold water, bread, pâté and fruit for when I hit the trails. Be warned though, this is rural Spain and the opening times of shops are somewhat arbitrary. As I left the supermercado around 11am, the owner followed me out and locked up. Customers would find a post-it note on the shop door declaring ‘Vuelvo en un rato’ (Back in a while), whenever that might be.
LAS MAJADAS LOOP
Denne historien er fra December 2019-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra December 2019-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now
BMW R 12 nineT
Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
After testing the Voge's abilities on a long ride, it was time to take it to the Cotswolds and see how it would manage on the rougher stuff
Portuguese Perambulations
Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored
Highway to Heaven
Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...
Battlaxes at the ready!
We tend to take tyres for granted, never really looking at them in any detail, or at how they work, just hoping that they keep us shiny side up at all times. Even in the wet
Ducati Riding Experience
When I rode the Ducati DesertX to France last year, I did have a bit of an explore on some easy fire roads and gentle green lanes in the wilds of the Médoc area, but was left with the feeling that, had I the experience, the DesertX would have been capable of taking me along some more extreme trails to some even more exciting places. If only there was a way of finding out just how well the Italian adventure bike could cope with some more extreme terrain...
Four pot flyer
Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...
Eastern adventurer
With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry
First Time Lucky?
It's ironic that the first all-new MV Agusta model to hit the marketplace right after Italy's No.1 trophy brand was acquired by Austrian giant Pierer Mobility, owner of off-road titans KTM, should be the company's first dual-purpose model of the modern era, powered by MV's all-new 931cc three-cylinder engine that's destined to form the basis of a whole series of new models in coming months and years.
