Montanas Vacias - Bikepacking Adventure

In this video I attempt the Montanas Vacias bikepacking route. It is a route centred on Teruel in S E Spain and covers 422miles of rugged upland plateau of the Sierras Cuenca, Javalambre and Gudar. It is the 'Spanish Lapland' with a population density equivalent to the Lapland of northern Scandinavia. An area of medieval villages, abandoned farmhouses and extensive pine forest.
For more information visit: montanasvacias.com/route/

[@eekamouseman]

Fantastic video, I would love to cycle here one day. I live in Madrid so not to far.

[@harrylinsdell8114]

Great effort again Andrew a pleasure to watch with all the local info as well

[@solway17carlisle]

Thanks Harry - Very nice bike path into the hills. Thanks for watching - Best wishes 👍

[@dawnekaye2240]

Well done Andrew, a great watch and very informative. Thanks for sharing 🎉

[@solway17carlisle]

Thanks Dawne - great to be in Spain this time of year. Thanks for watching and your comment👍👍

[@alisdiggerdiary]

Fantastic scenery and although cold a bit of sunshine is nice to see !

[@solway17carlisle]

Hi Ali - for sure the weather was great overall - have seen you battling with the rain and mud recently so you could do with the sun. Thanks for watching 👍

[@DAoutdoors]

Hi Andrew, amazing mate, what a trail. Some spectacular views and some lovely quaint little towns and villages. Thank you as ever for sharing it with us. All the best, Dave 😀🇪🇸🚲

[@solway17carlisle]

Hi Dave - Thanks so much for watching. It’s a lovely route if you ever get the chance/inclination. All the best 👍👍

[@tednruth453]

Looks absolutely fantastic out there....as do all of your treks!

[@solway17carlisle]

Hi Ted n Ruth - it was lovely and the weather was on my side (mostly...) Thanks for watching and commenting. Best Wishes 👍

[@tednruth453]

@@solway17carlisle glad you didn't get stuck in the snow, those 'bothies' were interesting buildings, handy when things get bleak. 🖐

[@solway17carlisle]

The snow was a bit of a shock, though the high plateau is 4500-5500’…Really enjoyed the bothies, especially with the fire on. All the best 👍

[@richardhodgson3474]

Good video. I enjoyed it. I’m hoping to do the route in September, some useful info here.

[@andyjsmallwood]

Just what I've been looking for, Andrew, as I'll be riding the MV in May. I saw a post on the MV Facebook page about a guy riding the MV in the snow in March. It only clicked that it was you at the end of the video with the photo outside Surya.
You've made a great video that gave me a true feeling of being there. Any chance you could add your gear list, bike and specs? These would be really handy as potential visitors always have plenty of questions about these things?
All the best from Portugal.

[@solway17carlisle]

Hi Andy - Yes, it was me battling with the snow…hopefully now a bit more passable over the higher sections. Great idea about doing a bike/gear video- I’ll see what I can do before your trip in May (probably a much more sensible month for this route🙂) Cheers…👍

[@BorderRambler]

Loving this trip Andrew , all sorts of terrain to deal with . Liked those bothy type buildings to get you out of the cold. How do you go about getting your bike across to Spain ? Packed in a box to fly , would make an interesting video on how . Atb Dave

[@solway17carlisle]

Hi Dave - the forestry roads seem endless on the MV. The rifugios/bothies were fantastic resource along the way - they seemed to be built by the local council, not sure who maintains them. Yes, I just got hold of a cardboard new bike box from Palace Cycles. All the best 👍