Riding the Innova down to Picos, via Bardenas 1750 miles
Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2023 6:31 pm
Just got back from another trip on the Innova riding down through France, over the Pyrenees and round via Congost de Mont Rebei to Bardenas Reales and then on to the Picos de Europa.
This is the third major trip taking the Innova on the continent, and it’s been perfect for this kind of travel where off road adventures have been planned. It’ll ride leisurely, hustle if you need to jump on a motorway for a stop or two and handle off-road conditions well.
I’ve now clocked up more than 10,100 miles in under three years riding 125ccs on the continent, of which 6,600 have been on the Innova and 3500 on the pcx.
This trip was only 1750 miles, but mainly because I took some time off to walk the magnificent Congost de Mont Rebei. If you’ve got a good head for heights this really must be one of the best walks ever. The path cut into the rock face is amazing and the stairs up the cliff face encourage just a little bit of wee to come out, especially when you find one of the boards broken in two
I then rode across to Bardenas Reales and took a day off to ride the desert area. It did not disappoint, trails going everywhere and spectacular scenery all around.
Then across to the Picos area. Basing myself in Potes I stayed for 4 nights. The first day I did the off road track from Sotres to Espinama. It’s about 8 miles of gravel track, some of it is pretty straightforward but there were some really tricky sections with loose gravel, rocks, steep gradients and no phone signal!
The rest of the time was spent exploring the area both on the bike and on foot. A lot of people say that it is biking nirvana and I’m inclined to agree. The towns in the area are lovely to explore and the snaking roads give you some fantastic views of the peaks above.
The Innova held up well though it may need the piston rings looking at as I noticed it was burning a bit more oil than usual. However it carried all my gear including a full camping set up the whole way.
Trip stats:
1750 miles,
Best mpg was 157mpg and only spent £94 on petrol the whole way!
The camping really cut down the cost of accommodation but it did mean that I had a fully loaded bike and if taking it again I’d opt for hotels to shed a good few kilos.
I’m probably going to need to stop doing these big trips soon as my wife may forget who I am. [attachment=be 1]DABF4837-00B5-421B-ACF0-0B3A3892DE69.jpeg[/attachment]
This is the third major trip taking the Innova on the continent, and it’s been perfect for this kind of travel where off road adventures have been planned. It’ll ride leisurely, hustle if you need to jump on a motorway for a stop or two and handle off-road conditions well.
I’ve now clocked up more than 10,100 miles in under three years riding 125ccs on the continent, of which 6,600 have been on the Innova and 3500 on the pcx.
This trip was only 1750 miles, but mainly because I took some time off to walk the magnificent Congost de Mont Rebei. If you’ve got a good head for heights this really must be one of the best walks ever. The path cut into the rock face is amazing and the stairs up the cliff face encourage just a little bit of wee to come out, especially when you find one of the boards broken in two
I then rode across to Bardenas Reales and took a day off to ride the desert area. It did not disappoint, trails going everywhere and spectacular scenery all around.
Then across to the Picos area. Basing myself in Potes I stayed for 4 nights. The first day I did the off road track from Sotres to Espinama. It’s about 8 miles of gravel track, some of it is pretty straightforward but there were some really tricky sections with loose gravel, rocks, steep gradients and no phone signal!
The rest of the time was spent exploring the area both on the bike and on foot. A lot of people say that it is biking nirvana and I’m inclined to agree. The towns in the area are lovely to explore and the snaking roads give you some fantastic views of the peaks above.
The Innova held up well though it may need the piston rings looking at as I noticed it was burning a bit more oil than usual. However it carried all my gear including a full camping set up the whole way.
Trip stats:
1750 miles,
Best mpg was 157mpg and only spent £94 on petrol the whole way!
The camping really cut down the cost of accommodation but it did mean that I had a fully loaded bike and if taking it again I’d opt for hotels to shed a good few kilos.
I’m probably going to need to stop doing these big trips soon as my wife may forget who I am. [attachment=be 1]DABF4837-00B5-421B-ACF0-0B3A3892DE69.jpeg[/attachment]
