Extremadura

26 miles/45 km 500↑m to Trujillo

The bike tour starts with a fairly easy, straightforward stage. You ride most of it on the old main road, which is now just about deserted, given that most vehicles choose for the new motorway.

The stage leaves plenty of time and energy for exploring your destination: Trujillo, a little town which bloomed in the 16th century with the treasures brought home by several of America’s conquistadores. On a hill dominating the surrounding plateau, its defensive walls, ancient mansions, palaces and garden areas leading up to its castle provide for a very enjoyable walk. Sitting for dinner in its wonderful Plaza Mayor completes a perfect evening.

34 miles/56 km 820↑m to Berzocana

The second day en route is more demanding and has two different parts: first you cycle through the ‘Llanos de Belén’ an undulating steppe well known among bird watchers. Even without their binoculars you’ll see plenty of birds typical of this terrain, with a bit of luck including Montagu’s harrier and both the little as the big bustard.

Once past the only village in the stage, it gets more hilly and you enter the ‘dehesas’ the classic environment of this region. Dehesas are light forest of holm- or cork oaks serving as pastureland. They provide an ideal habitat for both cattle as wildlife. Keep your eyes peeled for some of the later crossing the road ahead, as the sizable bright-green lizard or the Egyptian mongoose, with its low, dark profile; while colourful birds as roller, bee-eater or hoopoe fladder around. Destination is a quiet village in a great setting, midway up the flanks of the sierra.

20 miles/32 km 780↑m to Guadalupe

This is when it really gets spectacular: after a first stretch ascending gradually on a scenic road, you turn into a very steep concrete road/path. On this, except for e-bikes or climbing heroes, it’s about 3 km of push-bike: first through lush Mediterranean forest, higher up along broom and heather to the top of the sierra. There follows a long descent, with birds of prey above and enjoying wide views. A final dive takes you into the village of Guadalupe. In the afternoon you can visit its impressive cloister, a place of pilgrimage for the whole Spanish-speaking world.

24 miles/39 km 790↑m to Navatrasierra

After a short climb back out of the Guadalupe valley, you ride on a undulating road covering easy miles. Then, turning into a smaller, very peaceful road, you start the delightful climb and descent of the Alto del Hospital. Up through lovely forest, down into a remote valley covered in rockrose bushes and dense copses of strawberry trees. Much of this goes through a nature- and hunting reserve, with beautiful cork oaks at every bend and red deer a fairly common sight along the road.

The first inhabited place you’ll find in this stage is also your destination: Navatrasierra, a simple but charming village of mostly pensioners tending to their orchards and vegetable plots

46 miles/75 km 600↑m to Talavera de la Reina

The longest stage but with the most flat terrain and very varied. It starts with a fairly gentle ascent to the last mountain pass in the tour. You then leave the sierra’s of Extremadura behind and enter lower, drier lands in the province of Toledo, cycling through a mix of dehesa, scrubland and Mediterranean ‘maquis’ bush. After crossing another remote area you reach a ‘Via Verde’ cycle path on a former railway which takes you to great views of the river Tagus’ valley.

Final destination is Talavera de la Reina, known for its ceramics, of which you can visit a museum, and a lively, unassuming town with no tourists. Perfect to celebrate the completion of this fantastic ride in some of its many bars, with moderate prices and courtesy tapa’s served with each drink.

Train to Madrid or bus to Toledo

From Talavera de la Reina you can take:
The train to Madrid (1 hour 30′, +/- € 17) There are several departures each day but because they are often full, you are advised to buy the e-tickets at least three weeks in advance at www.renfe.com
Or, just for visiting or maybe to start the Don Quijote tour: the bus to Toledo (1 hour 20′, +/- € 9) In this case, tickets can be bought in the bus station just before depart, see ww.autocarestoletum.es for departure times