Spain - Bardenas desert routes - info needed
 

I'm planning to stop for the afternoon/night in the Bardenas desert region of Spain on my way south.

I know roughly where it is (7 miles NE of Tudela), does anyone have any info on legal tracks and overnight accommodation?

Tim

There's a campsite I seem to remember that's pretty close. I think it was this one -
Precios y Reserva en Camping Bardenas Villafranca, Navarra, Tudela

That's the only campsite in the area. Right next to a road but clean toilet block and a small shop on site.

I have GPS routes of the area from my trip at Easter if you want them. We rode down from Roscoff to the France / Spain border then turned left.

We had one day criss-crossing the border, mostly off road, with a campsite in the hills

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/o...02009/day2.jpg

I have a route form there down to Bardenas which is mostly off road but with the weather being grim in the mountains we missed that one out and took the road down through pamplona. We stayed at the campsite in Villafranca for a couple of nights.

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Then across the mountains heading west before picking up a road north to Logrono.

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/o...9/IMGP0779.jpg

The trail was so steep here that when I stopped I had to lean forward to keep the bike from flipping over backwards. I had fun turning round to get back down. We found a way round this hill.

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From there we took the old route, rather than the motorway up to Bilbao (a series of great hairpins on one section), then had a long afternoon off-road in the hills there before taking the road to Santander.

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Mark seriously needs to learn how to travel light. He even had a frying pan in there.


http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/o...9/IMG_0339.jpg


Bikes were my X-ch and Mark on his DRZ. Other than the stop on the way down through France, when we took the indoor option so we could dry everything out after some serious rain, we camped each night.

We went to Las Bardenas a year ago and I find this as one of the most exciting off-road trips I have ever done. You feel as if you were into a dream or into a Salvador Dali's picture, especially at daybreak or at sunset. Don't forget your camera!

The accomodation is out from the desert. There are few campsites in the area, is not a very touristic area, but there are lots of nice Casa Rural (Bed&Breakfast) around which offer rooms with great deals quality/price.

Wikiloc is full of GPS tracks very up to date, this is how we planned our route. Never go off-track because there are lots of environmental policemen around and Bardenas desert is a very delicate ecosystem. Every track is very well signposted and if you follow the touristic signs you can have a good idea of Bardenas' desert.

As a very fragile area you may find holes in your way surprisingly opening. Be careful with this.

Bardenas is in some areas the military training campsite of the Spanish Army, they are also very well signposted. I don't remember if they are also written in English.

Here you are the ride report. It is in Spanish, but is full of fine pictures
Foros : www.motostrail.com, la web de la moto trail

http://fotos.subefotos.com/d8c836ec9...babe7a55fo.jpg

http://fotos.subefotos.com/094004162...f5872b91fo.jpg